Victoria Institution

The Victoria Institution is the oldest secondary school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is a memorial school, so-called because it was partly funded by public subscription intended for the erection of a permanent memorial to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. The establishment of the school was further supported by financial contributions from the Sultan and government of Selangor, prominent Kuala Lumpur residents, and the general public.

The school reverted to its original name (instead of SMK Victoria) in February 2009, after being granted approval in recognition of its having been declared part of Malaysia's national heritage.

The Victoria Institution is a secondary school for male students only from Form 1 to 5. Female students are accepted for Form 6 (Lower and Upper). The school is widely known as VI, and a student of the Victoria Institution is known as a Victorian.

Performing well both academically and in sports, the VI is considered one of the best non-residential schools in Malaysia. In 2007, VI was named as a Cluster School of Excellence by the then Minister of Malaysian Ministry of Education, Hishamuddin Hussein.

The post-war period 
On 13 September 1945, the school was the site of the formal surrender of the 29th Imperial Japanese Army to Lieutenant-General Ouvry Roberts of the 34th Indian Corps.

School buildings

The former building (1893–1929)

Foundation stone and early years 
The school's foundation stone was laid by on 14 August 1893 by Lady Treacher, who was the wife of Selangor Resident at that time; Sir William Hood Treacher. The school was opened on 28 July 1894. This original school building is located at Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, right next to the site of present-day  Pasar Seni LRT/MRT station.

Status of former building after the completion of new building 
This building was then used as a premise of the Technical College (now Universiti Teknologi Malaysia) up until the 1950s when the new Technical College building at Jalan Gurney (now Jalan Semarak) was completed and officially opened on the 1 March 1955 by Sir Donald MacGillivray, the then British High Commissioner to Malaya.

After the Technical College had moved out, the old VI building was used as a school again, as High Street School, which in turn moved to Setapak and became known as Setapak High School.

The old VI building was then managed around the 1980s by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall as a cultural centre,  known as Taman Budaya, until it was burnt down by a fire in 1999. Restoration work was made from 2002 to 2005 by JTK Consult. The department is now run as the National Department For Culture & Arts.

The current building (1929–present)
As the VI's former location was frequently flooded by the nearby Klang River during heavy downpours, the Victoria Institution moved to Jalan Hang Tuah (formerly known as Shaw Road) on 26 March 1929.
The Victoria Institution has a clock tower overlooking two sports pavilions at its façade, and a large field, surrounded by colonial-era trees (yellow flame trees and palms). The VI also has its own 25-metre swimming pool and synthetic track for 100 metres sprint events, making it the only school in the region with these facilities at that time.

Student life

Traditions and heritage 

The VI is also home to the oldest cadet corps in the country, the Victoria Institution Cadet Corps (affiliated with the Malaysian Army and the first to receive Colours in 1960 in honor of the role played in the Second World War), the oldest cadet corps band in the country, the Victoria Institution Cadet Corps Band, and the oldest scout group in the country, the First Kuala Lumpur Scout Troop. The First Kuala Lumpur Scout Troop split into two troops in 1933 thus establishing the First Kuala Lumpur Scout Troop and the Second Kuala Lumpur Scout Troop. The official name of the Second Kuala Lumpur Scout Troop today is the Victoria Scout Group.

Sports 

The school's cricket ground first witnessed an international match when Ireland played Gibraltar in the 1997 ICC Trophy, which was hosted by Malaysia. Eight matches in that competition were played at the school premises. The ground also played host to three List A fixtures played in the cricket competition at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. These fixtures saw Pakistan play Scotland, Canada play India, and Malaysia play Jamaica.

Alumni Association 
The Alumni Association of the VI is known as the VIOBA (Victoria Institution Old Boys' Association) and was founded in 1922. The games competition between the Current Victorians and the Old Boys is for the Daniel Shield and this tournament is held every year. There is a similar Alumni Association in Singapore, the VIOBA Singapore.

