Cover image via The StarWhile most of us just talk about improving the state of public schools, a determined principal has successfully transformed one that was dangerously close to being the lowest ranking school in the country
SMK Tropicana is a relatively new school that was opened in early 2002, starting with just 14 teachers and 140 students in Form 1
Ruth Cheah was transferred to SMK Tropicana on 16 June 2012, almost 10 years after the school opened.
Despite SMK Tropicana's posh location; think six minutes away from a golf resort, a majority of its students are from a neighbouring village, with most coming from low-income families
According to Cheah, the situation in SMK Tropicana was very worrying. She called it a "broken culture", referring to all the damaged furniture in the school
When Cheah delved deeper into SMK Tropicana's problems, she realised that the school's physical state wasn't the only thing in shambles, the low morale of the teachers and staff made the situation more critical
However, instead of giving in to the problems that were plaguing the school, the 59-year-old decided that she had it in her to make a difference in the students' lives
Refusing to waste the opportunity to lead the school into becoming a better environment for the students, Cheah got to work right away, starting with coming up with a detailed plan to "fix" the "broken culture"
"I knew I could not do this alone," said Cheah. She knew that financial assistance is crucial to get new school supplies, thus decided to reach out to relevant non-governmental organisations
Understanding the importance of education, people were quick to respond and Cheah received a sum of RM17, 000, which she put to good use by replacing all the broken chairs, tables, plugs and even investing in some new items
Topping Cheah's list of priorities for the transformation program was, instilling discipline, law and order among the students
The murals painted by volunteers to cover the graffiti that was previously on the walls of the school.
Image via The Star
In keeping up with her aim of teaching the students better discipline, Cheah introduced a demerit system in the school to motivate the students to take the rules and regulations of the school more seriously
Even with negative feedback from the parents, following the new changes that Cheah implemented in the school, she persevered, knowing that it would be beneficial for the students in the long run
In just six months, Cheah managed to transform what was a failing, problem-ridden school, into one that won an award for being the school with the highest jump in PMR 2012 results!
Ruth Cheah Kah Yok receiving an award for SMK Tropicana's achievement of being the school with the highest jump in PMR 2012 results.
Image via Full Gospel Tabernacle
