Dunman High School (DHS) is a co-educational government autonomous secondary school located in
Kallang
Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore.
Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the n ...
,
Singapore, offering the
Integrated Programme and the
Special Assistance Plan (SAP). It was originally located in West Kallang.
Since adopting the Integrated Programme in 2007, it has produced three
President's Scholar
A President's Scholar is a recipient of the academic scholarship awarded by the Government of Singapore annually, to pursue undergraduate education at a university, usually abroad. The scholarship is considered to be the most prestigious public ...
s. It is also one of the largest government schools in Singapore by physical area.
History
Kallang West Government Chinese Middle School
On 14 October 1956, during the
Chinese middle school riots
The Chinese middle schools riots were a series of riots that broke out in the Chinese Singaporean community in 1956, resulting in 13 people killed and more than 120 injured.
Overview
In 1956, after Lim Yew Hock replaced David Marshall as Chi ...
, the
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
established the predecessor of Dunman High School, Kallang West Government Chinese Middle School, along with other schools like
River Valley High School and
Hua Yi Secondary School. It was renamed Dunman High School after
Thomas Dunman.
In the 1956 riots, Chinese middle-school students who subscribed to the communist ideology staged sit-ins and demonstrations, disrupted classes, and in effect shut their schools down. The function of the newly established Kallang West Government Chinese Middle School was to allow students who had no wish to be embroiled in communism to have a place to study.
The premises of a newly built primary school at Mountbatten Road were loaned, and the initial enrolment included about 100 boys from
The Chinese High School
The Chinese High School () was an independent school in Singapore offering secondary education. The school merged with Hwa Chong Junior College on 1 January 2005 to form the integrated Hwa Chong Institution.
Founded on 21 March 1919, The Chin ...
,
with 10 teachers. In December 1957, the school moved to Dunman Road and was renamed "Dunman Government Chinese Middle School".
Designation of Special Assistance Plan
In 1979, the school was selected to be one of the nine
Special Assistance Plan (SAP) secondary schools. It was renamed "Dunman High School" and began to offer both English and Chinese languages at the first-language level. When the Music Elective Programme (MEP) was introduced by the MOE in 1982, DHS was selected to implement the programme for musically gifted students.
In 1990, the school expanded by taking over the neighbouring former premises of
Dunman Secondary School
Dunman Secondary School (DMN) is a co-educational government autonomous secondary school in Tampines, Singapore. It was founded in 1963.
School history
Dunman Integrated Secondary School (1960s)
Dunman Secondary School was founded in 1963 a ...
at Dunman Road. It then became a single-session school (previously the school was divided into the "morning session" and "afternoon session" so that two classes of students could share a classroom). It was one of six schools to go autonomous in 1994. The school moved to its current location in Tanjong Rhu on 27 May 1995. It was made the 7th
Gifted Education Programme centre in Singapore in 1997.
50th Anniversary
A
time capsule was launched on the opening ceremony of DHS's 50th anniversary celebrations on 31 March 2006. It is meant to be opened in 2031, on the school's 75th anniversary. Items such as the DHS uniform and the 2006 student handbook were placed in it. A letter by the current principal of the school was also included. In addition, a Heritage Run was organised that day.
There were also performances, including a dance by the school's Chinese Society, and a drumming performance by the percussionists from Chinese Orchestra and Symphonic Band. A 50th anniversary song, written by Kelvin Ang Chin Yuan, was played by Clara Ng Yi Wen and sung by the school.
Incorporation of Dunman High Programme
From 2005, the school offered implemented a customised version of the six-year
Integrated Programme called the Dunman High Programme (DHP), which allows all students to bypass the
O-Level examinations and directly take the
A-Level
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...
examinations. To meet the needs of the Integrated Programme, the school moved to a holding school in the former
Raffles Junior College
The Raffles Junior College (RJC) was a junior college in Singapore offering pre-university education. The college was founded in 1982, following a separation from the pre-university section of Raffles Institution (RI). Raffles Junior College ...
campus at Mount Sinai in December 2006 to allow for upgrading of the current site at
Tanjong Rhu
Tanjong Rhu (, ta, தஞ்சோங் ரூ) is a subzone within the planning area of Kallang, Singapore, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). The perimeter of Tanjong Rhu is made up of Nicoll Highway in the north; Moun ...
