Ujian Selaras 1 2009 sedang dijalankan melibatkan semua tingkatan. Ujian bermula pada 2 Mac dan akan tamat pada 4 Mac. Selamat Maju Jaya

In Malaysia, we too have public schools such as the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) and its sister college, Tunku Kurshiah in Seremban and the Royal Military College (RMC) but they are owned and run by the government. The Tuanku Jaafar school and the Saad Foundation School in Malacca are run by the private sector. The Saad Foundation School was started by an old Malay collegian, Tan Sri Halim Saad, the Chief Executive Officer of Renong Corporation. Halim is an active member of the Malay College Old Boys Association (MCOBA). His executive office suite is just one floor below the MCOBA penthouse at Jalan Syed Putra, Kuala Lumpur.

My old school, MCKK, was founded in 1905 by the British for the children of the Malay ruling class along the lines of Eton College. It is a new institution compared to Eton which was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. MCKK has since been democratised and, as a result, its students today are made up from every stream of bumiputra society.

Anxious old boys are worried about their alma mater because it is just one of the many residential schools in the country although it still remains the premier one. There are today nearly 50 state-funded and privately-run boarding institutions. The old boys want MCKK privatised but the government has said that it cannot be privatised because it is a national treasure and heritage.

The demise of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah marked the end of an era. As a ruler can only hold the post of Yang Dipertuan Agong for a term, it means that the Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah was probably the last of the alumni of the prestigious Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) to become the Head of State for the country.

Dubbed as 'the Eton of the East', the 96-year old institution was once the school of Malay royalty and aristocracy. Currently, three state rulers, all former Agongs, are also products of the Malay College namely Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak, Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang and Tuanku Jaafar of Negeri Sembilan.

However, after the Second World War, when the school was closed and turned into a Japanese military headquarters, another of Malay College's famous old boy, Dato' Onn Jaafar, the founding leader of UMNO, urged the British administration to open MCKK to all Malays regardless of birth. It was from this second era that other currently prominent personalities of the country came from, and they can be found prominent in business, academic, political and civil service circles.

TEKS UCAPAN PENGETUA

HARI UCAPAN DAN PENYAMPAIAN HADIAH 2008

THE MALAY COLLEGE KUALA KANGSAR

SABTU 21 JUN 2008

Assalammualaikum w.b.t dan Selamat Sejahtera.

Ampun Tuanku, Beribu-ribu ampun.

Mengadap Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Raja Muda Perak Darul Ridzuan, Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah ibni Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah.

Patik mohon perkenan Tuanku, bagi pihak The Malay College menjunjung kasih atas perkenan Tuanku ke upacara Hari Ucapan dan Penyampaian Hadiah yang penuh gilang-gemilang ini.

Patik selaku Pengetua The Malay College melimpahkan ribuan syukur ke hadrat Illahi kerana merahmatkan Tuanku mencemar duli berangkat datang memenuhi undangan pada pagi yang mulia ini.

Sesungguhnya patik sekalian dapat berasakan keberangkatan Tuanku memberi erti yang sukar untuk diungkap dalam majlis pada pagi ini. Majlis sudah pasti bertambah serinya dengan keberangkatan Tuanku ke upacara Hari Ucapan dan Penyampaian Hadiah dan seterusnya meningkatkan iltizam diri patik sekalian untuk memaju dan membangunkan The Malay College yang bertuah ini.