SEPTEMBER 25 was another memorable day sealed in the history book for SMK Bandar Kuching No.1 as it was one of the five showcase schools shortlisted by the State Education Department (Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri Sarawak) to host an education visit for 303 school leaders administrators and officials from various District Education Offices and State Education Departments nationwide.
The Highly Immersive Programme (HIP) was first introduced in schools in 2016 with the aim to involve and immerse the school community in an Englishspeaking environment. This programme has been in full practice in Sarawak, starting in 2018 with various in and out-of-class activities, extra classes and outreach programmes.
Obtaining Level 4 in the level of immersiveness since the start of the programme, it was unquestionable that SMK Bandar Kuching No.1 would be deemed as a showcase school. That being said, it was an exceptional feat for the school to maintain and sustain the same level for two years, considering the background of the school with 74% of the school community being Chinese who rarely use the target language.
The challenges and sustainability of the programme in such an environment should be applauded and emulated. The visit was part of the programme organised in conjunction with “WACANA HIGHLY IMMERSIVE PROGRAMME ZON SARAWAK TAHUN 2018” held at the Riverside Majestic Hotel from September 24 to 26.
It was aimed to provide the opportunity to meet and share with HIP practitioners in building and developing an English-speaking school environment in line with the national transformation of education. School leaders had the chance to share ideas, knowledge and good practices in implementing HIP.
The three-hour visit to the school commenced with a presentation by Principal Madam Wong Lai Kee entitled “HIP – A Learning Experience”. It was an eye-opening experience to see the newly appointed principal leading the programme actively and passionately by creating a highly immersive English language environment and steering the school in the right direction.
Visitors were then treated to a tour of the school, allowing them to gain valuable insights on various efforts carried out on HIP. Among the highlights were the various Reading Corners, interactive Living Boards, gardens filled with motivational quotes, speaker’s corner, notice boards and numerous signage spotted around the school.
Madam Wong Lai Kee concluded that the visit served as a healthy platform for school leaders and educators to share ideas and excel together to uplift the standard of English among teachers, administrators, students and parents as well. She also took the opportunity to thank JPNS for the trust and opportunity given in order to share with other schools the manifestation of HIP for English of the school. SMK Bandar Kuching No.1 had indeed outdone itself and it is hoped that such devotion and zeal from the community of the school would rub off to their counterparts.
