Convent Bukit Nanas (affectionately known as ‘CBN’), one of Kuala Lumpur’s oldest and most prestigious girls’ schools, is on the cusp of celebrating its 125th anniversary since its founding by the Infant Jesus Sisters (IJS) in 1899. As I began writing this article, it struck me that I must first include an important prelude — how CBN was saved, ensuring that this historic 125th anniversary could even take place.
Let me take you back to 2021. The lease for the land on which CBN had proudly stood for 122 years was set to expire on September 6, 2021. The school had applied for a renewal as early as 2017 but received no response to that or subsequent follow-up letters. Then, in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown, in January 2021, CBN received a letter from the Government, dated December 18, 2020, abruptly stating that the land would be taken over once the lease expired on September 6, 2021.
The nuns were at a loss. But, public indignation was aroused and CBN’s prominent Alumni Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz and human rights lawyer Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan led the way asking the Government for an explanation. The school had been educating thousands of young girls through generations, it was a national heritage and the school’s land was next to a forest reserve.
How were the nuns expected to handle this in court? They lacked the funds to cover the enormous legal fees. Just when all seemed lost, a cavalry of lawyers, including the late Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram (former Federal Court judge), Damien Chan, and others, stepped forward to work pro bono. Together with the CBN nuns, alumni, and friends, they pressed on — despite the challenges posed by the COVID lockdown.
On April 7, 2021, CBN filed the application for a judicial review; they challenged the government’s decision to not extend the school’s land lease and CBN sought a stay of proceedings against the authorities and a mandamus to compel the Federal Territories Lands and Mines (PTGWP) director to revoke the land lease non-renewal letter dated Dec 18, 2020.
Then, things moved very fast. A big sigh of relief went out when PTGWP officially wrote to CBN that they would extend the land lease for the school for another 60 years! On June 3, CBN discontinued its lawsuit against the PTGWP.
Today, as we celebrate 125 years of CBN and raise our glasses in gratitude, we are mindful that the school’s new land lease has only 57 years remaining. However, the CBN community — nuns, alumni, lawyers, and friends — remain hopeful. The 60-year extension granted by the PTGWP in 2021 brings us closer to the possibility of CBN being listed as a national heritage site under the National Heritage Act 2005. We hold on to that hope, knowing the importance of preserving this national educational treasure.
This brings us to … A House called Nazareth
With this hope in mind, the nuns continue their efforts to secure funding to repair and maintain CBN. Their focus is on providing a safe and nurturing environment for students, never cutting corners in the restoration process. They take a long-term view — far beyond the next 60 years. When they purchased the vast land on Bukit Nanas hill in 1898, their vision was equally expansive: to provide quality education to hundreds of thousands of schoolgirls, not only in Kuala Lumpur but across the entire country.
When the IJS sisters founded their first school in Kuala Lumpur, it began in a humble house they built in 1898, which they named ‘Nazareth’. This historic house, a grande dame of Gothic architecture, was named after the ancient town of Nazareth — a name that has endured to this day. Nazareth House is now part of the ever-expanding CBN campus, which includes both primary and secondary schools. For generations, it has been a place where Malaysian women are educated with the CBN spirit, instilled with a strong moral compass and a deep love for their fellow human beings.
Ah – if only walls could talk!
The many buildings of CBN and in particular, Nazareth House, have seen many transformations through more than a century. During the war, Nazareth House was requisitioned by the Japanese as the Domestic Science School for girls. It also once served as the Chief Justice’s residence and a Teachers’ Training College.
Nazareth House currently serves as the home of the library and CBN’s cooperative outlet on the ground floor. However, in the late 1960s, it was a bustling hub of activity, housing all the Form 6 classrooms and playing a vital role in the daily life of the school.
Karen Wong, a Form 6 student in 1982- 83, fondly recalls her time at Nazareth House, where her classroom was located. As seniors, they felt privileged to have their own house within the expansive CBN campus. However, the grand “isolation” of Nazareth House took on a different purpose at the end of each school year during Charity Week. Karen remembers that Nazareth was transformed into the “Horror House.” All the lights were turned off, and eerie decorations lined the bannisters and walls. Older Form 6 students would dress as ghosts, vampires, and monsters, lying in wait upstairs to frighten younger students who dared to venture into the Horror House. Karen recalls those moments filled with happy screams.
Sadly, today, Nazareth House has become a real “Horror House.” All the secondfloor rooms are now off-limits due to termite infestation, and some floorboards have become too dangerous to walk on. Extensive repairs and refurbishments are planned, but they cannot commence until the nuns and alumni secure the necessary funding. The fundraising dinner on November 2, 2024, at MITEC aims to do more than celebrate a milestone; the alumni hope to raise much-needed funds to restore their beloved and increasingly dilapidated school. Tickets are still available at finance@cbnalumni.org.
See Original: Foo, J (2024, October 20). Saving a school and a house called Nazareth. Herald Malaysia Online
