| Raffles Institution 莱佛士书院 Institusi Raffles |
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Auspicium Melioris Aevi (Latin)
Hope Of A Better Age[nb 1]
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| Address | |
| One Raffles Institution Lane Singapore 575954 Singapore |
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| Information | |
| Type | Independent |
| Founded | 5 June 1823 |
| Founder | Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles |
| School district | South Zone |
| Session | Single session |
| School code | 3009 |
| Chairman | Cham Tao Soon (Prof)[1] |
| Principal | Lim Lai Cheng (Mrs)[2] |
| Deputy Principals | S Magendiran (Mr) (Senior Deputy Headmaster/Student Development & Alumni Relations) Chia Geok Boon (Mrs) (Curriculum & Faculty) Theresa Lai (Mrs) (Educational Development) Tan Nam Seng (Mr) (Planning & Resources) Tan Siok Mui (Mrs) (Staff Development)[2] |
| Teaching staff | 500[3] |
| Gender | Boys (Year 1-4) Mixed(Year 5-6) |
| Enrolment | 4600[3] |
| Houses | Year 1-4: Bayley, Buckley, Hullett, Moor, Morrison Year 5-6: Bayley-Waddle, Buckley-Buckle, Hadley-Hullett, Morrison-Richardson, Moor-Tarbet |
| Colour(s) | Green, white, black |
| Mascot | Griffles |
| Team name | Team Raffles |
| National ranking | 1st (2003)[4] |
| Publication | Eagle Eye |
| Newspaper | Rafflesian Times |
| Yearbook | The Rafflesian |
| Affiliations | Raffles Girls' School |
| Website | www.ri.edu.sg |
Raffles Institution (RI), 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 (known as "Raffles Institution (Year 1-4)"), and a coeducational pre-university section (known as "Raffles Institution (Year 5-6)"). Its current campus is in Bishan.
The school offers the six-year Integrated Programme, which allows students to bypass GCE O-Levels and go straight to the GCE A-Levels. Known as the Raffles Programme, it is offered in collaboration with its sister school, Raffles Girls' School (Secondary).
RI was among the first schools to receive the Ministry of Education's School Excellence Award, which recognises "excellence in both education processes and outcomes".[5] It is a member of various academic partnerships and alliances, such as the G20 Schools and the Global Alliance of Leading-Edge Schools.[6]
RI was awarded the Singapore Quality Award in 2011. It was the third secondary school to win the SQA after Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and Hwa Chong Institution.[7]
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Raffles Institution was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles on 5 June 1823. He had secured a grant from the British East India Company, drafted the curriculum and set up the structure for the board of trustees in order to provide education for the sons of the Company's servants and the children of local leaders in the new British colony of Singapore.[8] The original campus of Raffles Institution was on Bras Basah Road, where Raffles City Shopping Centre now stands. The Bras Basah campus's library building is featured on the $2 paper and polymer bill in the Singapore legal tender.[9]
The school moved in March 1972 to Grange Road. In 1982, due to government pressure, RI had its pre-university section transferred to form Raffles Junior College (RJC). In 1984, it became one of two schools selected by the MOE to pilot the Gifted Education Programme to cater to intellectually gifted students.[10] In 1990, the school became independent and moved to its present campus at Bishan.
In 2004, the Raffles Programme was started and offered to Secondary 1 to 3 students. This programme allows students enter into RJC without having to sit for the GCE O-Levels, giving them more time to engage in enrichment activities. In 2009, RI and RJC were re-integrated together as a single school to facilitate the running of the Raffles Programme.[11]
RI's alumni body, the Old Rafflesians Association (ORA), includes former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, and three former presidents of Singapore: Yusof bin Ishak, Benjamin Henry Sheares, and Wee Kim Wee.[12]
Lee Kuan Yew wrote about his time at RI in the 1930s in The Singapore Story and this section of the book is available on line.[13]
The history of Raffles Institution (1823–2003) is documented in the book The Eagle Breeds a Gryphon, written by a former headmaster, Eugene Wijeysingha. The original edition documents the school's history till 1985, while the latest includes events up to 2003. While the original edition was titled A History of Raffles Institution, its current title caught on from the second edition onwards.
The five houses, three of them named after former headmasters, are Bayley, Buckley, Hullett, Moor and Morrison, represented by the colours yellow, green, black, red and blue respectively.
Year 1 students are sorted into houses by class. The results from interhouse sports and academic competitions are summed up in a yearly points system. In the early years of RI's history, there were ten houses, including a sixth Philips house (purple), later disbanded. House allocations used to be student-based, instead of class-based.
