Westlands Secondary School (SMK Westlands)

Westlands Secondary School, George Town, Penang (7 December 2009)


Westlands Secondary School, known today as Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Westlands, is a secondary school in George Town, Penang. Located along Khaw Sim Bee Road, it was founded in the year the country attained independence, 1957. The school holds the distinction of being the first in Penang to experiment with holding classes in Malay.¹ This began in 1961, and continued until 1964, when the Malay medium students were transferred to Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Jalan Residensi.

Westlands Secondary School has one of the biggest school fields among the schools within George Town. The field is today shared with the Pusat Kecemerlangan Sukan Westlands, a state sports training facility.

Westlands playing field (23 November 2013)


The name Westlands Secondary School may have been derived from a now defunct Westlands Primary School, a school which was established in the 1920s, thus opined the Teowchiewkia blog². The primary school also lend its name to Westlands Road. The name Westland was also given to Sekolah Menengah Lanjutan Westlands, which become one of the components of Scotland Road Secondary School, which is today known as Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Haji Zainul Abidin.

Getting there

The nearest bus stop is along Perak Road, at the junction to Khaw Sim Bee Road. It is served by Rapid Penang bus 101, 102, 104 and 304. From the bus stop, walk to Khaw Sim Bee Road, and continue along that road until you arrive at the school on your left, a distance of about 5 minutes.

References

List of Schools in Penang and Schools in Malaysia