Kuching Town Government Secondary School (KTGSS) was establish in 1970 under the First Malaysian Plan. Under the watchful eyes of Mrs. Ngiam Eng Chiak, the first principal, and seven other teachers, the school first open its doors to students from the nearby districts on the 12th January 1970. Enrolment for the first year was 171 students. Since then, enrolment increased rapidly.
KTGSS started with four classes- Form 1 Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Subjects offered included all core subjects and Industrial Arts. Industrial Arts, at that time, was a new subject in Sarawak. In fact, our school was the first school in Sarawak to introduce such subject.
Annual Publication of the school magazine was introduced the very same year the school was established, that is 1970. The school magazine “Bujangga” was named by the Former Director of Education, Mr. Tan Seng Chye. The first issue of Bujangga magazine was a combination of the first three years of the school.
The school started with three blocks of buildings and a hall.The three blocks are Block A, B and an Industrial Arts block (now known as Block D). In late 1971, constructional work on the extensions of the school blocks (Block A and B) began. A new block, Block C, was then constructed in the late seventies and Block E was added in the mid eighties.
In 1972, the third year of the school, a very important milestone in the history of our school took place. That was the school’s Official Opening which was held on the 22nd July 1972. In conjunction with this, there was an exhibition on the work of the students throughout the school life since day one. The School was officially declared open by the Honourable Chief Minister of that time, Datuk Haji Abdul Rahman Ya’Kub. Since then, the school was officially known as Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Kuching. But to this day it has always been better known as Kuching Town.
In 1974, the first form four classes started with one Form 4 Science and Form 4 Arts each. Besides that, our school also established its very own Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) or better known now as Persatuan Ibu Bapa dan Guru (PIBG) in the same year. SMK Bandar Kuching was the very first institution in the whole of Sarawak to form a PTA. It was officially declared open by former Director of Education, Mr. Mohd. Diah Bin Haji Nordin on the 11th November 1974. The first meeting was held to discuss the formation of this association was held on the 9th October, 1974. Since its establishment, this association has given much assistance to the students in their pursuit of the school curriculum.
A year later, our school’s name was changed from SMK Bandar Kuching to SMK Bandar Kuching No. 1. This was due to the establishment of a second SMK Bandar Kuching, SMK Bandar Kuching No 2.
In the early years of the school, heavy rain was one of our school’s major problems as it brought floods. This constant flooding was due to the fact that the school has been constructed on lower ground. Back in the days, teachers would have wellington boots under their desk just in case it rained. One of the worse floods was in 1979. Back then, water rose up to two feet! Nowadays, flood is no longer a problem to us as the school have rarely seen any floods since the 21st century. However, if it does rain very heavy, the road leading to the school would be flooded due to poor drainage but the school grounds are rarely affected.
In 1981, our school’s co-operative society (Koperasi Sekolah) was established. Pn. Dona Babel, the principal of that time, chose the school’s old canteen to be the perfect location to house the Koperasi Sekolah. She suggested that the Koperasi Sekolah would benefit the students by selling them exercise books, which have the school’s name and logo, and other stationeries. Since then the Koperasi Sekolah has grown in strength winning numerous awards year after year and finally being awarded the highest of award, Koperasi Gemilang in 2008. A dental care clinic was also established in the same year making our school the first secondary school to establish one.
Our school’s song, was composed in 1983. Pn. Dona Babel, suggested that the school’s song should be composed in Malay as it is an important language in this country. The school song was first published in the 1983 edition of the school magazine, Bujangga. The school song however, lost its popularity throughout the years and was finally revived by Pn. Isabella Wong, the assistant principal afternoon session (Penolong Kanan Petang) in 2006. She instructed the students of 2A class(2006) to be the choir for the recording of the song which was done towards the end of 2006. Since then all students are required to sing the school song during the weekly assembly.
In 1986, our school recorded a record high student population of more than 2100 students. It was an outstanding figure because the had never crossed the 2000 student borderline and only averaged between 1800 to1900 students.
Between 2003 and 2004, a student waiting area which houses the notice board, or better known now as the school’s notice board area, was constructed, a project made possible by the PIBG (Perastuan Ibubapa dan Guru). This proved to be of major benefit to the students as the majority of students would wait at this area before and after school starts. Besides that, a gazebo was constructed and the guard house was improved.
In 2004, a strong wind blew over Kuching during the mist of the first semester examination and ripped off the roof of Block C and the school hall. Huge trees and eletrical posts surrounding the block toppled making the block inaccessible to students. Students from the seven classrooms have to be temporarily housed in the science lab and as ‘floating classes’.
In 2005, another great facility was added to our schools lists of facilities, the Computer Lab Block housing two computer labs complete with internet access computers to be used for the teaching and learning process. Besides the lab, our school iconic landmark was also constructed.Two years later saw the launching of the school’s very own Access Center. This access center is intended to give students internet access for their convenience after class.
In 2007 the school experienced a major setback. The first floor of classrooms in Block C was razed by fire. This also made the three senior science labs, namely the Physics, Chemistry and Biology lab located on the ground floor unsafe for use. Thus, causing one of the school’s major problem came back to haunt the school. There was a shortage of classrooms and furniture. Once again the students were crammed into any available space to be used as classrooms. With a lack of classrooms and an overflow of students, a single storey temporary block, Block Kilat or more oftenly called Block K was built to house the students from Block C. Construction began in late 2007 and was utilized in 2008. Unfortunately, to date the labs have not been rebuilt.
Our cooperative has been very successful ever since it was established. It has won many awards throughout the years. In 2008, our cooperative won the highest school cooperative award in Sarawak which is the ‘Koperasi Gemilang’ (for the year of 2008) award. It is yet another proof of our school’s excellence…
Our school, SMK Bandar Kuching No.1, has come a long way since its humble beginning in 1970 and it will still go a very long way in the future. After all, together, we strive for excellence!!! Some individuals would see Kuching Town school as a bad and dangerous school. However, most, if not all, students would strongly object to that statement. Over here, students are exposed to what life really is about. We are carved and shaped into individuals that define each and every one of us. Here, Kuching Town is life. There’s no other school that I would rather be in…
This has been a report on the school’s progression throughout its 40 year lifespan by yours truly, Felixon anak Jawing. Hope you enjoyed.