SEJARAH SEKOLAH (SCHOOL HISTORY)

Convent Bukit Nanas (abbreviated CBN) is an all-girls school located at Bukit Nanas,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest schools in Malaysia and
is widely known as CBN. Convent Bukit Nanas is one of the first schools to be distinguished
as a Cluster School of Excellence by the Malaysian Ministry of Education. CBN has a close
relationship with her brother school, St John's Institution, which is located along the same
road and is also a Cluster School of Excellence. It is one of the 30 Convent secondary schools
in Malaysia.

On 16 December 2008, Pos Malaysia issued a premium set of four commemorative

stamps and first day cover, honouring four Premier Schools of Malaysia - Convent Bukit
Nanas and Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, SMK St. Thomas in Kuching and SMK All
Saints in Sabah for their superiority in academics, sports and extra-curricular activities.In
1899, three Sisters of the Congregation of the Holy Infant Jesus stepped off a steamship
anchored at Port Swettenham. Reverend Mother St Levine, accompanied by Sisters St Sabine
and St Madeleine, had come on a mission to establish a school in Kuala Lumpur. The first
Convent school was located in Nonya Ah Yok's garden shed, and the Sisters lived on the first
floor of her country house by the River Gombak on Ampang Road. The site is directly
opposite Bukit Nanas. On 1 March 1899, the Convent School in Kuala Lumpur officially
opened with a dozen children. Many of the early pupils were children of immigrants working
on the railway lines. By the second year, there were 60 day pupils and orphans and
insufficient room with Nonya Ah Yok.[citation needed]

To the rescue came Towkay Ngee sui who gave temporary residence to the Sisters
and the children at his house in Semenyih. He also approached the Government for approval
to start a lottery to enable the Sisters to buy Victoria Hotel in Brickfields. Towkay Goh, as
one of the benefactors of the Convent, continued to help the Sisters, even providing a carriage
and pony for their grocery shopping. On 15 January 1901, Victoria Hotel - once the venue of
annual general meetings of the United Planters' Association - became home to Reverend
Mother St. André, 17 sisters, 60 orphans, 22 boarders and 100 day pupils. There was also a
creche for 12 babies. Word of the Sisters' good work spread, and increasing numbers of
pupils crammed the school. By 1911, there were 308 children, prompting the Inspector of
Schools to recommend that new classrooms be built.[
 On top of a hill once planted with pineapple and coffee, and only a stone's throw from
St. John's Institution and Cathedral, the site at Bukit Nanas was the location to start the
convent. The Sisters bought the land for $40,000 and sold the old Convent property in
Brickfields Road to the Government for $60,000. The new Convent building cost another
$26,000. The shortfall was paid for with contributions from the public. The Nazareth Built
around 1898, this house has undergone several transformations. Once the house of the Chief
Justice, 'Nazareth' was requisitioned during the Japanese Occupation as the Domestic Science
School for Girls. With the rapid increase in enrolment, there was a shortage of trained
teachers in the country. In 1957, the Sisters acquired Nazareth to house a Teacher's Training
College. In the 12 years, Nazareth provided over 300 teachers who fanned out to teach not
only at Convent Bukit Nanas but at 50 Convents situated in all parts of the Peninsula. Afte
1970, Nazareth became the Sixth Form Wing of Convent Bukit Nanas.

CBN comprises a secondary school and two primary schools. Administration of the
secondary and primary schools separated in 1958. CBN has classes from Form 1 through to
Form Five for girls aged 13 to 17. Girls enter CBN after they have completed their primary
education in SRK Convent Bukit Nanas School I and School II (Malay: Sekolah Rendah
Kebangsaan Convent Bukit Nanas). These primary schools have classes from Year 1 through
Year 6 for girls aged 7 to 12.

The CBN secondary school administers two national Malaysian exams, the PT3
(Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3),and SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia. PT3 is taken by students at the
Form 3 level to determine placement into Science, Art or Commerce courses.However, most
girls leave CBN after they complete the SPM at Form 5 to pursue other pre-university
courses like the A-Levels. As a result, SPM is seen as the most important exam of most
Malaysian high school students careers. CBN has constantly been among the top three
performing schools for SPM in Kuala Lumpur, according to the Malaysian Ministry of
Education. In 2010, CBN emerged as the top performing school in Kuala Lumpur for SPM.
Each year, only a small number of students receive straight A's. As a result, this is a highly
coveted honour. Convent Bukit Nanas receives a large amount of national media attention on
results day.