The Raffles Institution Prefectorial Board (RIPB) is split into five departments: Welfare, Communications, Human Resource, Discipline and the Gryphon's Committee. Prefects are first nominated by students and seconded by teachers and prefects. The RIPB will then shortlist a number of candidates for interview. A selection camp may also be conducted. Subsequently, potential prefects will be voted in by the school population. In addition to helping maintain order in the school, the Board organizes activities ranging from interest groups to formal occasions. In 2005 the Board raised S$40,000 to buy a van for use by the handicapped at a voluntary welfare organisation, as well as co-organising a Guinness-record-breaking attempt with Dr. William Tan, in aid of a cancer foundation.
Every class in Raffles Institution has its own Class Executive Committee (CEC). This consists of three students: Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Treasurer. Often, students vote for classmates to take up these positions, but some Form Teachers may choose to select students themselves.
The CEC Council is made up of representatives from the CEC from each level. These representatives are nominated and voted by all the CEC members in their respective level. It works closely with RIPB to organize events. It also organises inter-class events, such as the inter-class classroom decoration competition and the inter-class soccer tournament.
The new intake of Year 1 students go through a 3-day orientation camp, involving understanding the school's culture and knowing the campus grounds, and various activities to facilitate class bonding, leadership development, etc. Year 4 Peer Support Leaders (PSLs) guide them through this camp and the rest of the orientation period. At the end of the camp, the Year 1s receive their school badges in the Junior Rafflesian Investiture Ceremony (JRIC).
Year 2 students undergo a community experience trip to Malaysia, with the aim of bonding the batch and allowing students to experience farm life, community service and the wider world. This trip was originally held during the June break but would be rescheduled to the first week of school from 2012.
At the beginning of the year, all Year 3 students undergo a five-day Outward Bound course in Pulau Ubin. After the camp, these students are recognised as seniors of the secondary section.
The Raffles uniform is all-white, including a white short-sleeved shirt with badge. Lower secondary students wear white short trousers and white socks. After the Outward Bound School camp at the start of Year 3, students may continue in short pants or opt for white long trousers.[15]
School ties are worn on Mondays and for functions and ceremonies. Teachers have a formal gown for special occasions.
In former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's book The Singapore Story,[13] he mentions being caned for chronic lateness in the 1930s by the then headmaster, D.W. McLeod. In 1956, a former RI prefect wrote that, during his time there, "boys were caned on their bottoms for even winking at the girls. We did have very good discipline in our time and the boys became good citizens, lawyers, doctors, etc."[16]
The school still maintains strong discipline with a strict set of rules and regulations. Disciplinary measures are based on the Raffles Online Warning Slip system, which was introduced in 2011 and adapted from the Year 5 - 6 Section. Prior to the present system, student records were maintained based on a demerit point system, with Reformative Work Order and detention sessions for repeat offenders. All students are liable to receive corporal punishment in the form of caning if necessary[15] — occasionally publicly (i.e. in presence of the other students) in serious cases.[17]
Current school rules include prohibitions on eating and possessing sweetened drinks outside the canteen, physical activity in school uniform (as opposed to PE attire), and changing in class.
The discipline framework is administered by the Discipline Master, who helms the School Discipline Committee, in collaboration with the student-led Discipline Board of the RIPB.
The Raffles Academy (RA), implemented in 2007, is a programme for students with higher capabilities in specific subjects. RA offers a curriculum pitched at a deeper level. During the academic periods, RA students leave their normal classes to join a special pull-out class. Furthermore, compulsory extra classes are held. The subjects available are History, Geography, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Literature. RA has also offered Music starting in 2010.
At Secondary 2, students can apply for RA via a submission of portfolio of achievements, selection tests and interviews, before they are identified for RA. Minimum requirements for application include a minimum GPA of 3.60, and an 85th percentile rank in the cohort for the subject in question. Each student is allowed to take a maximum of two RA subjects, to allow students to focus their time and effort on subjects they are truly passionate about.
The Raffles Academy has also been initiated in the Junior College section in 2009 so that there is a continuation of the curriculum. However, students who wish to continue taking RA for subjects in RI(JC) will have to sit for a separate placement test at the end of Secondary Four.
The Raffles Leadership Programme (RLP) is an initiative of the Leadership Development Department, aimed at preparing Rafflesians to take on positions of leadership in school and in life. The RLP is a one-term residential programme.[18] Year 3 and 4 students undergo leadership training and external courses.
