Nan Hua High School
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Nan Hua High School (NHHS) () 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 ...
government secondary school in
Clementi, Singapore Clementi (, ;) is a planning area and residential town located at the easternmost fringe of the West Region of Singapore. The town borders Bukit Batok to the north, Bukit Timah to the northeast, Queenstown to the east and Jurong East to the ...
, offering the four-year Express course leading to 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 ...
national examination. Founded in 1917, Nan Hua High School is the tenth
Special Assistance Plan The Special Assistance Plan (SAP; ) is a programme in Singapore introduced in 1979 which caters to academically strong students who excel in both their mother tongue as well as English. It is available only in selected primary and secondary school ...
(SAP) school in
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 ...
, and is an autonomous school since 2001. The school is also the West Zone Centre of Excellence for Chinese Language and Culture. Nan Hua High School is not affiliated with Nan Hua Primary School, despite a shared heritage.


History


Nan Hua Girls' School (1917–1955)

Nan Hua High School was founded on 14 June 1917 as Nam Wah Girls' School (), by Xiong Shangfu, an
overseas Chinese Overseas Chinese () refers to people of Chinese birth or ethnicity who reside outside Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. Terminology () or ''Hoan-kheh'' () in Hokkien, refe ...
industrialist and prominent figure in the local
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
community. The school was established with the aim to give girls in Singapore the opportunity of receiving an education which was a privilege few girls had at that time. It was first founded in a makeshift school with two rented shop-houses converted into four classrooms in Coleman Street. From a cohort of fewer than 100 Chinese girls, the student population grew rapidly and in 1921, the school moved to a new building in
Bencoolen Street Bencoolen Street is a street in Central, Singapore that starts at the junction of Rochor Road, Rochor Canal Road and Jalan Besar and ends at the junction of Fort Canning Road, Stamford Road and Orchard Road. The street houses several landmarks i ...
to accommodate its expansion. However, in 1924, the school was forced to close temporarily due to financial difficulties. After a series of public appeals, contributions of funds from the community helped pay off the school's debts, and the school re-opened. By 1928, the Basic Teacher Training Programme had started and the student population continued to grow, leading to space constraints. In 1931, a new school building at Adis Road was ready and it became the "Main School" that ran normal training classes for teachers alongside primary classes. The old building at Bencoolen Street continued to function as a branch school offering primary classes. In 1941, Nan Hwa Girls' School was forced to cease operations as a
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
invasion drew near. The school complex at Adis Road was turned into the headquarters for the
Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
shortly after the surrender of the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
colonial forces. The school re-opened in October 1945 after the return of the Allied forces. The School Management Committee (SMC) set out to raise funds to rebuild the school and enrol students. Due to the overwhelming financial support of many parents, secondary classes were set up and the school's enrolment rose to 700 pupils.


Nan Hwa Girls' High School (1956–1984)

The school's name was changed to Nan Hwa Girls' High School (simplified Chinese: 南华女子中学校; traditional Chinese: 南華女子中學校), in December 1956. During this period, the curriculum underwent much restructuring and the school emerged as one of the premier girls' schools in Singapore. The branch school was separated from the main school to function as a primary school, with its name changed to Nan Hwa Girls' Primary School (current Nan Hua Primary School). The Main School became a secondary school after it terminated the intake of primary pupils in 1964.


Restructuring as a government school (1984–2000)

On 12 December 1982, Nan Hwa Girls' High School moved from Adis Road to Clementi Avenue 1 on the recommendation of 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 ...
(MOE). The school began to admit Secondary One boys and thus became coeducational in 1984. The school was also renamed Nan Hua Secondary School, dropping the word "girls" in its name to reflect the change. On 1 April 1986, the School Management Committee was dissolved and the school administration was handed over to 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 ...
, while the School Advisory Committee was formed to represent the interest of the school. This signified the change of the school from a Chinese medium school to an integrated secondary school utilising English as the medium of instruction. The move also ended the school's long-standing status as an aided school.


