St. John's Institution (abbreviated SJI) or formerly known as St. John's National Secondary School (Malay: Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St. John) is a public all-boys school (sixth form is co-ed) and is one of the oldest schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The school is widely known by its initials, SJI and the students of St. John's Institution bear the name Johannians.
While it is commonly thought that the school is named after Jean-Baptiste de la Salle, the founder of the De La Salle Christian Brothers Order and also known as the Patron Saint of Teachers, the school actually takes its name from St. John the Evangelist Church which sponsors their surrounding parish which is also located nearby on Jalan Bukit Nanas.
SJI consists of a primary school and a secondary school. The primary and secondary schools initially were fee paying missionary schools and remained such until the 1970s. They functioned together until the increase in pupil enrollment led to the separation of the primary school in 1960. The primary schools were formerly known in Malay as Sekolah Kebangsaan St. John (1) and Sekolah Kebangsaan St. John (2) until the primary schools were officially merged again recently. The newly merged primary school is known today in Malay as Sekolah Kebangsaan St. John.
The secondary school was called Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St. John, but it was announced in April 2016 that the name would be reverted to St John's Institution, a decision widely applauded by alumni and backed by another Johannian, Sultan Nazrin Shah of Perak.
SJI was among the first 30 schools selected for the Cluster School Scheme when it was first introduced in 2007 by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia.
The La Sallian Brothers and the Board of Governors still hold much more autonomy over the management of the secondary school compared to the Malaysian Ministry of Education. This has allowed the secondary school to maintain a certain amount of prestige. Though the school land is owned by the Roman Catholic Church (including St. John's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur which is next to the school), much of the school funding is received from the Government of Malaysia.
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Site and architecture
The main school building is located in Jalan Bukit Nanas, in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur, next to the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve, giving it a lush setting. St. John's Primary Schools are located across the road from the main school building. While the Convent Bukit Nanas, an Infant Jesus Sisters' school for the girls, the AIA building, and the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur are located further down the road. The Fatima Kindergarten (housed in what is Kuala Lumpur's oldest Catholic church and now converted into a community service centre) and the Roman Catholic St John's Cathedral are located on the road leading up to SJI.
The school is famous for its imposing red and white brick main building with Grecian-Spanish influences where it has been recognized as a Kuala Lumpur Heritage Building since 1986, where else it was gazetted as a National Heritage Site by the Government of Malaysia on 21 May 2010 through National Heritage Department.
Administration
The school has traditionally been headed by the brothers of the La Sallian order, with a brother director (like a headmaster) and a brother supervisor (like a deputy headmaster). In recent years, the brother supervisor was replaced with three assistant principals, who are not in the La Sallian order.
Former Brother Director of St. John's Institution
The headship of the school passed to the laity in 2002 when Peter Yii Sing Chiu became the first non-brother and non-Catholic to head the school, ending 98 years of brothers' administration.
Former and current principals of St. John's Institution
Brothers who have served as primary school headmasters since leaving the secondary school include Patrick Arokiasamy, Alban Tang and Matthew Liew.
On 1 December 2009, Peter Yii Sing Chiu was replaced by Leong Kum Loy. Under the administration of Leong Kum Loy, St. John has been declared a heritage site by the Malaysian government.
The administration of the school has been continued until now by Sivakumar a/l Thannimalay, the seventh principal of SJI who has started serving from January 2023. He is assisted by three senior assistants as follows;
Senior assistant of administration and curriculum: Rohani binti Jusoh
Senior assistant of student affairs: Musannef bin Yatim
Senior assistant of co-curricular activities: Eza Hamni bin Mohammad
Senior assistant of form six: Sharimala a/p Bahsu
School History References
1953–1958, 1960: Term Review
1954: Golden Jubilee school magazine
1964: Diamond Jubilee souvenir book
1974: Platinum Jubilee school magazine
1979: 75th Anniversary commemorative book
1984: 80th Anniversary school magazine
1989: 85th Anniversary school magazine
1994: 90th Anniversary school magazine
2004: 100 Years Centennial coffee table book
2014: 110th Anniversary school magazine
2024: 120th Anniversary school magazine
Student
The composition of the students is always of various races and religions, and English is the common spoken language used throughout the establishment of the school.
SJI is an all-boys school, with the exception of sixth form students where it is co-educational. Female students (better known as Eagirls) are only admitted to lower sixth form and upper sixth form in addition to male students. This is the norm for boys' secondary schools in Malaysia.
This school also has the advantages and differences of being one of the schools in Malaysia that accepts the admission of visually impaired students. It has become part of their curriculum, students with visual disabilities should attend regular class sessions like other students. The school has a Resource Room for visually impaired students where it is attended by trained teaching staff and also a club that contains a large number of students who volunteer their time to help visually impaired friends/students.
Notable Johannians
Aizat Amdan, singer and songwriter
Zeti Akhtar Aziz, seventh Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia
Amir Hamzah Azizan, Malaysian politician and corporate figure, currently serving as Minister of Finance II and a member of the Dewan Negara since December 2023
Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour, tenth Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia
Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysian Minister of Defence
Hans Isaac, actor, entrepreneur
Harith Iskander, artist and stand-up comedian
Chow Chee Keong, former national goalkeeper
Faiz Khaleed, Military dentist, member of Angkasawan program
William Leong, Malaysian Parliamentarian
Abdul Ghani Minhat, national football player
Farish A. Noor, political scientist and human rights activist
Najib Razak, the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia
Nazir Razak, chairman, CIMB Group
Ras Adiba Radzi, Malaysian politician, community activist and veteran news presenter
Syafiq Ridhwan, Asian Gold Medalist, World Bowling Champion
Tengku Mohamad Rizam, Tengku Temenggong of Kelantan