SMS HISTORY

 

St. Michael's School - the oldest English school in Belait, Brunei

In 1946, when the Japanese occupation had just ended, there was no school in Seria where pupils could learn English or any subject through the medium of English. The Shell Oil Company was re-establishing itself and a big proportion of its employees were concerned about the education of their children in a local English school. There were no local English schools in 1946.

Before the war there was a mission school in Kuala Belait but none in Seria. The Kuala Belait school disappeared during the war and after the war it seemed more urgent to set up an English school in Seria than in Kuala Belait.

The employees of the Company in Seria realised the necessity of having an English school for their children. A committee comprising some members of the Regional Staff of the Shell Oil Company was formed to discuss the possibility of opening a school. The committee worked in cooperation with Rev. Father de Wit who was in charge of the Catholic Mission in Labuan. He was made the chairman of committee.

The committee approached the Management of the Company for the provision of a school building and the Company agreed to build a school. The school was born on 13th April, 1946 at mile 3, Seria. It was a very simple building with kajang walls and a roof of attap leaves. On the day it opened, it had sixty six pupils and three teachers. It was a joint effort of a voluntary committee of Company employees and the Mission.

The school started growing and in early 1953 it was found that the school building was no longer suitable. It was condemned as a school premises and the committee was faced with the problem of erecting another building. At that time the Shell Oil Company vacated its old Headquarters office on the beach near Lorong Four and moved to a new premises. The Company kindly offered the school the use of the old office. The school moved into the office where it continued until early 1955.

The school could not carry on indefinitely in borrowed kajang buildings and in 1954 it was planned to build a new school. The Government gave the Mission a piece of land at Lorong Two near the bazaar. This site was cleared and prepared by voluntary labour. It was found, however, that the area was too small for the school building and a bigger space had to be found somewhere. Eventually the Company offered the site on which the new school now stands in exchange for the site granted by the Government and the work on the new building began towards the end of 1954. It was completed by the middle of 1955 and was opened on 17th July, 1955.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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