Twenty-five (25) years since her inception as a leading private school in Malaysia, Sri Bestari Private School Kuala Lumpur achieved a momentous milestone with the recognition accorded in her revolutionary approach in Science with the launch of the Yves Quéré Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE) Pilot Centre by His Excellency Mr Roland Galharague, the French Ambassador to Malaysia on 7 April 2021. The school was selected to be one of the 5 pilot schools in Malaysia to implement the IBSE pedagogical approach in Science in 2016 under the Pilot 2 program initiated by International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre (ISTIC), Academy of Science Malaysia (ASM) and the Malaysian Ministry of Education.
The IBSE approach in Science was developed through the combined efforts of three (3) exceptional scientist in France namely Nobel Laureate Professor Georges Charpak, Professor Emeritus Pierre Léna and Professor Emeritus in Physics Yves Quéré in 1996, the same year Sri Bestari Private School Kuala Lumpur was formally launched. The reason for the establishment of the La main à la pâte by the 3 Scientist and all Physicist in their own right was to improve the teaching quality of science in primary and secondary schools.
The French Ambassador to Malaysia, His Excellency Roland Galharague in his speech stated that the French phrase La main à la pâte does not translate easily to English but the closest would be the notion of being hands-on. He also went on to explain that what La main à la pâte embodies is the importance of experimenting and critical thinking, as well as the ability to think outside the box far away from any perceived dogma and emphasises the notion that this ability which in fact can be trained.
In 2011 when the Académie des Sciences, the Ecole Normale Supérieure (Paris) and the Ecole Normale Supérieure, Lyon, started to strongly support this scientific initiative, the program "La main à pâte" became a body of its own, thus termed the La Fondation La main à la pâte. There are twenty (20) IBSE Pilot Centres in France and the school’s recognition as an IBSE Pilot Centre outside France is testament of the confidence accorded to the school to spearhead the IBSE approach to partner schools in the hope to improve students’ interest in Science as well as academic achievements.
The French Ambassador also acknowledged the contribution of Dato’ Ir. Dr Lee Yee Cheong, the Honorary Chairman of ISTIC and former Chair of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) in bringing IBSE to Malaysia. The Ambassador noted that he can see that both Dato’ Dr Lee and Professor Quéré have forged a close friendship through the years and their love for Science as well as the need to impart this effective approach in IBSE, have worked so well together and graciously acknowledged that they have both done a great service to the world. The Ambassador went on to congratulate the teachers and students of Sri Bestari Private School KL for their efforts in promoting IBSE and was confident that the school will do great things in Science in the near future and noted that the school’s Principal, Dr Baptist is taking after the footsteps of Dato’ Dr Lee and Professor Quéré as he too is now the driving force for IBSE at Sri Bestari Private School KL.
