Articles

Second to None – A look at Matrix Global Schools

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Oct 10, 2014

Situated at the heart of Bandar Sri Sendayan, Matrix International School is the latest addition to the booming international education scene in Malaysia. With a 20 acre campus built by the developers of Bandar Sri Sendayan, Matrix Concept Holdings, the school recently opened its doors to parents and students showcasing impressive learning-centric tools and facilities alongside the debut of a dedicated band of teaching staff from all over the world.Matrix Global Schools consists of the mentioned Matrix International School alongside Matrix Private School, which offers the Malaysian national curriculum for both primary and secondary levels. Matrix Global School is a subsidiary of Matrix Concept Holdings Berhad, the developers of Bandar Sri Sendayan.“The culture that we are cultivating here would help foster a family within the school,” says Frankland with regards to the coexistence of both international and private school within the same campus. This is highlighted by the fact that students of both schools would share a similar school uniform along with access to facilities.

“It is about having quality education within our reach,” says Chris Frankland, the principal of Matrix International School.  Frankland has worked with several education initiatives over the years in Malaysia and was previously Principal of a Private School in Kuala Lumpur before moving to MGS.

 He says that the pace in which the school has come into completion has been nothing short of remarkable. “What we have done here at the school would have probably taken the UK more than twice as long to accomplish.” He attributes much of this to the trust and cooperation the school has received from Matrix Concepts Holding along with its CEO, Dato’ Lee Tian Hock and the CEO of Matrix Global Schools, Felix Lee. “When we started Matrix Global Schools it wasn’t about the profit. The board gave us full financial support to go ahead with the vision of building an international school.”Talking more about the culture at the school, Frankland mentions that the challenges included bonding and forming a coherent team of some 30 teachers for the international school who are from different nationalities and backgrounds. The teaching staff at the school includes teachers from around the world with a wide range of teaching qualifications and expertise.Frankland also talked about the general concerns when parents enroll their children into an international school, stating that a misguided expectation that is sometimes placed on students to immediately perform is counter-productive. Building a school of tomorrow, Matrix International School has a significant emphasis on information technology and tools that help to elevate the learning experience here at the school. This includes interactive touch screen boards and interactive learning applications. Each student at the school will be equipped with a tablet that complements the learning process at the school.The school is dedicated to ushering the next level of innovation in education; it signed an agreement with Ellesmere College in the United Kingdom in building a curriculum that merges a holistic education framework with augmented reality technology. This is further strengthened by the cooperation the school has fostered with a Fortune 500 tech company that is building tailor-made tools and technology for the school.While the usage of technology at Matrix International School is indeed impressive, Frankland is quick to mention that the school will not overly rely on technology and ICT tools as to provide a nourishing learning experience to the students. “There needs to be a balance when it comes to technology, we don’t want children to be overwhelmed by it,” says Frankland. The school aims to provide that balance utilising a holistic array of learning opportunities that includes outdoor sports and extra-curricular activities that are supported by the schools facilities.While most of these facilities are in various stages of completion, the school is confident of having everything completed by mid 2015. When Matrix Private School comes into full operation alongside Matrix International School. The school already has some 100 students enrolled at various stages of both primary and secondary school. With the start of the new school, Matrix International School is poised to make waves in the international education scene and live up to the motto of being “Second to None”.

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