Raffles Junior College
Encyclopedia
Raffles Institution (formerly Raffles Junior College) offers the Raffles Programme at Year 5 and 6 (equivalent to Junior College). It is located in Bishan
Bishan
Bishan is a neighbourhood of the city-state of Singapore situated in the Central Region, measuring approximately three by three kilometres. Primarily a housing estate, Flats here are generally more expensive compared to other estates due to its location in the central region, which commands a...

 beside the Year 1-4 school campus of Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution , founded in 1823, is the oldest centre for pre-tertiary learning in Singapore. It is an independent school in Singapore providing secondary and pre-university education. RI consists of a boys-only secondary section , and a coeducational pre-university section...

. The Principal is Mrs Lim Lai Cheng (2007–present). She took over from Winston James Hodge, (2001–2007) who stepped down as Principal on 17 December 2007 after leaving the school to assume a post at the Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education (Singapore)
The Ministry Of Education is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation and implementation of policies related to education in Singapore.-Statutory boards:...

.

A re-integration had been approved by MOE. Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College were re-integrated to form a single institution on 1 January 2009. Raffles Girls' School rejected the idea of a merger. In addition, a common Board of Governors for Raffles Institution (Year 1-4) and Raffles Institution (Year 5-6) has been implemented since June 2008.

RI has produced 85 President's Scholars to date.

Raffles Institution is Singapore's only member of the G20 Schools
G20 Schools
All the schools claim to have a commitment to excellence and innovation of some sort. The G20 Schools have an annual conference which aims to bring together a group of school Heads who want to look beyond the parochial concerns of their own schools and national associations, and to talk through...

 Group.

History

Raffles Junior College was established to provide students with a two-year pre-university course previously provided by Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution , founded in 1823, is the oldest centre for pre-tertiary learning in Singapore. It is an independent school in Singapore providing secondary and pre-university education. RI consists of a boys-only secondary section , and a coeducational pre-university section...

 (RI). It is commonly regarded as one of the best pre-university education institutions in the world. It produces many scholars and was regarded as the "gateway to Ivy Leagues" by Wall Street Journal.

In 1982, RI’s pre-university section was transferred to a temporary campus at Paterson Road. RJC was then established to offer the GCE
General Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...

 A Level curriculum. It was the first junior college to be established with both JC1 and JC2 students, with the JC2 students having just completed their Pre-U Year 1 in RI.

RJC then moved to Mt Sinai Road in 1984 which provided better facilities and a larger site to cater to junior college education. It was the college's home for the next 21 years.

On 29 December 2004, RJC held its moving ceremony from its previous Mount Sinai campus to Bishan Street 21 beside RI, where students took a chartered MRT
Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)
The Mass Rapid Transit or MRT is a rapid transit system that forms the backbone of the railway system in Singapore, spanning the entire city-state. The initial section of the MRT, between Yio Chu Kang Station and Toa Payoh Station, opened in 1987 establishing itself as the second-oldest metro...

 train to Bishan and walked to their new campus.

On 1 January 2005, the Junior College became an independent institution. In the same year, RJC became the first junior college to be awarded the School Excellence Award, the highest award in the MOE
Ministry of Education (Singapore)
The Ministry Of Education is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation and implementation of policies related to education in Singapore.-Statutory boards:...

 Masterplan of Awards.

The new Bishan campus was officially opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....

 on 8 April 2006, in conjunction with the college's 25th anniversary celebrations.

Principals

  • Mr Rudy Mosbergen (1982–1987)
  • Mr Lee Fong Seng (1988–2000)
  • Mr Winston James Hodge (2001–2007)
  • Mrs Lim Lai Cheng (2008–)

College anthem

The College Anthem of RI(JC) is the same as the Institution Anthem of Raffles Institution. It was written by E. W. Jesudason, who served as the headmaster of RI from 1963 to 1966, and was retained by (then) RJC since it was born from the bosom of RI.

