From Nursery to Tertiary - Newsroom | Taylor's International School

Kuala Lumpur, 27th July 2014 - CURRICULUM, language skills and character building. These are factors that parents must consider when looking at schools for their children. And, at the recently launched Taylor's International School (TIS), these are the "building blocks" of the education provided by the institution.

"TIS is an international curriculum school and a neighbourhood school which will be available in major cities around Malaysia."

"These schools will take pride in their Malaysian roots, and besides academic excellence, will emphasise character building as well as offering strong foundations in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin."

"Taylor's Education Group offers completely integrated education for students from early years right up to tertiary and post graduate level," said Taylor's Education Group group chief executive officer Datuk Loy Teik Ngan in an interview.

He added that being an international school in Malaysia, the school would be a blend of the best of the East and the West.

"Our teaching is grounded in the best of local values and customs, but using the best practices and research from the West to make learning effective. For example, we emphasise family values and traditions to promote respect and care for others, and yet we also encourage our students to think critically and to articulate their ideas so that they will be confident, independent spirits," Loy said.

In order to build quality students, the school has ensured that their teachers are of high quality and calibre.

"We are very careful with our recruitment process. We select only skilled and experienced teachers, who have an attitude to learning that matches our learning outcomes. Once in the school, we use continuing professional development to challenge teachers' thinking and to improve their practice," said Loy.

TIS also has a Teaching and Learning director who will oversee the continuous professional development of its teachers. The needs of the students will also be addressed.

"In 2014, Taylor's College and Taylor’s University have awarded over RM17mil in scholarships and bursaries so that deserving students may pursue their studies at pre-university or tertiary level," said Loy.

Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, who was present at the launch of TIS, said that he looked forward to more international schools in the future. He said he hoped to see the Taylor's Education Group play a bigger role in education in Malaysia, especially in the rural areas of Sabah and Sarawak.

"All students deserve quality education and they need all the help they can get, not just from the public sector but also from the private sector," he said, adding that public-private partnerships were encouraged.

Loy said that TIS would work towards producing students who would be a productive workforce for the country.

"In line with the government's aspiration to transform Malaysia's education system to international standards, TIS will work closely with the ministry to achieve this aspiration by nurturing students to be productive leaders in the 21st century."

During the launch, there was also mention of potential collaborations between the ministry and the education group.

"Some potential collaborations include the sharing of teaching philosophy as well as teaching and learning developments."

"Principals are always welcome to visit us and see what we do at our schools. We would also like to invite the heads of government to join some of our Professional Development programmes," said Loy.

TIS' KL campus will be followed by the launch of the Puchong campus in January 2015.