The Sun - A momentous occasion
In conjunction with the Founder's Day celebration, St Joseph's Institution International School Malaysia (Tropicana PJ Campus) (SJIIM) celebrated its first year of school with an official opening at the school's auditorium recently. The event was graced by the Minister of Education, Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, Tropicana Corporation Berhad Founder and Advisor, Tan Sri Danny Tan Chee Sing, and Br. Edmundo Fernandez, Brother Visitor of the Lasaliian East Asia District (LEAD).
"Establishing SJII in Malaysia was an important step for us in the expansion of our school beyond Singapore. As a proud Lasaliian alumni, we are confident of the public's recognition of the values a Lasaliian education provides," said Michael Sng, Chairman of SJIEM's Board of Governors. In his speech, Group CEO of Tropicana Corporation Berhad, Dato' Yau Kok Seng said, "The company is fully committed to providing a learning environment that will complement the ministry's aspirations to develop students who will be globally competitive."
"Education is a critical component of today's nation building. In recognising this, we decided to have strategic tie-ups with an established education brand such as St Joseph's Institution International to ensure our community in Tropicana would have access to top quality education in schools with state-of-the-art facilities right at their doorstep. Going forward, Tropicana Corporation Berhad plans to build a school in each of its townships," Tan said in a statement.
Providing a holistic education for three to 18 year olds, SJIIM offers International Primary Curriculum, Singapore Math and a strong Mandarin programme as well as the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and International Bacccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). When asked what makes the school unique, SJIIM Elementary School Principal, Eileen Quigley said, "One of them is being value-driven which is at the heart of the school. Also, those who have made the move (to enrol in the school), school aims to provide a holistic education. they told us it is because of our commitment to the values of education." "We teach them to be enquirers and inquisitors, and to be independent learners and creative thinkers. We have taken the best system from around the world, IGCSE being the most rigorous and best qualification and IB being the best university recognised certificate.
Our teaching is about creating students who analyse and question; that is really important," she added Located in the heart of the Tropicana township, the 6.5-acre purpose-built school offers a wide range of facilities such as indoor sports hall, swimming pool, auditorium/performing arts centre, separate elementary and high school library, soccer field, tennis court, and a sick bay with full-time nurses and doctors on call.
To ensure a safe environment for students, the school is also equipped with campus-wide security system. The school opened with 420 students in August 2016. Today, it has 500 students with an aim to have 700 more next year in its 1,500 campus capacity.
