Institution Profile

Background

Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar (KTJ) aims to give students of all nationalities equal opportunities to excel in a British style boarding school that offers high quality learning, resources and extra-curricular experiences in a caring, secure and stimulating British style co-educational boarding school.

KTJ was founded by the Negeri Sembilan royal family - YAM Tunku Naquiyuddin ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar, YAM Tunku Tan Sri Imran ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar and YAM Tunku Dara Tunku Tan Sri Naquiah binti Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar - who wished to establish a first- class educational centre based in Malaysia. They clearly succeeded as in 2011, KTJ celebrated 20 years of success.

The Boarding Experience

All KTJ students live in comfortable, fully air-conditioned boarding houses. The boarding houses help foster a close- knit community by offering a caring home environment which is led by experienced and dedicated Houseparents who are assisted by House Tutors. This professional team guides and motivates the students in their care to achieve the best academic results, whilst encouraging them to make the most of the many opportunities for personal development offered during and outside school hours. The newly-built medical centre staffed by full-time nurses ensures students get the very best of health care when they need it.

Living amongst contemporaries in a friendly environment is not only fun but also helps to develop the important qualities of self-awareness, respect and teamwork. The inter-personal skills and emotional intelligence displayed by KTJ students are some of the reasons why they make such a success of their education and their future lives.

The Diverse Community

A blend of approximately 21 nationalities is what gives KTJ its special atmosphere, enabling us to promote and develop cultural harmony as the centre of our educational ethos. Students from many areas of south-east Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea and Taiwan join with students from around the world, exploring different languages and cultures as part of their daily life - an excellent start to understanding globalisation.

Academic Strengths

We believe in the ‘Pursuit of Excellence’, and one of our main aspirations is to contribute towards making Malaysia a centre of academic excellence. In practice we offer high quality education, delivered by experienced and dedicated teachers who use a mixture of modern and traditional pedagogical strategies to enable high achieving, independent learners to flourish. The proof is seen in the continuously improving examination results and the confident young people who find success beyond school.

Programme Outline

The curriculum is designed to maximise choices for the students whilst ensuring a full and thorough grounding in the core science and arts subjects. Students are also prepared for the challenges of the entrepreneurial world through social science subjects like economics, accounting and business studies.

Secondary (Forms 3-5)
KTJ runs two parallel streams for Form 3 and Form 5; the KBSM Malaysian stream and the international stream. In the Malaysian stream, students follow the national syllabus and sit for SPM examinations at ages 16/17 respectively. The international stream students work towards Cambridge and London O levels or International GCSE examinations in Form 5.

A Levels
Students from both the Malaysian and international streams study A levels in the Lower and Upper Sixth forms and in addition they can study for SAT and IELTs qualifications.

English Language Unit (ELU)
Students who lack English proficiency can enrol in this course, which is specially designed to offer maximum exposure of the language to a small number of students.

Academic Facilities & Resources

KTJ enjoys facilities unlike those in any other school in the country. The range and quality of the facilities are aimed at providing the best, all-round education for students and to enable them to explore their abilities and build on their strengths, be they academic, artistic, musical, sporting or personal. Most classrooms have SMART boards and wireless access.

Societies, Clubs and Sports

Of vital importance in a school like KTJ is what happens after the end of lessons. With the vast majority of students boarding, the scope for sport and extra- curricular activities is extensive. Team sports, including rugby, cricket, football, basketball, hockey and netball, are offered alongside many individual sports. Students can opt for a choice of all the racket sports, swimming, athletics and many more. Alongside the opportunity for outstanding sportsmen and women to represent the school or state, there is also the chance for others simply to play an informal game with their friends. Music and drama are also enthusiastically supported by the students who take full advantage of KTJ’s outstanding new 700 – seater auditorium.

Student Support Services & Student Development Activities

A comprehensive academic support service ensures individual attention for academic or personal concerns and students are encouraged to support each other through Peer Counseling called “Listening Ears”.

Scholarships & Financial Aid

A Level and Post-PMR scholarships are offered which cover tuition fees for five terms and six terms respectively. In addition, a small number of awards are available from Form I.

Recognition & Achievements

A total of 36 students (14-18 years of age) have successfully completed their bronze level of the International Youth Award, which is a development programme of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award comprising three levels, namely, bronze, silver and gold, and is open to young people between the ages of 14 and 25.

Students from KTJ have consistently been accepted by many prestigious and blue chip universities around the world. In public examinations, our students also show outstanding overall results.

KTJ has been accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS). It is a member of the federation of British International schools in South East Asia (FOBISSEA) and is the first Malaysian school to attain a silver Eco-School award.

Contact Details

Location Map

Key Personnel

Dr. Simon Watson Principal, Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar Dr. Simon Watson graduated from the University of Warwick before taking a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Bristol. He has taught in the UK, the Czech Republic and New Zealand, before becoming the Secondary Principal of Copenhagen International School in Denmark. He was appointed Principal of Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar (KTJ) in 2011. Dr. Watson is undertaking a major review of the academic provision and pastoral care at this leading Malaysian school. There are ambitious plans to accelerate rapidly the provision of ICT in teaching and learning. Students at KTJ have an outstanding opportunity to pursue their studies in a superb environment which provides them with the space and resources to participate in a wide range of sport and extra-curricular activities. He is committed to enhancing the facilities at KTJ to enable it to maintain its position as a first-class boarding school serving Malaysians and other young people from the South-East Asian region.