.
The land area of the expanded campus increased from four hectares to seven hectares, making Dunman High School one of the biggest government-aided schools in Singapore. In December 2008 the classrooms, general office and staff rooms of the Tanjong Rhu campus were completed, and the school moved back to the Tanjong Rhu campus. On 2 January 2009 the school opened to a new year with an opening ceremony named "Homecoming" (回家) to welcome students and staff to the upgraded campus.
On 5 September 2017, Dunman High was featured in an episode of Channel 8's "When The Bell Rings" documentary series. This eight episode documentary series featured eight Special Assistance Plan (SAP) Schools in Singapore, and told stories of their transformation through the times. The episode on Dunman High was the last episode to be aired.
Joint Admissions Exercise
On 21 September 2018, the Ministry of Education announced that the final two remaining schools offering the IP - Dunman High School and
River Valley High School - would be participating in the Joint Admissions Exercise in future. The following year in 2019, Dunman High School took in its first batch of O-level JAE students.
School identity and culture
Dunman High School's Chinese name ''Démíng'' (德明) is a transliteration of "Dunman". The meaning of its name in Chinese is derived from a line in the ''
Book of Rites
The ''Book of Rites'', also known as the ''Liji'', is a collection of texts describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the Zhou dynasty as they were understood in the Warring States and the early Han periods. The ''Boo ...
'' (大学之道,在明明德) which is a statement that has influenced the Emperors of the Han, Tang and Song dynasties in Imperial China. It can be roughly translated as "the Dao (path) to the greatest learning lies in understanding the brightest virtues".
School crest
The school crest of Dunman High School was designed by Chen Jen Hao, its second principal, and
Liu Kang
Liu Kang is a character (arts), fictional player character, character in the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game series by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Depicted as Earthrealm's greatest warrior and champion, he is generally the main hero of ...
, a pioneer in local fine art and former art teacher of the school. The two Chinese characters read, from right to left, "''Dé míng"'', the Chinese name of the school. The characters are written in
seal script.
The red colour symbolises passion and the drive for success. The blue colour signifies peace and dignity, while the circular border represents wholeness and unity, as well as the pursuit of universality, as defined in the
Confucian classic ''
Book of Rites
The ''Book of Rites'', also known as the ''Liji'', is a collection of texts describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the Zhou dynasty as they were understood in the Warring States and the early Han periods. The ''Boo ...
''.
School song
Dunman High School preserved its school song in Mandarin Chinese. The lyrics were originally written as prose by a chemistry teacher of the school in 1953.
Campus
Dunman High School is currently one of the largest government schools in Singapore in terms of physical area.
Academic information
Incorporated within the six-year Dunman High Programme (DHP) are the Junior High (JH) and Senior High (SH) sections, which leads to the
Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (or Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level) is a GCE Advanced Level examination held annually in Singapore and is jointly conducted by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore Exam ...
examination. The school-wide Integrated Programme offered enables students to bypass the
Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level
The Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (or Singapore-Cambridge GCE O-Level) is a GCE Ordinary Level examination held annually in Singapore and is jointly conducted by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore Ex ...
examination that is taken in the Special/Express course. Dunman High Junior High uses a Grade Point Average scoring system, with the following scoring system. As of 2019, the scoring system for Junior High students has been updated to include B+ and C+ grades.
DHS also organises academic competitions and conferences, both for its students and external participants. A variety of academic programmes, hosted by both the school as well as the Ministry of Education, are offered to students with the potential to excel.
Special programmes
Various special programmes are offered in the school, such as the Bicultural Studies Programme (BSP), the Art Special Programme (ASP) and the Music Elective Programme (MEP). These programmes offer a degree of specialisation that is generally not attainable in the standard curriculum, enabling students in the school to explore respective fields to a greater degree. On top of these programmes, Dunman High also offers a wider variety of GCE 'A' Level Examination subjects, including the newly included subject H2 Translation, as well as courses like H2 China Studies in Chinese. Extensive support and guidance is available for students who are interested in furthering their interests with H3 subjects.
