Raffles Institution

From SgWiki
Revision as of 21:34, 30 May 2012 by Apex-LW'21 (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Raffles Institution (Secondary) (RI (Secondary)) is the all-boys' Secondary section of Raffles Institution. Founded in 1823 as Singapore Institution by Sir Stamford Raffles, it is the oldest school in Singapore. RI (Secondary) was consistently ranked as one of the top secondary schools in Singapore in the now-defunct official school rankings released by the Ministry of Education. The school has received the top award of MOE's Masterplan of Awards, the School Excellence Award.[1] The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group.

Raffles Institution offers the Integrated Programme, which allows students to bypass the Cambridge-Singapore General Certificate of Education 'Ordinary'-Levels (GCE O-Levels) and go straight to the Cambridge-Singapore GCE 'Advanced'-Level (GCE A-Levels). It is known as the Raffles Programme (RP) within the school, and is offered together with Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) and Raffles Institution (Junior College), the 2 other secondary and post-secondary institutions within the Raffles family of schools.[2] It used to offer a school-based Gifted Education Programme (SBGE), but the GEP stream merged with the Special/Express Stream into a single stream in 2007 to form the RP. A new programme, the Raffles Academy, for high-ability students to take on in-depth studies involving extensive research on chosen objects, was also introduced then.

In October 2008 a proposed merger of RI and the then-RJC was announced and approved by the Ministry of Education. Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College have come together to form a single institution with effect from 1 January 2009, under the name Raffles Institution. Their academic curricula and faculty remain separate; the merger involves the schools' administrative and corporate functions. A common Board of Governors for Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College has been set up, with one-third drawn from the Raffles Girls' School (RGS) Board of Governors. RGS had declined to take part in the merger, as it felt its students "thrive best in an all-girls environment, where they would be more adventurous and take up leadership positions without being diffident."[3]

With the merger, the current tradition of calling the respective levels "Secondary 1" or "Secondary 2" has been changed to "Year 1s" to reflect the change the merger brought about, and to align it with the junior college section, which now calls its levels "Year 5" and "Year 6".

The Principal of RI is Mrs Lim Lai Cheng née Tay, the first female principal of both the secondary section and junior college section, who, as the former Principal of RJC, took up the post after the merger between RI and RJC in 2009. The merger makes the combined institution the school with the largest number of students in Singapore, at 4,600 students.[4]

History

Founded by Sir Stamford Raffles in June 1823, Raffles Institution is the oldest school in Singapore. Raffles had secured a grant from the British East India Company, drafted the curriculum and set up the structure for the board of trustees. His goal was to provide education for the sons of the Company's servants and the children of local leaders in the new British colony of Singapore The original campus of Raffles Institution was located along Bras Basah Road, where Raffles City Shopping Centre now stands. The Bras Basah campus's library building is featured on the $2 paper and polymer bill in the Singapore legal tender.[5]

The original plan for the school called for the transfer of the Anglo Chinese College from Malacca to Singapore which was to be united with the proposed Malay College. The resulting Institution was to be called Singapore Institution (the original name given to the school).

Raffles wanted it to consist of 3 departments :a scientific department, a literary and moral department for the Chinese: and another similar for the Siamese Malays and others. Unfortunately, the original proposal was never carried out. Raffles was about to leave Singapore and time for his educational project was short. He was determined to complete his work before his departure, and on 15 April 1823, the first meeting of the appointed trustees took place. It was born on 5 June 1823, when Raffles laid the foundation stone of the Institution, witnessed by the by the whole European and Malay population.

On 27 August 1835, a group of people met in the Court House under the chairmanship of Alexander Guthrie, a prominent merchant. They resolved that the original scheme of Raffles be modified to gain more support among the population. The meeting also decided that no one religion should form the basis of the education provided, drew up salaries to be paid to teachers, and decided to invite the Governor and Resident of the Settlement to serve as patrons of the school to be established. This may have led to a promised monthly grant of $100 from the government. Subscription was also sought. Another factor which made it possible for the Institution building to be restored was the setting-up of a monument fund on the death of Raffles, who had died in 1826. By the end of 1835, the fund stood at $3,000. By the end of 1837, the original building was completed, and ready for use as a school. The Singapore Library was housed in the building for many years.

