The Chinese High School
From Free net encyclopedia
| ||
| Name |
The Chinese High School | |
| Abbreviation |
TCHS | |
| School Code |
7103 | |
| Chinese Name | 华侨中学 | |
| Address |
661 Bukit Timah Road Singapore 269735 | |
| Country |
Singapore | |
| Town |
Bukit Timah | |
| Founded |
1919 | |
| Community |
Urban | |
| Type |
Independent Secondary | |
| Religion |
Secular | |
| Students |
Boys | |
| Levels |
Secondary 1–4 | |
| Colours |
Red, Yellow | |
| Motto |
自强不息 | |
| Philosophy |
Win-Win | |
| Newspaper |
Hwa Chong Highlights | |
| Website | ||
| ||
The Chinese High School(Template:Zh-stp), formerly Singapore Nanyang Overseas Chinese Middle School (Template:Zh-tsp) was founded by philanthropist Tan Kah Kee on March 21, 1919 in Singapore. It was the first high school in South-east Asia to cater to different Chinese dialect groups. After Singapore's independence, it has come under the purview of the Ministry of Education and was awarded the SAP (Special Assistance Plan) status in 1979.
It has the unique distinction of being awarded Independent School status in 1988, a scheme that had proven successful and was extended to other top schools in Singapore. This premier school is widely considered as one of the top boys' high school in Singapore, both in terms of academic achievement as well as extra-curricular activities.
It is also widely considered to be one of the top three high schools in Singapore, having consistently been ranked in the top 3 under the official rankings by the Ministry of Education. The other two high schools with this enviable reputation are Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) and Raffles Institution.
The school also has the distinction of being the school in Singapore that initiated the Integrated Programme. It is the current high school division in the newly formed Hwa Chong Institution that was formed under the Integrated Programme. The junior college division of Hwa Chong Institution is Hwa Chong Junior College, which is a sister institution with an equally impressive pedigree.
The philosophy of the school is "Win-Win" in English or 己立立人，己达达人" in Chinese. Its vision is "to be a world-class institution", and also to groom students to be "forerunners in research, industry and government".
Amongst its achievements, the school is famed for its dominance in the Singapore National Interschool Track And Field Championships (it has lost less than 10 times within its 85 year history), and it is also credited with many first-time achievements, such as the formation of the Integrated Programme (see below). It has also one of the largest student councils amongst secondary schools in Singapore, with about 140 councillors belonging to its Students Union.
The school is currently located at 661 Bukit Timah Road. Its large area of 79 acres (320,000 m²) makes it one of the largest high schools of Singapore and South East Asia. Several other institutions sit on its grounds, including Hwa Chong Junior College and Singapore Institute of Management.
Contents |
School history
After the founding of the school, it offered comprehensive secondary-level Chinese education. It remained funded and supported by Tan Kah Kee until just shortly before WW2. During the Battle of Singapore, the school clocktower with its height and vantage point first served as a HQ for the British defenders and then as HQ for the IJA. It also served as a temporary concentration camp.
After the war, with education resumed, the school continued its Chinese-dominated education, and in the 50s and 60s during periods of civil unrest many students, teachers and alumni were often communists or sympathisers.
The arrival of Mr Tooh Fee San, the principal from 1979 to 1999, was a major turning point for the school. He undertook the responsibility of making the school one of the best in the nation. Steps were taken to improve the school's facilities. In 1987 The Chinese High School became an independent school. As an independent school, The Chinese High School introduced many groundbreaking changes that were unprecedented in Singapore, such as the abolition of mid-year examinations in favour of camping trips for the entire school, and the introduction of numerous enrichment programmes.
In the late 1990s, The Chinese High School embarked on a consortium scheme (a "school within a school" concept), in its continuous effort to improve the quality of education provided to its students. It started with the Quest consortium. Currently, it has four consortiums in total: Aphelion, ProEd, Ortus, iSpark.
On 19 March 1999, the school's clock tower was gazetted as a national monument, to mark the significance of the institution as the first Chinese-medium secondary school to be built in Southeast Asia catering to the Overseas Chinese.
The Chinese High School merged with Hwa Chong Junior College on 1 January 2005 to become Hwa Chong Institution to offer a 6-year Integrated Programme from Secondary 1 to JC 2. The program will allow students to skip the GCE 'O' Levels and directly take the GCE 'A' Levels examination at the end of their six years in the school, thus allowing them much more time to embark on various educational endeavours that will greatly benefit them.
Famous alumni include:
- Luo Haocai (罗豪才), chief justice, Supreme People's Court (PRC)
- Zhong Shengbiao (钟盛标), physicist
- The late Ong Teng Cheong (王鼎昌), former President of Singapore
- James Tan, Commissioner, Singapore Civil Defence Force
- Kenny Yap, founder of Qian Hu Corporation
- Artist Tan Swie Hian (陈瑞献)
Famous teachers and staff include:
School Song
The school song is in classical Chinese and would be hard to understand for people without an understanding of classical Chinese.
新加坡南洋华侨中学校歌
海天廖廓 云树苍笼 中有我华中
礼门义路 时雨春风 吾侪托帡幪
(副歌 Chorus)
猗与华中 南方之强 我中华之光
雄立狮岛 式是炎荒 万世其无疆
人生茫茫 学海洋洋 吾侪当自强
朝乾夕惕 日就月将 莫负好时光
(副歌 Chorus)
迨予庶士 笃实辉光 斐然已成章
膂力方刚 经营四方 前途浩且长
(副歌 Chorus)
Another song used by the school is Manjiang Hong, by the famed Chinese patriot Yue Fei. It signifies defeat and this song is rarely used. In the unlikely event that TCHS students are to sing this song, all students know that they must sing this song with gusto.