Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Selamat sejahtera dan salam 1 Malaysia.

Yang Berbahagia Dato' Sri Dr. Mohd Irwan Serigar bin Abdullah

Secretary General of Treasury

Ministry of Finance Malaysia

 

Yang Berbahagia Datuk Ali bin Abdul Kadir

Authority Member of Labuan Financial Services Authority 

Yang Berusaha Dr Iskandar Rizal bin Dato’ Hamzah

Chairman of Cempaka Group of Schools

 

Distinguished guests, teachers, parents and beloved students

 

On behalf of Labuan Financial Services Authority (Labuan FSA) and Labuan International School (LIS), I have great pleasure in welcoming you to the official opening ceremony of the new Labuan International School. Our special thanks goes to the Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Sri Dr. Mohd Irwan Serigar bin Abdullah, Secretary General of Treasury, who has kindly taken time off from his busy schedule to honour us with his presence here today to officially declare the opening of the Labuan International School new premise at Tanjung Aru, Labuan.

Today is indeed a momentous occasion for many of us, especially the community in Labuan International Business and Financial Centre (LIBFC), as it marks yet another one of the achievements and progress of the IBFC and the LIS.

The construction of the new LIS premise, which started in July 2009, had stemmed from a shared vision and great determination of the authorities to build a modern education infrastructure and an innovative learning system to cater for the developmental needs and life-style of the diversecommunities in Labuan. Alhamdulillah and thanks to the patience and commitment from all parties, Labuan has now a top-notched education centre, the LIS, which boasts a state of the art facilities and an early education system with its standard, at par with other international schools in the country, and soon upon its full completion, one of the best in the region.

Looking back at its humble beginning 12 years ago, LIS has progressed considerably from a junior school catering for a population of 8 to now close to 300 pupils, comprising local and foreign students. The increase in the number of students over the years, both local and expatriates, is an encouraging indication that the school is moving in the right direction in line with its aspiration to become one of the leading education centres in the region.

With more balanced and diverse learning needs of the students, I am confident that LIS is now capable of offering a culture of academic rigour with its expanded range of modern and integrated teaching facilities for the use and benefits of the students and staff. The new LIS currently has 19 air-conditioned classrooms that are equipped with interactive teaching platforms and an ICT lab with desktop computers installed to promote both physical and virtual learning. Its interactive sports facilities are aimed to provide the students with a competitive environment spanning beyond the classroom setting. This impressive LIS auditorium that we are seated in today is equipped with sophisticated audio-visual equipments to nurture the appreciation of arts among the students and concurrently provide them with an ultimate experience for cultural learning. It is the aspiration of Labuan FSA and the school management that the available infrastructure and modern education system are able to facilitate the development and growth of many high calibre students and young, dynamic talents to feed the needs of a progressing nation.

On this auspicious occasion and on behalf of Labuan FSA including the Board of LIS, I would like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude to the Ministry of Finance and especially to Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Sri Dr Mohd Irwan Serigar bin Abdullah, who has been very involved in overseeing the development of the new premise, particularly in providing the much needed funding, as well as the advice and guidance during the construction of the new LIS building. It is only appropriate that our opening ceremony is officiated by Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Dr Mohd Irwan Serigar himself, who has been instrumental to drive the team involved in the project to deliver this new premise. Thank you and congratulations Dato’ Sri. Our appreciation also goes to JKR Cawangan Pusat Pengajian Tinggi and JKR Labuan for their efforts and cooperation in planning and coordinating the construction of the new premise. Not forgetting, the commitment of all staff of Labuan FSA and LIS, as well as the assistance from various government and private agencies, and to all who have been directly or indirectly involved during the development of the new School. To the parents and guardians, as always, we thank you and we look forward to your continued support as we together ensure the maximum benefits to the students from the education excellence provided by LIS. We realise that without all of your invaluable contributions, the completion of the new LIS premise would not have been possible.

Last but certainly not least, to all the students of LIS, we hope that you will keep up your good work towards fulfilling your dreams and to uphold the good image of LIS while developing your all-round talents. I wish you every success in your future endeavour and encourage that you maximise every opportunity given to you to discover your true and maximum potential.

With that note and without further ado, I now have the honour of inviting Y.Bhg Dato' Sri Dr. Mohd Irwan, Secretary General of Treasury to deliver his address and open the new premise of the Labuan International School of the Labuan IBFC. Dato’ Sri please.

 

Thank you.

Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.