A Form 3 student of The Malay College Kuala Kangsar was selected as Murid Cemerlang Kokurikulum Sekolah Menengah Kategori Lelaki Tahun 2025, Peringkat Negeri Perak, in recognition of his consistent, well-rounded, and sustained contributions as a student. The selection was made through a competitive process involving candidates from secondary schools across Perak, including senior students, reflecting the breadth and rigour of the assessment.

The award was presented during the State-Level Secondary School Co-Curricular Excellence Awards Ceremony (Anugerah Kecemerlangan Kokurikulum) Perak 2025, held on 8 December 2025 at the Tower Regency Hotel, Ipoh.

The student was recognised primarily for his long-term involvement in co-curricular activities, having represented the school at various levels and contributed meaningfully to platforms related to innovation, research, and writing. Among these was his participation in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair 2025 (ISEF 2025) in Columbus, Ohio, United States, where his team’s innovation project, Last Chance Groceries (LCG), received a Special Award from Oracle Academy, accompanied by a USD5,000 cash prize.

His research and writing engagements also extend to international academic platforms. In December 2024, he received the Best Paper Award at the ARSSS International Conference in New York for a research paper titled “Technological Innovations in Food Waste Reduction: Case Studies from East and Southeast Asia.” Earlier, his creative writing was recognised at the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024, where his essay was awarded Gold.

In addition to his co-curricular achievements, the student has demonstrated consistent academic excellence, having remained within the top three of his cohort since Form One, reflecting discipline, commitment, and strong academic habits.

He is also actively involved in student leadership and community engagement, serving in roles such as Prefect, Pembimbing Rakan Sebaya, Vice Secretary of the Innovation Club, and Vice Secretary of the Basketball Club. Beyond the school setting, he is a co-founder of a student-led volunteer initiative focused on educational outreach and community service. In 2025, the initiative expanded its reach from a single school in Perak to selected primary schools across Perak, Kedah, and Selangor, providing Year 4 to Year 6 pupils with early exposure to the fundamentals of creative animation using iPads, including idea generation, story development, storyboarding, and basic digital animation.

This achievement reflects the emphasis placed by The Malay College Kuala Kangsar on balanced development, leadership, and service, and stands as a strong example of holistic student growth within the MCKK community.

In 2025, The Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) recorded a meaningful achievement when two Form Three twin brothers were given the opportunity to represent Malaysia at both national and international innovation competitions.

Their journey began at the Pertandingan Inovasi Sains, Teknologi dan Kejuruteraan (PISTEK) 2025, organised by the Ministry of Education Malaysia as the official selection platform for the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in the United States. After progressing through several stages of evaluation, the MCKK team was selected among the national finalists with their project, Last Chance Groceries—a mobile application designed to reduce food waste while supporting low-income communities.

This achievement enabled them to represent Malaysia at ISEF 2025, held in Columbus, Ohio, alongside nationally selected student innovators from over 75 countries. During the competition, their project received a Special Award from Oracle Academy, accompanied by a USD 5,000 cash prize. The award was conferred on only four teams worldwide, representing Malaysia (through MCKK), the United States, Singapore, and Puerto Rico.

This accomplishment highlights the importance of curiosity, perseverance, and social awareness in student learning, and reflects MCKK’s continued commitment to nurturing thoughtful individuals who apply knowledge in service of the wider community.

The Malay College Kuala Kangsar continues its quiet tradition of excellence beyond the classroom and the field. Recently, two of its students, carried the MCKK crest onto the international robotics stage, representing Koleq with focus, discipline, and determination.

From 31 October to 2 November, the team competed in the Romania Robot Challenge, where they achieved a Top 8 finish in the demanding 3kg Remote Control (RC) category. Their performance there led to an invitation to the All Japan Robot Sumo Tournament (AJRST), held from 4 to 10 December, a competition recognised globally for its high standards and invitation-only format.

Throughout the competitions, the team demonstrated not only technical skill, but also composure and resilience in the face of strong international opposition. They were guided by Coach Mr Zulkarnain Abdullah Nawani of Ikedo Kogeki Malaysia, with the support of Cikgu Mohd Razif Abdul Razak, whose guidance and commitment played an important role in the team’s preparation and performance.

