PM'S WIFE VISITS LONDON ALL-GIRLS SCHOOL

LONDON, July 15 (Bernama) -- The commitment and dedication of teachers in discharging their duties are among key ingredients in setting students on the path of achieving success in their lives.

The wife of Malaysian Prime Minister, Rosmah Mansor, said such dedication would make a lot of difference, including for students coming from a disadvantaged background.

Rosmah, who is accompanying her husband Najib Razak on an official visit to the United Kingdom (UK), said this after visiting the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (EGA) School for girls in Islington, London.

The school, named after Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first woman to gain a medical qualification in the UK, has as its mission educating young women for the future.

Many of EGA's students are from economically and ethnically diverse
communities and more than 90 per cent speak English as a second language.

Alluding to her "Permata" education initiative, Rosmah said it too
encompassed students from low-income families.

She said she had been approached by an international TV channel keen on doing a documentary on the project which nurtures gifted and talented children.

EGA headteacher, Jo Dibb, said receiving prominent guests like Rosmah was very important to the girls because it helped boost their self-confidence.

She said one of the most important things in terms of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds was realising that they had the same potential as anybody else, and the belief that they too could be successful.

"Good schools are those that have the highest expectations, making it clear that your background cannot determine your future, it's what you do that will determine your future.

"And that's the message that we give to our girls," she added.

Michelle Obama, wife of United States President Barack Obama, visited the all-girls school in 2009.

She was reunited with some of the schoolgirls during a trip to the UK in May this year.