J.H. Moor became the first headmaster of the school, serving from 1837 to 1843. Under his guidance, the school population jumped fourfold from 50 in 1834 to 200 in 1843. The first of the new wings of the school was completed in 1839. In the same year, the Singapore Free Schools moved into the institution building. Moor had an extremely difficult pioneer task, but his work met the expectations of the trustees. His sudden death in 1843 was a great loss. Rev. J.T. Dickenson succeeded him, serving for four months. He was forced to return to America in September 1843. John Colson Smith took charge of the school for the next eight years. In 1844, the girls' school was opened, and was given part of the premises. This would later become Raffles Girls School. Records from this period were unsatisfactory. No annual reports were issued between the years 1848 and 1854, during which the school administration changed hands. Rev. W.B Wright became headmaster in 1852, after J.C. Smith left. During his leadership, school attendance was satisfactory. By 1856 however, the trustees were not very satisfied either with the school or with the progress of the education. The problem of finance compounded their problems. Wright left the institution in 1857 to assume the position of chaplain of Malacca.

J.B. Bayley took over on 20 March 1857 and remained headmaster until 1870. Under his charge, the Upper School was thoroughly examined and the results of the school were above average. The school's name was changed to Raffles Institution in 1868. Bayley enjoyed a high confidence by the school community and in August 1863 a second European master, George Williams, was engaged from England to help Bayley.

Financial difficulties plagued the school and in 1855, the trustees proposed to sell the school grounds. Fortunately in 1874, the government undertook the task of maintaining the building and in 1875 large renovations were made in the double-storied extension. In the last year of Bayley's term, a system of pupils being trained as teachers was introduced. Under this system, two senior pupils were bound to and trained by the Headmaster for three years. At the end of the pupils' apprenticeship, they qualified to be assistant teachers. Enrolment rose from 130 to 410 during his term and the trustees constantly expressed their satisfaction in him. The period from 1835 to 1870 had been a very difficult time for the Institution. It was through Bayley's efforts that things began to look up for the school. At about this time, the traditional post of headmaster was changed to principal.

R.W. Hullett, the first and longest-serving principal, came from Cambridge University. For 36 years, he made progress in improving the education in Singapore with notable success in revamping irrelevant curriculum subjects such as astronomy and chronology. and introducing the first copy of "Rafflesian" in 1887.

In 1886, C.S. Angus and J. Aitken, both Eurasians from Raffles Institution, emerged as the first two winners of Queens Scholarships. The following year, both the winners again came from the school. The Institution became well known for producing many more Queens Scholars in the Straits Settlements in the years to come. In 1901, the first uniformed group of the school was set up - the cadet corps. In 1903, the government took over the administration of the school after a report stating unsatisfactory management by the trustees and the lack of funds affecting the school. R.W. Hullett retired in October 1906, and left the Straits Settlements for good. He died in 1914 in England and his name lives on through the Hullett Memorial Library and the Hullett scholarships.


In March 1972 the school was relocated to Grange Road. In 1990 it moved again to its current site at Bishan in central Singapore.

RI's alumni body, the Old Rafflesians Association (ORA), is noted for its participation in Singapore's political scene. This includes Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and three former presidents of Singapore.[6]

Lee Kuan Yew wrote about his time at RI in the 1930s in The Singapore Story and this section of the book is available on line.

The history of Raffles Institution is documented in the book The Eagle Breeds a Gryphon, written by a former headmaster, Eugene Wijeysingha. The original edition documents the school's history till 1985, while the latest includes events up to 2003. While the original edition was not titled The Eagle Breeds a Gryphon, the title caught on from the second edition onwards.

Headmasters and Principals

  • J.H. Moor (1837–1843)
  • Rev. J.C. Dickenson (1843)
  • J.C. Smith (1843–1852)
  • Rev. W.B. Wright (1852–1857)
  • J.B. Bayley (1857–1870)
  • R.W. Hullett (1870–1906)
  • C.M. Phillips (1906–1921)
  • D.A. Bishop (1921–1931)
  • G.C. Davies (1931–1932)
  • D.W. McLeod (1932–1940)
  • M.R. Holgate (1940–1945)
  • E.L. Shaw (1945–1948)
  • E.H. Wilson (1948–1951)
  • P.F. Howitt (1951–1954)
  • J. Young (1954–1957)
  • V. Ambiavagar (1958–1959)
  • Soo Ban Hoe (1959)
  • E. W. Jesudason (1963–1966)
  • Philip Liau (1966–1977)
  • A.K. Sigamoney (1978–1985)
  • Eugene Wijeysingha (1986–1994)
  • Tan Tiek Kwee (1994–1998)
  • Wong Siew Hoong (1999–2004)
  • Koh Chin Nguang, Bob (2004–2008)
  • Lim Lai Cheng née Tay (2009–present)

