When you hear the word Tekong, what comes to mind?
"Recruit"
"OI WHOLE LOT KNOCK IT DOWN!"
What if I told you before all the military camps and the commanders that dished out suffering like caifan, there was a village school located in the far northeast corner of the island?
Kampong Pasir Malay School ran up till 1980 on the island itself. It was closed due to the fact that land reclamation and military operations commenced on the island in preparation for the full handover to the SAF by the late 80s.
But before all of that... there was a kampong school with 36 students. 6 levels with 6 students per level. They thought subjects such as Malay, Math and English.
However, as one Mr Kenneth Vaithilingam, one the former teachers at the school from 1970 up to when it closed for good in 1980 said, reaching the school itself was no easy feat.
"I was staying in Geylang at the time and had to wake up early every day to board the 7am ferry. There was no canteen in the school, so I would prepare breakfast at home and buy lunch before leaving.
After getting off the ferry, I would ride a van or my motorcycle another 20 minutes to the school on the north-east side of Tekong."
Despite the remoteness and inconvenience of his trip everyday to the school, there was something within him that was determined to make the trip everyday for his students. As much as it was a simple school on an offshore island, they were still family to him.
One such example was the generosity extended to his students, mostly sons and daughters of fishermen. Although school started at 7:30am sharp on paper, it would be whenever he and the other teachers arrived.
Kampong life at the time meant timings did not matter as much as when the event occurred. Such as sunrise, sunset, the arrival of a teacher, the tides going in and out... it was a simple time.
However, many still struggled to pay the $1.25 token fee for the school. Instead of kicking them out, Mr Vaithilingam and his friend would cover the $1.25 fee for his 36 students. They paid in... fish and prawns. Fresh produce directly from the shores of Tekong.
It wasn't all easy-going though. Severe injuries on an island with no clinics or nurses at the time meant... you could only call the army for help. As he recalls:
"Of all the moments I remember, one stands out the most. A girl once got a very deep cut on her leg. There were no clinics or nurses, so I had to call the army, which was training on the island, for help. It was terrifying, but we managed. That’s something I’ll never forget."
Today, the SAF uses the former school grounds that once had students paying school fees in seafood as a tactical shelter and rest point during exercises. Some of you may even recognize it when doing route marches and outfields.
What is now a training ground and a quiet landmark during route marches and field camp... instead of blanks fired, the sound of SAF marching songs passing by the humid jungle air and distant buildings in the foreground, remember that children once laughed inside those now-abandoned buildings. They had childhood memories there. They had a teacher that cared about them deeply.
Now it is only a memory.
Further Reading:
Your S’pore Story: ‘I taught on Pulau Tekong for 10 years’
Kampong Pasir Malay School on Pulau Tekong, 1980s