The Malay College Kuala Kangsar records its appreciation to the Headmaster, Mr Aimin Fadhlee bin Mahmud Zuhodi, and the Senior Assistant of Co-curricular, Mr Noor Ramdhan bin Ramli, for their consistent support and encouragement throughout this journey.

This achievement reflects the broader spirit of MCKK, where curiosity is nurtured, discipline is valued, and students are encouraged to test their abilities beyond familiar boundaries. It stands as a reminder that with guidance, perseverance, and purpose, our students are able to engage confidently on the international stage.

For decades, generations of Koleq boys have walked past it without needing directions. Everyone simply knew where it was, because at MCKK, some landmarks do not ask for attention, as time grants it to them. The Great Wall, standing guard beside the rugby field, has long been more than concrete and paint. It is a witness. To cheers. To rivalries. To muddy boots and late evening training sessions. To stories that never needed to be written down, because the wall itself remembered.

According to the Senior Assistant of Co-curricular archives, in the early years it was proudly known as The Great Wall, a name used widely by students and alumni alike. The designation later shifted to “Peace Wall” with the establishment of the UNESCO Club at Koleq, but the truth is simple: no matter what the records say, the alumni never stopped calling it The Great Wall.

And recently, after years of weather, sun, rain, corrosion, and the daily rhythm of games played beside it, the wall finally earned what time had withheld: a second life.

Restoring What Time Tried to Claim

This refurbishment was never merely aesthetic. It began with deterioration, both physical and symbolic. A visible crack prompted concern, and a quieter erosion of identity signalled something deeper: the fading of heritage.

Recognising this, Mr. Azhar Talib , Class of ’93, saw that this was the moment to act; not only to repair, but to restore meaning. With support and facilitation from the Senior Assistant of Co-curricular Mr. Noor Ramdhan and final approval from HM Aimin Fadhlee, a renewal project was launched. Designs were created by Koleq’s own talents, Mr. Ariff Bani (Dayat), Class of ’96 and Dr. Shahril Khalid (CK), Class of ’96, ensuring this revival remained by Koleq, for Koleq.

Then came something remarkable: an international artistic collaboration.
Europe-based RaskrasimVSE/Global Mural Arts, led by Mr Alexey Makarovskiy, together with its local and regional team, delivered a mural executed with precision, speed, and pride. Alexey himself flew in from Georgia on the eve of the project, lending artistic expertise and presence. Within three days, the wall was transformed: disciplined workmanship, exceptional professionalism, and a result worthy of Koleq’s legacy.

Great Design. Great Mural. Great Wall.

Visual Identity for 120 Years of Excellence

In conjunction with MCKK’s 120th Anniversary (1905–2025), a new design concept was chosen: 120 Years of Excellence.

The mural begins with one of Koleq’s most recognisable icons: the Big School, built in 1909 as the British model of a public school. Yet within this symbolism lies the quintessential Malay character: the handwoven sampin. Together they reflect Koleq’s essence: a British structure, a Malay soul.

Exploding outward are vibrant waves of orange, green, turquoise, and red, departing from the former black-and-red scheme, yet preserving the bold masculinity and prestige of the institution. These colours represent:

• growth from Prep School to seniority,

• the challenges that shape intellect and character,

• and the journey from boyhood to brotherhood.

At the very centre stands the everlasting motto:
FIAT SAPIENTIA VIRTUS : “Let manliness come through wisdom.”
As relevant today as it was in 1905.

This is not decoration. It is identity, rendered in colour and structure.

Framing the mural from the opposite side, it opens with a fierce tiger in motion, where the Koleq spirit visually embodied. From its roar flows dynamic movement representing four long-standing sporting traditions:

• Rugby

• Football

• Hockey

• Basketball

These figures reflect not only games, but lifelong lessons embedded in them: teamwork, grit, strategy, discipline, and leadership.

A striking crimson column anchors the far right, stamped with four letters that require no explanation for anyone who has walked Koleq grounds.

Only when the eye journeys across the mural does its identity reveal itself: Roar of MCKK.

