The board of directors and supporters of Riam Education Group at the earth-breaking ceremony of Riam Hill International School.
MIRI: Riam Hill International School (RHIS) is expected to open in August next year to cater for local students and those from the surrounding region.
The first to be built by an independent Chinese school in the country, it recently received the approval from the Ministry of Education.
In giving his thumbs up to the school, Minister of Transport Datuk Lee Kim Shin said it will open up more options for Sarawakian students to pursue secondary school education in subjects of their choice.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony of the RM5-million Riam Hill International School project yesterday, he said this is a significant milestone in the field of education in Miri.
Lee said Riam Hill would be an attraction for students interested in obtaining the internationally-recognised Cambridge certificate.
“They are not here to make money but provide affordable quality education with Cambridge certification which is recognised by renowned universities in the world,” he said of the educationists in Riam Education Group.
He advised Riam Hill to build up a reputation as a top international school to attract students from Sabah, Peninsular Malaysia or Singapore apart from Sarawak.
The school is expected to be ready for its first batch of students in August next year while the board of directors is also looking ahead to build a university at a permanent site in Miri in future.
The school, which will be well-equipped, is built within the complex which also houses Riamtech Institute and Riam Road Secondary School but all the three will retain their respective identity and education system.
Lee commended the board of directors led by joint chairmen Dato Sri Lau Kiu Kiong and Tan Sri Yee Ming Seng for their vision and contribution to making Miri an education hub.
Meanwhile, Lau said the international school is the way forward for Riam Education Group which has faced many challenges after 55 years of establishment of Riam Secondary School and Riamtech Institute 26 years ago.
He is confident that the infrastructure would be ready by June next year. Plans are in the pipeline for a university in the coming years following availability of a piece of land in Kuala Baram near Curtin University of Technology, which Lau said is their next mission.
According to CEO Dr Pauline Ho, the idea of an international school was mooted three years ago and Riam Group said it targeted to have 50 students in its pioneer batch in August next year.