National Junior College

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National Junior College 国家初级学院 Maktab Rendah Kebangsaan
Service with Honour
Location
Bukit Timah,
Coordinates	1°19′49″N 103°48′15″E / 1.330278°N 103.804167°E / 1.330278; 103.804167Coordinates: 1°19′49″N 103°48′15″E / 1.330278°N 103.804167°E / 1.330278; 103.804167
Information
Type	Government
Session	Single session
Established	1969
Principal	Mrs Virginia Cheng
Enrolment	Approx. 1500
Colour(s)	Red, white, grey
Mission	College of the Nation: Home of Scholars and Leaders who Serve with Honour
Website	njc.edu.sg

National Junior College (Simplified Chinese: 国家初级学院) is the first junior college established by the Ministry Of Education, located in Bukit Timah, Singapore. It is one of the traditional top five junior colleges and is widely regarded as a top education institution in Singapore. NJC offers a two-year course for pre-university students leading up to the GCE 'A' Levels. In 2004, the college started the four-year Integrated Programme, which was later extended to a six-year programme in 2009.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Milestones 1.2 Principals 2 Achievements 2.1 Major school achievements 2.2 Singapore Youth Festival achievements 3 Motto 4 Uniform 5 College anthem and song 6 Education and special programmes 6.1 Admission 6.2 House System 6.3 Student Council 6.4 Special Programmes 6.5 Co-curricular activities 7 Notable alumni 7.1 Politics 7.2 Civil and legal 7.3 Academic, business and corporate 7.4 Cultural and creative 8 External links

[edit] History

Established in 1969, the College was created with the aim of centralising the two-year pre-university course with maximum utilization of specialist personnel and resources.

In keeping with its name and philosophy, the College claims no affiliation with any secondary school but instead draws its students from a wide spectrum. Thus, each year, about 80 Singapore secondary schools will have representatives amongst the College's student population. In addition, Singapore students learn alongside students from India, China, Hong Kong, Korea as well as ASEAN countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. NJC also plays host to German, PRC, Taiwanese, Vietnamese and Japanese students in exchange programmes.

[edit] Milestones

1968: Application to the college was open.

1969: 574 students made up the pioneer batch in 1969.

1970: The campus at Linden Drive was declared open by then-Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

1971: The college pioneered the integration of the four educational streams at post-secondary school level.

1971: For the only time in history, seven Presidents' Scholars were selected from the college.

1975: The inaugural pre-university seminar, themed Singapore and the World Economic Crisis was organised by NJC.

1979: The NJC Alumni was established.

1980: The NJC Alumni Bursary Fund was set up for needy NJCians.

1982: Taiwan Immersion Programme was launched, with the college as one of the five participating schools.

1984: 30 students and six teachers embarked on a 20 day trekking trip to the Himalayas.

1985: The Art Elective Programme was introduced..

1987: The Humanities Programme was introduced.

1987: Former NJCian Victor Chua scored a historic first three S-paper distinctions in the GCE 'A' Levels.

1992: The Language Elective Programme (German) was introduced.

1997: NJC moved from its former campus at Linden Drive to the present campus at Hillcrest Road.

1998: The House System, comprising of 'Aerius', 'Aqua', 'Ignis', 'Lignum', 'Solaris' and 'Terra' was introduced.

1998: First Community Service Day held.

2002: The college is accorded the inaugural Lee Kuan Yew National Education Award.

2003: The Knowledge Management System was set up.

2003: 'Funtasia', the first fun-fair held by NJC raised about $190,000 for the college building fund.

2004: The four-year Integrated Programme was established.

2005: NJC was accorded the School Distinction Award.

2008: NJC was accorded the School Excellence Award.

2009: The Boarding School was officially opened. The Integrated Programme was extended to a six-year programme with enhanced boarding.