Institution anthem

For more than a century since its founding, Raffles Institution had no school song. The Institution Anthem, Auspicium Melioris Ævi, was written by E.W. Jesudason in 1961, the Headmaster from 1963 to 1966.

Despite references to Prometheus and God in the Institution Anthem, the school is secular. The inclusion of Prometheus is due to the literary allusion to passing the torch, signifying the importance of education while God in this context is a historical legacy of the school's British roots.

The Institution Anthem

When Stamford Raffles held the torch
That cast Promethean flame
We faced the challenge of the day
To give our school a name

The eagle eye and gryphon strength
They led us to the fore
To reign supreme in ev'ry sphere
The sons of Singapore

Come heed the call Rafflesians all
And let our hearts be stirring
We'll do our best whate’er the test
And keep our colours flying

Let comradeship and fervent hope
With one voice make us pray
Auspicium Melioris Aevi
With God to guide the way.

Coat of arms

The school badge is a modified version of the Raffles coat of arms. It replaces the original erminois field with Or, and the purpure of the gryphon crest with gules .

The gryphon on the crest symbolises stability and success. The gryphon's unseen but implicit lower lion half symbolises the school's roots in Singapore. The double-headed eagle on the shield, which in European heraldry signifies universal dominion, comes from Raffles' history as an agent of the British Empire, looking both East and West. The school interprets it as looking back to the past and forward to the future.

The two medallions on the crest represent the award of the Order of the Golden Sword to Sir Stamford Raffles by a Sumatran prince. One bears a message inscribed in Arabic and the other bears a dagger (actually, from the description, a kris), shown horizontally and pointing to the right of the shield (that is, the left of the viewer).

The school motto, "Auspicium Melioris Ævi", is displayed in black on gold at the base of the shield. While the school's official translation is "Hope of a Better Age", this is a mistranslation. Auspicium primarily means an augury or auspice, which is a divinatory omen derived by an augur from watching the flight of birds.[7] It may, in a transferative sense, mean omen, token or sign, but not hope. It is also the motto of the Order of St Michael and St George.

Awards

The school was awarded the School Excellence Award in 2004, the top MOE award under MOE's Masterplan of Awards.[8]

Other awards include:

  • Singapore Quality Class (2004)
  • National Arts Education - Gold Award (2004)
  • PARTNERS Outstanding Award (2004)
  • School Excellence Award (2004–present)
  • Best Practice Awards
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Organisational Effectiveness
    • Staff Well-Being
    • Student Development
  • Sustained Achievement Awards
  • Outstanding Development Award - Character Development

Culture

Uniform

Lower secondary students wear a white short-sleeved shirt, white short trousers and white socks. After the Outward Bound School camp at the start of Year 3, students may continue in short pants or opt for white long trousers.

School ties are worn on Mondays and for functions and ceremonies. Shoes are at least 70% white for all students, with the exception of laces, which must be fully white. Year 3 and 4 prefects must wear formal black shoes, except for Physical Education lessons, where they are required to change into appropriate shoes.

Teachers have a formal gown for special occasions such as the Principal's Assembly and Founder's Day, when the Principal delivers her termly address.

Annual camps & trips

Year 1 Orientation Camp

The new intake of Year 1 students go through an orientation camp, which lasts three days. Year 4 Peer Support Leaders (PSLs) guide them through this camp as well as the rest of the orientation period. At the end of the camp, the Year 1s receive their school badges in the formal Junior Rafflesian Investiture Ceremony (JRIC).

Each batch of students also a batch song, which they will pass down to their Year 1 juniors as Year 4 students. As a result, the Year 4 and Year 1 students of any year share the same batch song. The three batch songs are:

Outward Bound Singapore Camp

At the beginning of every year, all Year 3 students undergo a five-day Outward Bound course in Pulau Ubin. After the camp, these students are recognised as seniors of the secondary section, and may opt to switch to the long-trousers uniform. This practice used to comprise a separate orientation camp for the students, who then attended OBS at a later date.

