Kolej Yayasan UEM

Kolej Yayasan UEM or KYUEM (formerly known as Kolej Matrikulasi Yayasan Saad) is a Malaysian private residential school situated in Lembah Beringin, Selangor, Malaysia.  It is owned by Yayasan UEM, and is also part of the UEM Group.  KYUEM offers the A-Level programme under the Cambridge Assessment International Education examination board. 

Every year KYUEM students receive 'Best in the World for Subject' Awards.  The majority of the students are top scorers in the country, sponsored by:

the Malaysian government /JPA (Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam), 
PETRONAS, 
 Yayasan UEM, 
Sime Darby, 
Permodalan Nasional Berhad(PNB), 
Yayasan Khazanah, 
Securities Commission (Suruhanjaya Sekuriti), 
Yayasan Tenaga Nasional, 
Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera,
Felda,
Yayasan Tabung Haji,
Jabatan Perdana Menteri (JPM),
Tabung Haji

and state foundations such as 

Yayasan Terengganu
Majlis Agama Islam Kelantan and 
Yayasan Sabah. 

Planned by Tan Sri Halim Saad, Kolej Matrikulasi Yayasan Saad (as it was then known) is a residential college, modelled on British boarding schools.  The teaching staff consists of Malaysians as well as expatriate teachers from the United Kingdom.  The college attempts to keep the ratio of 60% local teachers and 40% expatriates. 

A pastoral care system is utilised, with groups of students being put under the care of teachers.  These teachers (referred to as tutors) may or may not teach their tutor group, and function to provide social rather than academic assistance. 

Overview
KYUEM boards approximately 524 students mostly between the ages of 16 to 20. 

The college is headed by the headmaster who is appointed by the Board of Governors and Board of Trustees.  It has four houses - Garnet, Topaz, Diamond and Sapphire.  Each is headed by a houseparent, selected from the members of the teaching or administrative staff. 

Nearly all of the school's graduates achieve conditional offers into universities, about ten each year to Oxford or Cambridge and majority to universities such as University College London, Imperial College London, University of Warwick, London School of Economics, King's College London, University of Edinburgh and The University of Manchester.  Some of the graduates study at universities in the United States such as MIT, UC Berkeley, Princeton University and Harvard University. 

Curriculum
In addition to their core three or four A-Level subjects, students also may read an extra one or two AS Level subjects of their choice and other compulsory Key Skills subjects which include ICT Skills, and the compulsory Islamic/Moral and Malaysian Studies.  It is compulsory for students to take IELTS as it is essential for admission into British Universities. 

Students normally take three A-Levels, although it is possible to take four.  The College has three academic faculties, Arts, Science and Mathematics. 

KYUEM provides each student single room boarding accommodation,  preparing them for British and other international universities. 

Subjects
A-Level subjects offered by;
 The Arts Department are Accounting, Economics, English Literature, History and Geography. 
 The Science Department offers Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Marine Science. 
 The Mathematics Department offers both Mathematics and Further Mathematics. 

Places of interest
 Academic Block
 Crossroads (junction)
 The Great Hall
 Japanese Garden
 The New Block 
 Student Services
 Resource Centre
 Saad Square
 Tennis Courts
 Swimming Pool
 Squash court
 The Longkang
 Kyasu Temple 
 Kyasu Temple 22.0

Facilities
Students live in 104 chalets - 42 for male and 62 for female students.  The football field and the multipurpose hall separate the areas. 

Each chalet houses two students, each with their own room. 

In 2006, one of the staff apartments - Block F - was renovated to allow for more student accommodation, due to a shortage of housing.  Although the apartments were readied in time for the July 2006 student intake, there were sufficient chalets to accommodate all the students at the time.  During that time, alumni returning to college for events such as the annual Alumni Weekend stayed there.  The apartments have begun to be used by students in the January 2007 intake. 

A new block was completed in July 2006.  The second floor of the block is used by the Arts department for classes, whereas the old Arts department classes (on the ground floor of the Academic Block) were converted into science laboratories.  It is called Lembah Beringin Business School. 

