138 Students Selected For Permata Pintar High School Program

  
BANGI, 138 outstanding Form Four students have been selected for the Permata Pintar High School Program at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) starting Jan 17.
 
Permata Pintar Negara Program patron Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor said so far 115 of them, including 44 girls, had agreed to enrol for the program.
 
She said, however, 23 more student had yet to reply as their parents needed more information such as the entrance fee.
 
"Some of the parents are earning below RM3,000 a month. They should not worry about the fees as I will negotiate with certain parties, particularly the prime minister, who is very keen on this school.
 
"God willing, we will find ways to address the needs of families who cannot afford to send their children  here," she told reporters after visiting the site earmarked for the school at UKM here today.
 
The proposed fee is RM1,000 per semester (six months).
 
The two-year program comprises six components, namely academic, international language communication, scientific projects, portfolio assessment, co-curriculum and personality development.
 
Apart from following the mainstream curriculum at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia level, the students will also be offered international curriculum including the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), O-Level, A-Level and Advance Placement course, as well as several first-year courses of the Faculty of Science and Technology.
 
Rosmah said the first phase of the project which involved the construction of an administrative building, laboratories and classrooms had been completed while residential colleges would be completed early next year.
 
For the time being the students will be housed temporarily at the Zaaba Residential College, she said, adding that the training for teachers had begun on weekends and during school holidays.
 
She said the training was conducted by lecturers from the UKM Permata Pintar, Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youths, Indiana State Gifted Program and University of California.
 
Pusat Permata Pintar Negara director Prof Madya Dr Noriah Mohd Ishak said students, who were ready to sit the A Level or Advanced Placement while pursuing there studies at the centre, were allowed to take the examinations.
 
"If they are offered places at foreign universities, we will allow them go and they need not complete the program with us. This can happen during the first or second stage with us," she said.
 
The school calendar will follow that of the Education Ministry while the school session is from 8am to 4.30pm
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