Special programmes offered in school are listed below:
* Bicultural Studies Programme (BSP) (C)
* School-Based Gifted Education (SBGE)
* Thinking Research Programme (TRP)
* Malay Special Programme (MSP)
* Music Elective Programme (MEP)
* Art Special Programme (ASP)
* Dunman High Leadership Programme (DHLP)
*
Future Problem Solving Programme (FPSP)
* Young Writers' Programme (YWP)
Co-curricular activities
Dunman High School offers
Co-curricular Activities (CCAs), including competitive sports, uniformed groups, musical groups and clubs and societies. The school's traditional forte has been
Chinese orchestral music. The Uniformed Groups have a strong presence in Dunman High School, with Saint John Ambulance Brigade, Scouts, Girl Guides and National Police Cadet Corps achieving honours.
The
Co-curricular Activities (CCAs) offered by Dunman High School is listed below:
Sports and Games
* Air Weapons Club
* Badminton
* Basketball
* Softball
* Table Tennis
* Track & Field
* Volleyball
* Wushu
* Sailing Club (Senior High)
* Bowling (Senior High)
* Golf (Senior High)
* Netball (Senior High)
* Outdoor Activities Club (Senior High)
* Singapore Youth Flying Club (SYFC) (Senior High)
* Soccer (Senior High)
* Taekwondo (Senior High)
Performing Arts
* Chinese Society
* Beijing Opera
* Dance
* Drama
* Chinese Orchestra
* Guzheng Ensemble
* Choir
* English Drama Society
* Dance
* Drama
* String Ensemble
* Symphonic Band
Uniformed Groups (Junior High)
* Girl Guides
* National Police Cadet Corps
* Scouts
* St John's Brigade
Clubs and Societies
* Art Club
* Chinese Society
* Literary
* Calligraphy
* Community Service Club
* Infocomm Club
* Library Society
* Lion Dance (Scout) (Junior High)
* Mathematics Society
* Mind Sports Club
* Oratorical Society
* Photographic Society
* Robotics Club
* Science Society
* Anime, Comics and Gaming (Senior High)
* Culinary Club (Senior High)
* Environmental Club (Senior High)
* International Strategic Affairs Council (ISAC) (Senior High)
* Publications (Senior High)
* Mass Communications Society (Senior High)
Student Interest Groups (Senior High)
* Beijing Opera
* Japanese Cultural Club
* Malay Society
* Medical Society
* Music Society
* The Crew (AV Support for Events)
* Touch Rugby
* Uniformed Group (UG) Council
Student Council
The student council is the student welfare body that work closely with the school committee to bring forth initiatives and changes for the school. They are also responsible for the daily functions of the school.
Relations with other schools
It is not officially affiliated with any other school. However, it holds an annual sports meet with
Chung Cheng High School (Main)
Chung Cheng High School (Main) is a co-educational government-aided autonomous Special Assistance Plan (SAP) secondary school in Singapore. Founded in 1939, it is one of the eleven SAP schools in Singapore.
History Foundation years (1939–19 ...
,
Ngee Ann Secondary School
Ngee Ann Secondary School (NASS) is a co-educational government-aided autonomous secondary school in Tampines, Singapore. Founded in 1994 by the Ngee Ann Kongsi, a Teochew clan foundation, Ngee Ann Secondary School is a successor to the now def ...
and
Temasek Secondary School
Temasek Secondary School (TMS) is a co-educational government autonomous secondary school in Bedok South, Singapore. Founded in 1980, it offers secondary education leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level or Singapore-Cambridge GCE No ...
called the Four-School Combined Athletics Meet since 1980, in which students aged 13 to 16 from the four schools compete in Track & Field events. The original four schools were Dunman,
Chung Cheng High School (Main)
Chung Cheng High School (Main) is a co-educational government-aided autonomous Special Assistance Plan (SAP) secondary school in Singapore. Founded in 1939, it is one of the eleven SAP schools in Singapore.
History Foundation years (1939–19 ...
,
Chung Cheng High School (Branch)
Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) (CCHY) is a co-educational government-aided secondary school in Yishun, Singapore. It is an affiliated school and a former branch school of Chung Cheng High School (Main).
History
With the start of enrolment o ...
