RGPS STORY 5 and 6

There were no Community Involvement Projects, but there were Civics and Moral Education lessons. They were thought in the Mother Tongue. The pupils had to wash the toilets. They loved that as they could splash each other with water, and had great fun.

Instead of using visualisers, over-head projectors were used. The school had a Language Laboratory. There was also a library at the Holland Grove campus. Each pupil had a Library Card. They could only borrow one book a week. For a pupil to borrow a book, she had to put her Library Card into a box. There were many librarians in the library. A librarian would stamp the due date onto the back of the book. There were many books in the library.

Elaine’s favourites were the reference books. By Primary Six, she had already finished reading all of them. She loved encyclopedias.

They had a debating team, and Elaine was part of it. Debating cards that they had made helped them with their debates.

Elaine took part in a Courtesy Campaign Competition, and received a beautiful blue file as a prize. There was a Brushing Teeth Campaign too. The pupils had to bring a toothbrush and a mug on Brushing Teeth Day, which was held once a week. If a pupil did not bring the needed kit, she would have to stand up and pull her ears for approximately two hours.

Elaine did not like to wash her cup, so her cup was very stinky. The pupils did not need toothpaste. All they did was to get water from the tap, rinse their mouths, squat down next to the drain, start brushing their teeth, gurgle their mouths, and done!

Recess was for half an hour. The canteen drink stall sold Fanta grape, Fanta cherry, Fanta lime and a few other drinks. The drinks were available in plastic bags or cups. You had to pay more if you asked for a cup. The bookshop sold cheap notebooks, pens, and the usual stuff that you see in bookshops. The bookshop was really small – even tinier than the small one at the current Hillcrest campus. The bookshop was stocked high with items, and during recess, it would be exceptionally crowded.

This is a very fascinating oral history of RGPS. Even though it was so long ago, school life was actually not very different from what it is today. But I think it was more fun back in the old days.