The teachers and staff live in apartments provided on site.  The teachers' apartments consist of three blocks situated next to the boys' chalet area, whereas the staff apartments are located behind the female students' chalet area.  The Headmaster has decreed that the maximum number of cats allowed in each staff apartment is two. 

The college has 10 science laboratories, two lecture theatres, three IT laboratories which supply the access to the internet connection and air-conditioned classes.  Initially, there was only one academic block, with only eight science laboratories.  However, a new block was added in 2006, and the non-laboratory classes on the ground floor were renovated to become two science laboratories. 

The college has an Olympic-size swimming pool, a football field, two basketball courts, two tennis courts, two volleyball court, and a multipurpose hall.  As well as housing two squash courts, the multipurpose hall can be used as a futsal court, four badminton courts, or a basketball court (not simultaneously).  Usually, it is set up to form 3 badminton courts, with the area of the final badminton court used to set up ping-pong tables. 

Comprehensive CCTV is currently being installed to adequately monitor the student population to guard against future incidents of thefts from student chalets. 

Student Services
KYUEM has a Student Services' Department which looks after the pastoral side of student life, as well as monitoring acceptable behaviour and conduct.  Though, as of January 2016 this role is likely to become one more associated with a policing function as random room searches and urine tests are promised. 

House system
Students at KYUEM are sorted into four houses.  Friendly rivalry between the houses is a norm in the school, especially in sports, annual cultural competition (Bangsawan) and the end of year House Cup.  The four houses are Garnet, Topaz, Sapphire and Diamond. 

Clubs and societies
Students, when they are not participating in lessons, assemblies or tutor periods have the freedom to join in club and society activities after lessons and in the evenings.  There are frequent evening events held in the Great Hall, such as the Chinese Cultural Society, and Traditional Dance and Dikir Barat interhouse competitions. 

*

College magazine
Veritas is the official school magazine, which only publishes once a year.  It is also the longest-running college publication.  Edited by students under the Veritas Club at the college, although liable to censorship, it has a tradition of satirising and even attacking school policies, as well as documenting recent events.  The magazine is published for record and as a forum for comment and debate.  It does not have the expression of individual opinions in the school. 
 Arabic Fellowship,
 Badminton Club,
 Chess Club,
 Chinese Cultural Club,
 Computer Club,
 Creative Club,
 Cultural Club,
 Culinary Art Club,
 Cycling Club,
 Debate Club,
 Film and Cinema Society,
 Football Club,
 WWF Club,
 Indian Cultural Club,
 Japanese Cultural Club,
 Malay Cultural Club (MCC)
 Model United Nation,
 MUSCOM
 Music Club,
 Natural History Club,
 Peer Support Group,
 Photography Club,
 Public Speaking Club,
 Research & Development Club,
 Robotic Club,
 Rugby Club,
 Scrabble Club,
 Spanish Club

Song
The song used to be sung by the students in the Great Hall every week at the start of each assembly. 
Midst Malaysia's verdant Uplands

Stands a college built for all
Education is its mission
Scholarship its clarion call

Knowledge is the key to freedom
Study is the road to truth
We shall strive to serve our nation
As leaders of Malaysia's youth

Kesukaran diatasi
Kami kan bersatu hati
Menuju puncak jaya
Membela cita semua

Marilah kita berusaha
Tegakkan kebenaran
Demi bangsa dan negara
Kami sanjung setiap masa

Teachers
Recent changes have ensured that the teaching staff are available for the students from 8-4pm through a tap-in tap-out system which encourages teachers to be at their desks while not teaching throughout the working day.  There is an increasing problem with continuity as staff retention has suffered over the past few years as a result of draconian management. 

See also 
 List of schools in Selangor

References

External links
 Kolej Yayasan UEM website
 Kolej Yayasan UEM Android App

Category:Boarding schools in Malaysia
Category:Private schools in Malaysia
Category:Colleges in Malaysia
Category:Cambridge schools in Malaysia
Category:Secondary schools in Malaysia
Category:Universities and colleges in Selangor
Category:UEM Group
Category:Educational institutions established in 1998
Category:1998 establishments in Malaysia
Category:Schools in Selangor