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NEWS FEATURE
A complex language legacy While Mandarin has unified the people of Taiwan, the people have lost the ability to speak in their native dialects. E6
EdUcATioN, SUNdAy 15 AUgUST 010
A full-fledged British institution with a rich 157year history will soon be available at the doorstep of many Malaysians.
Best of both
By ALyciA LiM educate@thestar.com.my
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HE students come from different background and countries but all are clad in neat blazers complete with their house badges or ties. They are seen walking on the grounds of the 32ha land, which Epsom College United Kingdom (ECUK) is built upon. Groups of girls are seen giggling amongst themselves, and the boys chat casually about the next football or cricket game while they walk to physics class just across the field, where cricket and football practice are held in the late afternoon. School bags are not a common sight, since students go back to their houses in between classes. They carry only the necessary folders required for their next class. Established in 1853 as the Royal Medical Benevolent College by Dr John Propert to help orphans and widows of members of the medical profession, the college was granted royal patronage by Queen Victoria in 1855. Some 157 years later, ECUK is finally ready to take its next step, by opening its first sister college, Epsom College in Malaysia (ECM) as part of the Kuala Lumpur Education City (KLEC) project in Bandar Enstek, Negri Sembilan in September 2012. At the groundbreaking ceremony of its sister campus in Malaysia, ECUK headmaster Steven Borthwick said, “We’ve never had a chance to build our own campus, so this time, since we are starting with a clean slate, the campus will be built with everything properly planned and well-thought out.” Making full use of the 20ha land, ECM will feature modern and environmentally-friendly buildings — including spacious teaching rooms and a large library, a sports centre comprising two full-sized halls with retractable seating, four squash courts, a dance studio and a 25-metre covered swimming pool — amongst other facilities. ECM principal Paul Williams said, “Due to the history of ECUK, every building used to be catered for something else.” “The Fayrer House, for example, is quite secluded from the other buildings and is located all the way across the field because it used to be an infirmary.” But he was quick to add that the building had been properly sanitised before being turned into a boys’ house!
Sample
Team HK tops again
For the second consecutive year, a Hong Kong team bags the grand prize at the CIMA Global Business Challenge. E7
Finals, here we come State champions of RHB-The Star Mighty Minds nationwide challenge are gearing up to go head-to-head at the national finals in October. E10 & 11
Fitting farewell School celebrates the career of its principal in style and gives him a grand send-off on his retirement day. E15
Holistic education
Students from the Fayrer House walking to class at Epsom College UK.
Eng How has been at ECUK since he was 13. school remains a premier British boarding school, so while the staff would come from the international cohort, most of them would have worked in a British school so they understand the system and teaching methods.” While academia is important, an all-rounded education requires both mental and physical development. With a wide variety of sports activities at ECUK to choose from, it is almost impossible to not find something of interest. To bring the two campuses together, Williams said, “The hockey and football teams would be able to do their pre-season practice in each other’s campuses to give them a wider exposure, while they get to meet their peers from the different campuses.” On the creative side, activities at ECUK include pottery, visual art, sewing, music, and photography, to name a few. Williams said, “Every student has the chance to choose activities
A Spanish language class at Epsom College, UK of interest to them, and we have qualified teachers to coach them.”
Weekly boarding Many parents refrain from sending their child to a boarding school because they do not want them to lose out on family bonding time. Now they can put those worries out of the way. Through its weekly boarding option, ECM, just like ECUK, provides parents with the option and students with the opportunity to get the best of both worlds. Borthwick said, “Weekly boarding is a really good concept because students can save time travelling during the weekdays and make the most of their time at school, and they can go home over the weekend to be with their families.” He said that close to 90% of British students at ECUK live within a 40km radius of the college, of which, most weekly boarders live approximately 10km from the college.
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Of course, the building structure is only one aspect of the bigger picture, as bringing a full-fledged British school into Malaysia is no easy feat. Borthwick said, “There will be many challenges in terms of bringing over the same ethos from ECUK, and incorporating that into the Malaysian context.” He added, “One of the main aims is to make sure that this
“It’s the boarding experience that counts. Having a house to belong to, and a strong sense of ‘tribal’ spirit amongst their peers I think is what distinguishes boarding school students from the rest.” With a morning to night schedule, schooling at Epsom is a lifestyle. In fact, even day students who attend ECUK belong to a house which they return to during break time and after classes. For future students of ECM, the convenient location of the college campus — located a 15-minute drive away from Malaysia’s Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) — makes weekly boarding a viable option, even if students do not live in Malaysia. ECM Board of Governors chairman and former Epsomian Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said, “With the LCCT so close to the ECM campus, students around SouthEast Asia can go back home over the weekend, and be back in school by Monday.”
Education, Sunday 15 auguSt 2010
nEWS FEatuRE
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Kamil with his classmates during Art class at Epsom College UK. KLEC group chief executive officer Kahlil Anwar Kamal, who is also a former Epsomian, agreed, saying that the campus in Bandar Enstek serves as a hub for education in the South East-Asian region.
Malaysians abroad An upper six student, Azlan Rahman Zabidi, 18, has been in ECUK for almost two years. “I think in boarding school you really learn how to be independent and disciplined. We live on a schedule from morning till night, and we have to do a lot on our own.” Having attended a boarding school prior to ECUK, fitting in was not so much of a challenge for Azlan. “Of course you have to make the effort, but it is not difficult to fit in as the students here are very open and friendly. I think what is more important is for you to want to be there.” Student Teo Eng How, 17, who started attending ECUK when he was 13, said that studying at the institution has really taught him about responsibility. “I used to be a very irresponsible boy when I was 13, but as soon as I came to ECUK I stopped being that kid and realised that I needed to buck up.” He added that it was the encouragement from his teachers and seniors that moulded him into being a better person. Living in a house-oriented environment, both Azlan and Eng How said they have built
A typical dorm for four students at Epsom College UK.
a close rapport with their peers. Eng How said, “Everyone in the house is very close to each other. Each house is like one big family where we all take care of each other.” Where sports is concerned, Azlan, who belongs to the Fayrer House said, “All of us here have a very strong house spirit, and we always help each other out because it’s always about moving as a team.” Currently in Year 10, Michelle Toh said that she really enjoys the overseas experience at Epsom. “You get to meet people from different countries, and I have good friends from Russia, China, Hong Kong, as well as from the UK. People are also really friendly and helpful and I think living in a house also helps us understand each other better.” Kamil Sabapathy, 15, who is in his second year at ECUK, agreed that boarding school life is different from living at home. The eldest of three siblings, Kamil said, “My parents sent me here because they wanted me to be independent. My first three weeks here was quite tough as I was not used to the boarding lifestyle.” However, Kamil was quick to add that he has settled in quickly and does not regret his decision to study at ECUK. As Fernandes said, “My days at Epsom have really made me into who I am. I still keep in touch with many of my friends from Epsom, and our strong house spirit lives until today.”