# Sekolah Menengah Sains Tapah

Sekolah Menengah Sains Tapah (English: Tapah Science Middle School; abbreviated SESTA) is a Malaysian government boarding school (Sekolah Berasrama Penuh/SBP) located in the town of Tapah, Perak. It occupies an area of 30 acres of land, four kilometers from the town. It opened on 12 April 2010.

## Location

SESTA is located 4 kilometers (3 miles) from Tapah main town, along the Federal Route 59 (Tapah-Cameron Highlands road) and just opposite to the 4 Malay Regiment (4RAMD) army camp and beside the new Batang Padang District Education Office (PPD). It is mainly accessible from the town via the FT1-FT59 junction, from Cameron Highlands 50km down west, and also 2km eastward from Tapah exit of North-South Highway (E1) towards the same route.

## History
### Planning and Construction

Construction started on 12 October 2006 and was scheduled to be completed on 11 November 2008, but was delayed to 29 August 2009. Zulkarnain Zainal Abidin was appointed as the caretaker of the school in March 2009, but his appointment were delayed until June due to the slow progress of the school construction . The total cost of the construction was RM38,482,000.00.

### Opening

The school was opened on 23 October 2009 by Hajjah Norlia Mohd Shuhaili, Deputy Director of the Residential and Excellence School Department. On 1 February 2010, Hadi Mat Dain was appointed as the first principal of the school. By March 2010, 35 teachers had been hired. The school's first intake of students started on 16 April 2010. Owing to the lack of complete infrastructure at the time, the Upper Form intake began the following year.

### Inauguration

After around 10 years, SESTA was inaugurated by the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah on 18 October 2019 in a grand ceremony held at Dewan Seri Bitara (formerly and famously known as Dewan SESTA), in conjunction with his birthday celebration. Perak nobles and leaders, particularly the Raja Permaisuri Tuanku Zara, both Raja Muda and Raja Dihilir also attended the ceremony with their respective spouses, alongside the then Menteri Besar, Ahmad Faizal.

## Campus overview and developments

SESTA is a semi-closed campus, with movements control differ per group. Students only allowed to go out during outing or overnight homecoming, and their relatives can only visit during weekend on certain visiting hours. Teachers and their relatives that live here have an all-time access out and in of the campus, others are required to register their entry beforehand. However, public can access the school particularly during Friday prayer as the musolla are registered as Surau Diri Jumaat (lit: Friday-enabled Musolla, a certain status that allow them to handle Muslim's Friday Prayer) and occasionally during some open events from the school or other parties held here
The campus has a main hall, an administrative block, a pair of academic blocks and four special activity blocks. All the blocks are easily accessible with covered pathways. There are also three blocks of quarters where some of the teachers reside there, alongside 4 unit of terrace quarters for the main administrators. Hostel complex are consisted of two main hostel buildings for male and female students, a musolla building and a dining hall.
The school has a mini stadium and 4 sport fields that caters on multiple sports with different needs like football, takraw, volleyball and basketball, with other sports can also uses those field as they fit. Another field, which is said to be a rugby exclusive field is included but later shelved due to cost reducement practice by government, which saw the area planned for the field remains as a small palm oil plantation area until present time. The plans, has since not revived citing the lack of funds needed.
The campus has plagued with issues since its opening, which is caused by original low quality development brought by the constructors, causing incidents like broken floors which accumulates dust, flying roofs which damages some other facilities and endanger the inhabitants and also many other issues. While the issue is very frequent, the lack of funds always cited by the administrators when asked on the solutions.
The school has seen a lot of facility developments and renovations over the years, which solves some raised issues related to facilities. The main hall was renovated gradually, beginning with air conditioner additions, adding of tiles, replacement of doors and some permanent decorations. The musolla originally can only fit half of the students, but a renovation taking place in 2016 added an extension to the prayer halls, allowing more people to pray inside it especially during Friday prayers which is open to public.