[edit] Principals

• Mr Lim Wee Woon - 1969 to 1975
• Mr Chow Kye Lock - 1975 to 1976
• Mrs Yeo Lai Cheng - 1976 to ?
• Mr Wee Heng Tin - 1980 to 1981
• Mr Lim Bok Hai - 1981 to 1989
• Mrs Goh Chi Lan - 1989 to 1995
• Mrs Maureen Ng Boey Lin - 1995 to 2001
• Mrs Virginia Cheng - 2002 to present.

[edit] Achievements

NJC's academic performance has ensured that it is consistently ranked behind Raffles and Hwa Chong by the Singapore Ministry of Education (based on percentage of three and four 'A's according to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE 'A' Levels results). NJC has achievements in areas such as co-curricular activities for which it has been awarded the MOE Sustained Achievement Award in Aesthetics, Sports and Physical Fitness. It has been awarded the Lee Kuan Yew National Education Award twice for its outstanding commitment and achievement in National Education. In addition, it was awarded the Singapore Quality Class and Best Practice Award in Student All-Round Development, Teaching and Learning and Staff Well-Being. For these achievements, NJC was awarded the MOE School Excellence Award in 2008.

Since its inception, NJC has produced scholars for public and private scholarships. To date, it has produced 45 President's Scholars, mostly in the early years of the college.

[edit] Major school achievements

Awards	Award level	Year(s)	Awarded by
School Excellence Award	-	From 2009	Ministry Of Education
School Distinction Award	-	From 2005	Ministry Of Education
Best Practice Award (Staff Well-being)	-	From 2005	Ministry Of Education
Best Practice Award (Student All-Round Development)	-	From 2005	Ministry Of Education
Best Practice Award (Teaching and Learning)	-	From 2005	Ministry Of Education
Outstanding Development Award (Character Development)	-	From 2008	Ministry Of Education
Outstanding Development Award (National Development)	-	From 2008	Ministry Of Education
Sustained Achievement Award (Aesthetics)	-	-	Ministry Of Education
Sustained Achievement Award (Physical Fitness)	-	-	Ministry Of Education
Sustained Achievement Award (Sports)	-	-	Ministry Of Education
CHERISH Award	Silver	-	-
TAF Award	Gold	2006	Ministry Of Education

[edit] Singapore Youth Festival achievements

• 2005: 4 Gold with Honours, 6 Golds, 2 Silvers
• 2007: 6 Gold with Honours, 5 Silvers, 1 Bronze
• 2009: 3 Gold with Honours, 4 Golds, 2 Silvers, 2 Bronzes

CCAs	2007	2009
Angklung	Gold with Honours	Bronze
Chinese Dance	Gold	Gold with Honours
Chinese Orchestra	Gold	Gold
CLDDS Drama	Gold	Silver
Guzheng Ensemble	Gold with Honours	Gold
Choir	Gold with Honours	Gold with Honours
Guitar Ensemble	Gold with Honours	Silver
Harmonica Band	Gold with Honours	Silver
Indian Dance	Gold with Honours (HM)	Gold with Honours
Malay Dance	Bronze	Gold with Honours
Symphonic Band	Gold	Gold
String Orchestra	Gold	Bronze
Western Dance	Gold	Gold

In 2009, NJC Western Dance was invited to perform at the opening ceremony of the Asian Youth Games.

[edit] Motto

Service With Honour

[edit] Uniform

The main school uniform is grey - a colour chosen for its symbolism of humility as well as identification with the proletariat class. This was in light of criticisms upon the announcement of its inception that the College would perpetuate elitism. Consequently, the colour grey was chosen for the uniform to remind students of the college of their duty to serve the Nation with honour, and the need to be humble and respectful of others irrespective of their educated background. Female students have a pleated A-line skirt with option of shorts underneath.