Attainment of SAP status (2000–present)

In the new millennium, Nan Hua Secondary School was accorded as the 10th
Special Assistance Plan The Special Assistance Plan (SAP; ) is a programme in Singapore introduced in 1979 which caters to academically strong students who excel in both their mother tongue as well as English. It is available only in selected primary and secondary school ...
school. Under the
Programme for Rebuilding and Improving Existing Schools #REDIRECT Programme for Rebuilding and Improving Existing Schools {{R from other capitalisation ...
(PRIME), the school relocated to a new campus at 41 Clementi Avenue 1 on 20 December 2003. The former premises was occupied by the
NUS High School of Math and Science The NUS High School of Math and Science, also known as NUS High School or NUSH, is a specialised independent high school in Singapore offering a six-year Integrated Programme (IP) leading to the NUS High School Diploma. Its parent university is t ...
. The school subsequently attained the School of Distinction Award and Singapore Quality Class Award in 2005. The new school building was officially opened by Prime Minister
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 ...
on 17 July 2005 when he declared Nan Hua Secondary School achieving its Autonomous Status in 2006. The school's name was changed to Nan Hua High School from 1 January 2006. In 2010, Nan Hua High School received the President's Award for the Environment, the highest environment accolade for organisations and companies in Singapore. In 2017, Nan Hua High celebrated its 100th Anniversary with a series of activities and celebrations throughout the year, culminating in the 100th Anniversary Dinner held on 15 July 2017.


Principals


School identity and culture


School crest

The white colour of the school crest embodies purity in thought, word and deed. The blue signifies essential qualities of good character, namely sincerity and integrity. The three corners of the triangle, a distinct feature for many Chinese schools, represents the moral, intellectual and physical developments of students. The widely opened book featured in the crest symbolises the school's virtue in education.


School song

The school song is made up of two verses, one in English and one in
Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...
. In every rendition of the school song, both verses are sung, with the English verse coming first, followed by the Mandarin verse. The verse in English are written by Miss Ho Lai Lin, and the song was moderated by Chin Wai Fah. Nan Hua High School and Nan Hua Primary School have similar school songs, due to the shared heritage of both schools.


Attire and appearance

The school uniform is a white shirt with two metal buttons at the shoulder, with the
Traditional Chinese A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
characters of the school name on it. Boys wear shirts with two front pockets at the chest fastened with two metal buttons, and it is also known as a studded shirt in the school's official website. Both shirts for boys and girls feature two shoulder flaps on each side, a unique feature of traditional Chinese schools. Traditional Chinese schools award ranks to students according to their achievement and seniority, and these shoulder flaps are used to hold
epaulets Epaulette (; also spelled epaulet) is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed forces and other organizations. Flexible metal epaulettes (usually made from brass) are referred to as ''shoulder scales'' ...
denoting their ranks, much like military uniforms. Traditional Chinese schools have since abolished this system, and the shoulder flaps serve no major purpose. However, it is still retained as it symbolises Nan Hua's roots as a traditional Chinese school. Girls with long hair have to tie their hair into two scorpions or French plaits. A rarity among most Singapore schools, the plaits are a unique part of Nan Hua's culture and is often associated with the school itself.


Campus

Nan Hua High School's current campus lies on of hill land at 41 Clementi Avenue 1. It consists of an admin & aesthetics block, a science block, a canteen & hall block, three classroom blocks, a foyer, an indoor sports hall, a parade square, an eco-garden and a field. The administration & aesthetics block mainly houses the general office, staff room and dedicated rooms and studios for the Performing Arts CCAs. A sky garden, a classroom based on an "open classroom" concept on the 5th floor of the same block was opened by then Minister for Education,
Tharman Shanmugaratnam Tharman Shanmugaratnam (Tamil: தர்மன் சண்முகரத்தினம்; born 25 February 1957) is a Singaporean politician and economist who has been serving as Senior Minister of Singapore since 2019 and has also been Co ...
on 25 April 2007. The sky garden was the culmination of a variety of proposals put forth by students after a challenge issued to them by then Principal Dr Foo Suan Fong to come up with ideas to transform the space into one which could be used not only for casual meetings, but also for lessons and CCAs. The auditorium, named after the school's top donor, the Yeung Ching Foundation, is also located on the same level as the sky garden. File:Nan Hua High School, Singapore - 20060127.jpg, Campus entrance File:Administration and Aesthetics Block, Nan Hua High School, Singapore - 20100812.jpg, Front facade of the Admin & Aesthetics Block File:Nan Hua High School Present Campus (2).jpg, Rear facade of the Admin & Aesthetics Block File:Eco Garden, Nan Hua High School, Singapore - 20101115.jpg, Eco-Garden File:Confucius.jpg, Statue of Confucius at the car porch File:Nan Hua High School Parade Square and Science Block.jpg, Science Block, with the Parade Square in the foreground File:View from Clementi Road.jpg, View of Nan Hua High School from Clementi Road


