ONCE considered a notorious school, SMK Kampong Kastam in Perai has undergone a remarkable transformation, now attracting more students each year as enrolments continue to rise.
Adding to its growing reputation, the school was named the Penang Schools Green Award winner for secondary schools in 2024.
Not one to blow his own trumpet, school principal R. Sugumaran Rajendran attributed the school’s increasing appeal to its academic improvements, which have been a key factor in more parents choosing to enrol their children, alongside its successful green initiatives.
Established in 1963, the school is now filled to the rafters, with 58 teachers overseeing 920 students from Remove Class to Form Five.
In one Form Five class, a quarter of the students are physically challenged, and the school hopes to secure specialised teachers to support them.
Even before participating in the Penang Schools Green Award, Sugumaran said SMK Kampong Kastam had already embraced green initiatives.
“We had been planting trees and greenery within our school compound long before joining the competition. Our participation was never about gaining recognition or winning but about instilling a culture of environmental care and sustainability among our students.
“Every student at SMK Kampong Kastam must bring their own water bottle. We discourage them from buying bottled drinks to reduce plastic waste. If they need water, they can refill from the dispensers provided,” Sugumaran told Buletin Mutiara in an interview.
It does not take long for visitors to see why SMK Kampong Kastam is known as the ‘School in the Garden and Garden in the School.’ Much of its available space is dedicated to growing various species of plants, herbs, and trees, along with two fishponds.
What is even more captivating is that each class has its own garden, a result of the ‘One Class, One Garden’ initiative launched last year. Potted plants also line the edges of the veranda leading to the classrooms, further enhancing the school’s green identity.
Senior Assistant (Administration) Dr Vickneasvari Krishnasamy highlighted the dedication of teachers and students as the driving force behind the school’s success.
“Our teachers are passionate about greenery and readily participate in any project initiated by the school. The ‘One Class, One Garden’ initiative has allowed students to express their creativity while also inspiring their families to adopt greener practices,” she shared.
“The teachers are not in favour of discarding things but instead focus on recycling. I believe this mindset played a role in inspiring us to take part in the Penang Schools Green Award.
“When we ask students who are free to help with certain tasks on Saturdays, many turn up enthusiastically. As a token of appreciation, we reward them with good conduct recognition in their report cards.
“We were also amazed by how confidently our students explained their green projects to evaluators – without any assistance from teachers.”
Dr Vickneasvari explained that their environmental efforts began with the ‘Own Water Bottle’ initiative before moving on to caring for existing plants in the school. This was followed by the addition of more greenery and the allocation of a dedicated ‘taman’ (garden) for each school body or club. Some of the trees were donated by teachers and Convent Pulau Tikus before the latter’s closure.
The school also participated in the ‘Planting One Million Trees Within a Day’ programme, initiated by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak, last year. A total of 150 trees were planted within the school compound.
Another proud achievement for SMK Kampong Kastam was securing second place in the national-level ‘Edible Garden’ project during the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro-Tourism Exhibition (MAHA 2024) 100 Years Celebration. As part of the initiative, the school successfully cultivated brinjals, ladyfingers, pumpkins, pandan, lemongrass, and galangal.
A driving force behind SMK Kampong Kastam’s Green School project is schoolteacher Lydia Lirek Anyie, whose partner, Chin Chooi Peng, has since moved to another school following a promotion.
Lydia shared that after the Covid-19 years, the school introduced an initiative where each club, society, and uniformed body took responsibility for maintaining their respective garden. Seeing the students’ enthusiasm, the school expanded the initiative last year with the introduction of the ‘One Class, One Garden’ concept.
“We encourage students to use recyclable materials for their flowerpots. When they decorate their classrooms with plants, it not only enhances the space but also improves air quality by providing more oxygen. Over time, we noticed that as students took greater responsibility for the plants, their confidence grew in the conducive environment,” Lydia explained.
However, it was not just about plants and trees. Through its special committee, Pengawas Tenaga, SMK Kampong Kastam also promotes energy and water conservation among students.
“By switching off electrical appliances when not in use, we managed to cut our electricity bill by over 11 per cent – saving between RM4,000 and RM5,000 compared to the previous year.
“These efforts earned the school a five-star rating for electricity savings from the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP).
“We have also reduced our water consumption and received an incentive of RM1,000 for two consecutive years from the Penang Water Supply Corporation,” Lydia said.
Last year, SMK Kampong Kastam hosted the International Best Practices Sharing Session (IBPSS) 5.0, where schools from Malaysia (Sabah, Melaka, Johor, and Penang), China, Japan, Indonesia, and India exchanged ideas on sustainability. The school secured third place in the international competition, with its live session on Facebook attracting 5,000 viewers.
As part of a state-wide movement to reduce single-use plastics, teachers are encouraged to bring their own food containers, while the school canteen has transitioned to using paper bags and stainless steel or paper straws.
Beyond the school grounds, students and parents have actively participated in Penang World Cleanup Day, helping to clean beaches such as Pantai Robina and Pantai Bersih. They also organised a gotong-royong at Taman Riang in Butterworth.
SMK Kampong Kastam’s success is built on strong collaborations with various organisations, including the Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP), Penang Green Council (PGC), the state Education Department (JPN), Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP), the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Environment, the Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG), Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng, Penang Island City Council (MBPP), PBAPP, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Green Educators’ Workshop (GREW), RECSAM, and the school’s alumni.
Asked about future plans, Lydia shared that the school plans to instal solar-powered water pumps for its fishponds and encourage more students to participate in innovative STEM-based sustainability projects.
“Students today are capable of thinking critically about sustainability, and we want to provide them with the platform to turn their ideas into reality,” she said.
SMK Kampong Kastam has certainly come a long way, and as Lydia aptly put it, “Taking care of the environment has now become a way of life for our students and teachers.”
Story by Lim Min Jun and K.H. Ong
Pix by Law Suun Ting