Malaysian Montage

Year 2 students would undergo a batch bonding -cum- community experience trip to Malaysia's various states. The trip aims to bond the batch as one and to allow students to experience farm life, community service and the world in general. The trip's exact location and activities differ from year to year, at the discretion of the batch's Year Head.

Prefectorial Board

The Raffles Institution Prefectorial Board (RIPB) is split into 5 departments, namely the Welfare, Communications, Human Resource, Discipline and the Gryphon's Committee, with each department serving its own core purpose. Prefects are first nominated by students and seconded by teachers and prefects. The RIPB will then shortlist a number of candidates for interview. A selection camp may also be conducted. Subsequently, potential prefects will be voted in by the school population.

In addition to helping maintain order in the school, the Board organises activities, ranging from interest groups to formal occasions and Rafflesian Spotlight, an intra-school performing arts competition. In 2005 the Board raised S$40,000 to buy a van for use by the handicapped at a Voluntary Welfare Organization, as well as co-organizing a Guinness record-breaking attempt with Dr. William Tan, in aid of the Cancer Foundation.

Class Executive Committee (CEC)

Every class in Raffles Institution has its own Class Executive Committee (CEC). This consists of three students: Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Treasurer. Often, students vote for classmates to take up these positions, but some Form Teachers may choose to select students themselves.

The CEC Council is made up of representatives from the CEC from each level. These representatives are nominated and voted by all the CEC members in their respective level. It works closely with RIPB to organize events. It also organizes inter-class events, such as the inter-class classroom decoration competition and the inter-class soccer tournament.

Houses

The five houses, three of which are named after former headmasters, are Bayley, Buckley, Hullett, Moor and Morrison, represented by the colours yellow, green, black, red and blue respectively.

  • J.H. Moor was the first Headmaster of the school
  • R.W. Hullett was the Raffles Institution's longest-serving principal.
  • J.B. Bayley was a Headmaster who "raised Raffles Institution to a large and flourishing establishment", as recorded by the Board of Trustees[1].
  • Reverend Robert Morrison was the co-founder of Raffles Institution.
  • C.B. Buckley was the Secretary to the Board of Trustees of Raffles Institution.

Year 1 students are sorted into houses by class. The results from interhouse sports and academic competitions are summed up in a yearly points system.

In the early years of RI's history, there were ten houses, including a sixth Philips house (purple), which were later disbanded. House allocations used to be student-based, instead of class-based.

The Rafflesian Principle of Honour

The Principle of Honour states:

"In intellectual pursuit, I shall reflect discipline and passion for learning and in personal conduct, I shall live in integrity and regard individuals, groups and the community with kindness and respect, and in so doing, uphold the Rafflesian Principle of Honour."

Discipline

In Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's book The Singapore Story,[2] he mentions being caned for chronic lateness in the 1930s by the then headmaster, D.W. McLeod.

In 1956 a former RI prefect wrote that, during his time there, "boys were caned on their bottoms for even winking at the girls. We did have very good discipline in our time and the boys became good citizens, lawyers, doctors, etc."[9]

The school still maintains strong discipline with a strict set of rules and regulations.[10] Disciplinary measures are based on a demerit points system. All students are liable to receive corporal punishment in the form of caning when necessary — very occasionally even publicly (i.e. in presence of the other students) in serious cases. See e.g. "Student defames teacher on top school's online forum - Student gets publicly caned", The New Paper, 28 September 2005. All canings are applied across the student's buttocks, typically by Mr Magendiran.

Affiliation

Since 2005, prior to the merger in 2009, the campuses of both the former Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College have been co-housed in Bishan side-by-side and run on an open campus concept, so that students of both sections can access both campuses. They share a main gate at Bishan Street 21. Year 1-4 students use the facilities in the Year 5-6 campus for purposes such as PE lessons, CCAs and major lectures.

RI is affiliated with Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) (RGS), and the two schools undertake joint activities such as concerts and overseas learning journeys.

