Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School

Infobox School2
name = Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School
native_name = 沙巴崇正中学


motto = "止于至善"Cite web| url = http://sttss.edu.my/SchoolIntro/Sch_Motto.htm | publisher = Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School| title = 崇正校训| accessdate = 2008-08-08]
(Chinese: "Never stop in the pursuit of perfection")
established = 1965
type = Chinese Independent High School
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affiliations =
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president =
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chairman =
principal = Mr. Hiew Hoh Shin
asst principal =
vice principal = Mr. Tang Poh Yee
campus director =
headmaster =
dean =
rector =
founder =
chaplain =
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head =
faculty = Science, Art & Commerce
teaching_staff =
enrollment =
enrolment = 2000+
students =
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address =
city = flagicon|Sabah Kota Kinabalu
state = Sabah
province =
country = Malaysia
district =
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colors =
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athletics =
mascot =
emblem =
yearbook =
newspaper =
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National_ranking =
website = http://sttss.edu.my/
footnotes =
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Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School ("Sekolah Menengah Tshung Tsin Sabah" in Malay, "沙巴崇正中学" in Chinese) is located in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School is famous for its diverse extracurricular activities, experienced teachers and its quality of education. The current acting principal is Hiew Hoh Shin. The school has two semesters each year. An academic year begins in January, with an approximately two weeks holiday in June, and ends in the beginning of November. The school is one of sixty Chinese Independent High Schools in Malaysia. In 2007, the school was chosen as one of the ten Chinese Independent High Schools in Malaysia to be included as a Cluster School under the Education Blueprint of the Malaysian Government's Ninth Malaysia Plan.Cite web| url = http://search.sinchew-i.com/node/33841
publisher = Sin Chew Jit Poh| title = 葉新田：校方接教部公函 10獨中獲選示範學校| accessdate = 2008-08-08]

Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School has developed positive relationships with secondary schools from foreign countries, such as Lee Kau Yan Memorial School & Yan Chai Hospital Wong Wha San Secondary School in Hong Kong.Cite web| url = http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=46948
title = Tshung Tsin creates history| accessdate = 2008-08-08| publisher = Daily Express (Sabah)] Cite web| url = http://sttss.edu.my/InternationalExchange/InternationalExchange_HongKong.htm
publisher = Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School| title = 香港 Hong Kong| accessdate = 2008-08-08] Cite web| url = http://sttss.edu.my/InternationalExchange/InternationalExchange_China.htm
publisher = Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School| title = 中国 The People Republic of China| accessdate = 2008-08-08] Cite web| url = http://sttss.edu.my/InternationalExchange/InternationalExchangel_Korea.htm
publisher = Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School| title = 韩国 Korea| accessdate = 2008-08-08]

History

1962—1965: Early history

of the Hakka Association and one of school's founders, proposed the construction of its building. The proposal received warm support from the Chinese community across the state of Sabah.

A committee was started with Datuk Pang Tet Chung as its chairperson. At the first meeting on January 6, 1965, the name "Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School" was decided. Soon afterwards, the school was approved by the state's Education Department and 9.26 acres of land was granted for its construction. The federal Financial Department approved the exemption of income tax to those who funded the school. On October 12, 1965, the school obtained the title deed for the land and the construction of the school officially commenced.

Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School opened on January 25, 1965, borrowing classrooms of the Chung Hwa School, Kota Kinabalu. 78 students were enrolled as the school's first students. The school was consequently accepted as a member of the Chinese Independent High School in Malaysia.

