Chairman’s Address | Prize Day June 2025
Y.A.M. Tunku Ali Redhauddin Ibni Tuanku Muhriz
My fellow Members of Council, Master, Common Room, Ladies and Gentlemen, girls and boys, Selamat Pagi and welcome, once again, to Prize Day!
Every time I come back to both this school, and Marlborough College, Wiltshire, I feel a strong sense of pride and belonging, both as a Member of Council and, perhaps more so, as an Old Marlburian, and it’s a feeling I hope you all feel, too.
As someone who grew up with the values and traditions of Marlborough, I can say that what we have at Marlborough College Malaysia is something truly special. Yes, the name, the sweeping 90-acre estate, and world-class resources are a good start. But as the Good Schools Guide so perfectly captured, ‘While the brand, vast grounds and facilities speak for themselves, make no mistake that it’s the school’s ethos, community spirit and well-rounded education that make it special, and one not to be missed.’
Today, we celebrate that spirit and a shared ethos that stretches from Wiltshire to Johor, from one Marlborough to another, and we honour the pupils, staff and families who bring it to life every day.
I’ll start with academia. As our current Upper Sixth students and Hundred pupils take a well-earned rest after exam season and begin the nerve-wracking wait for their results, we need to take this moment to reflect on and celebrate the hard work and outstanding achievements demonstrated in last year’s public examinations.
Starting with IGCSEs, last year’s Hundred pupils performed strongly, with our A and A* rate 21% higher than the average UK Independent School. Furthermore, 69% of our Edexcel pupils achieved grades 9-7 (A*/A) grades, well above the UK average of 38%, with 35% of our pupils achieving five or more A* grades.
We had some very impressive performances across subjects. 87% of Physics grades and 73% of Maths grades were A or A*. Thirteen pupils earned eight or more A* grades, with Zhi Xuan L achieving 12 A*s. Anlyu Z scored the highest mark in the World for Pearson Edexcel’s GCSE Computer Science, and the Highest Mark in Malaysia for Chemistry.
Three more pupils achieved top marks in Malaysia: Belle N for History, Riho K for Art and Design: Photography, and Shi Lin N for Geography. Congratulations to them all.
In addition, all 21 of our Remove pupils who sat their Maths exam a year early, achieved A* grades, allowing them to advance to higher-level studies this year.
Moving onto IB results, I’m delighted to share that one sixth of our 2024 IB candidates scored over 40 points in the IB, which is twice the global average rate of about one twelfth. They achieved an average score of 34 points, significantly above the global average of 30 and broadly equivalent to AAA at A-Level. I’d like to offer special congratulations to Bryan C who achieved an exceptional 44 points, securing a much-deserved place on the College’s Honours Board for top IB scores.
These fantastic results are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our pupils throughout their IGCSE and IB years, and the College’s consistently high standards of teaching and learning. This strong academic foundation led to outstanding university placements for last year’s Upper Sixth students, including places at Harvard, Imperial College, the London School of Economics, Durham, St. Andrews, Edinburgh, the Glasgow School of Art, Monash, Toronto, NUS, Newcastle Malaysia, and several others.
While offers for our current Upper Sixth leavers are still coming in, I’m pleased to share that all of our potential medics have already received offers – a fantastic achievement. Across other subjects, the US has been very popular this year, with offers from the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Stanford, UCLA, USC, NYU, and Parsons – one of the world’s top design schools.
In the UK, we’ve had five offers from Imperial College London, now ranked number one in the UK – along with six offers each from UCL and Loughborough, the world’s top university for sports-related studies.
A special mention to Juliette B, who has received the prestigious Lester B. Pearson full scholarship to study music at the University of Toronto.
Altogether, our 78 leavers have received 107 offers from top 100 universities, including 12 from the global top 10 and, incredibly, 101 from Russell Group universities – truly exceptional results.