Co-curricular activities

Raffles Institution has a Co-curricular activity (CCA) programme, with about fifty CCAs, consisting of sports groups, uniformed groups, musical groups, clubs and societies.[11]

CCAs are categorised as either core or merit CCAs. Core CCAs comprise all sports, uniformed groups and musical groups, as well as the Debates group while merit CCAs consist of all other clubs and societies. Every student of the school takes up at least one core CCA. Merit CCAs are optional, but students are encouraged to take up at least one merit CCA to supplement their core CCA. Certain merit CCAs, such as the Infocomm Club, however, may substitute for a core CCA instead.

The school's sports teams and uniformed groups have earned top places in many national inter-school competitions, doing well in NCC, Floorball, Red Cross Youth, Boys' Brigade, and cross-country among others.[12][13]

The performing arts groups have also done well in the Singapore Youth Festival Central Judging, held once every two years,[14] [15]

RI has not offered football for many years, and there has recently been some criticism that the school has not re-introduced it now that more facilities are available.[16]

Scout Groups

Raffles Institution was the first school in Singapore to establish a Scout troop.[17]

The 01 Raffles Scout Group was founded in 1934. It was formerly known as the 32nd Raffles/2101 Raffles Scout Troop. Since its founding, the group has produced senior civil servants, businessmen, and active Scouters who continue to serve the Singapore Scout Association. Its alumni include Lee Kuan Yew, Zainul Abidin, Koo Tsai Kee, Rohan bin Kamis, Khoo Teng Chye and Dennis Foo. The group celebrated its 75th Anniversary with a campfire at Sarimbun Scout Camp in 2009.

The 02 Raffles Scout Group was founded in 1922. Then called the Second Singapore Scout Troop, 02 became the oldest surviving Scout troop of The Singapore Scout Association after the First Singapore Scout Troop disbanded. The current membership stands at 84. The Group's alumni include Goh Chok Tong, Tommy Koh, Professor Lim Pin, and Dr Tan Cheng Bok.

Student Interest Groups

In 2004, Student Interest Groups (SIGs) were introduced by the Prefectorial Board. These were defined as interest groups formed by students themselves. However, SIGs are not considered to be CCAs and do not receive school funding like CCAs do. Also, as with members of Merit CCAs, students are still required to take up at least one core CCA.

Many of the original SIGs no longer exist. Exceptions include the Raffles Institution Student Entrepreneurship (RI$E) SIG, which has been successful in nationwide competitions, the Raffles Institution Fish SIG, as well as the Aviation SIG, which won the 1st National Air Championship in November 2005 and November 2006.

Raffles Debate Academy

Raffles Debaters is the oldest CCA in RI[Citation Needed] and has performed well in the Singapore Secondary Schools Debating Championships, winning the title in 7 out of the past 11 years. In addition, many alumni members have gone on to represent Singapore in the World Schools Debating Championships.

In 2010 Raffles Institution launched the Raffles Debate Academy, which aims to position the school as the premier debate consultant in the region.

School facilities

The Raffles Institution campus consists of six main blocks on 12 hectares of land originally meant for the construction of Bishan Junior College.[Citation Needed] Key facilities in Raffles Institution include:

  • Academic Facilities
    • Wireless campus
    • IT-enabled and air-conditioned classrooms
    • Six computer laboratories
    • ARTSpace (Art and Music Studios)
    • Humanities Hub
    • Library with facilities for research projects
    • Special Resource rooms for research projects
  • Sports/games facilities
    • Rugby union field and softball diamond
    • Astroturf (synthetic non-sand turf)
    • Gymnasium
    • Olympic-sized swimming pool and training pool with spectator stand
    • Badminton, Basketball, Squash and Tennis courts
    • Cricket nets
    • Rock-climbing wall
    • CCA Hub

Administrative Block

The main building is the Administrative Block, unofficially split into Administrative Block One and Administrative Block Two by the Lecture Theaters.

The Administrative Block comprises the Administrative Office, three Staff Rooms, HOD Rooms, Lecture Theatres, circular areas for study as well as one main circular area known as the Main Atrium. It houses the ORA (Old Rafflesians' Association) Office and Heritage Centre.

The Administrative Block is linked to the Senior Block, Science Block, Junior Block, CCA Block (comprising the Hall, Auditorium, Canteen and CCA Hub) and a bus stop. Major upgrading works were completed in early 2007 [3].

