The concluding story of my three-part “Education Is His Forte” series on the Seri Omega Private and International School.
sourced from NST online
01 July 2013
School holds Open Day
by CHUAH BEE KIM
SENAI: THE Seri Omega Private and International School had an Open Day for its soon-to-be launched campus on June 16.
The school’s founder and principal Datuk Ooi Chong Beng wanted nothing but the best for his students and their parents.
The event started off with a campus tour before the guests were treated to a cultural and musical extravaganza.
There was also a food fair that featured over 30 types of food including satay, fried chicken, nasi dagang Kelantan and durian.
Ooi said that a lot of effort was made towards preparing for the event which drew in a crowd of more than 5,000 people.
When you want results, you simply need to strive for the best and hire the best.
“A poorly-run organisation cannot retain talent like soil with poor condition cannot absorb fertiliser,” said Ooi.
With 38 years of teaching experience, Ooi knows what he is talking about when it comes to the development of young minds and character building.
‘There are currently 140 teachers. Of these, more than 10 per cent are expatriates from the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Australia.
“The school currently has 2,300 students, with 40 per cent of them studying the international syllabus and the remaining studying the Malaysian Education Ministry’s syllabus,” said Ooi.
The school is currently operating in Taman Sutera Utama in Skudai but the growing student population has prompted Ooi to set up a new campus on four-hectares of land.
The new campus, located at Jalan Beringin 5 in Taman Beringin, Senai, will be able to accommodate about 2,800 students when it starts operations in January 2014.
Ooi believes in instilling discipline in a child.
“It doesn’t have to be a rigid lifestyle but there must be some routine for the child so that he will grow up to be a responsible and successful adult.
“Many parents buy branded items such as watches and hand phones for their children thinking that this would make their children happy or love them more, but this is a misconception,” he said.
Parent Robert Tan, 45, echoed Ooi’s sentiment.
Tan said he is happy with his children’s educational progress at Seri Omega.
“My eldest son scored 10 As in his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination last year. My second son is weak in Bahasa Malaysia and the school got its vice-principal to give him additional guidance in the subject,” he elaborated.
Tan also likes the strict code of rules implemented by the school.
“I like the fact that the school does not allow students to have fancy hairstyles or dyed hair, wear multiple earrings, go shopping without parents accompanying them, and does not allow handphones,” he added.
Dr Muhammad Javed Arshad Javed, 45, said two of his children — Fatimah, 15, and Abdullah, 11, are studying in Seri Omega, and he plans to enrol Mariam, 6, and Hafsa, 4, when their old enough to start primary school.
Muhammad Javed, a bio-technology lecturer at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said that he liked the efficiency of the teachers, the code of discipline and there is also Islamic Studies.
“There is no need to spend extra money sending your child for tuition,” he said.
The hour-long performance showcased the talent of the Sound of Saxaphone Ensemble, a five-member band of saxophonists, who kicked off the musical extravaganza with Tango, Beautiful Red Rose and Turkey March.
Next up was Uriah See, 17, and his brother Zachary See, 15, who wowed the audience with their performances.
Brothers Uriah See, (left) and Zachary See gave a beautiful violin performance.
Uriah sang Josh Groban’s You Raise Me Up, before joining Zachary to play the violin.
Erhu player Cheong Hoon Keat joined the brothers, along with Lam Zi Peng, who played the ruan, a Chinese string instrument.
Also accompanying them were Pea Chia Sin on the cello and and Tang Guang Mei on the violin in a brilliant ensemble of Oriental and Western instruments.
Together they played Olive Tree and Canon in D variation.
Uriah studied vocals from Wai Yin Ching, who also plays the piano.
Violin virtuoso Dr Tan Guang Yu performing “Czardas” with his mentor and mother Wai Yin Ching accompanying him on the piano.
Wai accompanied her son Dr Tan Guang Yu during his solo violin recital where Tan performed Czardas and Happiness in Springtime.
A six-member group who called themselves Flexitone sang acapella-style hits such as Torn, Under the Boardwalk and The Bare Necessity.
The Southern Chinese Orchestra was the final performance for the day. The orchestra featured 15 members armed with wind, percussion and string Chinese musical instruments.
A performance by the Southern Chinese Orchestra closed the one-hour long show.
Read more: School holds Open Day for new campus – Johor – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/johor/school-holds-open-day-for-new-campus-1.310636#ixzz2XkSAp9Qt
A Green Bee In The Rain 雨中的绿蜂 