From Princess with love: Queen Elizabeth, then Princess Elizabeth, donated £25,000, part of her wedding gift, to help fund the construction of the school in Johor Baru in 1953. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: A gift from United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II some 69 years ago help established a school for the blind, which still stands to this day.
SK Pendidikan Khas Princess Elizabeth senior assistant teacher (administration) Azmi Othman said that the school’s long history can be traced back to the late Queen.
“The school was set up in 1948 to provide protection and education to vision-impaired children where it shared the same premises as the Social Welfare House, which is under the Johor Welfare Department, at Batu 3 along Jalan Skudai, now known as Danga Bay.
“A couple of years later, there was a growing need for the school to relocate to a new location due to growing number of students.
“The Johor Sultan at that time consented to gift 2.83ha of land along Jalan Nong Chik for the school building,” Azmi said here yesterday
Azmi added that constructing the school’s building, including a dormitory for students, required a massive financial outlay.
“Queen Elizabeth II, who at the time was known as Princess Elizabeth, had just gotten married to Prince Philip, and she donated about £25,000, which was part of her wedding gift, to fund the school’s construction,” he said.
Donations also poured in from the public and various organisations.
Azmi said these financial contributions, including from the late Queen, helped kickstart construction in 1953, and the school building was completed a year later.
He added that the school was named SK Pendidikan Khas Princess Elizabeth in 1954 to commemorate her donation and as a sign of goodwill between Johor and the United Kingdom.
“Since its establishment, the school has been taking in children including those from outside Johor, regardless of race and religion, who are visually impaired and providing them with an education,” he said, adding that the school currently has 39 students and 28 teachers.