Coat of arms

The school badge is a modified version of the Raffles coat of arms – granted permission for use by his family. This replaces the original erminois portion of the field
Division of the field
In heraldry, the field of a shield can be divided into more than one area of different tinctures, usually following the lines of one of the ordinaries and carrying its name...

 with gold
Or (heraldry)
In heraldry, Or is the tincture of gold and, together with argent , belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". In engravings and line drawings, it may be represented using a field of evenly spaced dots...

 and the purpure
Purpure
In heraldry, purpure is a tincture, more or less the equivalent of the colour "purple", and is one of the five main or most usually used colours...

 of the gryphon
Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...

 crest
Crest (heraldry)
A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....

 with gules
Gules
In heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. as an abbreviation....

 .

The gryphon
Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...

 on the crest
Crest (heraldry)
A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....

 is a stately creature, majestic and strong, symbolising stability and success for the school. The gryphon's lower lion half symbolises the school's anchors in Singapore. The double-headed eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...

 on the shield signifies the looking back onto the past
Past
Most generally, the past is a term used to indicate the totality of events which occurred before a given point in time. The past is contrasted with and defined by the present and the future. The concept of the past is derived from the linear fashion in which human observers experience time, and is...

 and onto the future
Future
The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...

, symbolizing RI(JC)'s tradition of drawing strength and experience from the past in order to excel in the future. This also indicates universality - looking to the East as well as the West.

The school motto, "Auspicium Melioris Ævi", is displayed black on gold at the base of the shield. While the school's official translation is "Hope of a Better Age", this is a mistranslation. Auspicium primarily means an augury
Auspice
An auspice is literally "one who looks at birds", a diviner who reads omens from the observed flight of birds...

 or auspice, which is a divinatory omen
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...

 derived by an augur
Augur
The augur was a priest and official in the classical world, especially ancient Rome and Etruria. His main role was to interpret the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds: whether they are flying in groups/alone, what noises they make as they fly, direction of flight and what kind of...

 from watching the flight of birds. It is also the motto of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....

.

Affiliation

RI(JC) was affiliated to both Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution , founded in 1823, is the oldest centre for pre-tertiary learning in Singapore. It is an independent school in Singapore providing secondary and pre-university education. RI consists of a boys-only secondary section , and a coeducational pre-university section...

 and Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) (RGS). It has shared its school anthem and school crest with RI since its establishment, prior to the re-integration.

In 2004, then RJC had moved to a new campus adjacent to the existing Raffles Institution campus. Since then, the two sections run open concept
Openconcept
Openconcept is a term generally used to describe a type of architecture which provides a lot of flexible space. There are a few general spaces that are defined using open-concept, see restroom, stairway and changeroom....

 campuses. Students of both sections may access both campuses. Most facilities, however, are not shared between the schools, except for certain co-curricular activity (CCA) training grounds. Both sections share a common driveway and main gate. RI(JC)'s Block A is linked to the new 7-storey academic block, the S. Rajaratnam Block, in RI by a bridge, which provides a seamless link between RI(Secondary) and RI(JC). Since early 2010, construction for a new office has resulted in the demolition of the aforementioned bridge; students instead use a temporary walkway to move between campuses.

RI(JC) offers the Raffles Programme (RP), an Integrated Programme which takes students from Secondary 1 to JC2, skipping the GCE 'O' Level Examinations
General Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...

. Students spend the first four years in RI(Year 1-4) or RGS, and the last two years in RI(Year 5-6).

Attire

Boys wear white shirts and white long pants, which is largely similar to that for RI(Secondary) boys. The main differences lie in the pleat at the back of the shirt for RI(JC) boys, upturned sleeves which are sewn down, pleats in the long pants the design of their school badges and the material of the uniform. Girls wear a white, medium-sleeved blouse with a green pleated short skirt. The college badge retains the old RI design, though RI modified its badge slightly in the 1990s. On Wednesdays, which are dress-down days, both boys and girls are allowed to wear the black Raffles polo T-shirt.