On Wednesdays, which are known as 'Dress-Down Days', NJCians can wear the college's white polo t-shirt instead of their greys. For PE classes, NJCians wear white PE attire with red trims on its sleeves and red shorts. For most formal events, NJCians wear their red College blazer together with white shirts, red College ties, grey pants or skirts and black leather or court shoes. On some formal occasions though, instead of donning blazers, NJCians simply wear their red tie along with their full-grey uniform.

[edit] College anthem and song

There are two college songs - the College Anthem and the College Song which is entitled "The National Dream".

The College Anthem, which is in the Republic's national language of Malay, is sung on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while the College Song is sung on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is accompanied by the NJC Symphonic Band and Choir, a tradition of NJC.

The College Anthem

Original Malay Lyrics	English Translation
Inilah maktab banggaan kita,	This is the College of our pride,
Tempat pelajar segala bangsa;	A place for students of all races;
Diasuh dididik mencapai cita,	Nurtured and educated to achieve the aim,
Satu negara 'neka budaya!	Of one multi-cultural nation!
Di sini kita menuntut sama,	Here we learn together,
Tanpa mengira kekasta bangsa;	Regardless of caste and race;
Bergerak maju berbuat jasa,	Moving forward in service,
Tetap berbakti jujur dan setia.	Constantly serving, sincere and loyal.
Marilah semua belia negara,	Come all youths of the Nation!
Dengan semangat bakti semata,	With a spirit of total dedication,
Satukan tenaga bertindak mara,	By uniting our energy for progress,
Kita jayakan rakyat Singapura!	We lead the people of Singapore to success!

The National Dream

Building a family
To answer a Nation's calling
Students of old will always be
The beacon in our dreams

Embracing our destiny
Standing with colours blazing
Shoulder to shoulder
Friends are we
Honouring our creed

Chorus:
The National Torch
A stream of light
We pass from year to year
The best of the old
And the best of the young
Prepared to serve and lead
With common vision, aspirations
Strength from memories
The National Dream
Fulfilled for all to see!

[edit] Education and special programmes

[edit] Admission

NJC offers three education routes that lead to the GCE ‘A’ Level examinations:

• 6 year Integrated Programme (Grades 7 to 12)
• 4 year Integrated Programme (Grades 9 to 12)
• 2 year JC Programme (Grades 11 to 12)

Students who are admitted to the NJC Integrated Programme (at Secondary 1 and secondary 3 level) will skip the GCE ‘O’ Level and take the GCE ‘A’ Level examinations at the end of their sixth or fourth year in NJC.

Students who are admitted to NJC JC Programme (at JC1 level) must have taken their GCE ‘O’ Levels examinations or equivalent. They will take the GCE ‘A’ Level examinations at the end of their second year in NJC.

[edit] House System

The six houses are:

• Aerius (purple)
• Aqua (blue)
• Ignis (red)
• Lignum (orange)
• Solaris (yellow)
• Terra (green)

[edit] Student Council

The Student Council is made up of 60 Student Representatives who are elected by the student body from a group of council elects which must first be approved by teachers in April and will hold office for a year. Being a Student Councillor is the highest office a student can hold in college. The Student Council is run by the Executive Committee elected by the council members. This committee comprises the President, Vice-President, two Honorary Secretaries, two Honorary Treasurers, four Heads of Committees and six House Captains.

The five standing committees are:

• Creative and Publicity Unit (CPU)
• Committee of Internal Affairs (CIA)
• Feedback Unit (FBU)
• Ideas Committee (Ideas)
• House Activities Team (HAT)

[edit] Special Programmes

• NJC Integrated Programme
• Enhanced Boarding Programme
• Art Elective Programme
• Humanities Programme
• Music Programme
• Science Training and Research (STaR) Programme
• Sapphire Scholars Programme
• Taiwan Immersion Programme
• CAAL Programme
• Community Involvement Programme
• National Education Programme
• Innovation and Enterprise Programme

