The Victoria Institution (commonly known as VI) is an all-boys secondary school located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[1] It is one of the earliest and most prominent secondary schools in the city and was established as a memorial school commemorating the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887.[2].
VI is a secondary school for male students only from Form 1 to 5. Female students are accepted for Form 6 (Lower and Upper) and the students are known as Victorians.
History
Victoria Institution in 1905
VI was founded following a public subscription initiative to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887.[1] The school was further supported by financial contributions from the Sultan and government of Selangor, as well as prominent residents of Kuala Lumpur.[2]
The foundation stone was laid on 14 August 1893 by Lady Treacher, wife of the then Resident of Selangor, Sir William Hood Treacher.[2] The school officially opened on 28 July 1894 at its original site along what is now Jalan Tun H.S. Lee.[1]
Due to frequent flooding from the Klang River, the school relocated to Shaw Road (now Jalan Hang Tuah) on 26 March 1929.[3]
General Officer Commanding Malaya Command, Lieutenant General F W Messervy KBE, CB, DSO, receives the sword of General Itagaki, Commander of the Japanese 7 Area Army, which controlled Malaya, Java, Sumatra, Nicobar and Andaman Islands, parts of Borneo and Siam, at a formal ceremony of surrender held in the grounds of VI
On 13 September 1945, the Victoria Institution was the site of the formal surrender of the 29th Imperial Japanese Army to Lieutenant-General Ouvry Roberts of the British 34th Indian Corps.[4][5]
It then housed High Street School before relocated to Setapak High School.
From the 1980s, the old premises were managed as a cultural centre known as Taman Budaya and later came under the administration of the National Department for Culture and Arts.[6]
In 2009, the school reverted from the name SMK Victoria to Victoria Institution following approval in recognition of its historical significance and heritage status.[7][8]
Campus
The Main Hall at E Block.
The school campus features a clock tower flanked by two sports pavilions overlooking a large central field. It also includes a 25-metre swimming pool and athletics facilities, making it among the earliest schools in the region to have such infrastructure.[9]
Aerial view of VIThe main building with the two pavillions facing the field View from Jalan Hang Jebat
Student leadership and traditions
Prefect system
Student leadership at Victoria Institution includes a prefect system that has historically played a role in school discipline and governance. An opinion column in Malay Mail described the school’s prefects’ board as among the earliest established in the region, highlighting its longstanding influence within the school community.[10]
Co-curricular activities
Victoria Institution maintains a cadet corps as part of its co-curricular activities, and according to the school’s official background information, the unit was established in 1901 by the school’s first headmaster, En. Bennet Eyre Shaw[11]
The Pasukan Kadet Bersatu Malaysia (PKBM), with which school cadet units are aligned nationally, was formally established under the Pasukan Kadet Bersatu Malaysia Act 1967 (Act 68).[12]
Victoria Institution Cadet Corps Infantry (V.I.C.C.I)
Sports
Rugby
Victoria Institution has a long-established rugby program and regularly competes in the Super Schools Rugby (SSR) championship, Malaysia’s premier inter-school rugby competition.
In 2025, Victoria Institution reached the final of the SSR competition but finished as runners-up after a closely contested match against MRSM Balik Pulau.[13]
The school also organises the annual Victoria Institution Premier 10s Rugby Tournament, which has been reported as a significant event in the Malaysian schools rugby calendar.[14]
Football
The Victoria Institution football team has achieved success at state and national levels, winning the Manchester United Premier Cup Malaysia in 2009 and 2013 and representing Malaysia at regional competitions.[15][16]
Cricket
The school cricket ground hosted eight matches during the 1997 ICC Trophy.[17] It also hosted List A cricket matches during the 1998 Commonwealth Games, including fixtures involving Pakistan, Scotland, Malaysia, and Jamaica.[18][19]
Alumni
Victoria Institution Old Boys' Association, the school's alumni
The school's alumni organisation, the Victoria Institution Old Boys' Association (VIOBA), was founded in 1922 and remains active in Malaysia and abroad.[20]
Notable alumni
Royalty
Hassanal Bolkiah – Sultan of Brunei; attended Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur from 1961 to 1963.[21]
Politician
Prabowo Subianto – 8th President of Indonesia; attended Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur from 1962 to 1964 .[22]
Anuar Zainal Abidin – Malaysian jurist and former Chief Judge of Malaya; served in the Malaysian judiciary for over 30 years before retiring as Chief Judge in 1997.[32][33]
Gunn Chit Tuan – Malaysian jurist and former Chief Judge of the High Court of Malaya [34]
Gopal Sri Ram – Malaysian lawyer and former Federal Court judge [35]
Yong Pung How – Singaporean jurist and former Chief Justice of Singapore [36]
Lall Singh – Malaysian-born cricketer who represented India in its inaugural Test match in 1932; he began his cricketing journey playing for Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur.[42][43]
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