Feature: A conversation with Mr Ananda of Taylor's College

Taylor’s College has produced successful students who have been accepted into the world’s top 200 universities. Eleasha Chew Sue Yuen from the college for example was the first Malaysian to be accepted at Harvard University since 2010. Its impressive list of alumni also includes Miss Universe Malaysia 2011 Deborah Priya Henry who went on to co-establish the Fugee School for refugees, and Mindvalley CEO Vishen Lakiani.

With the core purpose ‘to educate the youth of the world to take their productive place as leaders in the global community’, these outstanding alumni are a testament to the success of the holistic education offered at Taylor’s College.

Today, the college remains one of the largest centres of pre-university studies in Malaysia. The college was established in 1969 and today has campuses in Subang Jaya and Sri Hartamas. Its four pre-university programmes are the South Australian Matriculation/SACE International, Canadian Pre-University, Cambridge A Levels and the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) programme, which started in 2009.

Afterschool approached Campus Director of Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas, Mr Ananda Kumaresh Ratnasingam to describe his journey at Taylor’s College.

Embracing Change

Mr Ananda joined the Cambridge A Level programme in Taylor’s College as a Physics lecturer. In 2000, he joined the administration team; first in the Science Department and later as Cambridge A Level Director of Studies. Although he has a successful career in the field of education today, Mr Ananda reveals that he did not start out to be a teacher. However due to the economic recession in 1984, he sought a job in teaching.

"Initially, I thought I would never have the patience to teach, but people kept saying I was good at it!” he chuckles. “I then realised that I actually enjoyed teaching and I still do. If I had to retire now from an administrative position I would still go back to teaching because I enjoy the dynamics in the classroom.”

As administrator, Mr Ananda says it has allowed him to implement programmes he had wanted to see as a teacher, such as Student-Centred Learning and Investigative Work in the teaching of Science. “Administrative work is something different, the pressure is there but I enjoy it.”

His passion for his students is evident as he discusses the need for teachers and administrators to adapt to the changing profile of students. Mr Ananda observes that students have changed over the years. In a classroom, there can be a range of students with very contrasting learning styles.

“Generally, students have become more vocal and independent - the way of learning has changed, and so have the policies on education. Parents are also more involved in their children’s education and the pressure on the child to succeed academically is ever present. This means that we have to adapt and use new and different approaches in teaching and learning. You also need to educate parents that academic success is not the only important thing in education. So we need to reach out to parents as well.

"As a teacher and administrator, you have to bring all of the different elements into the classroom."

Support for Students and Staff

To respond to the diverse needs of students, the college provides external and internal training for their staff. Mr Ananda explains that there is regular departmental sharing where teachers meet and exchange ideas on effective practices and pedagogies they have used in the classroom.

“Teachers prepare lesson plans, because for us, as an educational institution, planning is the key - and it brings us to excellent results. The first few months are challenging for staff as we help students adapt to college life.”

“At Taylor’s College we have a structured approach to introduce students to college life."

"We start with an orientation programme and follow through with workshops on time management, soft skills, team work as well as independent learning. We provide guidance to help the students formulate their goals and chart out a pathway to achieve these goals, through their studies and engagement with society. We also assist students with university applications and provide advice on how to write personal statements.

“Our mission statement is ‘all students in universities of their choice’. So we start by asking students, ‘What is it that they want to do? What are they really passionate about?’ From there, we look at the steps they can take to achieve success.” Upon taking a recommended career test, which Taylor’s provides, counselors will help students decide what is best for them.

Students are also given the option to select the programme that best suits them. The four options at Taylor’s, offer structures that can cater to different types of students. For example, the Cambridge A Levels is suited for students who prefer being externally assessed. Others who prefer a combination of college-based assessments and an external examination can opt for the Canadian and Australian programmes. The International Baccalaureate offers an all-round programme, covering languages, sciences and humanities as well as compulsory community work.

With its aim of providing holistic education for students, the college also encourages activities that will teach students to nurture their creativity and manage it well. Students at the college manage events such as the student-organised Jog for Hope event for charity. Mr Ananda believes that a holistic education will lay a good foundation for the students and will better prepare them for tertiary education and the workforce.

Rewarding Moments

Looking back, Mr Ananda supports whole-heartedly the direction the college has taken. “Every year we get students who are different - and you need to know how to motivate them and provide support and guidance. It is inspiring to see them blossom and grow into confident and mature young men and women."

When asked what he has planned for the future, Mr Ananda answers, “We are continuously trying to innovate and improve our approaches to education. When we keep the focus on the needs of our students - what we do becomes genuine and will have an impact on our students’ lives. When they leave Taylor’s College we want them to be richer from the experience we have provided.”

“At the college level, we are the stage of education between school and university. So it is our responsibility to provide first class education so that it is a seamless transition from school to university. This is what we have set out to do, and we continue to do it well.”

Taylor’s College was the first to offer the South Australian Matriculation [now known as SACE International] and Canadian Pre-University programmes. It is the largest independent centre for Cambridge A-levels in the world. Most pre-university students of this college have been accepted into the world’s top 200 universities. Find out more about the programmes that Taylor’s College offers here.