1966—1989: Development and growth

In 1967, the first permanent school building was officially opened by the then Chief Minister of Sabah, Tun Datu Mustapha. Around 670 students enrolled in the school. In 1968, the government implemented a higher graduation rate for primary school students whereby students can then easily enrol into public secondary schools. This significantly reduced the enrollment rate for independent schools throughout Malaysia. By 1974 there were only 24 students left in the school, and the school was under the risk of being closed down.Cite web| url = http://sttss.edu.my/SchoolIntro/Sch_History.htm
publisher = Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School| title = 历史沿革| accessdate = 2008-08-08]

The Api-Api Hakka Association decided to take action and had appointed a new management for the school. A new principal, Mr. Chang Yu On, was appointed in November, 1974. Some professional Chinese teachers were also invited to teach in the school. The Hakka Association's efforts bore fruit in the very next year (1975) as the enrollment rate went up to 250 students for Junior One (初中), with 60 students for the Senior section (高中). The school's grand entrance ceremony in 1975 changed the local community's impression of the school.

In 1975, the school started classes for Senior 3 students, and for the first time participated in the government's Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM, Malaysian Education Certificate). The results students received in the examination were very encouraging. As a result, another 600 students were enrolled in the Junior section in 1976. Subsequently, the administrators decided to conduct an entrance examination to accept only the best students.

The Hakka Association tried to implement continuous improvements for the school, independent of the Government because of the discrimination against Chinese High Schools due to the New Economic Policy, an affirmative policy which was introduced by the Malaysian Federal Government in 1971 favoring the "bumiputras". Despite the stress of such a discouraging situation, the Hakka Association was able to persevere and by the 1980s, many improvements had been made, and this included the construction of more school buildings. The new buildings included two permanent classroom buildings, a building for the school administrators, a hall with a capacity of around 1000 students, a multi-purpose field, two basketball courts and a volleyball court.

On the 19th of August, 1982, a new five story building was opened, which provided a canteen on the ground floor, a computer lab on the second floor, and a library on the third and fourth floors. The fifth floor was used to provide accommodation for teachers for two years until a new teacher's hostel was opened in 1986.

In 1984, as results for the students taking the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) were encouraging, the school decided to have classes for qualified students who were planning to further their studies in universities. A building was planned to be built in Menggatal, Sabah, but the school lost the land the new building was to build on due to the lost of the ruling party Barisan Nasional to the Parti Bersatu Sabah in the 1985 Sabah state election. In the end, the empty fifth floor of the five-story building was used instead for classes. Classes started in January, 1987 with 152 students. The Pre-University class concept was well received and method of teaching was also lauded. In the same year, students who went for the A-Level and LCCI examinations organized by the University of Cambridge achieved good results, and this prompted the Hakka Association to raise funds to costruct a building exclusively for the Pre-University students. In 1989, the building was officially opened by the then Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Pairin Kitingan. The Pre-University was known then as "Sabah Tshung Tsin Pre-University Centre" and today it is known as Institut Sinaran.

1989—today: New Principals & Future Plans

The school's principal Chang Yu On died on 4 November, 1989 of a heart attack at age 48. In 1991, the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah bestowed the honourary title "Datuk" to Chang Yu On posthumously to honor the contributions he made to the state's education field. The school administrators, after requesting the opinions of the Hakka Association, chose the then vice-principal Mr. Lau Suan Hok as the new Principal. In March, 1990, Tsen Kui On and Hiew Hoh Shin were chosen as vice-principals of the school.

During the tenure of Lau Suan Hok, the results of co-curricular activities such as basketball, volleyball, choir singing and public speaking, were significantly improved. Air-conditioning was installed in classrooms and the library was expanded. Lau retired in 1996 and Tsen Kui On was replaced as principal, a post he still holds till 2008.

were also placed in this building.

In 2005, the school recognized the importance of international intercourse and decided to take part. Subsequently, the school forged sister school relationships with Lee Kau Yan Memorial School, Hong Kong and DongHwa High School, South Korea.

Due to the increase in enrollments, the Hakka Association proposed to build a new school campus in Menggatal. In 1998, the then Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Yong Teck Lee, approved a permit and a land title was received. Approximately 40 acres of land was granted to the Hakka Association. The building planned is costly, and fund-raising is still ongoing as of now. Phase 1 of the school's new campus is planned to be completed by early 2009.

