Tao Nan School (

abbreviation An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...

: TNS;

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

: ), is a

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

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 ...

. One of the six

Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (SHHK) (), or the Singapore Hokkien Association in English, is a cultural and educational foundation. It was established in 1840 to promote education, social welfare and the preservation of the Chinese language and cultu ...

schools, along with Ai Tong School, Chongfu Primary School,

Kong Hwa School Kong Hwa School ( abbreviation: KHS; Chinese: ), is a co-educational and SAP primary school in Singapore. It is one of the six Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan schools, along with Tao Nan School, Ai Tong School, Chongfu Primary School, Nan Chiau ...

, Nan Chiau Primary School and

Nan Chiau High School Nan Chiau High School (NCHS) () is a co-educational government-aided institution in Sengkang, Singapore affiliated to the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan. It offers the four-year Express (Special) course for secondary education. Founded in 1947, t ...

, Tao Nan School is among the 30 most popular primary schools listed by 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 ...

. Tao Nan School is also offering the Gifted Education Programme that started in 1996. In 2007, it also started the Bi-Cultural Chinese Elective Programme (BiCEP) to develop effective bilingualism in its students. Tao Nan celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2006 with a carnival held on November 4. To provide better infrastructure to support the teaching and learning of its students, Tao Nan School underwent the PERI Upgrading from 2014 to 2015 and operated at the holding site in Bedok South Road. With the completion of the Upgrading Exercise, it returned to

Marine Parade Marine Parade is a planning area and residential estate located in the Central Region of Singapore. Straddling the tip of the southeastern coast of Pulau Ujong, Marine Parade serves as a buffer between the Central and East regions of the c ...

in 2016.

School crest

The school crest consists of a leaping

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

and an open book on a blue shield. The lion represents the

Lion City 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, borderi ...

, which is Singapore. Its leaping position symbolises bravery and continuous progress and advancement in the face of difficulties. The open book represents the unquenchable thirst for knowledge. At the base of the crest is the school's motto: "Sincerity and Perseverance". The entire crest signifies the acquisition of abundant knowledge and the training of the strong and healthy body.

History

The Hokkien Clan Association (otherwise known as the Hokkien Huay Kuan) started Tao Nan School on 18 November 1906. It was one of the six modern

Chinese schools A Chinese school () is a school that is established for the purpose of teaching the varieties of Chinese (in particular, Mandarin and Cantonese), though the purpose can vary to teaching different aspects of Chinese culture such as Chinese art, c ...

in Singapore with a curriculum influenced by the educational reforms in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

at the end of the 19th century. The school was initially named Tao Nan Study Hall (道南學堂, ''Taonan hsüeht'ang''). ''Taonan hsüeht'ang'' (道南學堂) can be translated as "spreading our philosophy, our culture and ideas to the South". Classes were first held at the residence of

Tan Kim Ching Tan Kim Ching (; 1829 – February 1892), also known as Tan Kim Cheng, was a Chinese politician and businessman. He was the eldest of the three sons of Tan Tock Seng, the founder and financier of Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He was consul for J ...

on North Bridge Road. With support from the

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...

community, a purpose-built school was constructed. Benefactors include

Tan Boon Liat Tan or TAN may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Black and Tans, a nickname for British special constables during the Irish War of Independence. By extension "Tans" can now also colloquially refer to English or British people in general, es ...

Lee Cheng Yan Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese s ...

Low Kim Pong Low Kim Pong (Simplified Chinese: 刘金榜; Traditional Chinese: 劉金榜) (29 November 1837 - 18 December 1909), was a prominent Chinese trader in Singapore. He was a leader of the Hokkien community in Singapore. Biography Low was born on 29 ...

Tan Kah Kee Tan Kah Kee (; 21 October 1874 – 12 August 1961) was a Chinese businessman, investor, and philanthropist active in Singapore and the Chinese cities of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Xiamen, and Guangzhou. A prominent figure in the overseas Chinese c ...

, and Oei Tiong Ham, ''Majoor der Chinezen'', the sugar magnate from

Semarang Semarang ( jv, ꦏꦸꦛꦯꦼꦩꦫꦁ , Pegon: سماراڠ) is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Dutch colonial era, and is still an important regional center and port today. ...

Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...