I would also like to briefly highlight a few other notable pupil achievements and projects. The Council of British International Schools (COBIS) has awarded Student Achievement Awards to two Upper Sixth students, Panithraa P for her significant contribution to the wider life of the school, and to Jolie T for exceptional academic achievement.
Jolie was also named a ‘Commended Student’ in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Programme for her outstanding performance on the PSAT – the Preliminary SAT for US University Admission, ranking her in the 97th percentile globally.
Congratulations go to other Upper Sixth students, Eileen G and Avelyn L, who won first place in Bugs ‘n’ Drugs, a health competition hosted by the University of Manchester. Competing against teams across Malaysia, they created a campaign called “The Hidden Fight”, raising awareness on antibiotic resistance. Their impactful efforts earned them top honours and reflect their growing passion for public health, with both students holding offers to study Medicine in the UK.
Five of our Senior pupils, ranging from Hundred to Upper Sixth; Olivier B, Shi Hao N, Jolie T, Jonatas M, and Louis G, won first place with their AI Recon Drone project in the prestigious Google for Education-backed EduTech Asia Planet Protectors Challenge. Their innovative system uses drones and artificial intelligence to detect and map rubbish in remote areas, supporting clean-up efforts and offering powerful tools for large-scale environmental monitoring. It’s a great display of the kind of forward-thinking, solution-driven mindset we need from the next generation.
Not to be outdone, three of our Remove pupils represented MCM at the 2025 Asia Schools Open in the prestigious Asian Parliamentary Debate, involving 129 top young debaters from across Asia-Pacific. The competition was intense and intellectually demanding, and our team was successful in reaching the quarter-finals in the Under-15 category. Niranjenna L, Alistar W, and Charlie W had a clean sweep of the first, second, and third Best Speakers of Malaysia, respectively. Congratulations, I hope we’ll see more of you on the international stage in years to come.
The Prep School achieved excellent results in recent Maths and Language challenges as part of the Association of International Malaysian Schools, or AIMS. At the AIMS Language Competition in Kuala Lumpur, 21 of our pupils took part with great enthusiasm, engaging in activities such as storytelling and public speaking. We were especially pleased to see Rui Xin K in Year 2, and Yu Hui L in Year 6, each awarded second place in their respective language categories.
MCM was also proud to host 14 schools from across Malaysia for the AIMS Maths Challenge, where our Year 5 team, the Algebra Tackling Titans, placed fourth out of 29 teams, demonstrating outstanding teamwork, focus, and problem-solving skills. Well done to all involved in representing the College so well.
The Master will provide additional updates across Sport, Art, Drama, Outreach, co-curricular and Friends of MCM, as it is impossible for me to do justice to all that we have achieved. However, I will mention a couple of musical moments, as the Master shouldn’t be blowing his own trumpet (or any other instrument).
While it’s a regular occurrence for MCM to showcase sporting talents across the border in Singapore, this year marks a special milestone as our musical talents made their international debut.
I was lucky to have attended the Master’s Family Pops Concert, which took place in January in the historic Victoria Concert Hall in Singapore – a fitting venue for stunning performances from our Pops Orchestra, the Prep School Choir and our Pops Chorus. What a way to bring our community together and to spotlight MCM to our neighbours. This was followed up in February by the Bunga Raya Ensemble, made up of talented Upper Prep musicians, who performed at the office of one of Singapore’s largest multinational companies. This prestigious setting provided an incredible opportunity for the pupils to demonstrate their talent in a professional environment while highlighting the role of music in fostering cultural appreciation and inclusivity.
These events took place alongside the College’s comprehensive music programme, adding further depth to its already diverse offerings including: Seasonal Festival of Music, Music Extravaganza, MCM Rocks the 1980s, Kranji Remembrance Day Service, Master’s Recital Prize, Shell Recital and many more. MCM was honoured to host a special event, the ‘German Malaysian Friendship Piano Concert’ back in November, and just a few days ago in this very Hall, we experienced the exceptional ‘Pianos on the Loose’. Thank you to our musical community for providing us with these wonderful, enriching performances.
