Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah today officiated the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Kampong Perak here.

Present were Raja Permaisuri of Perak, Tuanku Zara Salim; Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa; Raja Di-Hilir of Perak, Raja Iskandar Dzulkarnain Sultan Idris; and Raja Puan Muda of Perak Tunku Soraya Sultan Abdul Halim.

Also attending the event were Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and wife Datin Seri Saripah Zulkifli, Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid and Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainudin, who is also Larut Member of Parliament.

Meanwhile Mahdzir, in his speech, said construction work on the school began on Jan 20, 2011 and completed fully on Aug 2, 2013.

"This school, which has 22 classes, was handed over to the Education Ministry on Sept 13, 2013 and started operating on Oct 1 that year," he said, adding that it currently has 537 students, 49 teachers and six support staff.

Mahdzir said cooperation among educators, particularly in schools was very important in efforts to produce individuals excel in academics and personality.

"At present the role and responsibility of educators are increasingly challenging. Educators needed to be fully committed in carrying out their responsibilities to improve the educational excellence of their students," he added.

-- BERNAMA