National Junior College (NJC) is a government
junior college
A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...
located in
Bukit Timah
Bukit Timah, often abbreviated as Bt Timah, is a planning area and residential estate located in the westernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. Bukit Timah lies roughly from the Central Business District, bordering the Central Wa ...
,
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. Established in 1969, it was the first government junior college in Singapore. NJC offers a two-year course for pre-university students and a six-year
Integrated Programme
The Integrated Programme (IP) is a scheme that allows high-performing students in secondary schools in Singapore to skip the GCE Ordinary Level (O-Level) examination (typically taken by students at the end of their fourth or fifth year in secon ...
, both leading 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 Examin ...
examinations.
History
First announced by Prime Minister
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean lawyer and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, and Secretary-General o ...
in May 1965 as a "super secondary boarding school", it was the first specialised co-educational government school established in independent Singapore for top pre-university students.
It was announced in December 1965 by then Minister for Education
Ong Pang Boon
Ong Pang Boon ( zh, c=王邦文, p=Wáng Bāngwén; born 28 March 1929) is a Singaporean retired politician who served as Minister for Home Affairs between 1959 and 1963 and again for a short period of time in 1970, Minister for Education be ...
that a centralised "junior college" system would be established to optimise the use of teachers and laboratory facilities and to create more educational opportunities for
pre-university
According to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), basic education comprises the two stages primary education and secondary education, lower secondary education.
Universal basic education
Basic education featured heavi ...
students. This system replaced the previous pre-university education conducted at various secondary schools across the country. In 1967, construction began on the first institution that operated under this arrangement, which was named National Junior College. On 20 January 1969, an inaugural assembly was held with the pioneer batch of 572 students. The college was officially declared open by Prime Minister
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean lawyer and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, and Secretary-General o ...
on 14 May 1970.
Unlike other pre-university schools of the time, students were given the freedom and flexibility to opt for their subjects under the college's lecture and tutorial system. This resulted in over 40 different subject combinations. Besides General Paper, which was compulsory, other subjects offered to students included Art, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English Literature, Geography, History and Mathematics.
In keeping with its name and philosophy, the College claims no affiliation with any secondary school but instead draws its students from a wide spectrum. In addition, Singapore students learn alongside students from India, China, Hong Kong, Korea as well as
ASEAN
ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...
countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. NJC also plays host to German, PRC, Taiwanese, Vietnamese and Japanese students in exchange programmes.
In January 1985, National Junior College introduced the
Art Elective Programme
The Art Elective Program (AEP) is offered by schools in Singapore that have obtained permission from the Ministry of Education. This programme is also known as Higher Art and can also be offered as a Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Educa ...
, and subsequently rolled out the Humanities Scheme in 1987 with experienced British teachers specially arranged to tutor students in various humanities subjects. In 1992, NJC became the first junior college to offer German as part of its Language Elective Programme.
The college introduced the four-year
Integrated Programme
The Integrated Programme (IP) is a scheme that allows high-performing students in secondary schools in Singapore to skip the GCE Ordinary Level (O-Level) examination (typically taken by students at the end of their fourth or fifth year in secon ...
in 2004, allowing students to take on
secondary education
Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...
in the college and 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 Exam ...
examination. The programme was later expanded to a six-year Integrated Programme in 2009.
Identity and culture
Uniform
The uniform for male students is a shirt with shoulder epaulettes, secured by square silver buttons embossed with the school crest.
The uniform for female students is similar, except that there are no pockets on the blouse and they have a pleated A-line skirt.
Students also wear a pin, depicting the college crest, on the uniform's left collar. The main colour of the school uniform is grey.
College Anthem and Song
There are two official college songs – the College Anthem and a College Song, entitled "The National Dream".
The College Anthem was composed by Mr.
Leong Yoon Pin,
a renowned Singaporean composer whose works include the opera ''Bunga Mawar'' and the concert overture ''Dayong Sampan''.
The College Anthem is written in
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
, one of the four official languages in the Republic of Singapore.
House System
The house system at National Junior College was established in 1999, replacing the previous Department system.
Through this system, students across the different cohorts get to bond together through intra-college house competition and activities.
The six houses of the college and their respective mascots are as follows:
Campus
![Atrium of National Junior College, Singapore - 20100803](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Atrium_of_National_Junior_College%2C_Singapore_-_20100803.jpg)
Work started on National Junior College's campus in September 1967. Located at the junction of Linden Road and Dunearn Road, the campus was completed in less than 15 months, at a cost of
SGD SGD is the ISO 4217 code of the Singapore dollar, the currency of Singapore.
SGD or sgd can also mean:
* Saccharomyces Genome Database, a yeast database
* Sargodha, a Pakistani city
* Secure global desktop, software by Tarantella, subsequently bou ...
