武来岸系列（8）

 

武来岸战前的教育情况

 

在日本南侵之前，我的家乡武来岸曾经拥有3所民办小学。

 

居住在武来岸的华人，大约在19世纪末，从中国广东惠州、梅县和福建沿海地区，来到这里找生活。客籍为最大的族群，多为矿工和务农。福建籍人数不多，一般开店做生意。

 

战前最高峰时，武来岸人口就有逾万人，为了方便同乡联系，这里很早就成立会馆。根据民间记录，早在1890年，福建人就建立了福建公所，惠州会馆则在1893年成立，随后，梅县人也有了自己的会馆。

 

当时会馆和乡团，在华人的社会里，扮演了一个非常重要的角色。这些会馆不但为初来乍到的新客同乡，提供便利和协助，也设立华文学校使移民子女，能有受母语教育的机会。

 

根据武来岸马华支会主席杨敬良先生的记录，梅县人在1905年间开办了“中华小学”，校址就在目前的顺英馆庙前面，男朋友椰沙冰店旁边。创办人程杜和会馆理事，向政府购买了12间店地，作为建校用途，同时也在该处设立了一所阅报社。

 

福建会馆创办人是郑钦显，1927年把会馆重修后，办了一所“公民小校”。差不多同个时期，惠州人在下街场（俗称为吉灵街场），由张满纪的带领下，靠近小溪处的一所两层楼的店屋，也开办了一所“公义小学”。

 

“中华小学”的学生人数约300人，而“公义小学”及“公民小学”则各约有100名学生。至于师资方面，并没有严格的要求，老师还可以用方言来教学。学校的经费全部由董事部负责。除了教导华文外，也有英文和马来文科。中华小学的第一任校长为刘协平。

 

这三所学校虽然由各籍贯人士所办，但却合作无间。当时，这三所学校还一起隆重庆祝双十节。参加庆典的学生从街上一直列队到中华小学，加上观礼的村民，场面非常热闹。此情此景，如今只有留在前辈们的记忆里了！

 

这三所民办学校在日本南侵时就停办了，接着在1947年，殖民政府发现这几所学校的校长如公义学校的陈泰志，具有强烈的左派思想，下令关闭了这三所学校。学生被迫转到临近的乌鲁峇玲珑育才华小就读。

 

独立前的那段长达约20年的日子里，对武来岸村民来说，是个非常动荡的年代。锡矿业停产了，再加上令人不安的日治时期，接踵而来紧急法令的实施和戒严，导致居民纷纷迁移出这个黑区，人口因此大幅度的下降。这些年，人口一直停留在两千人左右，昔日的繁华不在，热闹一去不回！

 

虽然面对种种挑战，我们的前辈并没有放弃办校的热忱和执着。独立前，在已故杨宏光的领导下，又再向政府申请成立一所新的华小，注册为目前的武来岸新村华文小学，使村里的孩子继续有机会念书。

 

如果说马来西亚的华文教育，能有今天的发展和普及，是华裔社会和先贤们努力的成果，一点也不夸张。

 

 

Before the Japanese invasion, Broga used to have 3 primary schools.

 

The Chinese in Broga came from Huizhou, Meixian and Hokkien in Guangdong province, China at about the end of the 19th century. Hakka is the largest ethnic group, mostly becoming tin mining workers and farmers. While a smaller number of Hokkien became shop keepers. 

 

At its height, the population of Broga was more than 10,000 people. In order to facilitate contacts with fellow newcomers, an association from each dialect group was formed. As early as 1890, the Hokkien already established the Hokkien Association in Broga, and later in 1893, the Huizhou Association was established followed by the Meixian Association.

 

At that time, these associations and guilds played a very important role in Chinese society. These associations not only provide convenience and assistance to the newcomers who have just arrived, but also set up schools so that immigrant children can have the opportunity to receive education.

 

According to Yong, the chairman of the Broga MCA Branch, the Meixian group opened the Chung Wah Primary School in 1905, in front of the present Song Yin Guan temple, next to the Boyfriend's Coconut Shake shop. The founder, Cheng Du and others purchased 12 shop lots from the government for the purpose of building the school. 

 

Zheng Qin Xian, the founder of the Hokkien Association, opened a Gong Min Primary School at the Hokkien Association building in 1927. At about the same time, under the leadership of Zhang Man Ji, the Huizhou clan also opened a Gong Yi Primary School in a two-story shophouse beside the main road of Broga.

 

The Chung Wah Primary School has the largest number of students, about 300, while the Gong Min and Gong Yi school each had around 100 students. As for teachers, there were no strict requirements, and they could even use dialects to teach. All these schools were fully funded by the Board of Directors. Besides teaching Mandarin, the students also learned Malay and English. 

 

Although the three schools were run by different dialect groups, they were cooperating with each other for school activities. For example, the three schools celebrated the Double Tenth Festival together. Students participating in the celebration lined up from the street to Chung Wah Primary School. This lively and busy scene is still left in the memory of the older people.

 

These three private schools were suspended when the Japanese invaded the country, and then in 1947, the colonial government ordered the closure of these schools because they found that the principals of these schools were supportive of the leftist’s movement then. The pupils of these schools students transferred to study at the Yu Chai Primary School in Ulu Beranang.

 

Not long after the Japanese left, the country was declared as the state of emergency, Broga was declared as a “black area” as it was one of the hiding places for the members of the Communist Party of Malaya.  People started to move out and the population of Broga dropped sharply to around 2,000 people at this present time.

 

Although faced with various challenges, our predecessors did not give up their enthusiasm and persistence in running schools for their children. Just before independence, under the leadership of Yang Hong Guang, who applied and successfully registered the present SJK(C) Kampung Baru Broga Primary School, so that the children in the village would continue to receive education.