The RLP consists of two intakes of Year 3 students. Students in the first intake would undergo the RLP in either Term 2 or Term 3 in the same year, whereas students in the second intake would undergo RLP in Term 1 the following year. Boarding fees are subsidised by the school.
Under the RLP is another initiative called the Student Leader Camp, or SL Camp. This takes place at the end of each school year to prepare the student leaders of the following year. Participants board in the school's boarding complex and take part in several team-bonding and leadership-oriented activities both locally and overseas.
Raffles Institution has a Co-curricular activity (CCA) programme, with about fifty CCAs, consisting of sports groups, uniformed groups, musical groups, clubs and societies.[19]
CCAs are categorised as either core or merit CCAs. Core CCAs comprise all sports, uniformed groups and musical groups, as well as the Debates group while merit CCAs consist of all other clubs and societies. Every student of the school takes up at least one core CCA. Merit CCAs are optional, but students are encouraged to take up at least one merit CCA to supplement their core CCA. Certain merit CCAs, such as the Infocomm Club, however, may substitute for a core CCA instead.
The school's sports teams and uniformed groups have earned top places in many national inter-school competitions, doing well in Red Cross Youth, Rugby, NCC, Floorball, Boys' Brigade, and cross-country among others.[20][21]
The performing arts groups have also done well in the Singapore Youth Festival Central Judging, held once every two years,[22] while the clubs and societies have also won awards.[23]
RI has not offered football for many years, and there has recently been some criticism that the school has not re-introduced it now that more facilities are available.[24] The official reason now given by the school is that boys will often be able to be exposed to soccer outside school, and would not be exposed to anything new in school. The school also said that if such a CCA were to be created, resources such as teacher allocations would have to be diverted away for it.
Raffles Institution was the first school in Singapore to establish a Scout troop.[25]
The 01 Raffles Scout Group was founded in 1934. It was formerly known as the 32nd Raffles/2101 Raffles Scout Troop. Since its founding, the group has produced senior civil servants, businessmen, and active Scouters who continue to serve the Singapore Scout Association. Its alumni include Lee Kuan Yew, Zainul Abidin, Koo Tsai Kee, Rohan bin Kamis, Khoo Teng Chye and Dennis Foo. The group celebrated its 75th Anniversary with a campfire at Sarimbun Scout Camp in 2009.
The 02 Raffles Scout Group was founded in 1922. Then called the Second Singapore Scout Troop, 02 became the oldest surviving Scout troop of The Singapore Scout Association after the First Singapore Scout Troop disbanded. The current membership stands at 84. The Group's alumni include Goh Chok Tong, Tommy Koh, Professor Lim Pin, and Dr Tan Cheng Bok.
Founded in 1886, Raffles Debaters is the oldest debating society in Singapore, and the oldest CCA in RI. The club has performed consistently well in the Singapore Secondary Schools Debating Championships, winning the title in 7 out of the past 13 years. In addition, many alumni members have gone on to represent Singapore in the World Schools Debating Championships, widely regarded as the pinnacle of international debating, and have ranked among the top 10 individual speakers. The club's former members include luminaries like Mr Goh Chok Tong and Professor Tommy Koh.
Apart from its competition achievements, the club is highly involved in serving the local debate community. In 2004, it launched the first-ever primary school debate tournament in Singapore - a competition it continues to convene till this day. It also organizes Debating 101, a workshop for beginner debaters, and a pro bono coaching service, in which its members are deployed to primary schools to coach younger children in debating.[26]
In 2010, RI launched the Raffles Debate Academy, an initiative aimed at making Raffles the premier debate consultant in the region.[27]
The club is governed by a 5-member executive committee and their teacher-in-charge. Every year, the club receives hundreds of applications for membership, and admission is based on a rigorous series of auditions.
In 2004, Student Interest Groups (SIGs) were introduced by the Prefectorial Board. These were defined as interest groups formed by students themselves. However, SIGs are not considered to be CCAs and do not receive school funding like CCAs do. Also, as with members of Merit CCAs, students are still required to take up at least one core CCA. Currently, many of the original SIGs no longer exist. Exceptions include the Raffles Institution Student Entrepreneurship (RI$E) SIG, which has been successful in nationwide competitions.
The Raffles Institution campus consists of six main blocks on 12 hectares of land. Facilities include:
The main building is the Yusof Ishak Block (often called the Admin Block by members of the school), comprising the Y1-4 administrative office, three staff rooms, HOD rooms, lecture theatres and study areas, as well the Main Atrium. It houses the ORA (Old Rafflesians' Association) Office and Heritage Centre.