, whose donation largely financed the purchase of land on Armenian Street. Although it was originally set up to serve the Hokkien community and the lessons were held in

, it became the first Chinese school to accept speakers of other Chinese dialects. The move to Armenian Street coincided with the 1911 overthrow of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. Tao Nan became the first Chinese school to change the medium of instruction from the Hokkien dialect to

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

. One of the teachers was the philanthropist Lee Kong Chian (1894–1967). Pioneer artist Pan Shou was the headmaster from 1932 to 1940. In 1982, Tao Nan School moved to a new campus in Marine Parade, where it still remains to this date. It was named a SAP (Special Assistance Plan) school in 1990 and a Gifted Education Programme Centre in 1996. In 2014, it moved to a temporary campus in Bedok South, while the Marine Parade campus underwent PERI Upgrading. It moved back into the Marine Parade campus in 2016. With 110 years of history () it is one of Singapore's oldest primary schools.

Culture

Uniform

Boys wear white shirts and light blue shorts. Girls wear white blouses and light blue pinafores. Both uniforms have the school crest emblazoned on the left. While school shoes and socks can be purchased, any white-based shoes or ankle socks are allowed. For days with PE lessons, students wear a white shirt with dark blue shorts to school. This uniform may be worn throughout the day on those days. The previous shirt had the image of the mascot of the house (Dolphin, Killer Whale, Marlin or Shark) that the student belonged to on the back. The new shirt has the words "道南学校 Tao Nan School", along with the school crest on the back. The school initials (TNS) are sewn on the shorts. House T-shirts are the same as the normal shirts, except that they have a picture of the house animal on the back instead of the school initials. Prefects wear a blue Velcro tie, a name tag with their name, and a junior prefect or prefect badge above the school crest. The number of white lines printed on the tie determines the prefect's status: the Head Prefect has three stripes, the Vice-Head Prefect and other members of the Executive Committee have two, and the others have either one or no stripes. The old junior prefect badge has the words 'junior prefect' engraved on them. The prefect badge has the school crest and 'prefect' written in gold on a black background together with the Prefect's name. The frame of the badge is gold. A prefect T-shirt has been introduced. It is white with a blue high collar, with the word prefect on the left side of the T-shirt and on the back. Prefect in Mandarin (学长) is printed in blue on the left sleeve of the T-shirt. The prefects wear this shirt with their PE shorts on events during which they have prefect duties, such as Pesta Sukan or Swimming Carnival.

Sports' Day

Every year, there is a sports day event held by the

. All members, (i.e. Ai Tong School,

, Chongfu Primary School, Nan Chiau Primary School) and Tao Nan itself.

CCAs

Tao Nan has numerous CCAs ranging from uniform groups like Brownies and Scouts to cultural groups like Chinese Dance and Chinese Orchestra. Sports & Games * Wushu *

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 ...

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 ...

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

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 ...

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 ...

Sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...

* Sports & Wellness Clubs & Societies * International

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

Club *

Art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

Club * E2K

Maths Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

Club Advanced

Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

Enrichment Club (AMEC) *

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

Club * Infocomm Club *

Drama * Media Resource

Library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

Comics a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...

Club *

Club * E2K

Club Uniformed Groups *

Scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

* Brownies *

Girls' Brigade The Girls' Brigade is an international, interdenominational Christian youth organisation. It was founded in 1893 in Dublin, Ireland. The modern organization was formed as the result of the amalgamation of three like-minded and similarly structu ...

Boys' Brigade The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an international interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by the Scottish businessman Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. Following its inception ...

Cultural Groups *

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 ...

Chinese Dance Dance in China is a highly varied art form, consisting of many modern and traditional dance genres. The dances cover a wide range, from folk dances to performances in opera and ballet, and may be used in public celebrations, rituals and ceremonies ...

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 ...

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 ...

Notable alumni

Lee Kong Chian Lee Kong Chian (; 18 October 1893 – 2 June 1967), also known by his alias Lee Geok Kun (), was a prominent Chinese businessman and philanthropist based in Malaya and Singapore between the 1930s and the 1960s. He was the founder of the Lee ...

, Founder of Lee Rubber and Lee Foundation, Singapore's largest private charitable foundation *

Yeo Cheow Tong Yeo Cheow Tong (; born 22 June 1947) is a former Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he served in the Cabinet from 1990 to 2006, and was a Member of Parliament (MP) of Hong Kah SMC from 12 December 19 ...

, Cabinet Minister (1990 - 2006), Member of Parliament *

Eleanor Lee Eleanor Lee Kai-xin (born October 12, 1999) is a Singaporean actress, singer and model based in China. She gained popularity after starring in the romance school-based drama series, The Big Boss, where she played as Ye Mu Xi. Early life and e ...

Singaporean Singaporeans, or the Singaporean people, refers to citizens or people who identify with the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual country. Singaporeans of Chinese, Malay, India ...

actress and singer currently based in

References

{{coord, 1.305375, 103.911164, display=title Primary schools in Singapore Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan schools Educational institutions established in 1906 Marine Parade 1906 establishments in British Malaya