$1.6 million.
The original campus featured an audio-visual lab, 10 science laboratories, a library, two lecture theatres, 30 classrooms, nine tutorial rooms, an assembly hall, a canteen, an administrative block with other activity rooms.
National Junior College used this campus until 1997, when it shifted to its present location at Hillcrest Road.
The current campus of National Junior College is located at 37 Hillcrest Road in
Bukit Timah
Bukit Timah, often abbreviated as Bt Timah, is a planning area and residential estate located in the westernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. Bukit Timah lies roughly from the Central Business District, bordering the Central Wa ...
, houses both the Junior High and Senior High sections of the school, as well as a
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...
.
This current campus features five lecture theatres (with two theatres having a seating capacity of 500), three tutorial room blocks and three information technology rooms. The campus also features three Sigma labs, which are equipped with sophisticated scientific instruments and equipment to promote science research in the college.
The college has a dedicated art block as part of the
Art Elective Programme (Singapore)
The Art Elective Program (AEP) is offered by schools in Singapore that have obtained permission from the Ministry of Education. This programme is also known as Higher Art and can also be offered as a Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Educa ...
(AEP).
This Art Centre contains facilities such as a 3-dimensional work-pottery-sculpture studio, a drawing and painting studio, a pottery kiln room, and a photography darkroom to enable students in the AEP to experiment with different art media.
In May 2019, the school collaborated with food technology start-up Life3 Biotech to launch an agriculture-technology facility.
Boarding school
At the 2007
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 ...
Workplan Seminar, it was announced that five schools, including National Junior College, will each start their own boarding programme. Thus, National Junior College's boarding school was constructed to cater to the new programme and it was officially opened on 16 May 2009. Built at a cost of SGD $20 million, this boarding school has 250 rooms housing around 500 students and teachers.
In addition to housing foreign students, who make up half of the boarding school population,
it also houses students who are participating in the college's Enhanced Boarding Programme.
Academic information
National Junior College offers two education routes that lead to the GCE 'A’ Level examinations:
* 6 year Integrated Programme (Grades 7 to 12)
* 2 year JC Programme (Grades 11 to 12)
Students who are admitted to the NJC Integrated Programme (at Junior High 1 and 3 level) will skip the GCE ‘O’ Level and take the GCE ‘A’ Level examinations at the end of their sixth year in NJC.
Students who are admitted to NJC JC Programme (at Senior High 1 level) must have taken their GCE 'O’ Levels examinations or equivalent. They will take the GCE 'A’ Level examinations at the end of their second year in NJC, like all other students taking the JC route towards the exam.
Special Programmes
In National Junior College, various special programmes are also offered in addition to the standard school curriculum. Such programmes aim to develop student interest in academic and non-academic fields beyond their chosen field of academic studies.
Art Elective Programme
National Junior College was the first school to offer the Art Elective Programme (AEP) in 1985 to allow student with a passion in Art to develop their talents.
Under this programme, the college also provides specialised facilities to allow students to experiment with different art media. At the end of this programme, students are expected to sit for Art as a subject at 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 Examin ...
at both the Higher 2 and Higher 3 levels. The college was also one of the six college to pioneer the Humanities Programme scheme in 1987, a scheme by Singapore's Ministry of Education to encourage students to pursue the study of humanities at the pre-university level. In 1992, German was introduced as a subject for the first time in a junior college under the Language Elective Programme.
Music Programme
NJC also offers its own Music Programme, not to be confused with MEP (Music Elective Programme). It started in 2006 and is currently offers a 6-year course which culminates at 'A’ Level, where students can take Music at Higher 2 level. However, the students may wish to drop the subject at the 2 or 4-year mark.
Language Elective Programme
NJC will be offering the Malay and Tamil Language Elective Programmes (LEP) from 2020.
Science Special Programmes
National Junior College also offer special programmes related to science subjects. Some distinct programmes are featured below:
* Science Training and Research (STaR) Programme, a Science research programme. Students get to conduct their research together with the college's local and international science research partners, such as
A*STAR
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore.
The agency supports R&D that is aligned to areas of competitive advantage and national needs for Singapore. ...
and the
Korea Science Academy of KAIST
Korea Science Academy of KAIST (한국과학기술원 부설 한국과학영재학교) is a science magnet school, located in Busan, South Korea. It was founded in 1991 as ''Busan (Pusan) Science High School (BSA)''. In 2001, BSA was designated ...
. Senior High students can also participate in the NUS-A*STAR-NJC Science Research programme, where their work will be assessed by the
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...
and will count as a Higher 3 credit at the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level examinations.
* Advanced Inquiry in Mathematics (AIM) Programme, a math enrichment programme. This programme allows students with an interest and strong ability in mathematics to participate in additional enrichment programmes during their Senior High Year 1.
