Fair perfect avenue to get acquainted with international schools
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's multicultural and multi-religious children will not only gain stellar education from private and international schools, but will also be endowed with rich cultural experience that goes beyond the 1Malaysia spirit, and this will decrease the cultural transitional period needed and give them an edge in the international arena.
In the 1973 established Kinabalu International School (KIS) alone, there are about 470 students of around 33 nationalities.
“In terms of numbers of international schools in Malaysia, the number had grown significantly over the last 10 to 15 years,” said KIS principal, Alan E Connah, at the first Private and International School Fair ( PISF) in Sabah held here yesterday.
“This is due to parents looking for other options for their children to give them the capacity to develop into their full potential and to access good further education whether in Malaysian universities or other parts of the world, such as Hong Kong and Australia.
“We've got students currently studying medicine, law and engineering in those parts of the world and that gives you an idea of what parents are aspiring in terms of their children,” he explained.
KIS' diverse student population consists of Sabahans, originating from as far as Tawau and Sandakan, and students hailing from Colombia, Singapore, France, Korea, Sweden, New Zealand, China, Australia, Brunei, Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Holland, Nigeria, a real mixture of a very diverse population.
“We are 55% Malaysian, in terms of our student population, and 45% from crossover nationalities,” he revealed, adding the growing number in student population is also due to the growing number of local students.
KIS is the only Council of International Schools (CIS) accredited school in Sabah and among around 10 in the nation.
The school makes it a point to not only celebrate International Day but also other local festivities such as Chinese New Year, Kaamatan and Hari Raya to enrich the experience of foreign students there.
“It is absolutely important to have an appreciation and understanding of the melting pot of communities that exists here in Sabah,” said KIS marketing officer, Sarah Burns.
“Not only is that important for our local students but it is important for our expat students to identify with where they are living and to understand the uniqueness and the wonderful environment that we've got here in Sabah.
“So whether they are with us for two years or 12 years and above, they would leave the school with understanding about the local environment,” she added.
Epsom College in Malaysia, a co-educational boarding and day school that counts AirAsia CEO Tan Sri Dr Tony Fernandes as one of its alumni, was also at the fair yesterday.
“We think there is a demand from this part of Malaysia so that is why we are here to join the fair,” said Epsom College Malaysia chief operation officer Tony Lai Chee Hoong.
He added the 162-year-old Epsom already has a small number of students from Sabah and Sarawak that had been gained through the institution's reputation alone, social media and digital marketing, as well as word-of-mouth.
Boarding schools are becoming more popular today as they provide state-of-the-art accommodation and facilities to boarders. Furthermore, boarding school students have the opportunity to join a variety of extracurricular activities and events. More importantly, a boarding school education teaches students to be independent, responsible and tolerant.
“The boarding school culture is not something that is very common in East Malaysia so there is a lot of awareness work that we need to do in this part of Malaysia,” said Lai.
Epsom Prep School head, Sian Evans, said the institution not only provides an excellent British education but also an authentic cultural experience.
“The boarding school will not only allow you to be educated in the British system, but also to live it. So students who are probably looking at Britain's universities eventually go there, they have already made the initial transition,” said Evans.
“You have not quite traveled across the world. You are in your own country, immersed and enriched with the British culture. You are more prepared,” she emphasized, adding lifetime friends are also formed at boarding schools.
The Private & International School Fair, organized by Mint Communications, provided the perfect avenue for parents to get acquainted with international schools in Malaysia.
Since 2012, Mint Communications has organised a series of successful fairs in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johore. Each fair has had a steady growth in number of visitors and exhibitors over the years.
The exhibitors, which comprise of international schools from all over the country, also include Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar, Prince of Wales Island International School (POWIIS), Raffles American School and Westlake International School.
Other institutions that took part in the fair were Fairview International School (Penang), Kingsley International School, Labuan International School and Sayfol International School Sabah among others.