Science Hub

The Science Hub, housed in Administrative Block 2 and the Science Block, comprises facilities for scientific research. The Science Block houses facilities for specialized research such as Xploratory-Labs;[4] as well as other facilities for Science lessons and Science Club meetings such as the Chemistry, Physics and Biology labs (which are located on the first, second and third floors respectively). Administrative Block 2 houses the Discovery Labs, a Laser Animation/Technology Studio, the Materials Science Lab and the Raffles Academy Home Room. HOD/Science 1 and 2 offices are also located in the Science Hub.

The completion of the Science Hub in late 2008 was an extension of the major renovation works. It had its official opening as such on 5 October 2008.

Humanities Hub

The Humanities Hub, housed in Administrative Block 2, comprises History, Geography and Literature Rooms as well as two circular theatres on the ground floor, and an open-air experimental area. It was temporarily opened to the public on 23 May 2009, during the school's annual Open House to showcase the Humanities curriculum in the Raffles Programme, as well as the Humanities Club. It was officially in use by Term 3 in 2009.

Lecture Theatres

The Administrative Block houses three Lecture Theatres, an AV Theatrette and a Band Room. The Lecture Theatres and AV Theatrette are used for lessons, mass lectures, co-curricular activities and staff meetings. The Band Room is shared by the school's two Bands, Raffles Institution Military Band (from the Secondary section) and Raffles Symphonic Band (from the Junior College section).

Infocomm facilities

The Administrative Block houses the school's major infocomm facilities, including four Computer Laboratories, a Robotics Lab, an Internet Lab as well as one of the two Macintosh Labs, the other Macintosh Lab being housed in the ArtSpace.

Junior Block

The 4-storey Junior Block was built in 1997. It houses

  • 15 Secondary 1 classrooms (often also used by musical groups for trainings in the afternoon)
  • Eight seminar rooms
  • Two computer laboratories (often used for lessons and Research Education)
  • English Studio used by the school's drama group, Raffles Players
  • Two Chinese language rooms
  • Automation laboratory
  • Classroom for the Regional Studies Programme.

A retractable sun roof covers the block's atrium known as the Junior Block atrium, which is used commonly for meetings and uniformed group trainings.

ArtSpace

Formerly known as the Design Centre, the ArtSpace first floor houses the art galleries, classrooms, jamming studio, music keyboard laboratory, a Macintosh Lab, a drawing studio and a ceramics studio. It also houses the Aesthetics Department staffroom. The gymnasium, comprising training areas for gymnastics, table-tennis and judo, occupies the second floor, while lock-ups for the Uniformed Groups and the Guitar Ensemble are located on third level. The roof of the ArtSpace houses the school's mini-weather station.

There is a small side building now used by the Scouts, with the 01 Raffles Scout Troop taking the lower level and the 02 Raffles Scout Troop the upper level.

The school's Olympic-sized swimming pool is located behind the ArtSpace.

The Design Centre was renamed "ArtSpace" and officially opened as such on 11 April 2008, during annual International Friendship Day celebrations.

S Rajaratnam Block

The newest block is the S. Rajaratnam block, a 7-storey block completed in 2006 beside the Junior Block. Secondary 3 and 4 classes occupy the new block, named in memory of the late Mr S. Rajaratnam. It is connected to RI(JC) and the Junior Block at opposite ends, providing a seamless link between the Secondary and Junior College sections.

The first floor is used by uniformed groups for trainings. Students, from both RI (Secondary) and RI(JC), use tables at the foyer for self-study and meetings, sometimes till late.

The second to sixth floor houses 40 classrooms used by Secondary 3 and 4 classes, as well as a Tamil Room. CCA trainings are often held in these classrooms as well. The seventh floor houses eight classrooms used by RI(JC).

CCA Block

The CCA block houses the canteen, CCA rooms and the Albert Hong Hall (AHH), as well as an auditorium which also serves as a drama theatre and performing arts centre. Two squash courts are below the stage in AHH. There is also a gym on the fourth floor.