*Special Programme in Inquiry Research (SPIRE), a research programme compulsory for all Junior High 2 students. Students will embark on a year-long research project in one of the following domains- Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Mathematics, Computing or Humanities. The programme culminates in the submission of a full-length research report and a research fair.
Enhanced Boarding Programme
The National Junior College's boarding programme was launched in 2009 together with the opening of the boarding school. Under this programme, students stay in the boarding school for slightly less than one school term (5~8 weeks).
Students also participate in the various activities planned during their stay.
Such programmes include aesthetics programmes, leadership development programmes and night adventures. Since 2009, all Integrated Programme students from the college have participated in this compulsory programme.
Co-curricular activities
National Junior College provides its students with a wide range of co-curriculum activities. Sports and games include
badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...
,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
,
canoeing
Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...
&
dragonboating, climbing,
floorball
Floorball is a type of floor hockey with five players and a goalkeeper in each team. Men and women play indoors with sticks and a plastic ball with holes. Matches are played in three twenty-minute periods. The sport of bandy also played a role ...
,
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
,
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
,
netball
Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...
, shooting,
softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
,
squash
Squash may refer to:
Sports
* Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets
* Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling
* Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
,
table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...
,
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
,
touch rugby
Touch rugby refers to games derived from rugby football in which players do not tackle each other but instead touch their opponents using their hands on any part of the body, clothing, or the ball.
A formal, competitive variety, known as Tou ...
and
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
/
cross country. There are also
performing arts
The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...
such as
Chinese orchestra
The term Chinese orchestra is most commonly used to refer to the modern Chinese orchestra that is found in China and various overseas Chinese communities. This modern Chinese orchestra first developed out of Jiangnan sizhu ensemble in the 1920s i ...
/
Guzheng
The zheng () or gu zheng (), is a Chinese plucked zither. The modern guzheng commonly has 21, 25, or 26 strings, is long, and is tuned in a major pentatonic scale. It has a large, resonant soundboard made from ''Paulownia'' wood. Other co ...
ensemble,
choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
, guitar ensemble,
string orchestra
A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first ...
,
symphonic band
A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...
and dance groups (Chinese, Malay, Indian, Western). Students can also participate in various clubs and societies such as the Aesthetics Club, AVA & PA Club, Debating & Dramatic Societies (English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil), Greenlink Club, Interact Club and Outdoor Activities Club.
Student Council
The NJC Student Council consists of two wings - a Junior Wing comprising Junior High 2 to 4 students, alongside a Senior Wing comprising Junior High 4 to Senior High 2 students. Both wings of the Student Council work hand-in-hand to implement initiatives, such as the Junior High and Senior High Orientation programme for new students, that are aimed at improving the welfare of the student population. While in office, Student Councillors will be split into various committees that are in charge of the planning and execution of initiatives that fall under their respective roles. Some of these committees include: the Creative and Publicity Unit (CPU) which leverages on different types of media and design to engage the student population; the Feedback Unit (FBU) which specialises in the processing of feedback collected from the student population that will be shared with the rest of the Council as well as the College Management Committee; the Student Welfare Action Team (SWAT) which aims to build a more supportive culture amongst students through the setting up of platforms allowing for students to display appreciation for and encouragement towards one another; and the House Activities Team (HAT) which rallies all NJCians together in an effort to foster a strong school spirit.
All prospective Student Councillors must first undergo a rigorous selection process before taking office; each term in office lasts for a period of 1 year. In particular, the Student Council President and Vice-President are elected to office by the student population and teachers. The Student Council is run by an overall Executive Committee consisting of the incumbent President, Vice-President, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Heads of Standing Committees as well as the six House Captains.
Notable alumni
National Junior College have nurtured many notable alumni in various fields such as politics, civil service, business, academics, as well as entertainment. This include current
Prime Minister of Singapore
The prime minister of Singapore is the head of government of the Republic of Singapore. The president appoints the prime minister, a Member of Parliament (MP) who in their opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of the majority of ...
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong (; born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been serving as Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party since 2004. He has been the Member of Par ...
, opposition politician
Chen Show Mao
Chen Show Mao ( zh, s=陈硕茂, p=Chén Shuòmào; born 6 February 1961) is a Singaporean politician. A graduate of Harvard, Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its popula ...
, and actress and director
Claire Wong.
See also
*
Education in Singapore
Education in Singapore is managed by the Ministry of Education (MOE). It controls the development and administration of state schools receiving taxpayers' funding, but also has an advisory and supervisory role in respect of private schools. Fo ...
External links
*
National Junior College Alumni
References
{{Authority control
Educational institutions established in 1969
Junior colleges in Singapore
Schools offering Integrated Programme in Singapore
Bukit Timah
1969 establishments in Singapore