(now
Chung Cheng High School (Yishun)
Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) (CCHY) is a co-educational government-aided secondary school in Yishun, Singapore. It is an affiliated school and a former branch school of Chung Cheng High School (Main).
History
With the start of enrolment of ...
) and
Yuying Secondary School
Yuying Secondary () was founded by the Hainanese Community in 1910 as a Chinese language, Chinese medium high school. Today, it follows the mainstream public education system and offers the Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘O’ and ‘N’ Levels. It ...
.
Notable alumni
*
Sam Goi, Executive Chairman of
Tee Yih Jia23rd Richestin Singapore ($1.7Bn)
Chairman & CEO of Ho Bee Land
34th Richestin Singapore ($1.3Bn)
*
Ng Ser Miang
Ng Ser Miang, (; born 6 April 1949) is a Singaporean entrepreneur, diplomat, and retired sailor. He founded Trans-Island Bus Services (now known as SMRT Buses) in 1982 and is a board member of Singapore Press Holdings. Since 1990, he has been ...
, Vice President of the
International Olympic Committee, Founder of Trans-Island Bus Services
*
Douglas Foo, Founder & Chairman, Sakae Holdings and
Nominated Member of Parliament (2018-2020)
Thomas Chua Chairman & Managing Director, Teckwah Industrial, Past President, SCCI, former
Nominated Member of Parliament.
*
Low Yen Ling
Low Yen Ling ( zh, s=刘燕玲, p=Liú Yànlíng; born 1974) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Mayor of South West District since 2014, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Minister of State for Trade and Ind ...
, Member of Parliament for
Chua Chu Kang GRC
The Chua Chu Kang Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency located in the western area of Singapore. There are four divisions of the GRC: Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Gombak, Keat Hong and Brickland. Military ...
*
Poh Li San
Poh Li San ( zh, s=傅丽珊, p=Fù Lìshān; born 1975) is a Singaporean politician and businesswoman. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Sembawang West division of ...
, Member of Parliament for
Sembawang GRC
The Sembawang Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) located in the northern area of Singapore. The GRC consists: Sembawang Central, Sembawang West, Woodlands, Admiralty and Canberra division ...
*
Josephine Teo
Josephine Teo Li Min (née Yong; zh, s=杨莉明, t=楊莉明, poj=Iôⁿ Lī-bêng, p=Yáng Lìmíng; born 1968) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of the Cyb ...
, Minister for Communications and Information
*
Alex Yam
Alex Yam Ziming ( zh, c=任梓铭, p=Rèn Zǐmíng; born 1981) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Mayor of North West District since 2020. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliam ...
, Member of Parliament for
Marsiling-Yew Tee GRCDr Ong Seh Hong Member of Parliament (2001-2011)
*
Vincy Chan, Hong Kong singer and artiste
*
Curley G
Xilinnayi Gao (; Uyghur: شىرىن اي گائو ''Shirinay Gaw''; born July 31, 1998), professionally known by her stage name Curley G or Curley Gao, is a Chinese singer-songwriter. She first gained attention in 2017 on the Chinese singing co ...
, Chinese singer-songwriter and member of
BonBon Girls 303
BonBon Girls 303 (Chinese: 硬糖少女303 Pinyin: Yìng táng shàonǚ Sān líng sān ) was a Chinese girl group, formed through the 2020 reality show ''Produce Camp 2020'' (Chuang 2020) on Tencent Video. The group consists of seven members: Cu ...
*
Kuo Pao Kun
Kuo Pao Kun (193910 September 2002) () was a playwright, theatre director, and arts activistKwok, Kian-Woon. "Remembering Kuo Pao Kun (1939–2002)." Inter-Asia Cultural Studies 4.2 (2003): 193–201. in Singapore who wrote and directed both Man ...
, playwright, theatre director and arts activist
[Kuo, Pao Kun. Images at the Margins: A Collection of Kuo Pao Kun's Plays. Singapore: Times Books International, 2000.]
See also
*
Education in Singapore
References
External links
School website
{{Authority control
Kallang
Autonomous schools in Singapore
Educational institutions established in 1956
Schools in Central Region, Singapore
Secondary schools in Singapore
Schools offering Integrated Programme in Singapore
Boarding schools in Singapore
Junior colleges in Singapore
1956 establishments in Malaya