KUCHING: Other than its beautiful weather, Australia is also a popular choice among Malaysians to further their studies due to its high standards in tertiary education and the tremendous qualifications and opportunities it provides.
Through the Market Management Services (MMS), hundreds of students from Kuching have been received into Canning College of Perth in Western Australia and have gone on to further their studies at prestigious universities both in and out of Australia.
According to its principal Alan Genoni, Canning College helps to prepare students to get into the best universities and students from Kuching are no stranger to that as some have continued studying in Australia while some in Malaysia.
When asked what are the pulling factors for Australia, compared to other countries like the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA), Genoni said that among the various factors included the distance and the feeling of being ‘home’.
“Compred to Europe or the USA, Perth and the rest of Australia are closer to Malaysia and the time difference is not much.
“In Perth, there is also a significant Malaysian community as many students choose to go there because they have friends and relatives in Perth; therefore they feel less homesick,” he said.
But Genoni explained that the main reason for choosing Australia is the high-quality education that it provided.
“Australia offers a high standard of tertiary education and Australian qualifications have tremendous significance around the world; a ticket to many great opportunities.
“They come to get a good qualification, which will open up good opportunities for them,” he said.
Being awarded the prestigious Secondary Principal of the Year for 2016 by the Department of Education in Western Australia, Genoni is very committed to helping his students to get the best education in Australia.
To be awarded, Genoni revealed that the candidate, who has to be nominated by the board of his or her school, has to go through a thorough process of scrutinisation and one of them included the academic success and welfare of the student.
“Once nominated, the Department of Education will come and scrutinise the performance of the school, see how it works with students, look at their academic success and more.
“They will also see what the principal has done for the education system in West Australia; it is a very thorough process of looking at what you have done as principal,” he said.
He revealed that among the college’s top foundation students in 2016, the top of the list was Kuching’s own Isaac Ng who scored a Combined Percentage Score (CPS) of 95.3 and he would be pursuing a course in medical science at the University of Western Australia (UWA) under a special Winthrop Scholarship for 2017.
Other notable achievers from Kuching included Chhoa Jia Wen with a CPS of 89.9 percent, who will also be going to UWA doing a medicine programme, and Nicholas Tiong with a CPS of 88.6 and he was awarded a scholarship to pursue law at Murdoch University.
These results are a reflection of Genoni’s capabilities to lead the school, whereby he also attributed the award to the staff and students of Canning College.
“This award helps the school feel proud and it is also for the wonderful work done in the school. It helps students and teachers feel proud of what we have achieved,” he said.
He added that Canning College had been working with MMS for almost 30 years and it had been a privilege to receive students from Kuching.
“The relation with MMS is critical because they work hard for their students and because of that, students are well-prepared when they come to Perth.
“It is a real privilege for me to be here in this city from where many students have come to Perth, to come to Canning College,” he said.
Those who wish to know more can contact MMS at (082) 246795 or visit the office at Block E, No 32 (2nd and 3rd Floors) Taman Sri Sarawak Mall, Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, 93100, Kuching (opposite Hilton Hotel).
Alternatively, those interested can also visit its website at www.mms.com.my to find out its branches in other town in Sarawak.
