Finally, the wait is over!  Cheers and tears are normally expected on the day students receive their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results.  Screams of joy or cries of despair or a mix of both are common on this day, after the nail-biting months.

But this was not the case in the hall of Seri Omega Private and International School on last Thursday (Mar 5), where 300 over students with some accompanied by their parents had gathered.  There were only shrieks of elation and jubilant bursts of laughter.

A total of 382 students here had sat for the SPM last year and 45 of them scored straight As.  There are 43 students with 10As, 23 (9As), 19 (8As), 10 (7As), 16 (6As), 16 (5As), 31 (4As), 28 (3As), 43 (2As) and 87 (1A).

Two students Yeo Yuan Ping and Ang Yan, both 18, stood out among their peers as they had A+ in all 10 subjects.

Both revealed that the recipe for success was a concerted effort between the school, their home and how committed they were to achieving their dreams.

“Being an only child, my parents and I are very close.  My parents run a family business but they always find time to give me moral support when I need it, like they will give me a hug before an examination and offer words of encouragement.

My teachers are also very approachable and supportive.  Being a head prefect, I’ve learnt about team work and how to manage a team,” Yeo said.

Ang, the youngest among two siblings, said her mother is aware of how self-reliant she is when it comes to studies and rarely monitors whether she is doing her homework or revision.

“I always make it a priority to finish all my homework when I come home from school.  My mother knows my character very well,” said Ang, who is also a prefect.

Eighteen-year-old Saw Hui Shi and Teo Jing Yuan, also 18, also secured 10As.  Both had enrolled in Seri Omega in 2015.

Saw said she had expected to do well in her SPM, as she had prepared for it.

“My mother taught me to believe in myself.  She also urged me not to stress myself out while I was preparing for the exam.

“My teachers have pointed out my strengths and weaknesses and that has helped me to focus on which subject or topic that needs more attention,” she said.

As for Teo, he said paying attention in class was the most crucial aspect apart from maintaining self-discipline and getting moral support from his parents.

“I have tuition on weekends but after tuition, my parents will take me out for some relaxation and to have some family bonding time,” he said.

When it comes to the definition of a good teacher, is it someone with a deep and vast knowledge of the subject he teaches or is it someone who is able to motivate others to  learn?  There are many ways to define a good teacher.  Perhaps one of them is by student achievement.

But it does not end there.  A good teacher is only one of the ingredients for success when it comes to churning out an exemplary leader in a community, a society or a nation.

The recipe for success comprises three things — the school, the home and the student.

Yeo, Ang, Saw and Teo unanimously echoed the sentiment that the school environment and the home environment are inter-related but the protagonist in one’s story is oneself.  If the student has the determination to excel, coupled with the support of the home and the school, success is assured.

At Seri Omega Private and International School, a solid foundation is laid for the development of the child. 

And all this is attributed to the hard work and dedication of Dato’ Sri Ooi Chong Beng, the man at the helm of Seri Omega.

Dato’ Sri Ooi  is the Chief Executive Officer and Principal as well as the founder of the school.  He has 45 years of experience in the field of education, and more than 20 years in managing Seri Omega.

The school recorded a 100 per cent passing rate for Bahasa Melayu, English Language  and Chinese Language.  For Mathematics and Additional Mathematics, the passing rate was 99.4 and 87.7 per cent respectively, Physics  93.4%, Chemistry (88.9%), Biology (95.8%) , History (97.9%) and Moral (94.9%).

Seri Omega spokesperson Chen Pei Pei said Dato’ Sri Ooi advocates that students should have a daily schedule to adhere to and this will ensure success, as surely as night follows day.

“The school and the home environment must complement and support each other.  It is important to start the children young so that their foundation is strong.  A child with a solid background will step into a world of endless possibilities where a bright future awaits.

For enquiries and further information, please call 07-599 8998 or visit the school at Lot 6974 & 6975, Jalan Beringin 5, Taman Beringin, 81400 Senai, Johor.

