Eugene Wijeysingha (1934 – 2 March 2024) was a Singaporean educator and historian. He served as the principal of

Raffles Institution Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both ...

in Singapore from 1986 to 1994.

Early life

Wijeysingha was born in

Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the s ...

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

in 1934 to immigrants from

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. In 1949, he and his family migrated to Singapore, where he began attending the

St. Joseph's Institution St. Joseph's Institution (SJI) is an independent Catholic educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1852 by the De La Salle Brothers, it is the first Catholic school and the third oldest school in the country. SJI has been offering a dual-t ...

. He attended the

University of Malaya The University of Malaya ( ms, Universiti Malaya, UM; abbreviated as UM or informally the Malayan University) is a public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest and highest ranking Malaysian institution of highe ...

after taking a government

bursary A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awa ...

which required him to teach for five years after his graduation.

Career

Wijeysingha became a teacher at

in 1959, and taught at the school for seven years as a history teacher. His students included

Goh Chok Tong Goh Chok Tong (; born 20 May 1941) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1990 and 2004, and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party between 1992 and 2004. He was the Parliament of Singapore, ...

Zainul Abidin ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn ( ar, علي بن الحسين زين العابدين), also known as al-Sajjād (, ) or simply as Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (), , was an Imamate in Shia doctrine, Imam in Shiʻi Islam after his father Husayn ...

and

Abdullah Tarmugi Abdullah bin Tarmugi ( Jawi: عبدالله بن ترموڬي; born 25 August 1944) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore between 2002 and 2011. Early life Born to a Javanese father and a Chines ...

. In 1967, he became the principal of Changkat Changi Secondary School. He served as the Deputy Director for School Organisation from 1973 to 1976, the Assistant Director of Education from 1976 to 1977 and the Deputy Director of Staff and Training from 1976 to 1979. He was awarded the

Public Administration Medal The Pingat Pentadbiran Awam (English: Public Administration Medal) is a Singaporean decoration instituted in 1963 and has three grades: * Emas (Gold) * Perak (Silver) * Gangsa (Bronze) The medal may be awarded to any of the following persons fo ...

(Bronze) in 1974 and the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 1978. From January 1980 to November 1985, he served as the principal of

Temasek Junior College Temasek Junior College (TJC) is a government-run junior college located in Bedok South, Singapore. It offers a six-year Integrated Programme alongside a two-year Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level curriculum. History Temasek Junior Colleg ...

. From 1986 to 1994, Wijeysingha served as the principal of

, during which he played a pivotal role in leading the school to independence and coordinated the school's relocation to the

Bishan Bishan most commonly refers to Bishan, Singapore, a residential town in Singapore's Central Region, and its associated places. Bishan may also refer to: Places Singapore * Bishan, Singapore ** Bishan MRT station, a MRT interchange station along t ...

campus in 1990. He retired from the position in 1994. In 1992, he was awarded the Outstanding Singapore Sinhalese Award. He served as the chairman of the Compulsory Education Board from 2003 to 2007. After retirement, Wijeysingha also published a book on the history of the school, "The Eagle breeds a Gryphon".

Personal life

Wijeysingha married Christine Faith Fernando in December 1960. He was the father of activist former politician

Vincent Wijeysingha Dr. Vincent Wijeysingha (born 2 May 1970) is an academic, civil activist and politician from Singapore. He was a member of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) 2010 to 2013. He served as the party's Treasurer and stood as a parliame ...

, Carmen Fernando and Adele Wijeyasingha. Wijeysingha died on 2 March 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wijeysingha, Eugene 1934 births Singaporean people of Indian descent 2024 deaths Singaporean historians Malaysian emigrants to Singapore Singaporean people of Sri Lankan descent People from Negeri Sembilan Malaysian people of Indian descent Saint Joseph's Institution, Singapore alumni Singaporean Roman Catholics 20th-century historians 20th-century Singaporean writers 20th-century Singaporean educators 20th-century male writers