[Update – We received a call 3 days before the registration date. Our son was offered to further his studies here. He was so thrilled and accepted the offer. I will be using the hashtag EE at Permata to document his life there]

Pusat Permata UKM is an educational institution with an intellectual program designed to groom students with exceptionally high IQ scores to their best potential. Before this program came about, these students could secure a place in elite boarding schools and were normally acknowledged as the creme of the creme in the country. This program was the brainchild of Rosmah Mansor, the infamous wife of Datuk Seri Najib Razak, former PM of Malaysia who was embroiled in several money-related controversies. I have to admit this is a great programme for students who could benefit from an alternative arm of our educational pathway.

Screening Process

Every primary school would encourage their students to sit for these exams. There are a few parts of the screening process. UKM1, UKM2, Program Penggayaan Cuti Sekolah (PPCS) and UKM3. UKM1 and UKM2 consisted of questions they answered on the computer. I gather that UKM1 has patterns to solve whereas UKM2 are general knowledge questions. It is best to refrain from helping your kids to answer these questions if we trust in their abilities. Once your child passes UKM2, both the child and parents will be notified of the next stage through email.

That would be the online interview. It is a 30-minute session that involves the parents in the 1st half and the child in the second half. It is carried out in both BM and English. It is a great session for the assessors to know the child’s background, personality, strengths and weaknesses. I honestly just answered what I think of my son because I know that if I lie – it is going to eventually show during the PPCS week. So I feel that his weaknesses should be known early so that they can be evaluated, monitored and addressed accordingly. If he fits what UKM is looking for – InsyaAllah there will be a place for him. If not, it is okay because as of now he is already expected to enrol in a secondary school under the ‘High Performance School’ category. These HPS schools tend to have allocated incentives and autonomy regarding financial management, curriculum design, human resources including student selection etc. Hence, for my son to be selected by the school is already a positive sign that his future remains bright (InsyaAllah) on the path of studying in a daily school.

So, opportunities are everywhere as long as we support his journey as parents.

PPCS

… is short for Program Penggayaan Cuti Sekolah. Kids are shuttled to their respective camps. Our son’s place was at Seremban. The kids will stay there for 2 weeks. Apart from attending their designated courses, the kids would also have the opportunity to learn how to manage themselves in the dormitory.

My son was enrolled in the CSI course. He said they taught him a lot of interesting things in matters of solving crimes etc. He also thought that the instructors and assistants were very knowledgeable and most importantly, endearing. It was also nice to hear positive feedback from his tutors about his demeanour at school. He was reported to be very mature for his age, plays by the rules and is not inclined towards finding fault with his friends. I am thrilled that he was able to make friends with kids of other ethnicities. I feel that is why I feel very strongly about wanting him to further his studies there. To mix with non-Malays and to improve on his English prowess.

UKM 3 assessment was conducted during PPCS and it was an important determinant that decided whether Ee is intellectually apt for the courses he is due to take during his stay there.

Unfortunately, despite the glowing reviews from his tutors – he did not make the mark. Which ends his journey for Pusat Permata Genius. It took some form of consoling him that his 2 weeks at PPCS was not a waste of time. And that he should be proud and take on a different perspective of what he could learn from the experience. After all, he did do things that were out of his comfort zone such as participating in Zapin and Ngajat dance.

Having said that, as a mother, I feel he still needs to work on being resilient. That, and emotional intelligence – especially in teenage boys. Because once they grow up as adults with low levels of EQ, despite being really smart, they become a pain. They hurt your feelings, a lot. They cannot read the room.

What’s next?

He was offered a place in a boarding school near home. I am not a fan of this institute and prefer that he stays in this daily school in town for reasons of wanting him to mingle with students outside his ethnicity. However, realizing my own cognitive and socioeconomic limitations on how best to guide a child with high intellectual capacity – I feel that boarding school is perhaps the next best thing that we could lead him to. I just hope his English abilities will be improved accordingly. The exposure to multiethnicity could come later as long as the nationalists/radicals don’t reach out to him first. I would hate for that to happen.