Cover Story: Ladies first

Cover Story: Ladies first
2010/01/05
P. SELVARANI

The country’s first private boarding exclusively for girls has opened its doors to groom a new generation of leaders and global citizens.

P. SELVARANI visits the sprawling campus in Sepang.
THEY say that when you hang out with the young long enough, you look young too. It must be true. The only lines on the face of Datin Freida Pilus, 62, are laugh lines.

After years of raising boys and running a string of co-ed schools, the founding principal of the Cempaka International Ladies College (CILC) is clearly relishing her new role as “mother” to a house full of girls. CILC is the country’s first private residential secondary international school exclusively for girls.

“I have been living for the last 38 years with six men! (Her husband Datuk Hamzah Majid, and her five sons).

“Now it’s wonderful to have girls... a huge house full of daughters and girlish laughter. It’s a wonderful experience for me. Especially now when I see things that I didn’t when I was with the boys.

“It’s nice being with the girls ... you know, girlie problems, the chit-chats ... they’re so affectionate, yet serious in their work. It’s so different having ‘daughters’,” she enthuses during a recent tour of the spacious college campus at Bandar Enstek, Sepang. The Formula One circuit is just five minutes’ drive away.
The CILC is the diplomat-turned-educationist’s latest “baby” — and one that she is extremely proud of.

“It is fulfilling,” she says, “to turn shy, awkward young girls into educated, poised and confident young ladies, capable of bringing change to the world.

“I think the way you bring up girls should be different from the way you bring up boys. Girls learn differently.

“There is a study by Harvard researchers that suggests girls tend to be more focused, and do significantly better, in a single-gender boarding school. In the United States, schools are now moving in that direction, with single gender schools or, at least, single gender classrooms. Apart from the significant academic advantage, it is also important for girls to learn about aesthetics, etiquette, grooming, nutrition, exercise, etc.

“Girls should be guided to flower into what some would call a ‘wow’ personality. Poised and gentle, educated and highly competent,” she says.

Freida believes strongly in the importance of educating women because “our girls are taught to be self-starters and to have self-discipline”.

“You want them to be confident, you want them to be intelligent, you want them to multi-task, and you want them to learn to solve problems. They will one day become mothers — the core mentor and educator in the family.

“In short, if you want a better and more stable society, you have to start with good education for girls.

“They will occupy pivotal roles — both at home and in the corporate world,” said Freida.

She should know. Apart from being a wife and a mother of five successful sons in a loving home, she is also the founder of the elite Cempaka Group of Schools.



Along the way, she has won three Gold Awards for Excellence from the Ministry of Education, the coveted Woman of the Decade award (1981-90), Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award 2008, recognised as one of Malaysia’s Inspiring Women, and winner of the Ernst & Young Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award 2009.

As an international school with students from around the world, CILC provides its girls with an opportunity to live with, and learn from, their peers from diverse cultures and religions.

The curriculum at the college, Freida says, is a blend of the traditional academic rigour of the British and European systems, and the rich cultural diversity of Asia.

Malaysian students with strong UPSR or PMR results can apply for admission, and candidates are required to sit for an admissions test and attend an interview.

Upon admission, the girls may take between seven and 10 subjects, including the three Sciences, Mathematics, Global Perspective Studies, Food and Nutrition (where they can exercise their green thumbs in CILC’s gardens, and their culinary skills in a specially designed kitchen), Environmental Studies, History, Creative Writing, and the Fine Arts such as Art, Music, Vocal training, Dance, Speech and Drama.

The girls graduate with the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), after which they go on to do the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. These prepare them for the better universities, anywhere in the world.

Freida admits that she expects “straight A’s from my students”.

“I urge them to excel, because I know they can do it: they are bright, they attend small classes, and even smaller tutorials, and are taught by exceptionally good teachers.

“I want them to be committed, self-motivated, and independent learners. And here they are taught the Cempaka credo — that nothing is impossible,” she says.

While she may sound like a taskmaster, Freida is assuring in that she knows every one of her students well, and advises them on how to manage their time efficiently. Time management is an important life skill, she says. “It is a good life habit that goes hand-in-hand with discipline.”

Apart from that, she is kept up to date on the progress of individual girls by their personal tutors in the unique CILC tutorial system.

The secret to success, she says, is in believing that nothing is beyond one’s reach.

“You must have a goal in life. You must reach for the stars. If you teach the children that, then nothing is impossible. They will believe in themselves. They will be confident that they can do anything and everything. But there has to be good planning.”

Freida is clear that, in spite of its world-class accommodation and facilities, the college has no place for those seeking an indolent life.

Apart from excelling academically, the students, whose age can range from 12 to 17 years, are expected to make their own beds and keep their own rooms and bathrooms clean and tidy, on a daily basis.

The accommodation is unlike the dorm in any boarding school. It is more hotel-like — spacious, with attached bathrooms and are air-conditioned. For the junior students, two share an en-suite room, while the seniors get an en-suite room each. (A number of Cempaka mothers have wistfully remarked that they wish they were girls again!)

Freida does spot checks to make sure they toe the line and keep their rooms neat and tidy.