A collaboration between RaskrasimVSE (Europe), Global Mural Arts (Malaysia/Singapore) and Malaysia’s finest local talent, bridging heritage with international artistry.

Legacy Preserved, Spirit Renewed

This refurbishment is not an ending; it is a new beginning. The Great Wall now stands stronger, brighter, and more vibrant than ever, anchored in its history while roaring confidently into its future. It embodies a story of passion, collaboration, and brotherhood, shaped by people who chose to give back not in speeches, but in stone.

More than a structure, this restoration represents a promise: a legacy handed from one generation to the next.

In the words of Mr. Azhar Talib, Class of ’93:

“A parting gift from me in advance. Thank you for the five years of wonderful experience you have given my son. Tq Koleq.”

As MCKK celebrates its 120th year, the mural continues what Koleq has always done best: honour the past, elevate the present, and inspire the future.

“This is the Big School, East Wing, West Wing… and this is the Big Tree.”
Even now, those words linger vividly in my mind, spoken by the former Headmaster on my first day at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar. He proudly toured and introduced the heritage buildings, the traditions, and the quiet stories etched into the landscape.

But it was the Big Tree that made me take a second glance: how could something so natural command attention equal to the crafted splendour around it, so much so that it bears a title all its own?

Notwithstanding its lack of crafted pillars, sweeping arches, or any of the architectural intricacy that made Big School so striking, it stood with its own quiet splendour: broad, wise, and impossibly dignified, as if nature had shaped it to complement the iconic facade behind it. Even as a newcomer, I sensed immediately that the Big Tree was more than part of the scenery. It was part of the institution’s soul.

I learned about the Big Tree in detail from a MCKK alumnus, Mr Hisham Badrul Hashim’s writing. He shared:
“Once, there was a little tree… discarded by one Sir Henry Ridley, who thought it was a rubber tree seedling.”

From that forgotten seedling in a quiet field of Kuala Kangsar grew what would one day become the most recognisable natural landmark of MCKK. Through pre-war years, occupation, independence, and modernisation, the tree endured. While new structures rose around it, the little tree waited patiently, grew slowly, and eventually became a giant.

It witnessed eras shift.
It watched boys change into young men.
It outlived the Not-So-Big Tree and the Not-So-Little Tree.
And in its stillness, it learned what it meant to remain steadfast.

As Mr Hisham beautifully wrote:
“It knew that within the insignificance of a little tree can be found the greatness of a Big Tree.”

On the night of 2 December 2025, the Big Tree reminded us of its age.
Not through a storm.
Not through violent winds.
Not in any dramatic display of nature’s fury.

Instead, one of its great limbs, one of those broad, sheltering arms, finally gave in after more than a century of holding memories, shade, and stories. The incident occurred at night, and early observations suggest the cause is still under investigation.

By dawn, a wave of messages spread across Malaysia. By afternoon, unfamiliar cars drove by the field, and alumni returned, drawn back by memories and the quiet gravity of the moment. Photos circulated. What outsiders might have dismissed as “a fallen branch” was felt deeply by those who once stood under its shade.

For many, it was not a fallen limb.
It was a reminder that even giants age.

As Mr Hisham wrote the following day:
“Some trees are not trees. Some trees are histories. Some trees are homes we forgot we needed.”

The Big Tree has long been the unofficial heart of the field: its silent headmaster, its patient storyteller, its witness to a century of footsteps.

The limb may have fallen, but the tree still stands, older, braver, and very much alive.

As a relatively new member of the MCKK community, I have learned something important over the years: this school’s heritage is not preserved only through buildings and traditions, but through the collective love of those who cherish its stories.

This moment is not merely a reminder of loss but a call to stewardship: 
To care for the natural heritage entrusted to us.
To honour the memories attached to every branch and leaf.
To teach our students that history, whether carved in stone or rooted in soil, must be protected, preserved, and respected.

Let this fallen limb remind us:
Heritage does not survive on age alone.
It survives because we choose to protect it.

And as long as we continue to safeguard the Big Tree, speak of it, learn from it, and honour its presence, it will keep standing, in the field, in our hearts, and in our history.

“Long live the Big Tree.
Even fallen, it stands.”