In the year 2008, the principal Mr. Tsen Kui Onn was involved in sex scandal with the owner of the school's barber shop. Pictures showing him and the lady were circling around the web, and there are rumours saying he and the lady went for an educational trip to China together. Mr. Tsen left his post as the principal after being accused having an affair and the vice principal Mr. Hiew Hoh Shin took over the post. Currently the school is in a terrible condition in which people describe it as in a chaos.Fact|date=October 2008

Fees

The school fees ranges from RM2,095 to RM2,586 per annum depending on which year the students are in. It includes insurance, sports fees and the cost of living skill classes. Students who cannot afford the school fees can apply for financial assistance.

Scholarships are available for pupils who score an overall A1 in the entrance examination, or those who achieve 7As in Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah examination with an A2 in the entrance examination. Staff's children also benefit from reduced fees. The scholarship covers the fees for three years in the Junior section. Students that qualify for the financial help only pay between RM770 to RM825 annually. No scholarships are available for students in the Senior section.

School fees in secondary schools run by the government in Malaysia are either free or the students are only charged a minimal amount. Due to the vast difference in fees between private and government-run schools (e.g. students attending Tshung Tsin pays approximately RM2000 a year in fees while students in government schools only around RM20 a year).

uccess & Achievements

The school has achieved a passing rate of 100% for both public examinations, SPM and PMR since 2001. The straight-A students in these public exams are often from Tshung Tsin.Cite web| url = http://sttss.edu.my/Academic/Academic_PMRresult.htm
publisher = Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School| title = ANALYSIS OF PMR EXAMINATION RESULTS| accessdate = 2008-08-08] Cite web| url = http://sttss.edu.my/Academic/Academic_SPMresult.htm
publisher = Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School| title = ANALYSIS OF SPM EXAMINATION RESULTS| accessdate = 2008-08-08]

Beside SPM and PMR, students at Tshung Tsin have to sit for the Chinese Independent Schools' Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) examination. In the 2006 result, Tshung Tsin broke its own record and with an overall pass rate of 96.17% in the senior section.Cite web| url = http://sttss.edu.my/Academic/Academic_SUECresult.htm
publisher = Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School| title = UEC (Senior Section) Analysis of Result| accessdate = 2008-08-08] Cite web| url = http://sttss.edu.my/Academic/Academic_JUECresult.htm
publisher = Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School| title = UEC (Junior Section) Analysis of Result| accessdate = 2008-08-08]

A student of the school also won the Grand Prize of the 4th Japanese Speech Contest for Secondary School organized by The Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur, the Japanese Chamber of Trade & Industry Malaysia (JACTIM), the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia and the Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur (JFKL). Cite web| url = http://www.jfkl.org.my/notices/notice_body.php?id=56
publisher = Japan Foundation| title = The Result of the 4th Japanese Speech Contest for Secondary School 29 April 2007 (18 May 07-updated)| accessdate = 2008-08-08]

Facilities

The school consists of three buildings for classrooms, two buildings as teachers' hostel, a fully air-conditioned hall (兆龙堂), a seven floor multi-purpose co-curriculum building, four workshops for Living Skills, parking lots, a football field, two basketball courts and a volleyball court.Cite web| url = http://sttss.edu.my/SchoolIntro/Sch_Facilities.htm
publisher = Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School| title = 学校设备| accessdate = 2008-08-08]

Multi-Purposed Co-Curriculum Building

This building has 7 levels and is the tallest of all the school buildings. The ground floor and first floor is the school canteen. There is also a hairdressing salon, Sharon D' House, and a stationery shop on the first floor. Computer Lab B and the Multimedia Room are both located on the first floor as well. The co-curriculum office is located on the second floor of the building. From the 2nd floor onwards, there are over 25 co-curricular activity rooms such as the Cultural Orchestra practice room, Concert Band room, Dancing room, Knitting room, Music room (equipped with piano, guitar, television and radio), etc. The 6th floor is an open space and is multi-purpose. A surau for Islamic students is also located in this building.