“We want the girls to form good, tidy habits. There is no one here to pick up after them. (However, all the rooms receive a thorough, professional cleaning once a month.)

“I think the problem now is that some parents are not willing to impose a regime of discipline in their children. Sometimes parents don’t do it out of fear the child might rebel, and might not love them for it.

“I disagree. All children need a framework of discipline within which there exists predictability, and where they are comfortable.

“When a child makes an effort, and succeeds, the child will appreciate the wisdom of that framework, and will respect and love the parents even more for it. Without such a framework, a child is lost and confused with mixed values and, in the end, feels abandoned.” she says.

“Sometimes parents happily tell me that they are ‘like a friend’ to their child. I find this disconcerting. Your son or your daughter doesn’t need (you as) a ‘friend’. They have many friends. What they need is a mother or a father who is firm.

“Another mistake,” she says, “is to equate money, or presents, with love. Money can never be equivalent to love. To me, love means guiding your children in a proper way, such as in thinking clearly and making the right choices. Ultimately, life is all about making choices.”

What irks Freida most is the reluctance of some parents, especially those who have the means, to invest in the education of their children. They depend on the government for everything.

“In our culture, sadly, there is no strong tradition for education. Education is not regarded as an investment. There are many people with money but, unfortunately, their priority is jewellery, boutique clothes, foreign travel, lavish parties and exotic supercars. But to spend money on a child’s education... they think it’s unnecessary and expensive. They are not aware that education as an important investment in life.”

Freida is also quick to dispel the notion that the CILC (or any of those in the Cempaka stable of thoroughbred schools), is only for the children of the wealthy elite.

“That is a myth. Not true at all. We have, among Cempaka parents, people from all walks of life. Of course they have some money, but not everyone is from the top social strata. I’ve had parents who sold merchandise at the night market, or sell fish and vegetables in the wholesale market, and even an occasional taxi driver. They send their children to private schools because they know the importance of a good education.”

The CILC hopes to have an enrolment of about 100 students this month. With full enrolment, it will have 280 boarding students and about 100 day scholars. When the second boarding phase is completed, it expects to have 560 boarding students, plus about 200 day scholars.

Unlike the boarders, the day scholars will attend school from 7am to 7pm.

For the boarders, the day starts at 6am when Muslim girls perform their morning prayers in the surau (there is also a chapel for the Christians, and a contemplation room for children of other faiths), before the students gather to attend a pilates, or a “body combat”, session, until 7am. This is followed by shower and breakfast, after which classes start at 8am.

The girls dress in their smart uniforms (dark blue with thin red stripes) for classes in air-conditioned classrooms. Lunch and dinner are served in a unique and interesting dining room that overlooks an indoor herbal garden. The girls can order their choice of dinner from the menu, one week ahead.

Classes finish at 3.30pm, when the girls adjourn for their “Tutors Tea” for 30 minutes. The tutors in charge of students will have tea with their pupils, listen to, and evaluate, their day’s work, problems (if any), and progress.

This is followed by co-curricular activities such as games or music/dance lessons.

Apart from an Olympic-sized swimming pool, the college has an indoor sports complex (complete with a gymnastics hall, basketball, squash and badminton courts, rock climbing facilities and indoor running tracks) a gymnasium and, of course, outdoor facilities such tennis courts, outdoor netball, and a large field. There are also stables for horses, and plans for equestrian activities to start in the middle of the year.

There is also a purpose-designed Performing Arts hall, with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems.

After dinner, it is “prep time”, when the girls go to the “prep room” to do their homework. It’s lights out for the juniors at 10pm, and an hour later for the seniors. The campus wide wi-fi system is then shut off for the night. And the buildings and grounds are patrolled by female security officers.

Except for those who are behind in their work, or have special assignments to complete, students are allowed to leave for home after tea on Friday, for the weekend. But they have to be back in college before 6pm on Sunday, in time for dinner and “prep work”. Foreign students may stay in, or can choose to stay with their guardians.

Freida enjoys fussing over her new “babes”, safe in the knowledge that “her men” are literally standing by her in her latest venture.

She recently handed over the reins of the Cempaka Schools chairmanship to her eldest son Dr Iskandar Rizal (an Edinburgh-trained doctor). Her second son Fareed, an Edinburgh-trained architect, designed the CILC buildings and campus.

Son number three, Raphael, who graduated in law, looks into the group’s legal matters, as well as teaches videography and film-making. Son number four, Hishamuddin, a finance and management graduate, teaches history and business studies. Her youngest son, Zahiruddin, is still at university in Melbourne.

“My sons, working with me, bring in a lot of new ideas... young, innovative, fresh ideas, especially on technology in education.”

As principal of the college, Freida is very hands-on, making sure she is involved in every aspect of each child’s life. Her decision to move from her spacious Bukit Damansara home to live on campus is testimony to her commitment to CILC.

“I do things with the girls. I share my experiences with my teachers and the children. They feel I am part of them and they are a part of me. My passion is here. This is my life.”

- More details on CILC can be obtained from: www.cempaka.edu.my