The Expat is pleased to introduce to its readers the new Sri KDU International School principal, Margeret Rafee, an educator who draws on experience and true passion in leadership.
Most people struggle to find their calling in life, often jumping from one academic course or job to another trying to discover what interests them most.
Not Margaret Rafee. The newly appointed principal for Sri KDU International School knew from a very young age that she wanted to be a teacher.
“I would line up dolls and pretend to teach them. It was the most natural thing for me; I never wanted to do anything else. After ‘A’ Levels, it was straight into university to do a Bachelor of Education degree,” she said.
Thirty-four years on, Mrs Rafee still loves teaching with a passion. What is her motivation? “Seeing children learn. The best day is when children come in to school to get their exam results and realise that they have achieved what they set out to do. To me, that is the biggest reward,” she said.
Born and raised in County Durham, UK, Mrs Rafee spent the past 10 years as Head of The Alperton Community School in Wembley where she was responsible for the achievements of students as well as the performance and development of teachers.
Described by Ofsted as an “energetic and inspirational leader”, Mrs Rafee was instrumental in leading the school to transform its learning culture, achieving highly positive outcomes as a result. In recognition of this, the school achieved numerous awards in 2012, including the British Council International School Award as well as the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM is a national quality mark awarded by the government).
When the opportunity arose to become Sri KDU International School’s Principal, she jumped at the chance. “I had always wanted to do international work andMalaysia as a country has always appealed to me,” she said.
During the courtship with Paramount Corporation Berhad, who owns the The KDU Education Group, there were three things that struck her most about Sri KDU
International School.
“Firstly, the facilities here are fantastic,” she said. “Secondly, the school’s child-centred approach to education has also churned out motivated, well-behaved students. Thirdly, the teachers are very highly qualified and capable; truly people who enjoy working with students.”
The past months have been hectic, starting with in-depth engagements with parents and staff in order to immerse herself in the new culture and surroundings as well as to encourage open communication. Comparing Malaysian parents with British parents, she was struck by how Malaysian parents are very aspirational, planning very far ahead for their children’s future.
“My message to the parents here is that their kids will get the very best of British education at Sri KDU International School, while incorporating the Malaysian aspect at the same time. Like the school tagline, ‘Malaysian Hearts, Global Minds’, we are talking about a truly well-rounded education which involves closely tracking the progress of individual students from academics to personal development. This ensures they get the highest possible achievement all round,” she said.
Armed with a burning passion to see her students succeed, Mrs Rafee is setting her sights high. “The children are our future generation. They are our future leaders and nation builders. I want to see Sri KDU International School move up the next level so we are not just locally but globally competitive. We want to be the best international school in the world,” she said.
And just like that, the bar has been raised.
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