Sleepy Hollow? If you are having images of dilapidated dwellings and old and tired people, you are wrong. Taiping has often been fondly or sacarstically been called 'The sleepy Hollow" or "Pensioners paradise". These two terms encaspulates the essence of what makes Taiping a unique town. (And also recently made national head lines regarding ther All Saints Church)
It was the first state capital of Perak, the centre of tin mining activities and cab also boast of having schools which are more than a hundred years old. The King Edward VII school, Convent school, Treacher Methodist Girls school and St Georges Institution are still maintaining their reputation of being leading schools in the town.
This brings us to the recent announcement by the Ministry of Education that the first twenty high performance schools have been named. And among the list which included residential school, primary and secondary schools, is the SK Convent Taiping, my alma mater. I fully agree with the views expressed by another old girl, (now a journalist) , Chok Suat Ling in her article in the NST January 28, 2010. The main issue on most peoples' minds is how the selection was made. What does it take for a school to be receive such an award?
Another interesting feature of the schools in Malaysia is the plethora of categories of schools... we have smart school, high performance schools, cluster schools, vision schools, premier schools, controlled schools, central schools, sports schools and the list goes on. It is sad to imagine the the attendant inplications of this situation. Are schools which are not on the list to be regarded as "second rate? Will there be no hope for the students to achive high academic success and receive a holistic education. Well these are really interesting as well as confusing issues which parents have to cope with.
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