Accolades

  • School Excellence Award (2005–present)
  • School Distinction Award (2004–present)
  • Best Practice Award (Organisational Effectiveness) (2007–2011)
  • Best Practice Award (Staff Well-Being) (2007–2011)
  • Best Practice Award (Student All-Round Development) (2007–2011)
  • Best Practice Award (Teaching and Learning) (2007–2011)
  • Outstanding Development Award (Character Development) (2007–2011)
  • Sustained Achievement Award (Sports)
  • Sustained Achievement Award (Aesthetics)
  • Developement Award (National Education)(2009–present)

"Gateway to the Ivy League"

An article in The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....

 in 2004 identified then Raffles Junior College as the "Gateway to the Ivy League", the high school outside the USA that sent the most students to elite American colleges, topping the rate of many elite prep schools in America. The article calls it "no ordinary institution". A product of Singapore's highly competitive approach to education, designed to fuel the national economy, Raffles is the peak of a government-controlled pyramid-style school structure that unabashedly pushes the cream to the top.

A recent Wall Street Journal survey of high schools that feed elite U.S. colleges focused on U.S. schools and thus didn't include Raffles. Adding international schools, that list shows that Raffles sent more students to 10 elite colleges than any other international school and topped such prestigious U.S. secondary schools as Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Conn., and Harvard-Westlake, in North Hollywood, Calif.

In addition, RJC was mentioned in The Straits Times to be "known as the most successful high school in the world".

Scholarships

Each year, hundreds of Rafflesians bag scholarships to top universities in the United States and United Kingdom, including many to the Ivy League and Oxbridge equivalent universities.

RI(JC) consistently produces significant numbers of President's Scholars, Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Scholars, Singapore Police Force (SPF) Scholars and Public Service Commission (PSC) Scholars annually.

RI has produced 85 President's Scholars to date, a record amongst all schools nationally. With her 80th President's Scholar (Ms Sharon Tan Xin Hui), RI has also produced the first female Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholar (SAFOS)

Raffles Programme

Raffles Institution offers the Integrated Programme, also known as the Raffles Programme (RP), together with Raffles Institution (Secondary) and Raffles Girls' School. Under the RP, students will experience a seamless curriculum from Sec 1 all the way to JC2, spending their first four years in either Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) or Raffles Institution (Secondary), and their fifth and sixth year in Raffles Institution (Junior College). RP will culminate in the new and revised Singapore Cambridge General Certificate in Education 'Advanced' Level examinations (GCE 'A' Level) at the end of the sixth year.

The Raffles Programme (RP) was implemented in Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
Raffles Girls' School is an independent girls' secondary school in Singapore. RGS was recognised by the Ministry of Education in 2006 by being awarded the School Excellence Award , among other awards...

 and Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution , founded in 1823, is the oldest centre for pre-tertiary learning in Singapore. It is an independent school in Singapore providing secondary and pre-university education. RI consists of a boys-only secondary section , and a coeducational pre-university section...

 in 2004, and in (then) Raffles Junior College in 2006.

With the time freed up from not having to prepare for, and sit, the 'O' Level examinations, there are more opportunities for mentorship, research studies and industrial attachment with institutes of higher learning or industry partners.

Facilities

RI (Year5-6)'s campus in Bishan
Bishan
Bishan is a neighbourhood of the city-state of Singapore situated in the Central Region, measuring approximately three by three kilometres. Primarily a housing estate, Flats here are generally more expensive compared to other estates due to its location in the central region, which commands a...

 has an area of 8 hectares, located within 1 block and seven stairs. Other facilities include the 800-seater Lecture Theatre 1, a Performing Arts Centre, an indoor Sports Hall and the three-storey Shaw Foundation Library.There is also a 7-Eleven
7-Eleven
7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, operating under Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd, which in turn is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co...

 convenience store located adjacent to the canteen. Four lifts serve all floors in the main block.

