SMS Tapah

Sekolah Menengah Sains Tapah is a science-based residential school located in the town of Tapah. It is the first in the district of Batang Padang. It is built at Batu 3 Jalan Pahang, on the main road to Cameron Highlands, near the Tapah exit of North–South Expressway. Construction started on 12 October 2006 and was scheduled to complete on 11 November 2008, but completion 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 school construction progress. The total cost of construction was RM38,482,000.00.[2]

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.[3] Owing to lack of complete infrastructure at the time, the Upper Form intake began the following year.

By February 2012 it has completed enrolling students from Form 1 until 5. The SPM batch of 2012 is also the first batch that graduated from this school. After 2 years, Hadi Mat Dain transferred to his hometown in Temerloh thus in December his place is taken by Sulaiman Samsudin. This also marks a complete change of administration members as Asma Azmin Rashid (Student Affairs Assistant) also moved to SBPI Gopeng and later Safarim Salim (Co-curriculum Assistant) took his place. Ainon Mardziah from STAR filled the position Safarim has left.[4]

In 2013 due to excellent performance of Class 2012, Perak Education Department has chosen the school as the venue of the state's SPM result announcement. The school placed second behind MCKK in overall state results, with more than 30 students get all A's. The state Education Department remarked this achievement outstanding for a new school. The PMR candidates of 2012 also recorded outstanding results as more than 50 students getting all A's in their results, placing third in state overall results.

However, in October that year SESTA made it through the headline again, due to the school being in the series of food poisoning. Around 200 students sent to the district clinic and some are detained in hospital. This also affects the students which are taking PMR on the fateful day.[5]

The outstanding performance in SPM examination continues with Class 2013 (Partisan) achieved similar results like 2012. The overall results for their Bahasa Melayu paper is really great, with a GPS of 0.12. Due to this achievement and subsequent achievement in co-curricular activities, the Education Ministry has granted SESTA with the title of Sekolah Kluster Kecemerlangan (SKK) in 2014.

2014 also marks a great year for SESTA. The Innovation teams won awards from local and international tournaments, as far as Europe. So does the Adikestari traditional dancing team. The most remarkable is SESTA placed first in their SPM 2014 results in Perak, with a record of more than 40 students getting all A's. This follows a good start for their PT3 candidates which, despite low results nationwide, recording 29 students getting all A's. This is considered much of a surprise since even much of the boarding school don't have such high achievements.

In 2015, SESTA for the first time handles 2 big events in a year. First is SBP National Japanese Language Cultural Day (Hari Kebudayaan Bahasa Jepun, HKBJ) which is a Japanese cultural event for SBP students. Second is Coaching of Coaches (COC), a training for SBP hostel leaders about daily hostel management and event management. Both events was done successfully.

In October 2015, Sulaiman left SESTA as he takes the post as new Hilir Perak District Education Officer. Rezazali from SBPI Gombak replaced him in December as SESTA principal.

SESTA has been declared as High Performance School (Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi, SBT) from the Education Ministry in April 2016, one of the youngest school that has been offered the title. A declaration event is done in SESTA with all former principal attended the event.

Earlier in February SESTA takes part in Sorak Semangat Le Tour de Langkawi 2016, a cheering event for schools which location is involved in Le Tour de Langkawi routes. Due to their overwhelming efforts and spirits shown, they won the grand prize.

However, in March the same year, SESTA once again involved in a mass food poisoning cases, which source is from lace pancake (roti jala) which were prepared unhygienically. Tens of students became victims, with several of them were warded in Tapah Hospital for some while. This made a headline into the national medias.[6]

SESTA once again make a record as the most performing school in SPM History subject in SPM 2016.

After becoming a Senior Assistant for 7 years, Encik Zulkarnain Zainal Abidin retired from his teaching profession in 2017. Encik Safarim Salim takes his post, and the Student Affairs Assistant position is taken by Encik Thanusi Shaaban from Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman Ipoh. Later in mid-2017 Puan Ainun Mardziah retired from her career as a teacher, and Senior Teacher of Language Departments, Encik Mohd Ridzuan Mahad is appointed to the position of Senior Co-curricular Assistant.

Later in September 2017, Tuan Haji Rezazali Ahmad Ansar moves again as principal in another school in Batang Padang. Tuan Haji Shaharuddin Mohd Daud became SESTA fourth principal. This again marked another major administration change that happened in a year for the school.

In August 2020, another major change has made its way when Senior Assistant, Encik Safarim Salim has been called to held a Principal position at Sekolah Menengah Sains Pokok Sena, Kedah, making the position of SESTA's Senior Assistant vacant. And mid-July when Senior Teacher in Humanitarian Department, En. Izaheri Mohd Mokhtar transferred to Sekolah Sultan Yusof, Batu Gajah as Senior Assistant in Student Affairs.

Later in early September 2020, vacancies in administration has been filled, leading the way is Encik Mohd Ridzuan as the new Senior Assistant, Puan Salwana Salleh as the new Co-curricular Senior Assistant, Puan Murniza Md Jidin as the new Senior Teacher in Humanitarian Department, and Puan Jazimah binti Shamdin @ Shamsudin as Senior Teacher in Techniques and Vocational Department.[7][8][9]

After around 10 years, SESTA has been finally 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.[10]

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