My Blackpool College of Technology & Arts

The name of my college in England where I’d studied to prepare for my GCE A-Levels was Blackpool College of Technology and Arts. To be honest, when I received the offer letter from the college to study in Blackpool, I didn’t have the faintest idea where Blackpool was.

If there was the internet back then, I could have just googled it. But this was the late 70's. So, I had to turn to the good old brown covered Atlas Untuk Sekolah Menengah Malaysia to scrutinize the map of Great Britain and search for the word “Blackpool”.  I found “Blackburn” quite easily. But had no luck with “Blackpool”.

I concluded that Blackpool must have been just a small a town. And it made me wonder if the fancy-sounding Blackpool College of Technology and Art was actually just a so so college, housed in some unflattering old building.

So, when I eventually arrived in front of the college on 12 September 1979, I was pleasantly surprised to find such a handsome college with modern, purpose-built buildings. Upon getting off the coach that had taken us all the way from London, we were greeted by Mr. Singleton, the Overseas Students Coordinator who, after some brief formalities, earnestly reminded us that our course was to commence the next day, Thursday 13 September, at 9.15 am sharp.

The Blackpool College of Technology and Art was what they called in England a “further and higher education college”. The college was also sometimes called the Blackpool College of Technology, or just Blackpool Tech for short. It was founded in its current, modern form in 1965 with a main campus at Ashfield Road in Bispham, which was where I studied.

The college buildings were located in spacious settings, surrounded by lush green lawns and fields. There were five buildings altogether – six if you include the small Student Union Building. The tallest building was the seven-story Hotel and Catering block, or popularly called the “Hot-Cat” building, which housed courses related to hotel, hospitality and catering, the realm of one self-sponsored Malaysian student, Samad Wong . This was also where the student refectory was located on the ground floor, where my friends and I would go to have chips with baked beans for lunch.

There were three main study blocks and they were all three-storey buildings. These study blocks, together with the sports hall building, were arranged in a square shaped formation to form an enclosed area in the middle, something like a large courtyard with a very big lawn.  The lawn was lightly landscaped with small trees and there were pathways cutting across the lawn linking the buildings together. 

The study blocks were given simple names as Blocks T, G, and E. The T in actual fact stood for Technical, as in Technical Block. G was for General Block, and E was for Engineering Block. The main front entrance to the college was located at Block G. The entrance had a tall glass facade and a small glass door by its side just to the left which led to the foyer. Block G accommodated the main offices and the library. It was connected to Block T which was where most of our classes were held. 

Directly opposite from Block G, just across the courtyard, was Block E. It accommodated engineering-related and other specialized courses such as quantity surveying for those doing the Higher National Diploma, or the HND. Somehow, I never once set foot in Block E. This was the domain of my flatmate, Hamidin, and our seniors Ahmad Said and Azman Zahari. The Student Union Building was located just beside the sports hall facing the side entrance to Block G. This was where I would sit down with Ghani, Hasni and Khalid for a drink after sweating it out with a game of badminton at the sports hall nearby.

To get to college, I initially used the bus with my flat mates Safie and Hussain. But upon moving house to Norbreck, which was closer to college, my flatmates and I walked the one and a half kilometre distance every day passing by rows of quaint houses which showcased interesting English front gardens that changed with the season. Absolutely a feast for the eyes. After a good fifteen to twenty minutes’ walk from Norbreck, I would arrive at the college and enter through the side entrance of Block G. From there I would usually head straight to the library to read the newspapers first. But if class was just about to start, I would go direct to class.

The library was a favourite retreat place of mine. It was here that I would spend my time in between classes to catch up with the news, read magazines or work on my assignments. The library had two levels, the main level and a mezzanine which was connected to the main floor via a spiral stair-case. If I didn’t want to be disturbed in order to concentrate on my work, I would usually take the stairs up and find a table in a nice little corner somewhere. It was pure bliss, and certainly perfect for catching a wink.

Oops, there goes my little secret.

Our classrooms were on the first floor of Block T and were located on either side of a corridor which ran the whole length of the block. For our physics lecture with Mr David Speight we used the theatre style classroom as it was a big class with thirty to forty students in all. But our Economics class with Mr David Swan was smaller with less than ten students at the most comprising myself, Nina, Aishah, Ghani, Shaari, Farouk, Hussin and three or four other English students. The Statistics class with Mr Jones was even smaller. For these two classes we used a small room with the standard classroom seating arrangement.

I remember the classes were bright and clean, and well provided with materials and teaching aids. The teachers were very experienced and so approachable compared to Malaysian teachers I might say.  In short, the college provided a very conducive environment for learning. In general, we Malaysians were good students and attendances to all the classes were great. But the same could not be said of some of the English students, though.

