Current trends
BOARDING schools are no longer limited to the elite and financially privileged. Parents have the choice of sending their children to the more than affordable government-run Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (SBP) or Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) schools.
For those seeking a different curricula experience, many private and international schools offer scholarships and sponsorships for chosen students.
In fact, a few private schools are actually tuition- and expense-free, thanks to the generosity of their benefactors offering generous aid packages to qualified students.
In some cases, middle-income parents have found it worthwhile to spend a little more money on boarding schools in exchange for a more holistic education and development for their child.
Many people also seem to assume that boarding schools and reform schools are the same. Unlike the girls in the movie St Trinians, it is a misconception that boarding schools are fertile breeding grounds for trouble.
Heads of school, teachers and administrators in modern day boarding schools work together with their students to ensure a loving and safe environment for everyone.
Oliver Twist in a modern day boarding school will not need to ask “Please sir, may I have some more?” as assuredly there is plenty of “more” to be found in terms of state-of-theart facilities, passionate highly certified teachers and the best in pastoral care.
Boarding school students’ shared school pride sometimes can be misinterpreted as arrogance, earning boarders a reputation for social immaturity.
The situation is quite the opposite as boarding schools tend to help students develop and deepen personal qualities such as self-confidence, independence, personal and social skills.
These are places where communities are shaped – students learn to share, respect, work together and support one another in a common place.
Beyond their teachers, boarders also interact with and learn from another large group of adults on a daily basis such as the House Master, school nurse, cafeteria staff, cleaning staff and security.