Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School

Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School
With Integrity and Compassion
Location
Yishun Singapore
Coordinates	1°26′10″S 103°49′47″E / 1.43611°S 103.82972°E / -1.43611; 103.82972Coordinates: 1°26′10″S 103°49′47″E / 1.43611°S 103.82972°E / -1.43611; 103.82972
Information
Type	Government, co-educational and secondary
Denomination	Secular
Established	1963
Principal	Ms Chew Ing Lim
Vice principal	Dr Chua Puay Huat and Mr Au Yong
Enrolment	~1,200
Colour(s)	Green, red and silver
Website	www.ahmadibrahimsec.moe.edu.sg

Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School (or AI) is a co-educational, secular, public school. Originally named Ahmad Ibrahim Integrated Secondary School, it was in the Sembawang Hills Estate in Upper Thomson. It was then the second integrated school to be built in Singapore. The school begun functioning in 1963, with both Chinese and English streams. Today, the school is in the satellite town of Yishun and is well-known to be traditionally strong in shooting.^[1]

The school is named posthumously after a patriotic Malay statesman, Encik Ahmad Bin Ibrahim, who was the first Minister for Health in independent Singapore. Remembered as a politician in Singapore's history who "garnered the support of all races at a time when communal relations were sensitive and volatile", he also went on to become the Minister for Health and Labour, and the Member of Parliament for the Sembawang ward.^[2]

History

• The school was declared open by Mr Lee Khoon Choy, Parliamentary Secretary, Minister of Education. AI adopted the motto of Tolerance and Cooperation as its aim was to break away from the language barriers that existed in most schools then. Mr Chia Meng An was appointed as the first Principal.
• In 1967 the school was chosen as the first pilot school for Open Education Programme for the blind, whereby the visually challenged pupils were integrated into the main stream. This programme helps to place visually impaired students in mainstream secondary school through providing adequate support and facilities.^[3]
• In 1985 the school moved to a new building in Yishun. It was the first school to function in that area.
• The last batch of Chinese stream students graduated in 1986.
• In 1987, the school received the Guinness Stout Effort award for its Open Education Program, which was given out by Dr Tan Cheng Bock, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Education.
• In 2006, Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School is recognised as a Niche Programme School for shooting due to its strong track record.^[4]
• In 2012, Ahmad Ibrahim celebrated its 50th anniversary, with Dr Tony Tan launching a heritage gallery and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam launching a student centre as part of the celebrations.^[2]

School crest

The torch with its red glowing flame symbolizes the light of integrity and the warmth of compassion. The twirling background design together with the torch is a stylized depiction of the letters "ai", the abbreviated form of the school's name.^[5] The green colour represents the school's value of harmony in a multi-racial, multi-religious school, and the silver colour its perseverance in the pursuit of excellence.

School Song

With different dreams and aspirations
We’ve come to share a vision
Where each of us is special and treasured
With love and patience we are nurtured

Our school our home, our cosy haven
A place to learn life’s lessons
With different races and many faces
In harmony we’ll make a difference

With hearts that care, we journey
From strength to strength we grow
Undaunted by the challenges
We strive towards our goal

Ahmad Ibrahim, my school I hold so dear
Ignited with passion to learn and care
Growing together with all I share

Ahmad Ibrahim, my school I hold so dear
To serve my school and nation
With integrity and compassion

Uniform and discipline

Junior (secondary 1 and 2) boys wear light grey short trousers. Senior boys wear grey long trousers. Girls wear a green skirt. All students wear a white shirt with the school badge, and white socks.^[6]

Conduct marks are given for compliance with the school's expectations, including responsibility and appropriate work habits. Detention and (for male students) corporal punishment are penalties for misbehaviour. For "Category 1" (serious) offences such as truancy, defiance, smoking, vandalism and fighting, at the first offence, boys receive caning plus detention, while girls receive extended detention. The same penalties apply to a repeated "Category 2" offence such as latecoming, chewing gum or use of electronic devices. The less serious offences are punished with detention or Cleaning Work Order.^[6]

Niche in Shooting

The school has produced several outstanding shooters who went on to represent Singapore in major competitions,^[3] and has consistently been ranked highly for the National Inter-school Shooting Championships for its 10 metre air rifle event (as part of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) shooting event) despite its humble background as a neighbourhood school in Yishun.^[7] After being awarded as the Niche Programme School for shooting, the school has since received a boost in funding, and is allowed to admit students based on their potential in shooting via Direct School Admission.^[4]

Notable alumni

• Lin Meijiao: Actress, Mediacorp
• Jasmine Ser: Olympian (Shooting), 2012 Summer Olympics
• Judee Tan: Comedienne and actress, Mediacorp
• An An: Resident choreographer and dancer, O School

References