PENANG’s leading property developer on the mainland, Tambun Indah Land Berhad, will build the first international school on the mainland in the integrated township of Pearl City in Tambun, Seberang Prai.

Tambun Indah signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SIS Charter Sdn Bhd to develop the Straits International School (SIS).

Tambun Indah’s subsidiary company Palmington Sdn Bhd will develop the project.

At the signing of the MoU at Equatorial Hotel, Tambun Indah was represented by its managing director Teh Kiak Seng while SIS Charter was represented by its chief executive officer Lita Nasyitah Goh Abdullah.

SIS Charter is the owner and operator of the school.

SIS Charter chairman Dr Roslan A. Ghaffar and State Local Government and Traffic Management committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow witnessed the signing.

Also present at the signing on Saturday were Tambun Indah’s executive directors Teh Theng Theng and Thaw Yeng Cheong, its financial controller Steve Neoh and SIS patron Toh Puan Mariam Mustapha.

The school will be built on a 2.63ha land in Pearl City and have a built-up area of 18,580.61sq metre.

In his speech, Kiak Seng said it has always been part of the Pearl City Master Plan to have a world-class educational centre within the integrated city to fulfil the demand of the growing population on the mainland.

“The setting up of this school will go a long way in enhancing the existing attractions of our ever-expanding township and strengthen our value as a fully integrated and self-sustaining development,” he said.

Estimated to cost RM50mil, Palmington will invest RM35mil to develop the school while SIS Charter will invest about RM15mil for school equipment, furniture, interior decoration and air-conditioning.

Kiak Seng said the school would be able to handle a student population of between 800 and 1,200 when it opens in 2014.

Mariam said the school would see state-of-the-art security system being installed including the use of key-cards for students.

“The key-cards, incorporating the GPS (Global Positioning System) technology would be able to track the movement and whereabouts of the students within the school compound and could be used to keep track of their attendance and other records,” she said.

SIS will offer the Cambridge International Curriculum to students aged between seven and 16.

Source: The Star