School Leadership

Anthony Partington

Chief Executive Officer, XCL Education (Malaysia)

At REAL Schools – International and Private we are focused on preparing your child for the real world. 

Many schooling systems were designed for a different age – the age of the factory, the assembly line. Students were taught compliance rather than self-regulation. At our school, we believe that we should be teaching students to be resilient, adaptable, and able to learn about new situations and technologies and to work in jobs or deal with problems that we do not yet know will arise. 

Our academic results are testament to the hard work of our students, the expert guidance of their highly qualified teachers and the informed support of their families. We believe that all our students’ families are part of our school family and that the difficult responsibility of raising children is one that benefits from being shared. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their child’s learning and we provide them with weekly updates and information sessions, to provide the necessary support and reassurance. 

We know that great learning does not happen through academics alone. Our school caters for the whole child. Through our co-curricular programmes, students are afforded opportunities for leadership and participation in experiences that develop aspiration, resilience, and the understanding of others. Success can come in different areas, and we celebrate all these achievements and accomplishments as a community. 

We work on achieving great academic and co-curriculum outcomes for our students, so that they not only get to the interview for the next step in their learning or their dream job, but they also have the character and skills to secure those opportunities and thrive in them and life.

And above all we work hard to ensure that our students feel safe and are happy. We set a high bar for safety and the welfare of our students. By following the highest standards for child protection and for the prevention of serious harm and abuse to young people, we are meticulous in our checks on staff and in their training to ensure that the necessary steps and actions are taken to protect students and nurture their development in school and outside. 

We hope that you will take the time to visit us, so that you too can experience what it is like to be part of us. I look forward to welcoming you to our school soon.

Mr Cheli Tamilselvam

Campus Principal, R.E.A.L Schools, Cheras Campus

"My passion and commitment is to bring out the best in every student under our care in the conducive learning environment and culture we are creating."

Mr Cheli completed his Bachelor of Education (Hons) in English Literature from University of Otago, New Zealand and is certified in teaching English as a Second Language from Massey University, New Zealand. He also holds the National Professional Qualification of Educational Leaders (NPQEL) from MOE and has served as Vice Principal since 2007 for several schools including SMK Bandar Kuching (1) in Sarawak, SMK Sinar Bintang KL, and SMK Menjalara KL.

Throughout his 36-year career in school education, Mr Cheli has always shown great compassion for his students and colleagues and has been a leading innovator; introducing various programmes and initiatives that have had a great impact on Malaysian education. He is the founder of the ‘Reading Bus Club’, an NGO that provides books to marginalised children in rural and urban poor communities. The HELP or ‘Helpful English Language Programmes’ won him the Innovative Teacher of The Year Award in 1994.

Mr Cheli also founded ‘Positive Attitude Builds Character’ (www.pabc.my), an Attitude Management System that empowers students to take ownership of their education - while enabling teachers to teach without being overly burdened by classroom management - and engages parents to monitor their children’s educational growth and to journey with them. In his last year of service in public schools, he initiated and coordinated the ‘Cutting Edge Zones’ (CEZ) which involves the digitalization of classrooms to transform the way teachers teach and the way students learn.

As a reflection of his extraordinary career in education, Mr Cheli has won the ‘Excellent Service Award’ from the Ministry of Education on five occasions (1994, 2003, 2009, 2013 & 2019); an achievement very few public servants in Malaysian history have attained. With that, he brings with him a wealth of experience, knowledge, and skills to his role as Campus Principal of REAL Schools, Cheras Campus.