Day Seven

The days were winding down. Friday marked our final day for events. Our first stop was to Sekolah Menengah Sains Alam Shah, an all-male secondary boarding school that focuses on math and science. Founded in 2003, it is only one of six all-male schools in Malaysia. The discussion started with a well-edited video emphasizing the numerous academic accomplishments and social successes the 600 students have achieved. The school has sent delegations all over the country as well as sending a select few ambassadors internationally. The video listed the countries students have visited: Japan, Thailand, Australia, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia and England.

The principal stressed the goal of this school: to produce quality human capital. In order to generate the future leaders of tomorrow, the school concentrates on a defined curriculum taught by competent teachers. The Ministry of Education sets the curriculum and watches student progress closely. Professional development is also an important aspect to providing the best education possible. In order to hone their skills and improve in areas if needed, teachers are sent on benchmarking trips in order to better understand the National Education Philosophy.

Students must complete an entrance exam to attend SMSAS. They live on campus and travel home only once a month. Administrators and teachers also live on-site. The principal talked about the importance parental involvement in student achievement and told us the PTA played an important group in the school.

One student explained his experience at SMSAS to us as “the place where I was forged.” He credited his growth self-confidence to the school due to the competitive environment and the shared experience and believed that he was going to leave with “real-world experience.”

After a quick lunch by the Petronas Towers, which from 1998 to 2004 were the tallest building in the world, we headed over to the International School of Kuala Lumpur. Catering to the children of diplomats, embassy officials, business people and ex-patriots, the primary/secondary school has more than 1600 students from 60 different nationalities, including Malay. The school was founded 45 years ago. The teaching staff is made up of people from the United States, Australia, England and New Zealand. Of the more than 80 teachers, 27 are new hirers this year. We were told the school closely follows the U.S. curriculum and the environment is highly competitive. The school is looking to expand to 2000 students, but has to build a new campus in order to accommodate the growth.

Parents are closely involvement in decision-making and ISKL does work with the Malaysian Ministry of Education, however, the school operates independently. Roughly 80 percent of operational costs come from tuition and fees. The ISKL primarily focuses on developing the skills and attitudes to become successful global citizens through rigorous course work, community service and trips to experience a variety of cultures. After graduating, students head to universities all over the world, though most will attend schools in the United States.

After our discussion, we were led on a tour of the campus. The school day was about to wrap up and students were restless, their eyes drifting towards the clock. Everyone wore uniforms: blue collared shirts with dark pants or shorts. We sneaked into an economics class to observe students in a classroom setting. A group of junior high students were attending a multi-media assembly in the auditorium. It seemed the teachers and students had a relaxed report with each other. The entire school seemed to have a calmed atmosphere. The bell rang, ending the day, and students poured into the hallways to head to extracurricular activities or home. Some lingered in the lunchroom to decompress while others sprinted towards the exits.