It's a pleasant surprise to read this piece by M Bakri Musa, on the day that would have marked precisely 4 years I left KMYS (KYUEM). Even more surprising was the fact that it came out on Malaysiakini, not exactly the source for such plain, uncontroversial commentary, devoid of political flavours.

Having been at the institution for more than 2 years, I had come to appreciate how big an impact my experiences there have had on me. I went there (not of my own choice) in the hope of completing my A-Level so that I could subsequently begin university education in the UK. A stepping stone, of sorts. But it turned out to be more than just that. Academically, it was excellent. Non-academically, it was the sports, cultural events and social outings that made it pleasant and memorable. And for the first time, I learnt the reality of living in an actual Malaysian society.

I won't go into detail about the education quality the college provides and the achievements it has attained within its ten years of existence, as most of these, as pointed out by Bakri Musa, can be easily accessed from the college website. But just for trivia sake, I'd love to point out what sets the college apart from other institutions at the same level, mostly in terms of its non-academic characteristics, something that all KMYSians can fondly remember:

• Nearly half the staff are (or were, at least during my time) expats.
• We (the students) lived in chalets. Air-conned. Computer-equipped. Fantastic.
• We had a uniform. The "Mcdonald's" design leaves ample room for improvement, but the idea itself is great.
• We had a college anthem.
• We had assemblies every week (at which the college anthem was sung).

It's a pity that the exorbitant college fee (RM 60,000 a year!) is in a way preventing many bright and talented young Malaysians from enjoying this truly enriching and stimulating learning environment. More so in recent years when the major contributor JPA put an end to its scholars coming in. The college has had to reinvent itself, as exemplified by the current efforts to attract private students, as well as to introduce twinning courses with overseas universities. The character of the college as a scholars-predominant, UK-oriented, pure A-Level college is to be diluted. But hopefully the quality is not. And I will be extremely proud if one day, my alma mater becomes a model for education in Malaysia.