Notable alumni
 Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei
 Yusof Mohamed Alam, prince consort and cheteria of Brunei
 Ismail Mohd Ali, first Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia
 Ananda Krishnan, businessman and Malaysia's 2nd richest man
 Francis Yeoh, Managing Director of YTL Corporation
 Syed Amin Aljeffri, Malaysian entrepreneur
 Mohamed Hashim bin Mohd Ali, General (Rtd), 9th Commander, Chief of Defence Forces
 Raja Petra Kamarudin, political activist, founder of the Malaysia Today website
 S. Rajaratnam, former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
 S. Namasivayam, Singaporean artist
 Rafidah Aziz, former International Trade and Industry Minister Malaysia
 Zulhasnan Rafique, former Federal Territories Minister Malaysia
 Ruben Gnanalingam, CEO Westports Malaysia
 Wong Phui Nam, Poet
 Wan Zaleha Radzi, ex-TV newscaster, celebrity, Asian Games (1998) and South-East Asian Games (1995) medallist for Equestrian
 Kamahl cabaret/easy listening Australian singer and recording artist, famous for The Elephant Song
 Raja Nong Chik, former Federal Territory Minister
 Ramon Navaratnam, Malaysian economist
 T. Sachithanandan, pioneering Malaysian anesthesiologist
 Paul Tan, automotive journalist
 Shafie Apdal,  Minister for Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs; Minister for Unity, Culture, Arts and National Heritage; Minister for Rural and Regional Development; VP, UMNO; Founder of WARISAN; MP for Semporna; Chief Minister and Finance Minister of Sabah, ADUN for Senallang
 Tommy Thomas, Lawyer, former Attorney General of Malaysia .
 Mahadev Shankar, lawyer and former Court of Appeal Judge
 Gengadharan Nair, High Court Judge
 Ridzwan Bakar, cardiologist, former CEO & Chairman Pantai Holdings.
 Jit Murad,  Comedian, Writer, Producer, Theater & TV performer, Co-founder of Instant Cafe Theatre
 Amir Muhammad (director), writer and filmmaker
 Sivarasa Rasiah, human rights lawyer and vice-president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People's Justice Party)
 Omar Yoke Lin Ong, politician and member of the first Malayan Cabinet, the fifth President of the Dewan Negara.
 Tan Kee Kwong, politician and former member of parliament for Wangsa Maju.
 Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusomo, Lt-Gen, Indonesian Armed Forces (R), Defence Minister, Indonesia
 Sri Ramachandran s/o Gopal Iyer [Gopal Sri Ram], Judge, Federal Court of Appeal, Prosecutor
 Chew Wing Foong, former president of the Library Association of Malaysia and former Chairman of CONSAL
 Aidit Alfian, songwriter/producer, winner of TV3's 17th Juara Lagu 2002, Keliru
 Mohd Zaman Khan, former Director of Police CID & former Director General of Malaysian Prison
 Khairul Annuar bin Abdul Aziz, President of Petroleum Dealers Association of Malaysia and Former President of Petronas Petroleum Dealers Association of Malaysia (2014-2022)

Sports 
 Mokhtar Dahari, former Malaysian Football International
 Mani Jegathesan, sports icon, doctor, and researcher and deputy president of Olympic Council of Malaysia.
 Misbun Sidek, National Badminton Champion and National Badminton Singles Coach
 Jalani Sidek, All England Badminton Doubles Champions and National Doubles Champions
 Razif Sidek, All England Badminton Doubles Champions and National Doubles Champions
 Rashid Sidek, National Badminton Champion
 K. Reuben, Malaysian footballer
 Shafiq Sharif, Malaysian National team cricketer
 Choo Min Wang, Malayan Chess Champion (1958)
 Foo Kok Keong, National Badminton Player, former world number 1
 Soo Beng Khiang, member, 1992 victorious Malaysian Thomas Cup team
 Yeoh Teck Chye, member, 1949 victorious Malayan Thomas Cup team
 Lall Singh, former Indian Test cricketer
 Shahrin Majid, footballer, Malaysian Football International
 Yap Wai Loon, footballer, Malaysian Football International
 Sieh Kok Chi, Malaysian Water Polo player, Secretary-General, Olympic Council of Malaysia
 Hadin Azman, Malaysian footballer, Penang F.C.
 Mohd Khairi Zainudin, Malaysian footballer
 William Mei York Liang, Championship Racing driver
 Zainon Mat, Captain,  Malaysian Cricket team (1980s)
 Khiew Hoe Yean, Malaysian Swimmer
 Muhamad Harith Akif, Malaysian Footballer Kelantan F.C.

References 

 Victoria Institution webpage
 Victoria Institution Old Boys' Association
 Victorian personalities
 The Victorian (Annual school magazine)

External links 
 
 The Victoria Institution Web Page

Secondary schools in Malaysia
Educational institutions established in 1893
1893 establishments in British Malaya
Boys' schools in Malaysia
Secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur
Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria