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A New Era for the Raffles Schools
- Come 1 Jan 2009, Raffles Institution (RI) and Raffles Junior College (RJC) will merge to become a single institution. The name of the merged institution will be “Raffles Institution”, with a distinction to be made between Raffles Institution (Junior College) - 莱佛士书院（高中部）and Raffles Institution (Secondary) -
莱佛士书院（初中部）. Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) will retain its distinct identity as a premier girls’ school, while continuing to work closely with the merged institution to enhance quality education for all students in the Raffles schools.
- The merger of RI & RJC and the merged institution’s close partnership with RGS will serve to strengthen the Raffles Programme, the Integrated Programme jointly offered by the three schools, and ensure a seamless progression and holistic development of students throughout the six years. Students will also benefit from participation in a wider range of co-curricular and elective programmes which cater to their diverse interests. The Raffles schools will also focus on strengthening leadership training for students and development of staff.
- The merger will also allow the Raffles family to draw pride and inspiration from a rich and common heritage, thus anchoring students to a bigger community and instilling in them a strong sense of social responsibility. Since early this year, we have been consulting groups of key stakeholders, including staff, students, parents and alumni of the three Raffles schools, to share the rationale and benefits for greater collaboration, and seek their views regarding the merger. Overall, the stakeholder groups were aligned and excited about the vision for the Raffles schools.
- The merged institution will be headed by Mrs Lim Lai Cheng, current Principal of RJC. She will be supported by the existing deputy principals of the two schools (see Annex). Mr Bob Koh, the current Principal of RI will be taking up a senior appointment at MOE HQ. There will be one Board of Governors for the merged institution, with Professor Tan Ser Kiat, current Chairman of the RI Board, as the new chairman. Professor Cham Tao Soon, current chairman of the RJC board, will be the Deputy Chairman. There will be representatives from the RGS Board on the Board for the merged institution. This will ensure strong strategic planning at the board level, with common goals and close collaboration between RI and RGS.
- As is currently the case, the merged institution will continue to admit students in Year 3 through Direct School Admission, as well as in Year 5 for students with ‘O’ level results. The size of intake of students from other schools at these levels will remain and all suitably qualified students will continue to enjoy the same chance in seeking a place in RI at both levels. There will be various orientation programmes, class camps and experiential learning to enhance interaction and bonding, and ensure that these students are well-integrated into the school. Leadership positions as well as opportunities for internships, enrichment and electives will similarly be available to them.
- With the merger, corporate functions such as Information Technology, Human Resource, finance and administrative systems will be integrated. Academic and non-academic programmes for teachers and students will not be disrupted.
- All parents of students at the three Raffles schools will receive a letter informing them of the merger. Feedback from both parents and students is greatly valued and the schools will continue to engage them throughout the integration process.
ANNEX
Deputy Principals
- Mr S Magendiran - Senior Deputy Headmaster, and Deputy Principal, Internationalisation
- Mrs Chia Geok Boon - Deputy Principal, Curriculum and Faculty
- Mrs Tan Siok Mui - Deputy Principal, Academic Programmes
- Mr Tan Nam Seng - Deputy Principal, Planning & Resources
- Mr Leong Yew Wah - Deputy Principal, Educational Development and Alumni
- Mr Kenneth Kwok - Deputy Principal, Student Development
Contact Point:
Raffles Institution
Ms Florence Sim
Head, Corporate Communications & Relations
Tel : 6354 9120
HP : 8161 2381
Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
Mr Nick Moey
Manager, Corporate Communications
Tel : 6838 7817
Raffles Junior College
Mr Daniel Lim
Manager, Corporate Communications
Tel : 6419 9807
HP : 9450 9054
Frequently Asked Questions
Rationale
Q1. How did the merger come about?
A:
The Raffles Programme is an integrated programme spanning six years. Since RJ and RI have been co-located and sharing many resources for the three past years, we felt that it is timely to take this one step further by integrating our resources and expertise, so as to better coordinate our programmes and strengthen the holistic development of the students.
Stakeholders
Q2. Were the key stakeholders e.g. teachers, parents, students, alumni consulted on the merger?
A:
Since early this year, we have been consulting the key stakeholder groups, including staff, students, parents and alumni of the three Raffles schools, via focus group discussions to share the rationale and benefits for greater collaboration, and seek their views regarding the merger.
Programme
Q3. What changes can be expected in the curriculum?
A:
The existing Raffles Programme will be strengthened as a result of better coordination among teachers of the secondary and junior college levels. We will also benefit from the pooling of physical resources as well as teaching expertise and knowledge.
Q4. As the Raffles Programme is a 6-year programme, how will students from non-Raffles schools be integrated into the system?
A:
Students join the Raffles Schools at Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5. There will be various orientation programmes, class camps and experiential learning activities to enhance interaction and bonding. We will ensure that students who join the Raffles schools at various stages will be well-integrated into the school.
School Fees
Q5. Will there be any changes in the fee structure?
A:
There will be no changes to the fee structure as a result of the merger.
General
Q6: Will there be a dilution of the strong overseas branding of Raffles Junior College amongst top overseas universities?
A:
All three Raffles schools are very well-known overseas. With regard to overseas universities, we will be writing to those that have a working relationship with us to inform them of the change in name due to the merger. Our staff handling university admissions will also be sharing the information with all the admission tutors they have been working with when they visit us to conduct university talks, and when we visit them to acquaint ourselves with their admission offices. We will also work with agencies like British Council, US Education Information Centre, Australia Education International Singapore, etc, to disseminate information about the merger. We also produce an annual college information sheet coupled with school profile that accompanies overseas applications. This college information sheet will highlight the change in the name of Raffles Junior College.
College Name & Anthem
Q7: How will the ‘secondary’ and ‘junior college’ suffixes be applied?
A:
The official name of the merged institution is “Raffles Institution”. The ‘secondary’ and ‘junior college’ suffixes will be used for operational purposes only, where necessary.
Q8: Will there be a change in the college anthem?
A:
The college anthem will remain unchanged.
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