A well-rounded experience
BEFORE Malaysia’s independence in 1957, the education system had been improvised many times to ensure its relevance in nation building.
When mathematics and science reverted to be taught in the national language, there was much debate on the direction, taking into consideration the importance of English as the language of scientific knowledge, as well as for business and commerce.
However, with the implementation of the Dual Language Programme (DLP), schools could opt to teach mathematics and science in English.
Sri Bestari Private School decided to address the increasing elements of Higher Order Thinking Skills or HOTS, by examining where the teaching of scientific principles have adopted an inquiry-based approach.
Called the Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE), it takes after the teaching of science at the La main a la pate in France, under the auspices of Academy of Science Malaysia and the International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre for SouthSouth Cooperation.
The results have been remarkable, with 100% passes for science at UPSR and 25% of students securing a Grade A.
This augurs well for the whole IBSE initiative at the school, leading to investments in teaching and learning science, with the setting up of an outdoor science area and an ECO Learning Centre.
Students get to explore science in an outdoor real-life situation where mother nature becomes the actual basis of acquiring scientific knowledge.
Sri Bestari Private School teaches mathematics and science in English and students have the opportunity to attempt the New South Wales Examination, the Cambridge Checkpoint Exams and the International General Certification of Secondary Education, on top of UPSR, PT3 and SPM.
In line with the purported next industrial revolution in Industry 4.0, efforts have been put in place to roll out a programme that exposes students to artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning, big data, algorithms and analytics, which will dominate the occupational landscape for the next generation.
Education has to embrace this new future by making tough decisions to innovate and reinvent itself.
■ For details, visit Sri Bestari Private School’s Info Day on Aug 11, 9am-1pm. RSVP for the 10am preview by calling 03-6275 5888.