For example, in the Physics class there were a couple of blokes who were habitually late to classes. One, by the name of Chris Wriggley, seemed to have never bothered to finish his assignments. This displeased the strict Mr Speight no end. But Chris always seemed unperturbed and might actually have enjoyed taking the Mickey out of the old man as well.  It made me wonder as to why Chris had enrolled for the class in the first place at all. From his style of clothing, he looked more comfortable being with a group of Mods marauding the streets looking for fights.

Before starting on a new lesson, Mr Speight liked to stand in front of the class and handed back our assignments which had been marked. He would call out our names one by one as he handed the assignment papers  and it was his habit to accompany it with snide remarks about our work. It was a big cause for anxiety for many, but also a source of hilarious fun in class at times. Amongst us Malaysians, Zulbahri Long, a chap from Teregganu was always being singled out for praise for his good work. Apart from one single occasion, I used to get loads of Mr Speight’s trademark sneers and scoffs. You just gotta love him, Mr Speight.

The sports hall was a great facility for indoor sports such as volleyball, badminton and basketball. I used to play badminton there. My regular partners in crime were Ghani, Hasni and Khalid. But I also remember playing with some seniors Ramush, Hasnan, Atok and Ahmad. Once, a few sisters over from St Annes joined in too. We Malaysians used to more or less hog the badminton courts. No locals dared to challenge us for a game because if they did, they knew that they were in for some thrashing on court. But there was one occasion when Hasni and our senior, Atok, were challenged, and lost. Gasp! Hasni must be having one of his off days, or sick or something. Apart from that blip, our record remained intact and we often left the sports hall with smug on our faces.

Although studies were our main pre-occupation, we never neglected our obligatory prayers, even while busy at college. We were lucky that the college administration had dedicated a room for this purpose on the third floor of Block G. As there was only one room, we had to take turns with the sisters to use it. But on Friday afternoons, priority would be given to us guys to complete our Friday prayers first.

The khatib for Friday prayers would always be one of us Malaysians but we were also joined by students from Jordan and Brunei during prayers. Being a bunch of young students, it might have looked like a daunting task to consistently undertake the Friday prayers, complete with the sermon and all. If I do say so myself, perhaps it was a testimony to our resourcefulness and understanding of our obligations that was slowly being instilled in our young minds that we persisted in discharging these duties.

After all – British education aside – a balanced development in life was still the underlying aim for every one of us. And Blackpool College had a big hand towards that.

A-Level Exam Fever and Applying for University Admission

I was offered the Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) scholarship to UK based on my fairly okay results in the Malaysia Certificate of Education examination, or the MCE. But the MCE was only equivalent to the GCE Ordinary Level in the UK, a qualification awarded to secondary school-leavers. To get into a British university and pursue a degree course, I needed to have the A-Level.


The GCE- A Level, or General Certificate of Education-Advanced Level, was a secondary school leaving qualification recognised by UK universities as the standard for assessing the suitability of students who apply for admission. 


Students generally work towards their A-Level over a two-year period during which time they would take three to five subjects of study. Since university offers were normally based on 3 A-Levels, I only had to take three subjects. The subjects were chosen carefully in consideration of the type of degree that one intended pursue at university. In my case, the JPA had agreed on Town Planning as my course. So, upon consultation with the college students’ advisor, I was recommended to do Statistics, Physics and Economics.


Hence, for two whole years I had to endure the twists and turns of being a student of Statistics, having to grapple with things like the Poisson Distribution, Probability, Linear Regression and Binomial Distribution. I toughed it out on Physics taught by the laser-tongued Mr. Speight and wrestled with topics like the Law of thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory, Gravitational Potential Energy and other outlandish stuffs. And for Economics I would have had lengthy discussions on mouthful topics such microeconomics and macroeconomics, monetary policy, demand and supply, balance of payments and what have you with Ghani and Shaari, and with occasional help from Nina Zahari, the smart and stylish girl from KL, who always seemed to be on top of things as far as Economics was concerned.


A-level examinations were administered through awarding bodies the JMB or Joint Matriculation Board, and the AEB or Associated Examining Board. My Statistics and Physics were to be AEB papers, while my Economics was set by the JMB. But it didn’t really matter who set the papers, they were tough all the same.


Our A-Level exams were in July of 1981. I tried to slowly start preparing for it and get into the frame of mind a good six months prior to that – albeit on very low-key mode. I forced myself to start reading text books, writing some short notes. It was laborious and boring to say the least. But looking at how my flat mates Ghani, Azhar and especially Shaari seemed to be so into it made me nervous and felt compelled into doing something. Just anything.


Came spring time, it was just another three months away to D-Day. But spring being spring, there was no way I was going to miss the nice weather outside being stuck in my room mugging away. Besides, friends from outstation were bound to come over to have their usual jolly time in Blackpool for the Easter break – exam or no exam.


