Benefits of boarding school
WE aspire to teach them life skills in addition to their school work. We get to motivate children and teach them how to tackle the many experiences a preteen will face,” states Padraig Muldoon on his role as the housemaster in charge of boarding students at Nilai International School (NIS).
Muldoon, who is also the science and mathematics teacher at NIS, clearly revels in his role as a guardian for the scores of local and international students who have opted for the school’s boarding facilities. Unlike other students who are only at NIS for a portion of the day, boarding students benefit from being supervised by two female wardens and Muldoon after school hours.
Muldoon’s schedule includes a short break after normal school hours before the boarding students assemble for dinner at 5pm. All boarding students are then required to be part of a two-hour daily study session, which is supervised by Muldoon and his counterparts – Caroline Althea Page and Nor Suhada Seti – who teach arts and Bahasa Malaysia, respectively.
“What is really good about this arrangement is that it creates a pattern and a routine where there is a dedicated study time each day. This is not something all students who live at home are disciplined enough to do on their own and their parents may be too busy to supervise them. These students will also have the benefit of me and my colleagues to guide them with their schoolwork,” says Muldoon, who is from Ireland.
He is keen to point out that doing their own chores has had a liberating effect on his charges. “Many students these days have maids but here they learn to do things for themselves, which makes them more independent. This is great life training for when they are older.”
Muldoon also says that he and his colleagues organise activities to keep the youngsters occupied. After the study session, students are free to use the many sporting facilities on campus such as the swimming pool, the indoor gymnasium, the basketball court and the football field. There is also a resource centre and all the rooms are Internet enabled.
Students are only allowed to leave the campus with their parents or guardian and the site features round-the-clock security.
Parents who are keen on enrolling their children at NIS’ boarding facilities can choose from the modern single or twin-sharing rooms. All rooms have an attached bathroom and are temperature-controlled.
According to Muldoon, students who will flourish in the boarding environment are those who are outgoing, academically inclined and have an independent spirit.
“I have also seen some rather shy individuals come out of their shells and adapt very well to the boarding school environment. So it works well for different types of people in different ways,” he says.
offers the Cambridge International Examinations curriculum from Year 1 to Year 11 as well as an Early Years Foundation Stage programme for children aged between four and five. Students will be prepared for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examinations in Year 11. A total of 80 rooms are available for boarding (for children above the age of 13).
For more information call 06-850 2188 or visit www.nis.edu.my