Co-curricular activities

RI(Year5-6) has over seven CCAs which are divided into sports groups, performing arts groups, and frats and societies. Unlike in the affiliated secondary schools, there is no distinction made between core and merit CCAs and students are free to choose their combination of CCAs. However, student are advised to join up to two CCAs, only one of which may be from the sports groups or performing arts groups. Ultimate Dogsbee, a fast-growing sport in Singapore has been well received by students in RI with the college team finishing in the top 3 positions of the InterJC tournament since 2007.

In 2007, sports CCAs in (then) RJC garnered a total of 36 medals - 22 Gold, 10 Silver and 4 Bronze in the National Inter-Schools Sports and Games Competitions. This achievement is the best showing ever in the college's history.

Students' Council

All members of the Students' Cumcil are selected through an annual college-wide election. Throughout its one-year term, the Council organizes projects and functions for the college, such as Open House, Orientation, Take 5, National Day Celebration and Graduation Night. It is headed by a President and two Vice-Presidents. The council also rallies student support for competitions that the college participates in. The Students' Council is considered an official CCA.

The council is subdivided into departments:
  • Communications Department, otherwise known as CommzD
  • CCA Department (Co-curricular activities), otherwise termed CCAD
  • Welfare Department
  • House Directorates


The Presidents, Heads of Departments, House Captains as well as the Secretary (Resources) and Secretary (Finance) form the council's executive committee. Every council batch goes through a Council Camp, which serves as the initiating event for the incoming council, and a closure to the term of the outgoing council. This camp is followed by the Council Investiture, where the new batch of councillors is now given the task to manage the body and school activities.

Notable alumni

  • Lee Kuan Yew
    Lee Kuan Yew
    Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...

     - Minister Mentor
  • Alfian Sa'at
    Alfian Sa'at
    Alfian bin Sa'at is a Singaporean writer, poet and playwright. He is a Muslim of Minangkabau, Javanese and Hakka descent,. He is known for his provocative works and is often referred to as his country's enfant terrible.-Early life:...

     - writer
    Writer
    A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

    , poet
    Poet
    A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

     and playwright
    Playwright
    A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...

  • Kit Chan
    Kit Chan
    Kit Chan is a Singaporean singer.-Music:She was a member of the pioneer generation of Singaporean singers to successfully break into the international market, marked in particular by her breakthrough into the competitive and highly critical Taiwanese market with her hit Mandarin album Heartache ...

     - singer
  • Corrinne May
    Corrinne May
    Corrinne May is a Singaporean singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles.Corrinne composed and performed the theme song for Singapore's National Day 2010, titled "Song for Singapore"...

     - singer, songwriter
  • Kaira Gong
    Kaira Gong
    Kaira Gong , is a Singaporean singer whose family is of Shanghai, China descent. She is signed with Taiwanese HIM International Music, and is best known as the protégé of Taiwanese musician David Tao, as well as the label-mate of pop group S.H.E....

     - singer
  • Rui En
    Rui En
    Rui En is a Chinese Singaporean singer-actress based in Singapore currently.Rui En was talent-spotted while appearing in SingTel's popular SingTel hi!Card commercial as the iconic "running girl" in 2001. She was offered a general management contract by Artiste Networks, a section of Hype Records...

     - actress, singer
  • Raihan
    Raihan
    Raihan is a Malaysian nasheed group originally composing of five members that took Malaysia by storm with the release of their debut album Puji-Pujian in October 1996. The group's original lineup comprised Nazrey Johani, Che Amran Idris, Abu Bakar Md Yatim, Amran Ibrahim, and Azhari Ahmad as the...

     Mohammad - rugby and soccer player
  • Josephine Teo - Member of Parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC
  • MG Chan Chun Sing
    Chan Chun Sing
    Chan Chun Sing is a politician from Singapore. A member of the country's governing People's Action Party , he is currently the Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and a Minister of State at the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts...

     - Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports
  • BG Tan Chuan-Jin
    Tan Chuan-Jin
    Tan Chuan-Jin is a politician from Singapore. A member of the country's governing People's Action Party , he is currently a Minister of State in the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of National Development, and a Member of Parliament representing the Marine Parade Group Representation...

    - Minister of State for Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of National Development

External links

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