So, in the end, I really started preparing for the exam in earnest after the Easter break. I started looking at the past years questions and searched back for my notes which I had stashed away. But with the weather outside getting warmer and warmer by the day, it was a tough test of my resoluteness to concentrate on work. And I am not one known for being steadfast and focused. So, instead of working you’d find me playing tennis in Bispham with Ghani and Hasni. We’d have a few rounds of crazy golf at the Gynn Square just for the fun of it. Why, I even had time to go to Stanley Park to enjoy the gardens full of flower blooms and to ride in the rowing boats.


As we were preparing for the exams, we also had to turn our attention to university admissions matters. University entrance application was made through the UCCA or the Universities Central Council on Admissions and the deadline for applications was by mid-January.


Most universities based their admissions offers on a student's predicted A-level grades. The offers could either be unconditional, or conditional meaning that students would be offered admission subject to them achieving a minimum set of grades in the coming A-Level examinations. We could hold a maximum of two of these offers, a first choice, plus a reserve choice held just in case we fail to achieve the grades asked by the first-choice university.


In all, I made applications to five universities which was the University of Manchester, Dundee and Herriot Watt Glasgow  in Scotland, Newcastle, and Cardiff UWIST. I managed to receive offers from all five and therefore had to make the tough decision on which ones to hold on. In the end, I decided to go with Manchester as my first choice which required the highest grades amongst the five institutions with CCD. And my reserve or insurance choice was Cardiff UWIST whose requirements were the least stringent. Offers from Dundee, Newcastle and Herriot Watt all had to be declined.


For a minority of courses universities may require interviews with prospective applicants before making their offers. Somehow, town planning fell into that category. That was how I found myself making the long trips to all the five cities scattered all over UK in the depth of winter of 1980-81. It took a toll on my measly monthly budget. Plus, it took away chunks of my time which was supposed to be dedicated to exams preparation.


But I wasn’t complaining. It took me off my studies and allowed me to visit far-flung places such as Dundee in cold north Scotland where I met up with my seniors Raja Mudzaffar or Ramush as we used to call him. In Glasgow, I put up at another senior’s place who was studying at the University of Glasgow. And for the trip to Cardiff I stayed at Nayan’s house, a friend from my secondary school. If I was honest, I rather enjoyed the forced excursions to think that my other college mates were stuck in their rooms poring over their books and notes. And I also felt that, somehow, the arduous journeys would eventually bear fruit in the form of a university place. Talk about misplaced optimism.


As exams drew closer and closer, I noticed that my housemates suddenly became very serious. No more sitting in front of the telly, no mucking about chatting or having lengthy breaks listening to music. Less time were spent in the kitchen. And certainly, no time for the Blackpool Pleasure Beach! Except for a few discussions on past year exam questions, everyone was locked in their room. Even the cheeky Ghani who used to roam the house for his free biscuits, music listening and little chit chats stopped doing his rounds.


In the weeks running up to the exam, Apak’s letters would noticeably contain paragraphs of advises and prayers form Emak and Apak himself. Worked hard we did, but we also asked for divine guidance and intervention and lots of tawakkal alallah. Yes, after so much efforts put in, all we could do from then on was to trust Allah Azzawajal and leave matters in His hands.


When the day finally arrived, we did our exam in the college main hall where I sat at a desk posted with my examination serial number: 396364. My three subjects were spread over two and a half weeks from 1 to 18 June 1981. Once done and over with, everyone was euphoric.


But A-level results were published in August. So, it really was a short-lived joy. No matter how good you were it’s still a nightmare waiting for exam results. So, we’d be gripped partly with hope, and with some fear and uncertainty in case we don't make the grades. But being young and restless, nothing was going to stop us from enjoying the much deserved summer break. For, we knew very well that once at university, we’d be bogged down again with more studies and work. Now was the time to savour a break after all the hard work over the past two years.


My one month and a bit summer break was filled with trips down south to London and the Lake District up north in Cumbria to mention a few. Visits to the Blackpool Pleasure Beach came back with a vengeance. And there were many, many long strolls along the beach and promenade.


When the exam results finally came out in August I was glad to be able to finally breathe a sigh of relief. Despite lots of mucking around, I managed to meet the University of Manchester’s entrance requirement grades with a BCD. And I think you could already guess that the D was for my most dreaded subject - Mr. Speight's Physics. In one of his letters Apak stated that he was just happy that I manage to pass it.


Many universities started making their official offers in early autumn. And I duly received my confirmation of offer from Manchester via a letter dated 17 August 1981. Another college mate, Hussain, also got an offer from Manchester. Hasni had an offer from Sunderland, Shaari from Reading, Jenggo Leeds, and Ghani Aston University. For students who didn’t get a confirmed place the UCCA would automatically try to match them with courses that still had vacancies. But all my mates made the grade and were duly accepted for admission into their universities of choice.


Now we were in business.


A new chapter was about to begin. Life as a full-fledged university student, and onwards to being professionals.