United World College of South East Asia

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The United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) is an international school in Singapore. With around 2,900 students, UWCSEA is the largest of the 12 schools which form the international United World College (UWC) movement, founded by the German educationlist Kurt Hahn with the mission of bringing together students from all over the world and developing them as truly global citizens.

UWCSEA is somewhat different from many of its sister colleges in the UWC movement, most of which are wholly boarding institutions which offer only a two-year International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for mainly scholarship students of around 16-18 years of age. Since its founding, UWCSEA has offered full secondary school education. In the late 1990s the school expanded further and now also offers primary education. While the majority of students are children of expatriates in Singapore, there are also many boarders either from neighbouring countries, such as Malaysia, or the children of expatriates living there. A small percentage of the students at the College come on scholarships from a range of nations such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Italy, Mexico, East Timor, Germany and Swaziland. Singapore government policy prevents most citizens from attending international schools within the country, and therefore UWCSEA has the smallest percentage of local students of any UWC.

Being part of the UWC movement, the College prides itself on its international nature with students from over 60 different countries. Moreover, the school takes advantage of this diversity and strives to provide a holistic educational approach. Traditionally, most of staff have been from English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as well as from Singapore itself, but there are now also teachers from countries as varied as South Africa, Japan and Bulgaria.

UWCSEA not only encourages the development of wellrounded students who are committed to social service, but also maintains a strong academic reputation, with very high annual pass rates for GCSE and IB examinations.

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[edit] History of UWCSEA

In 1970, the site on which UWCSEA now stands was occupied by the St John's Army School, run by the British Army, but in the light of British military withdrawal from Singapore in 1971, it was due to be vacated. Lord Mountbatten, then the President of the UWC movement, was keen to set up a United World College in Singapore and the Singapore government was equally keen to have a school for the education of the children of expatriates.

The parties came to an agreement, and in 1971 the Singapore International School was officially opened by the then Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. The school was designated an associate member of the United World College movement. It subsequently became of full member of the movement and was officially renamed the United World College of South East Asia in 1975.

[edit] School activities

UWCSEA operates an extensive network of 'Global Concerns' projects, run by the students and staff to raise environmental awareness and establish small sustainable development projects in rural areas around the Asian region.

United Nations Day is a major event celebrated at the school each year through cultural performances and an elaborate international food fair. This event serves to increase awareness about the varied cultures within the college and brings the school population together. Also, within Singapore, UWCSEA is well known for its annual Arts Festival. Every year the school puts on a wide and culturally-diverse range of drama and dance productions, music concerts, art exhibitions, and other events to celebrate the arts.

Expeditions out of Singapore are a major emphasis of the school. Most students aged 9 and above are involved in overseas expeditions as part of the school's curriculum.

Students at the school are also involved in a wide variety of social service projects, working with many organizations that help the disadvantaged communities in Singapore.

The school has a wide range of sports facilities such as an olympic sized swimming pool and training pool, Astro Turf and grass pitches, tennis courts, two sports halls with basketball/volleyball courts and a gymnasium and fitness centre. It maintains teams in many sports including tennis, netball, rugby, badminton and basketball however there is also the opportunity for students to participate in other sporting activities run by staff such as kickboxing, golf, sailing and canoeing.

Competitively, the school has also acquired a strong reputation on Singapore's inter-school debating circuit in recent years.

UWCSEA also has a strong music department and hence there are various musical ensembles that students can join. The Brass ensemble (brass), the Camerata (strings), the Symphonic band and the Jazz band as well as the orchestra and the different choir groups are all available for participation from all students, however for some auditions are required.

[edit] Alumni

Well-known alumni of UWCSEA include:

[edit] Location

UWCSEA is located at Dover Road, at approximately 1°18′10.88″N, 103°46′38.68″E. It is located near Dover MRT Station, and next to Anglo-Chinese School (Independent).

[edit] External links


United World Colleges

United World College of the Atlantic | United World College of South East Asia | Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific | Waterford-KaMhlaba United World College of Southern Africa | Armand Hammer United World College of the American West | United World College of the Adriatic | Simón Bolívar United World College of Agriculture | Li Po Chun United World College | Red Cross Nordic United World College | Mahindra United World College of India | United World College of Costa Rica

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