The Yusof Ishak Block is linked to the Marshall Block, Science Block, Sheares Block, CCA Block (comprising the Hall, Auditorium, Canteen and CCA Hub) and a bus stop. Major upgrading works were completed in early 2007.[28]
The Science Hub, housed in Yusof Ishak Block 2 and the Science Block, comprises facilities for scientific research. The Science Block houses facilities for specialized research such as Xploratory-Labs;[29] as well as other facilities for Science lessons and Science Club meetings such as the Chemistry, Physics and Biology labs (on the first, second and third floors respectively). Yusof Ishak Block 2 houses the Discovery Labs, a Laser Animation/Technology Studio, the Materials Science Lab and the Raffles Academy Home Room. The offices of the Head of Science 1 & 2 are also located in the Science Hub.
The Science Hub was officially opened in October 2008.
The Humanities Hub, housed in Yusof Ishak Block 2, comprises history, geography and literature rooms as well as two circular theatres on the ground floor, and an open-air experimental area. It was officially in use by Term 3 in 2009.
The Yusof Ishak Block houses three lecture theatres, an AV theatrette and a band room. The lecture theatres and AV theatrette are used for lessons, mass lectures, co-curricular activities and staff meetings. The band room is shared by the school's two bands, Raffles Institution Military Band (from the Secondary section) and Raffles Symphonic Band (from the Junior College section).
The Yusof Ishak Block houses the school's major infocomm facilities, including four computer laboratories, a robotics lab, an internet lab and one of the two Macintosh labs, the other Macintosh lab being housed in the ArtSpace.
The 4-storey Sheares Block was built in 1997 and was formerly known as the Junior Block. It houses
A retractable sun roof covers the block's atrium known as the Sheares Block atrium, which is used commonly for meetings and uniformed group trainings. The block originally houses the Secondary 1 classrooms but was changed to Secondary 2 classrooms due to student issues.
Formerly known as the Design Centre, the ArtSpace first floor houses the art galleries, classrooms, jamming studio, music keyboard laboratory, a Macintosh Lab, a drawing studio and a ceramics studio. It also houses the Aesthetics Department staffroom. The gymnasium, comprising training areas for gymnastics, table-tennis and judo, occupies the second floor, while lock-ups for the Uniformed Groups and the Guitar Ensemble are located on third level. The roof of the ArtSpace houses the school's mini-weather station.
There is a small side building now used by the Scouts, with the 01 Raffles Scout Troop taking the lower level and the 02 Raffles Scout Troop the upper level.
The school's Olympic-sized swimming pool is located behind the ArtSpace.
The Design Centre was renamed "ArtSpace" and officially opened on 11 April 2008, during annual International Friendship Day celebrations.
The 7-storey Rajaratnam Block was completed in 2006 beside the Sheares Block. Secondary 3 and 4 classes occupy the new block, named in memory of the late Mr S. Rajaratnam. It is connected to the Year 5-6 Campus and the Sheares Block at opposite ends, providing a seamless link between the Year 1-4 and Year 5-6 sections.
The first floor is used by uniformed groups for training. Students from Year 1-6 use tables at the foyer for self-study and meetings, sometimes till late.
The second to seventh floor houses 40 classrooms used by Year 3 and 4 classes, as well as a Tamil Room. CCA training is often held in these classrooms as well.
The CCA block houses the canteen, CCA rooms and the Albert Hong Hall (AHH), as well as an auditorium which also serves as a drama theatre and performing arts centre. Two squash courts are below the stage in AHH. There is also a gym on the fourth floor.
The Hullett Memorial Library (HML) stands between the Sheares Block and ArtSpace. Co-founded by Dr Lim Boon Keng and Sir Song Ong Siang, it was named after Raffles Institution's longest-serving principal, Richmond William Hullett, in 1923. The Library's official founding (even though a library and museum, from which the National Museum originated, had existed for deades prior to 1923) also marked the centenary of the founding of the Institution.[30] The Library traces its roots to the founding of the Institution, making it the oldest library in Singapore.[31][32] In fact, the origins of Singapore's National Library lie in the HML.[33]
The library possesses around 50,000 books in four different languages, English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil (excluding a few books on French, German, and other languages), and around 40 computers with wireless internet access. It employs full-time staff for administrative purposes, and other tasks are performed by the members of the Hullett Memorial Library Club as well as parent volunteers. The HML was designed with the era of Sir Stamford Raffles in mind, so the furniture in the library is custom-made in the Regency style of that time.
