Invaluable lessons abroad
aT Sekolah Sri Bestari, the introduction of many international components in the curriculum, syllabus and cocurricular activities has provided an excellent opportunity for students and teachers to travel during the school holidays.
The school organised study tours to Indonesia, South Korea and Japan during last year’s holidays for their students and staff to experience life abroad.
Destination Bali
From Nov 9 to 12, a group of primary and secondary students accompanied by three teachers went on a four-day study tour to Bali.
The group was based in Ubud, the island’s centre for fine arts, dance and music. A day was spent exploring the arts and culture of Ubud and another day was dedicated to sightseeing.
The highlights of the tour were visits to two schools – Green School, an exclusive international school in Ubud, and the other, the East Bali Poverty Project.
The Green School is made out of bamboo and is equipped with a self-sustaining farm and hydroelectric power supply, while the East Bali Poverty Project featured a cluster of isolated villages perched on the arid, infertile side of a volcano.
The visit brought the message home to the students that they were very lucky compared with many less fortunate people.
Visiting South Korea
A mixture of school visits, sightseeing and shopping – Sri Bestari’s top performing teachers went on an action-packed trip to South Korea that included visits to Krabel Kindy, Bundang Jungang High School and Gangnam Elementary School.
On the final day, the teachers visited Nami Island where the famous drama Winter Sonata was shot.
The visit was designed to broaden the teachers’ perspectives of teaching and learning.
“Without this, we only see what is happening on our own doorsteps and we cannot easily make comparisons, or adopt new ideas,” one of the teachers commented.
Cultural exchange to Japan
From cooking their own takoyaki to forging friendships through games and experiencing homestays, 20 students went on a cultural exchange programme to Japan.
The group visited Kenmei Gukuin, a private high school, where they mingled with the Japanese students and forged friendships through games.
The group had also visited the Kobe Earthquake Institute, built after the massive earthquake in 1995.
A simulation room allowed the students to experience an earthquake. Even though it was only a simulation, it proved terrifying, and made the group realise what horrors the people of Kobe had gone through.
Going green
Based on WWF-Malaysia’s initiative to operate an Eco-Schools Programme in Malaysia, Sekolah Sri Bestari had registered as an EcoSchool in October last year.
Form 5 student Arif Muzaffar Abdul Mushir was appointed the captain for Eco- Schools throughout Malaysia.
The Global Eco-School programme was founded in Denmark, under a non-governmental organisation called The Foundation of Environment Education.
WWF-Malaysia became an associate member of the programme in 2010, and at the same time, became the national operator for the EcoSchools Programme in Malaysia.
This year, Sri Bestari will launch various programmes, including a recycling campaign, a conservation of electricity and water campaign, as well as a bio-garden that will grow common cooking herbs.
Sri Bestari has collaborated with Surabaya Green School and Bali Green School for their eco programmes.
In collaboration with Yayasan Anak Warisan Alam and Zoo Negara, participants will also camp in Zoo Negara and volunteer their services in animal care.
For details, visit the school’s website at www.sribestari.edu.my or contact the school at 03-62755888.