Hullett Memorial Library

The Hullett Memorial Library (HML) stands between the Junior Block and ArtSpace. Co-founded by Dr Lim Boon Keng and Sir Song Ong Siang, it was named after Raffles Institution's longest-serving principal, Richmond William Hullett, in 1923. The Library's official founding (even though a library and museum, from which the National Museum originated, had existed for deades prior to 1923) also marked the centenary of the founding of the Institution.[18] The Library traces its roots to the founding of the Institution, making it the oldest library in Singapore. In fact, the origins of Singapore's National Library lie in the HML.[http://infopedia.nlb.gov.sg/articles/SIP_696_2005-01-19.html

The library possesses around 50,000 books in four different languages (excluding the few books on French, German, and other languages), and around 40 computers with wireless internet access. It employs full-time staff for administrative purposes, and other tasks are performed by the members of the Hullett Memorial Library Club as well as parent volunteers. The HML was designed with the era of Sir Stamford Raffles in mind, so the furniture in the library is custom-made in the Regency style of that time.

Sports facilities

Raffles Institution offers sports facilities, including an Olympic-size swimming pool.

The former 400-metre track and field was replaced by a rugby union field and a softball diamond during the school's upgrading works in 2006. The last major event held on the track was a Guinness World Record attempt by Dr William Tan, a wheelchair-using old Rafflesian who embarked on a 24-hour ultramarathon on 30 and 31 July 2005, and beat the old record of 181.2 km with his 242.8 km.

Raffles Institution has a gymnasium on the 2nd level of the ArtSpace housing the judo dojo, table tennis training area, a gymnastics training area and a rock wall. The gymnasium has undergone renovation in 2010, and will be used as a training venue for gymnastics in 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, together with that in the Year 5-6 campus.[19] Behind the ArtSpace is the Hong Leong Swimming Complex, an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The school also has two tennis courts, two basketball courts, and two squash courts, and is one of the few schools in Singapore to have two cricket nets.

There is an artificial turf known as the Astroturf. It previously served as the Parade Square and was a bare concrete surface until the artificial turf was installed around 1995. It was used for school assembly in the morning, and later in the day for hockey training and for individual sports and games, until upgrading works in 2006. Since upgrading works in 2006 were completed, morning assemblies are held at a new area called the Raffles Square, which previously was a carpark. The Astroturf is used by students to play soccer and during school-organized Soccer Leagues. The Astroturf underwent renovation in February 2008 and was reopened on 17 May 2008, during the school's annual Open House.

Following the merger with Raffles Junior College from 2009, more sports facilities are available. Floorball, table tennis, judo and gymnastics are RI sports now benefiting from being able to use the RI(JC) facilities.[20]

Boarding Complex

Raffles Institution has a Boarding Complex consisting of five blocks. These are named after the five Houses; Bayley, Buckley, Hullett, Moor and Morrison. Each block, apart from the new Hullett block, can accommodate 90 pupils. All blocks have their own staff, and the Boarding Complex is overseen by several Boarding Master.

The foundation stone of the Boarding Complex was laid by Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 25 March 1994. The first batch of boarders moved into the Complex in 1995.

During the upgrading works in 2006, the former Moor block was demolished to make way for a 13-storey twin tower hostel, the Hullett block, which was completed in July 2007. The former Hullett block was renamed Moor and, together with Bayley, caters to girls.

Boarders consist of local Raffles Institution pupils and scholars from other countries (mostly China and ASEAN countries), as well as pupils from other secondary schools and junior colleges. The Raffles Leadership Programme's first two cycles, in 2008 and 2009, which first phase was mandatory for CCA leaders, included a semester long (Term 3-4) residential component. The remaining two phases, open to applicants through their CCAs, each had a one term long boarding component. Since its third cycle in 2010, all three phases have been open to all ineterested Year 3 students, and had a one-term long boarding component.

Boarding traditions include formal dinners that are held twice a year, as well as an orientation programme for newcomers. Other programmes include the annual RIB Night.

IT facilities

The school has six general-purpose computer labs, one music studio with ProdiKeys, one Internet Lab for the study of LAN connections, and one X-lab, short for Experimental Lab for research in computer studies. Connectivity is supplied to all buildings by the campus LAN, with additional wireless access covering most areas such as the Administrative Block, the Hullett Memorial Library (HML) and the S. Rajaratnam Block. Tablet PCs are supplied by the IT department to facilitate the use of eLearning in a classroom setting.

