to receive financial backing. The decision was made public on 6 July by Wang Yoong Nien, the headmaster. According to Wang, the school was facing financial difficulties for a long time, having a budget deficit of almost 60 thousand Malayan dollars every year. The announcement shook the students, as no other Chinese school had accepted the government's offer, and the news was quickly spread to other Chinese high schools across Penang and Malaya. Wang promised the students that the present curriculum would not be affected. However, the promise was not taken seriously by the students. Ng Kok Leong, the Head Monitor, called for a meeting discussing the issue, which was reluctantly approved by Wang. The meeting was held the following day, where the Board of Monitors agreed to conduct an opinion poll among the students regarding the school's decision. By 9 July, Ong Keng Seng admitted that the school had been in contacts with the government to receive financial aid since 1953. On 14 July 1955, inspired by the incidents in Chung Ling, 800 students of the Han Chiang High School, dissatisfied with their headmaster's lack of response towards a donation program to fund the construction and formation of the Nanyang University at Singapore, launched a boycott on their classes. The boycott was called off after Lim Lean Teng, the chairman of the Board of Directors of the high school, mediated the incident. On 18 July 1955, students of Chung Ling gathered at the hall for a demonstration, requesting the school, as well as Wang himself, to revert the Board of Director's decision to accept federal funding, for the preservation of Chinese culture, vernacular education and the prevention of the Malayanisation of the independent Chinese education system operated by the school. Both Wang and Ye Chih Yen (Dean of disciplinary affairs), attempted to dismantle the tension among the students and mediate the situation. On 20 July 1955, a committee of 13 students drafted a memorandum, citing the rejection of federal funding, from the reasons of failing to pursue an equal status of federal aid along with other English schools. The memorandum, showing sympathy to the school's failing financial status, also proposed to raise tuition fees to counter the appeal from the government as an alternative method to solve the financial issue. An independent referendum was held, overwhelmingly approving the memorandum. In response, the committee submitted the memorandum to the federal