Sekolah Menengah Sains Tapah
| Sekolah Menengah Sains Tapah
Tapah Science School SESTA | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
Jalan Pahang, 35000 , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public, Government Residential School |
| Motto | Berilmu Bertaqwa (Knowledgeable and Faithful) |
| Established | 16 April 2010 |
| School district | Batang Padang |
| Principal | Mohd Rezazali bin Ahmad Ansar |
| Grades | Form 1–Form 5 |
| Number of students | 730 (as of 2016) |
| Language | Malay and English |
| Affiliations | Sekolah Berasrama Penuh, Ministry of Education (Malaysia) |
| Website | sesta.edu.my |
Sekolah Menengah Sains Tapah (English: Tapah Science School) is a Malaysian government boarding school (Sekolah Berasrama Penuh/SBP) located in the town of Tapah, Perak. It occupies an area of 30 acre land, four kilometers from the town. It began its operation on 16 April 2010.
History
Planning and Construction
The increasing intensity of the race to achieve excellency in the education world led to a demand of the establishment of a new residential school in the state of Perak. The given name, Sekolah Menengah Sains Tapah indicates that this school will be a science-based residential school that is located in the town of Tapah. Furthermore, its establishment is the first in the district of Batang Padang, which will help the education sector in the district to surge. It is built at Batu 3 Jalan Pahang, which is a strategic location because the road is one of the main road to Cameron Highlands and situated near the Tapah exit of North-South Expressway, enabling access from all direction.
The construction project started on 12 October 2006. The project is actually scheduled to complete on 11 November 2008, but unavoidable problems delayed the completion to a later date on 29 August 2009. It costed RM38,482,000.00, which includes various necessity for a residential school.
During the construction, Mr. Zulkarnain Zainal Abidin, who was still the Senior Assistant of Administration in Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Ipoh back then, is appointed as the caretaker of the school starting March 2009. But, when he has been appointed , he acknowledged that there was still many construction works uncompleted in the site. For that reason, the ministry directed him to resume his normal duty as the Senior Assistant of Administration of STAR.
On 16 June, he is reappointed as the caretaker of this school, which construction works only have remaining 10% unfinished. The reappointment forced him to travel between Ipoh and Tapah constantly because as a caretaker, he is responsible to handle the registration of the school, the placement of teachers and staff, receiving of furnitures and equipments and the affair of the school's account and finance. Furthermore, he also need to handle the cleaning service of the school.
Opening
The ceremony of handling the completed project has been held on 23 October 2009 to Mrs. Hajjah Norlia Mohd Shuhaili, Deputy Director representing the Director of Residential and Excellence School Departement, representing the Ministry of Education before she handled the school to Mr. Zulkarnain as the main pioneer of SESTA.
Beginning from December 2009, the school started receiving various furniture and equipment. A security company responsible to ensure the security of the school has been appointed beginning 1 February 2010.
On 1 February 2010 also, Mr. Hadi Mat Dain has been appointed as the first principal of the school. Mr. Hadi is experienced in SBP education field as he has been appointed principal in two residential school before that; Tengku Abdullah Science School/Sekolah Menengah Sains Tengku Abdullah (SEMESTA) in Raub and Temerloh Integrated Residential School/ Sekolah Berasrama Penuh Integrasi Temerloh (INSOFT), both in the state of Pahang. Mr. Zulkarnain held the position of Administration Senior Assistant, Mr. Asma Azmin Rashid Mohd Nawawi as Student's Affairs Senior Assistant and Mr Zulkipli Abdul Latip as Co-curricular Senior Assistant. Until March that year, 35 teachers started their duty in SESTA.
SESTA held its first intake of Form 1 students on 16 April 2010, thus commencing its operation as a residential school. Due to insufficient staff and equipment, the intake of Form 4 students can only be held on 2011.
Although it is still relatively new as a Government Residential School, SESTA has already recorded many remarkable achievement, including international-level ones.