The Seri Omega Way

 

They say parent and school involvement are contributing factors to a student’s success, academically as well as in character building.  The release of the 2019 Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) results at Seri Omega Private and International School last Thursday (January 16) can attest to this.

A total of 27 students out of the 224 who sat for the 2019 ICGSE examinations scored straight As in all eight subjects, compared to 17 straight A achievers out of 191 candidates in the 2018 ICGSE, attributed their parents and teachers coupled with the school system as ingredients to their success.

The 27 high achievers who scored 8As had a combination of As and A+.  The same goes for the 29 candidates with 7As, 23 (6As), 20 (5As), 23 (4As), 18 (3As), 44 (2As) and 34 (1A).

Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese language both registered a 100% passing rate, with 91% of the candidates recording As in the Chinese language and 83% securing As in the national language. English language has a 78% passing rate with 26% of the candidates registering As.

A total of 60% garnered As in Mathematics, 40% (Additional Mathematics), Physics (56%), Chemistry (44%) and Biology (34%).

Among the 27 who made it to the straight A list was Chua Yen Yuan, 18,  who was accompanied by her mother. An only child, Chua said the strict school system, the dedicated teachers and her parents were the key factors to her success.

 It’s also important to pay attention in class, and when there’s something that you don’t quite understand, always approach the teacher. I would like to thank my teachers for always taking the time to explain to me whenever I go up to them,” said Chua, who is a school prefect. 

She enrolled in Seri Omega after her primary education in a government school.  When not in school, Chua enjoys spending time with her parents. Chua aspires to be a dentist and is set to pursue her A levels.

Loh Yi Wen, 18, who joined Seri Omega since Primary One, was another straight As achiever with 8 As.  He is getting ready to leave for Melbourne, Australia, after the Chinese New Year to further his studies.

Loh, whose favourite subject is Physics, sometimes studies by himself and sometimes with his classmates.

“I think studying with a peer really helps.  In the past I was getting C in Additional Mathematics.  Then I became friendly with a classmate who excels in the subject and we started to study together.

“I don’t think I would have scored A for Additional Mathematics if we had not studied together, so I think mixing with the right kind of friends is very important,” Loh said. Loh also said that Seri Omega’s conducive learning environment together with committed teachers, stern discipline and his parents’ unconditional love and support as factors that impacted his academic success.

Kalven Lai, 17, is also heading for Melbourne where he will embark on a foundation programme in Computer Science.

Lai, another straight A-lister with 8As, said he could not comprehend the need for school disciplinary policies when he was younger but as he grew older, he saw and began to appreciate the necessity of it.

“At one point of my life I became obsessed with the handphone. But the school does not permit the use of handphones. I overcame my obsession but I still manage to develop apps and do programming which are things that I love.”

“Learning self-discipline enabled me to excel.  If I had let unhealthy obsessive behaviour get the better of me, I don’t think I would be able to achieve straight As,” he said, adding that the motivation came from his family and the school.

Given a choice between discipline and a flexible, loose system, the students said they preferred the former as they believed it was more effective and beneficial to their development.

From A Parent’s Perspective

Soo Chau Leong, 46, who received the results on behalf of his eldest son Soo Zhan Yi, 17, said the school is indeed very strict but that was what he likes about the school system.

“Zhan Yi used to take the school bus to and from Seri Omega daily. The school is so strict that if I want to fetch Zhan Yi home instead of letting him take the school bus, I need to inform the school or else they will not allow me to fetch him home,” Soo chuckled.

On this, Seri Omega spokesperson Chen Pei Pei, who was beside Soo, said the student’s safety is always the school’s priority.

“Seri Omega believes that parents and school play a vital role in the development of a child. We believe that character building and academic achievement go hand in hand and that’s why we emphasise on a highly disciplined and conducive learning environment.

“We believe that by being strict we can nip social problems in the bud. This is how we reduce misbehaviour and strengthen good behaviour and develop the mindset of a high achiever, ” Chen said.

For enquiries or more information, please call 07-599 8998 or visit the school at Lot 6974 & 6975, Jalan Beringin 5, Taman Beringin, 81400 Senai, Johor.