Founded in 1987 by the late Dato' Kaya Bakti Ustaz Dahlan Mohd. Zain, MATRI celebrated its two decades of existence in May 2008 with the visit of over 10,000 visitors from all over Malaysia. MATRI is located in Tunjung Village, Beseri, Perlis in Malaysia. Situated nearby a rubber plantation, MATRI is surrounded by greenery, with mountains as a background. This 16.2-hectare-school is accessible by
road 14 kilometres from Kangar, the capital of Perlis. In 2008 there were 817 students in 34 classes. History
The school was founded on 2 August 1987 with eight boys and nine girls, at the earlier stage of Marhalah Khassah (Pre-University). Currently, administered by Al-Fadhil Ustaz Omar Haji Salleh with his committees, the classes are run from 7.30a.m. till 4.00p.m. Entry to MATRI is based on availability and permission from the school’s Administration Body. Facilities
At the earlier stage of MATRI, the facilities in MATRI only consisted of a block that is known as the “surau” (praying area). The ground floor of the main block held the classes, library, school office and administration, teachers’ lounge and rooms as well as the headmaster’s room. The second floor was the rest of the classes and the praying hall. In 1990 a new hostel for boys and girls was built. In 1994, a 3-storey block was added. The second and the third floor of the new building is Form 1 to Form 5 students. The first floor used to be an extra hostel for Form 1 and Form 2 students. A second girls’ hostel was added, and a temporary dinner hall, football field, netball court and table tennis facilities. On 26 March 1996, block A girls’ hostel that was connected to the main block caught fire but the main block survived the fire. New hostels for both boys and girls were built in 1996. Today, MATRI has a new 4-storey academic block, which makes a total of four academic blocks. The site now has a library, two science laboratories, 34 classes, PEKA room, lobby, a huge praying area or musolla (which regarded as mosque in Friday), seven fields, two-storey dining hall, canteen, shops, open squares, workshops, three hostel blocks (which accommodate over 800 students), and multimedia room. The houses
There are five houses in MATRI, each with their Housemaster and house colour and mascot. Scores for each house are gained through competitions. At the end of the year, the best house will be announced and rewarded by the headmaster. The five competitive houses are:
Yarmouk House
Badar House
Uhud House
Qadisiyyah House
Khaibar House