Classroom Buildings

The building has over 50 classrooms (44 main classroom, a special room and 4 extra classrooms) which are all air-conditioned. There are also 5 science laboratories (Junior Science Lab A & B, Physics Lab, Biology Lab and Chemistry Lab) and a computer laboratory. The building also houses the Teachers' Office, an Education Department Office, the Principal and Vice Principal's office, the Secretary's office, the General Affairs Department, the Administration Department, a Meeting room, the Financial Department, the Health office, the Teachers' and Students' Welfare Department, the Counseling Department, theDisciplinary Department, the Prefect Board and the Computer Lab. The double-storey, fully air-conditioned library is located above the Teachers' Offices. A photocopy shop can be found on the ground floor.

Gardens and Kiosks

The Yu On Court (佑安苑) is located next to the broadcasting room. The garden is named after the late principal, Mr. Chang Yu On. The western-most part of the school compound is the herb garden. Inside the garden there are benches and tables for relaxation or a game of chinese chess. There are 3 pavilions located in different parts of the school. These pavilions are named Jing Si Ting (静思亭), Si Yuan Ting (思源亭) and Tshung Tsin Pavilion (崇正亭).

Annual events

The school holds various activities throughout an academic year. Events are listed as below:

ports

The Sports Meet is an annual event which is held for six days consecutively. The first 3 days (Monday till Wednesday) is the preliminary round of some events such as long jump and also finals for specific events such as shot putt. From Thursday until Saturday, there are no lessons. Most of the events will be held on Thursday and Friday. The sports meet is only officially open Saturday afternoon by a guest of honour. It is usually held during the month of February. The main aim of the event is to create the Olympic spirit among students, to develop leadership among senior students and to strengthen the relationship between students.

Athletes to represent the school in the state or national level are selected based on the results of this event. The event is planned and held by the Senior 3 students, from selecting athletes to compete in the events, logo and mascot designing, choosing a 'cheering slogan', cheerleading practice, marching practice, house camp design and build. Camps are pitched next to the field, so that supporters from each house can cheer for their house. Students of the school are divided into seven houses, and the houses are (Red, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple. The members of the houses will be competing in various sports events. However, the overall results are not based on the points gained in the sport events alone. Overall results are accumulated based on the performance on the camps, cheering team, cheering dancing, marching and special activities. To make the Senior 3 students responsible for their house, points are deducted from the overall result of a house if any member of the houses breaks the school rules when the event is being held.

Bazaar

The annual bazaar is usually held on the fourth day of the sports event, from 8 AM to 3 PM. Coupons are sold by the Prefects and Monitors of the school weeks before the actual date of the bazaar. Various stalls selling a wide variety of food ranging from western foods such as spaghetti to Japanese foods such as takoyaki and local foods such as satay are set up around the campus of the school. There are stalls for games where students use their coupons to take part. Prize winners who have won several such games, may redeem prizes. Games usually vary from year to year, depending with the Prefect Board's decisions.

Cross-Country Race

The cross country race is an annual event held around the same time as the sports day. All students are required to participate in the event. The students are divided into 3 groups: Group A (Senior 1, 2 and 3 students), Group B (Junior 2 and 3 students) and Group C (Junior 1 students). The race is approximately 5.2 km, both starting and finishing in the school compound. There are usually 2 checkpoints set in the race, and students must collect checkpoint tickets and bring them back to the finishing line within the given time. The time which is set are different for boys and girls in each group.

The seven houses have to compete for the first place of the race, as the result of the race will contribute to the total score of the Sports Meet. The first thirty students from each group who complete the race are awarded medals, while five trophies are prepared for each group for the first five students who finish. For students capable of completing the race within a given time, a point will be added to the house total. In 2007 and 2008, the cross-country race was cancelled due to the upgrading works of Jalan Damai, the road outside the school. The event is expected to resume in 2009.