Previously, the first week of the second term of the academic year had been dedicated to eLearning. During this week, lessons and materials would be disseminated online for students to study at their own pace, and students were not required to attend school. The programme was initiated in 1999 but scrapped in 2006. Since then, e-learning has been integrated into the school calendar. It is often used by teachers during holidays during term time, for instance on Staff Training Days during term time when students are not required to attend lessons; instead, teachers attend courses held in the campus.

Raffles Academy

The Raffles Academy (RA), implemented in 2007, is a programme for students with higher capabilities in specific subjects, with a curriculum pitched at a deeper level compared with the Raffles Programme. During the academic periods, RA students leave their normal classes to join a special pull-out class. Additionally, compulsory extra classes are held once every three weeks on Thursday afternoons. The subjects available are History, Geography, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Literature and Music, the latter starting in 2010.

At Secondary 2, students can apply for RA through online registration, followed by submission of portfolio of achievements, selection tests and interviews, before they are identified for RA. Minimum requirements for application include a minimum Grade Point Average of 3.60, and an 85th percentile rank in the cohort for the subject in question. At present the RA programme is available only to upper secondary students; however, there is an ongoing review to introduce it to lower secondary students in the near future. Each student is allowed to take a maximum of two RA subjects, to allow students to focus their time and effort on subjects they are truly passionate about.[21]

The Academy is managed by the Dean of Academic Studies and Raffles Academy (Secondary), Mrs Theresa Lai.

The Raffles Academy has also been initiated in the Junior College in 2009 so that there is a continuation of the curriculum, though students who wish to continue taking RA for subjects in RI(JC) will have to sit for a separate placement test at the end of Secondary Four.[22]

Raffles Leadership Programme

The Raffles Leadership Programme (RLP) is an initiative aimed at preparing Rafflesians to take on positions of leadership both in school and in life. Featuring a one- or two-term residential component, it aims to develop independence, self-discipline and a spirit of risk-taking in students by taking them out of their comfort zone and giving them a microcosmic experience of the realities of living in today's globalised world.[23]

It is hoped that living and interacting with international scholars, visiting international students and local boarders will help students become more regionally-savvy and global-minded, so enhancing their preparedness for their future roles in the world.

The RLP will be conducted over the course of 1 year with 3 intakes of students. RLP 1 lasts throughout the full year and is targeted at existing / incoming Sec 3 student leaders. RLP 2 and RLP 3 condenses the key features of the RLP into an enhanced boarding programme lasting one term.

With effect from 2010, applications for RLP were not based on CCA or Prefectorial positions, they were purely application-based and there was no difference from RLP 1, 2 and 3. They were just simply referred to as "boarding terms".

Notable alumni

Politics

Raffles Institution has produced seven out of twelve of Singapore's Presidents, Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers.

Business and economics

  • Robert Kuok, billionaire and richest man in Southeast Asia
  • Lim Boon Keng, philanthropist and co-founder, OCBC Bank and Singapore Chinese Girls School

Others

References

  • Eugene Wijeysingha et al., (1992), One Man's Vision - Raffles Institution in Focus.
  • Eugene Wijeysingha, (1985), The Eagle Breeds a Gryphon. ISBN 981-00-2054-6
  • Raffles Programme. "Raffles Programme - Nurturing the Thinker, Leader and Pioneer", Raffles Family of Schools, 2006, retrieved 7 December 2006.
  • Seet, K. K. (1983). A place for the people (pp. 6–16). Singapore: Times Books International.
  • Wijeysingha, E. (1963). A history of Raffles Institution, 1823-1963. Singapore: University Education Press.
  • Makepeace, W., Brooke, G. E., & Braddell, R. St. J. (Eds.). (1991). One hundred years of Singapore. Singapore: Oxford University Press.
  • Ng, S. C. (1991). She is from the East. Singapore: Raffles Institution.

Notes

  1. ↑ Bayley House page, Raffles Institution.
  2. ↑ "The Singapore Story", Time Asia, Hong Kong, 21 September 1998.
  3. ↑ "Raffles Institution - Hot News", Raffles Institution, 26 November 2005.
  4. ↑ "MSD Singapore", Raffles Institution/ Merck Sharp and Dohme Exploratory Laboratories, 22 April 2000

External links

Retrieved from "https://sgwiki.com/index.php?title=Raffles_Institution&oldid=203417"