My first question to one little girl in Form one (i.e. grade 7) was, “Where was the Simpson family going?” And the answer I got from this confused little girl was, “Plymouth a journey”. Obviously the child could not have had a clue as to the meaning of the word journey nor could she figure out that Plymouth was a place…So much for high standards in a Primary School!

I could not believe that in Form one, there was someone who didn’t even know the meaning of the word journey. Even if this child was not English, an intelligent guess could have told her that Plymouth was a place. She should have already handled proper nouns. This to me was horrendous. That’s when I finally decided to start a school of a very high standard, especially in English, where I would ensure that I have qualified teachers who would be graduates in English and hopefully should be fluent in English to teach English to the children. The idea was that the children will hear English being spoken the way it should be spoken and being vicarious they would emulate an acceptable manner of speaking.

Since that day I dreamt of a school with a very high standard, hence the name Zenith. I worked on this idea until the 17th September 1998, when Zenith Preparatory School came into being. The school started with eight pupils. By January 1999 the number had risen to thirteen; by the end of the academic year there were thirty-five pupils. In September 1999, one hundred were enrolled in the school. Then came the problem of accommodation and I quickly put up another building to take care of the growing numbers and still keeping the classes small while my application for a plot of land stayed at the bottom of someone’s tray at the Lands Office. Some children have been brought to the school because their parents genuinely believe that there is something going on (particularly those parents who were once students of mine); others because they have nowhere else to go to have used the school as a spring board for other private schools. But the numbers have kept on increasing and to date, my registration stands at four hundred and twenty, and still more people are seeking admission for their children. Among those seeking admission are a good many who have been withdrawn from other private schools and have opted for Zenith Prep. Fortunately I have now been allocated a plot of land and my project for a larger school is well under way.

We are in the process of constructing new premises. Our plan is for three 3-storey buildings with eight rooms to be used as classrooms, tutorial rooms and stores. One floor is very nearly complete and some classes will move into the new block before the end of the year.

This is the story and we are still plodding on. I am lucky to have a team of devoted and committed teachers who are quite willing to work just for the joy of it and the love of children, rather than the remuneration. This is what has kept the school going for the last nine years.

Our steadfastness of purpose and our excellence have helped produce quality education.

Long live Zenith Preparatory School!