Teachers' Day

Teacher's Day celebration is held in July. A party is usually held by each class to thank their teachers and express their gratitude. Students organize the party, prepare catering and decorate classrooms. All teachers and students are invited into the school hall where there is a Teachers' Day Celebration Ceremony with exclusive student performances and entertainments for the teachers. An audition is held to select those students and classes who are interested in performing, making it the only 'open-for-all' performance in the school, in contrast to the Tshung Tsin Night where only musical societies can perform. During the ceremony, one teacher is chosen to give a speech. The celebration continues until night, when a Teachers' Day feast is hosted for all teachers, staff and administrative workers to have dinner. At this event, the 'Most Outstanding Teachers Awards' are also announced.

Tshung Tsin Night

Musical societies such as the Cultural Orchestra, Concert Band, Violin Club and the Sunflower Choir perform at this annual event, which is organized solely by the officials of the Co-Curriculum Activities Department of the schools. Tickets ranging from RM10-RM20 can be purchased two weeks prior to the event.

Concert Band Annual Concert

There is an annual concert by the school's Concert Band. Tickets are sold at prices from RM10 to RM50. The main purposes of this concert are to provide the member of the Concert Band an event to perform, to inform the public of the band, and to raise funds for the club. There is usually a theme of the night. For example, the concert of 2007 was the 30th anniversary of Concert Band and the concert was given the title: "The Melodious Aurora" while the theme for the previous year was "Symphonic Rendezvous".

Cultural Singing Competition

This singing competition has been a tradition of Tshung Tsin for decades. The categories are the junior and senior section of male solo, female solo and choir. Participation in the choir category is compulsory for each class. Male and female representatives from each class compete in the solo categories on the same day. Usually, both preliminary round and the final round would be held in the school hall. For the preliminary round, the competition will start in the morning with the male solo of Junior section, followed by Junior female solo, Senior male solo and Senior female solo. After a short break around noon, the competition of the choir will begin, also from the Junior section followed by the Senior section. Five finalists from each group are chosen to perform in the finals. The finalists are announced the next day in a school assembly. Tickets are sold to the public to watch the competition. Besides the winners of each group, prizes are also given to the overall Best Solo, Best Accompanist and Best Choir Conductor.

Trilingual Speech Competition

Students who participate in the Trilingual Speech Competition present their speeches in three different languages, Chinese, English and Malay). Each speech is judged and scored. In the preliminary rounds, the three speeches are held on three different days. In the finals, five competitors chosen from the preliminary rounds give their speech on the stage. First, five contestants give their Chinese speech. The contestants do not prepare their speech, as the titles of their speech are given by the organizer half an hour before the competition starts. The contestants give their Malay and English speeches together. The results are announced soon after the competition, when prizes and certificates are given. Representatives of the schools to compete in the State competition as well as the National competition are selected among the finalists.

Current Administrators

*Principal : Mr. Hiew Hoh Shin
*Vice Principal : Mr. Tang Poh Yee
*Disciplinary Master : Mr. Lai Pak Dong
*Assistant Disciplinary Master: Mr. Francis Y.L. Lee
*Assistant Disciplinary Master: Mdm. Mary Liau
*Co-Curricular Activity Master : Mr. Y.D. Chan
*Head Librarian: Ms. K.S. Chan
*Information and Technology Development Department Master: Mr. William Chu
*General Affairs Department Master : Mr. Lim Jit Boon
*Financial Department Master : 黄晓诗主任
*Teachers and students Welfare Department Master: Mdm. C.C. Tan
*Academic Department Master: Mr. Gan Ping Koon
*Hostel Warden: Mr. Yee Kok Wai

References

External links

* [http://sttss.edu.my/ STTSS official website]
* [http://geocities.com/sunflowerchoir STTSS Sunflower Choir Website]
* [http://sabah.school.hk/ Sabah Tshung Tsin Learning Online]

Maps and satellite images:
* [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Kota+Kinabalu&sll=1.325086,103.802937&sspn=0.002392,0.003648&ie=UTF8&z=18&ll=5.972914,116.0946&spn=0.00238,0.005407&t=k&om=1 Satellite image from Google Maps]
* [http://wikimapia.org/563073/ Satellite image from Wikimapia.org]