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Governance

Chair of Governors’ Welcome

As we are settling into the new 2023/24 academic year, The I.S.P. Schools Association Board of Governors would like to welcome all new and returning families and staff members.

The International School of Penang (Uplands) is excited for the year ahead. We have come through very challenging times in recent years and have emerged as an even stronger organisation. We have a leaner and more efficient facilitating organization, a better-structured academic organization, and a stronger leadership team. With our Principal, Dr Marc Mesich at the helm, there is great confidence that Uplands has paved the way for the next stage of academic development.

Marc’s extensive knowledge and experience from IB schools in Asia has been embraced by the heads of school, setting the direction for new strategic planning. The strategic plans are developed by the full Senior Leadership Team to ensure that supporting facilities are provided and all plans are financially viable.

Being the Chair of the Board is an absolute pleasure due to the dedicated and supportive group of volunteers working on the Board. It is inspiring to be surrounded by such a passionate group of people who dedicate so much of their valuable time to the association, and only to receive the satisfaction of seeing the school progress “to provide an exemplar international education in a dynamic multi-cultural environment, encouraging all school members to be active learners and engage with the local and wider community”.

Respect for Self. Respect for Others.

Governance

The School’s governance framework is set by the Constitution of The I.S.P. Schools Association and is under the direction of a Board comprising Patron Governors and Parent Governors. This Board provides the strategic guidance and corporate oversight of The International School of Penang (Uplands) and meets at regular intervals throughout the year.

Supporting the Board are several committees that ensure the necessary stewardship of the school’s finances and activities. The chief committee is the Executive Committee (‘EXCOM’), and it meets on a monthly basis. EXCOM works closely with the Principal by taking the Board’s strategic guidance and applying it to the school’s operations. The School Principal is supported by the Senior Management Team comprising of Head of Primary, Head of Secondary, Head of Administration, Bursar, Head of I.T. and senior teaching staff.

Other committees of the Board are the Trustees Committee, Audit and Risk Committee (ARCO), and the Development Committee. Committees are comprised of Board members; however independent specialists may also be invited to serve on Committees. The School’s finances are monitored by the Bursar and are audited by an independent external auditor.

Click on the link below to view the bye-laws of the association.

For a more comprehensive outline of the responsibilities of the Committees please refer to the Governors’ Handbook and the Terms of Reference of the Board Committees, which may be viewed on application in writing to the Company Secretary, The I.S.P. Schools Association, Unit 1-3-3, No. 1, Jalan P. Ramlee, 10460 Penang.

Ordinary General Meeting

The 68th Ordinary (‘annual’) General Meeting of The I.S.P. Schools Association was held on Saturday 20 May 2023 in the Sports Hall. The audited financial statements for the year ended 21 December 2022 were presented and our auditors were re-elected with remuneration to be agreed by the Board of Governors. The Governors up for re-election, namely Frank Poulsen, Leigh Pratt, Mrs. Liu Minjuan (Serena), Lim Chin Seong (Kevin), and Tilo Hildebrandt were unanimously re-elected. We are pleased to announce that Frank Poulsen will take the helm as Chairman for another year and that Leigh Pratt will be heading up the Executive Committee.

List of Board Committees & Members

Board representatives to UPTA

  • Liu Minjuan (Serena)
  • Jennifer-Anne Sheppard

New Patron Governor

We are pleased to introduce Dr. Mary Ann Harris as a new Patron Governor. Mary Ann sits on the main Board,  also on the Trustee and the Audit and Risk Committee.

Governor Uta Susanne Malik

The Board of Governors, staff, teachers, and all our community extend our love and deep respect to Mr. Rana Malik, Farah, Adam, and the extended family members on the passing of Uta Susanne Malik.

Our school’s deep connection with Uta goes back to the year 1987 when she was first appointed as a Director/Governor of The I.S.P. Schools Association. The impact of Uta’s contributions over the past 36 years has been profound and felt across our school community; for she always greeted everyone with arms and heart open, made time to listen, advised and steered us, and gave us loyalty, truth and love. Uta worked hard as a Patron of The Association and also as the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Board for over 25 years. Throughout her involvement she used to spend many hours in and out of the school interacting with staff, teachers and parents to gain goodwill and respect for the school. She had the amazing gift of garnering together our school community.

Uta was a woman of superlatively high standards, complete integrity, and boundless enthusiasm for whatever task she took in hand. She never dodged responsibility, never refused to take on a hard job if it needs to be done. Her selfless contributions had a tremendous impact on the well being of the school community. We are all the richer for having known and worked with her and having been touched by her grace and wisdom.

The International School of Penang (Uplands)
Jalan Sungai Satu,
11100 Batu Feringgi, Penang,
Malaysia
E: [email protected]
T: +60 4 881 9777
F: +60 4 881 9778

School Values

  • RESPECT
  • INQUIRY
  • COLLABORATION
  • RESILIENCE
  • BALANCE
  • DIVERSITY
  • INTEGRITY
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