Raffles Institution offers sports facilities, including an Olympic-size swimming pool.
The former 400-metre track and field was replaced by a rugby union field and a softball diamond during the school's upgrading works in 2006. The last major event held on the track was a Guinness World Record attempt by Dr William Tan, a wheelchair-using old Rafflesian who embarked on a 24-hour ultramarathon on 30 and 31 July 2005, and beat the old record of 181.2 km with his 242.8 km.
Raffles Institution has a gymnasium on the 2nd level of the ArtSpace housing the judo dojo, table tennis training area, a gymnastics training area and a rock wall. The gymnasium has undergone renovation in 2010, and was used as a training venue for gymnastics in 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, together with that in the Year 5-6 campus.[34] Behind the ArtSpace is the Hong Leong Swimming Complex, an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The school also has two tennis courts, two basketball courts, and two squash courts, and is one of the few schools in Singapore to have two cricket nets.
There is an artificial turf known as the Astroturf. It previously served as the Parade Square and was a bare concrete surface until the artificial turf was installed around 1995. It was used for school assembly in the morning, and later in the day for hockey training and for individual sports and games, until upgrading works in 2006. Since upgrading works in 2006 were completed, morning assemblies are held at a new area called the Raffles Square, which previously was a carpark. The Astroturf is used by students to play soccer and during school-organized Soccer Leagues. The Astroturf underwent renovation in February 2008 and was reopened on 17 May 2008, during the school's annual Open House.
Following the re-integration with Raffles Junior College from 2009, more sports facilities are available. Floorball, table tennis, judo and gymnastics are RI sports now benefiting from being able to use the Year 5-6 Campus facilities.[35]
Raffles Institution has a Boarding Complex consisting of five blocks. These are named after the five Houses; Bayley, Buckley, Hullett, Moor and Morrison. Each block, apart from the new Hullett block, can accommodate 90 pupils. All blocks have their own staff, and the Boarding Complex is overseen by several Boarding Masters.
The foundation stone of the Boarding Complex was laid by Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 25 March 1994. The first batch of boarders moved into the Complex in 1995.
During the upgrading works in 2006, the former Moor block was demolished to make way for a 13-storey twin tower hostel, the Hullett block, completed in July 2007.[28] The former Hullett block was renamed Moor and, together with Bayley, caters to girls.
Boarders consist of local Raffles Institution pupils and scholars from other countries (mostly China and ASEAN countries), as well as pupils from other secondary schools and junior colleges. The Raffles Leadership Programme's first two cycles, in 2008 and 2009, which first phase was mandatory for CCA leaders, included a semester long (Term 3-4) residential component. The remaining two phases, open to applicants though their CCAs, each had a one term long boarding component. Since its third cycle in 2010, all three phases have been open to all ineterested Year 3 students, and had a one term long boarding component.
Boarding traditions include formal dinners that are held twice a year, as well as an orientation programme for newcomers. Other programmes include the annual RIB Night.
The boarding complex is currently undergoing renovation and is estimated to be completed by the end of 2012. There will also be a new facade that blends in with the contemporary looks of Hullett block with new windows and new exterior coat of paint. The tiles along the common areas like the staircase and corridors will also be changed to new ones. There will also be new lifts installed at every block. The current games rooms in the 4 blocks will be shifted into the current reception lobby and in its place, the Buckley block will have a new minimart cum alfresco cafe, Bayley a new gym cum dance studio (only for RIB boarders), Morrison and Moor will have new offices for ORA/RPA and the Internationalisation Office. All rooms would also be fully air-conditioned too.
The school has six general-purpose computer labs, one music studio with Prodikeys, one Internet Lab for the study of LAN connections, and one X-lab, short for Experimental Lab for research in computer studies. Connectivity is supplied to all buildings by the campus LAN, with additional wireless access covering most areas such as the Administrative Block, the Hullett Memorial Library (HML) and the S. Rajaratnam Block. Tablet PCs are supplied by the IT department to facilitate the use of eLearning in a classroom setting.
Previously, the first week of the second term of the academic year had been dedicated to eLearning. During this week, lessons and materials would be disseminated online for students to study at their own pace, and students were not required to attend school. The programme was initiated in 1999 but scrapped in 2006. Since then, e-learning has been integrated into the school calendar. It is often used by teachers during holidays during term time, for instance on Staff Training Days during term time when students are not required to attend lessons; instead, teachers attend courses held in the campus.
Raffles Institution has produced seven out of twelve of Singapore's Presidents, Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers.
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