SMK Convent Butterworth

A school that lived through pivotal moments of Penang’s history

Formerly known as St. Teresa’s Convent, this old school has educated tens of thousands of residents from Seberang Prai, making it one of the most significant institutions in the area.  

 

It was founded by Reverend Mother St. Tarcisius, who headed the Infant Jesus Sisters (IJS) order in the province, at a rented house in Jalan Kampung Gajah in 1930 with an enrolment of forty pupils. As the student population grew, the school was moved to a new building at the junction of Jalan Bagan Luar and Mitchell Pier (renamed Sultan Abdul Halim Terminal after independence) in August 1941.

Normal classes were interrupted following the Japanese invasion later that year, and the school became a Nippon-go school (to teach Japanese language). It was later used as Japanese military quarters.

The school resumed classes after the Japanese were defeated and the Second World War ended in 1945. Over the next few decades additional blocks were built as the student population expanded.

Today, Convent Butterworth is at the same site with more than a thousand students, having already nurtured many successful Penangites of the mainland.