SMK Menjalara (Secondary School) Visit

On our fourth day in Malaysia we had the chance to see a more typical educational setting. Our group was split into Primary and Secondary phase for a morning visit to SK Menjalara Bandar & SMK Menjalara (the schools are next to each other). As part of the secondary group I went to the SMK Menjalara Secondary School. This is a large secondary school in the Menjalara suburb of Kuala Lumpur.

Our first impressions were of a massive enthusiasm from both the students and the staff. We were welcomed by the Principal and her senior staff. Also present throughout the whole visit were several student photographers, taking pictures of everything we did. It was clear that our visit had caused huge excitement in the school community.

We were given a very through overview of the Malaysian education system and the school by the Principal, Pn. Hajah Azmah bt. Rajion. We also had the opportunity to ask any questions. One feature that stood out early on was the very clear focus on the school’s vision and mission statements. It was simple and direct and you could tell that it helped to inform everything that the school did. We were then given a local dish (made less spicy for us!) before being given an extensive tour of the school.

Our guide was Pn. S Parameswari and several of the senior staff. She was very informative and happy to answer all of our questions in a frank and honest manner. This school had a completely different ethnic make up to the previous private school we had visited. While Sri KDU was predominantly Chinese, SMK Menjalara had a mostly Malay origin student body but with a good mix of other ethnic backgrounds (much like Malaysia in general). The school buildings were a similar type and construction to all Malaysian state schools with yellow three story blocks.

The teachers and students were very welcoming as we toured the school, with each classroom full of smiling and waving children. As we were there on a Wednesday the students were all dressed in their ‘society’ uniforms (for example police and fire cadets). Being part of these groups was mandatory for all students and helped to build up a team ethos. All of the student we spoke with seemed to be very proud of their group and keen to tell us what they did for it as enrichment activities.
English was much less widely spoken at home amongst the student population at SMK Menjalara than at Sri KDU and the level of English become an easy marker for wealthy and ethnicity in Malaysia. It is clear why the level of English in schools is such a political issue in Malaysia, regarding widening opportunities in a globalised market place. Although some of the students did have a very good level of English and they were very happy to try it out on us.



One of the things that stood out to all of us was the great respect and pride they took in their learning resources. On the tour we saw their textbook centre (separate to their library) and the attention to detail there was amazing. Each of the books was catalogued and display copies were wrapped in ribbons. There is healthy competition between school textbook centres with awards given to the best maintained. Pupils are able to borrow what they need when they need it to study at home and although some of the textbooks had clearly been well used there was not a sign of any graffiti at all (quite different to the UK).

This huge pride in their school and respect for their education was evident everywhere. This was also the first school that we really picked up on the number of motivational signs and slogans everywhere. Their wall space was very much used as a learning area and it was taken very good care of. The school had a very good ‘feeling’ and the pupils clearly enjoyed being there.



Having said this they were honest with us regarding a minority of pupils that they did find hard to motivate and we were able to swap strategies and tips for helping the hardest to reach students (whether for attendance or behaviour). All of the teachers that we spoke to were very dedicated and it was obvious that they wanted the best for their students. We all came away from the school energised and keen to make links between our schools and theirs.


The trip ended with a genuinely touching and professionally presented gift from the pupils. They had been snapping away on their cameras for the whole visit and at the end we were each presented with a laminated ‘visit mat’ containing pictures from our visit. This was a both a wonderful souvenir of our visit and a testament to the student’s excellent design and ICT skills.