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Friday 26 July 2013

The Happy School Singapore 新加坡快乐学校 (Formerly The Happy Free School Singapore 前快乐歌剧社义务学校)


1946 - 1979

History
新加坡快乐义务学校,创办于1946年5月,发起者是新加坡快乐歌剧社社长何燕娜、财政许千红两位女士以及该社全体职员,成立学校的目的乃为救济芽笼区失学儿童,实施义务教育,全校学生,每月一律征收堂费一元,家境贫寒者酌予豁免,每年经常费用,均由董事部和社会热心人士之赞助。此项建校计划,深获“快乐世界”的老板李玉荣的鼎力支持,并担任学校董事长兼建校基金会会长,组织建校基金委员会,著手进行筹募基金活动,1947年6月7日在快乐世界举行游艺会,共筹得近万元。建校费用有着落之后,遂进行修葺,费时三月,于同年九月竣工后,即行迁入芽笼十四巷67号和69号两层楼之屋宇两座。

1955年11月,快乐学校接受政府全部津贴制度,行政组织有所变革。身为董事长的李玉荣,当时曾说:董事部同人对于经费方面,负荷减轻,然仍一本初衷,努力充实设备,加紧于学生学业水准之提高,优良德性之陶冶,并锻练其体魄,培养其爱群之观念,以期达到智育、德育、体育、群育、美育、五育俱备,而成为健全之公民。

The Happy School was established in 1946 by the Director and entire cast of the Singapore Happy Musical Society for the children living in the Geylang area who were out of school. The school offered free education to the poor and received great support from both the Happy World Amusement Park and the community.  In 1947, an extravaganza was held at the Happy World to raise money to build a two storey school building at 67, 69 Geylang Lorong 14. In 1955, the school was converted to a government aided school.

The Happy School School Song

3 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to put up this wonderful blog. It means very much to me as my mother, Mdm Leong Hei Chin was a Chinese Language and Music teacher in The Happy School.She has since passed on. The Happy School held a very place in her heart as she always mentioned it even when I was a child.
    I still miss my mother very much even though she passed on exactly 50 years ago.
    Reading this post brings back poignant memories. I wonder if her students remember her. They must be in their 60s now.

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  2. My father is from happy school, he is now 83. He always tell me about happy school since I was young, thank you so much, thanks for all efforts given to those poor and wanted to study at that olden days.

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    1. Hi! I'm a student doing a video on the contributions of th cabaret girls in Singapore. If you are comfortable sharing some of his experiences (such as the ability to attend school), please contact me at c.zhang.0308@gmail.com as I would love to get some personal accounts of the impacts of the school! Don't worry, the questions are nothing too personal and it wouldn't take up much of your time. Thank you!

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