Changing gears a little, I’d like to mention the Shell Exchange, in which 32 MCM pupils and staff immersed themselves in life at Marlborough College in Wiltshire, swapping places with students from the UK. They attended lessons, took part in co-curricular activities, and even had the chance to represent Marlborough College in sports. This unique opportunity strengthens our shared heritage, and offers a rich cultural and educational experience within the heart of the Marlborough community.
We work with other schools, too, and MCM was proud to host this year’s FOBISIA Safeguarding and Pastoral Care Conference, welcoming over 135 delegates from 75 British International schools across Asia. The three-day event featured expert-led sessions on digital safeguarding, pupil safety and wellbeing, neurodivergence, and pupil voice. Combining practical training with strategic insight, the conference fostered a reflective and collaborative spirit throughout. A highlight of the programme was a unique ‘Wellbeing Walk’, where delegates toured Barton Farm, Forest School, and the Lake. A memorable experience that showcased the very best of MCM.
Speaking of the best, I am very proud to report that Carfax Education has again named MCM as one of the Top 10 Best Private Schools in South East Asia, and one of only two schools in Malaysia to secure a position. We were also again named one of the Top 150 Private Schools globally.
MCM won two awards at a regional education event in Singapore, HoneyKids Asia for Student Wellbeing and Best Music School, demonstrating a strong commitment to our wellbeing provision, enabling pupils to thrive both academically and personally, and our inclusive, high-quality music portfolio that continually fosters creativity.
To top it off, the Boarding Schools’ Association awarded MCM International School of the Year, as part of their Supporting Excellence Awards, reflecting the quality care, strong community and rewarding experiences that make our boarding programme such an important part of school life, and reinforcing our earlier accolade from TES as best Global International School of the year.
Awards like these don’t come easily, and we don’t take them for granted. Having re-opened two boarding houses last August, following the Covid pandemic, it is wonderful to see our boarding programme revitalised. We are at 185 now, with our Junior Boarding Houses, Iskandar and Taylor, almost full. It is testament to the richness and quality of our boarding experience which sits at the heart of Marlborough College life and is fundamental to our values.
Our community now represents 46 nationalities, a vibrant testament to our global outlook and inclusive ethos. By this August we expect to have over 1,000 pupils. Naturally, each year we bid farewell to our Upper Sixth (78 pupils in this current cohort) and other families who relocate internationally. Yet, we continue to attract and enrol pupils who are the right fit for Marlborough and eager to embrace all the opportunities our College has to offer.
In short Marlborough College Malaysia continues to grow and flourish and what you will see and hear today across pupil performances, speeches and awards is testament to each and every member of our dedicated and passionate MCM community. MCM is and continues to create a unique ecosystem for producing that very special and highly sought after ‘Marlborough Spirit’.
I can’t talk about that Spirit, without acknowledging our Bursar, Mary Cherry, who is leaving MCM after 3 years of dedicated service. Mary joined us during the dark days of COVID and has been a key contributor, working with the Council, Master and leadership teams to implement many initiatives to get us through some dark days. Mary is unable to be with us in the Hall today, but I want to record the Council’s thanks to her for her unwavering commitment to excellence, which has put the College in great shape for the future.
Ah, yes, the future. That’s probably what’s most on the minds of our Upper Sixth leavers. You are going out into a world that is probably more uncertain and unclear than it has ever been. As you face the challenges ahead, I hope you will reflect on your time at MCM and draw on what you learned whilst you were here, both in terms of knowledge and experience, but also, in terms of values. I hope, also, that you will stay in touch with each other as well as the broader Marlborough community, for you are all now officially (not so) Old Marlburians – OMs.
So to you, the OMs, and to the other students, Beaks and staff who are leaving us today for pastures new, thank you for all you have contributed to the school, and we wish you all the very best in your future aspirations. Carry that Marlborough Spirit with you, and let it guide all that you do.
I hope everyone enjoys their Summer break, and I hope to see you all next year.
Thank you.