Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email one of the 30 schools is simpang lima tamil school. one other chinese school, one orang asli school, one remote area school and one special school (sekolah khas). another 4 agama school and the rest is national type schools.
Big plan for cluster school
KUALA LUMPUR: Academic excellence as well as gaining international recognition for non-academic success is the way ahead for the country’s cluster schools.
Principal Mat Noh Supaat of SMK Gunung Rapat, Ipoh, has big plans for the sports programme in his school, moving from aquatics, bowling and badminton to include “luxury sports” such as equestrian sports and golf.
“We’ve been performing well on the international level with our current activities but I want to diversify what we have and bring in more foreign coaches,” he said.
And, Mat Noh added, he also wanted to introduce international examinations such as the A-Levels and International Baccalaureate into the school’s assessment system.
SMK Gunung Rapat is among the first 30 schools selected under the Education Ministry’s cluster of excellent schools concept.
Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said it was not easy for the Cluster of Excellence Advisory Board to shortlist the 30 schools.
Those selected, he noted, were examples of schools with the potential to compete in the international arena.
“The 30 pioneer schools clearly have their own strengths and ethos. They reflect the type of schools that we want.
“In a way they are not that lucky because they have been thrust into the limelight and the pressure is on them to prove their potential,” he told reporters at a press conference after launching the concept yesterday at the KL Convention Centre.
Hishammuddin added that the success of the concept depended on the 30 schools, which would pioneer new approaches such as autonomous administration and school-based examinations.
“They will set the benchmark that the other schools will have to meet,” he said.
One of the main strategies in the National Education Blueprint 2006-2010, the cluster school concept is aimed at spurring outstanding schools to achieve world-class standards and become centres of excellence.
The schools are expected to hone their niche areas, which include co-curriculum activities, sports, science and technology, and technical and vocational studies.
The ministry is aiming for an initial batch of 300 schools. The other 270 places are open for applications and interested schools can apply through the state education departments.
According Hishammuddin, the heads of cluster schools will be sent for a two-month intensive management and leadership training programme at King’s College, University of London.