Academic information


O Level express course

Nan Hua High School offers the four-year Express course which leads up to 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 ...
national examination. To build cross-cultural capabilities in a multi-racial society, Nan Hua also offers promising students the opportunity to study
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 ...
under the Malay Special Programme (MSP).


Academic subjects

The examinable academic subjects for
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 ...
offered by Nan Hua High School for Upper Secondary level (via. streaming in Secondary 2 level), as of 2017, are listed below. ''Notes:'' # ''Subjects indicated with ' * ' are mandatory subjects.'' # ''All students in Singapore are required to undertake a Mother Tongue Language as an examinable subject, as indicated by ' ^ '.'' # ''"SPA" in Pure Science subjects refers to the incorporation of School-based Science Practical Assessment, which 20% of the subject result in the national examination are determined by school-based practical examinations, supervised by the
Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board The Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Education of the Government of Singapore. SEAB was established on 1 April 2004 as a statutory board to develop and conduct national examinations in ...
. The SPA Assessment has been replaced by one Practical Assessment in the 2018 O Levels.'' Science * Additional Mathematics* * Mathematics* * Physics (SPA) * Chemistry (SPA)* * Biology (SPA) Language & Literature * English Language* * Literature in English * Chinese Language* ^ * Higher Chinese Language * Literature in Chinese * Malay (Special Programme) Humanities * Geography * History * Combined Humanities (Social Studies & History Elective/Geography Elective)* Arts & Aesthetics * Higher Art * Design & Technology * Food & Consumer Education


SAP Flagship Programme

The SAP Flagship Programme (a programme offered at
SAP Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separa ...
schools) at Nan Hua High School is revolves around Chinese Culture and Bi-cultural Studies. Being the only SAP high school directly under the government, the programme is fully governed under 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 ...
, as opposed to independent and government-aided schools. The flagship programme comprises two elements and five key components. The elements of classical thoughts and culture is brought forth through appreciation of Chinese Culture as well as
Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
ideals. The programme also covers life-skills such as translation.


Alumni


Nan Hua Alumni Association

Nan Hua Alumni Association was established in 1998, as a platform to reconnect alumni and preserve the school spirit. Nan Hua. The alumni body is made up of two wings, the main wing and the youth wing.


Notable alumni

*
Don Wee Don Wee Boon Hong ( zh, s=黄文鸿, p=Huáng Wénhóng; born 1976) is a Singaporean politician and accountant. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Brickland division o ...
: 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 ...
*
He Ying Ying He Ying Ying or Hor Ying Ying (, born 28 January 1995) is a Singaporean actress. Early life and education He Ying Ying was born into a family made up of her father, businessman, her mother, a preschool educator, and a brother. She was educate ...
: Actress,
Mediacorp Mediacorp Pte. Ltd., doing business as Mediacorp and stylised as mediacorp, is a media conglomerate in Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the holding company of the Government of Singapore—it owns television, radio, and digital media prope ...
*
Hong Junyang Ang Junyang () (born August 17, 1981) is a Singaporean singer and host. He was a contestant on '' Project SuperStar 2005'', organized by MediaCorp, and was runner-up to the eventual winner Kelvin Tan Wei Lian in the final of the male category ...
: Singer and host; Runner-up, Project SuperStar 2005 * Ann Nicole Ng: Radio DJ,
987FM 987 (formerly known as Perfect Ten 98.7FM before 26 June 2005) is a Singapore's first 24-hour English music radio station in Singapore of Mediacorp in Singapore. It plays English hits from Singapore, United Kingdom, United States, and around the ...


External links


School Website

Nan Hua Alumni Association


References

{{Special Assistance Plan Secondary schools in Singapore Autonomous schools in Singapore Educational institutions established in 1917 Clementi 1917 establishments in British Malaya