[edit] Co-curricular activities

Student Leadership	Performing Arts	Sports and Games	Clubs and Societies
Student Council Civic Representatives House Affliates	Anglung Chinese Dance Chinese Orchestra/Guzheng Ensemble Choir Guitar Ensemble Harmonica Band Indian Dance Malay Dance Group Symphonic Band String Orchestra/Piano Ensemble Western Dance	Badminton Basketball Bowling Cricket Canoeing and Dragonboat Cross Country/Track and Field Hockey/Floorball Netball Shooting (Air Pistol/Air Rifle/Archery) Soccer Softball Squash Swimming Table Tennis Tennis Touch Rugby Wushu/Lion Dance/Akido	Aesthetics Club (Art Club/Photography Society/Digital Video Club) Astronomy Club AVA and PA Club Strategic Games Society Chinese Literary, Dramatic and Debating Society College Publications German Literary Society Greenlink Library Society Indian Literary, Dramatic and Debating Society Interact Club Malay Literary, Dramatic and Debating Society Mathematics Society Outdoor Activities Club Science and Technology Club

[edit] Notable alumni

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2009)

[edit] Politics

• Lee Hsien Loong (1969-1970), Singapore's current and 3rd Prime Minister, Minister of Finance^{[citation needed]}
• Dr Vivian Balakrishnan (1979-1980), Singapore's Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports and Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts.^{[citation needed]}
• Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister of Manpower and Second Minister of Defence.^{[citation needed]}
• Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Information, Communication and the Arts.^{[citation needed]}
• Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs.^{[citation needed]}
• Gan Kim Yong, Minister of State for Education and Manpower.^{[citation needed]}
• S. Iswaran, Minister of State of Trade and Industry.^{[citation needed]}
• Lim Swee Say (1971-1972), Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, People's Action Party (PAP) Whip, and Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress.^{[citation needed]}
• Matthias Yao Chih, Mayor for Southeast District, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Member of Parliament for MacPherson.^{[citation needed]}
• Dr Lam Pin Min, Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC.^{[citation needed]}
• Hri Kumar Sangaran, Member of Parliament for Bishan-ToaPayoh GRC.^{[citation needed]}
• Sylvia Lim, Non-Constituency Member of Parliament, Chairman of Workers' Party^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Civil and legal

• Davinder Singh, CEO of Singapore law firm Drew & Napier, ex-Member of Parliament (wef. 2006).^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Academic, business and corporate

• Lee Hsien Yang, former President & CEO of SingTel, currently Non-Executive Director and Chairman-Designate of Fraser and Neave Limited.^{[citation needed]}
• Ho Ching, CEO & Executive Director of Temasek Holdings, one of Forbe's Most Powerful Women in Business (3rd in 2007).^{[citation needed]}
• Sylvia Lim, Lecturer and Manager of Continuing Education and Training, Temasek Polytechnic.^{[citation needed]}
• Lyn Lee, Founder and CEO of Awfully Chocolate and Everything with Fries.^{[citation needed]}
• Dr. Georgia Lee, Aesthetics Doctor, TLC Medical Practice.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Cultural and creative

• Jane Ittogi, Chairman of the Singapore Art Museum^{[citation needed]}
• Elvin Ng, Mediacorp actor and artiste, Model^{[citation needed]}
• Jeanette Aw, Mediacorp actress^{[citation needed]}

[edit] External links

• School webpage
• National Junior College Integrated Programme webpage

v • d • e Pre-university centres and post-secondary institutes in Singapore   Pre-university centres Integrated Programme Six-year Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) · Dunman High School · Hwa Chong Affiliate Programme (Nanyang Girls' High School / Hwa Chong Institution) · National Junior College · NUS High School of Mathematics and Science · Raffles Programme (Secondary · Junior College · Girl's School) · River Valley High School · School of the Arts Four-year National Junior College · School of the Arts · Temasek Junior College (Temasek Academy) · Victoria Junior College Centralised Institute Three-year Millennia Institute (MI) Junior Colleges Two-year Anderson (AJC) · Anglo-Chinese (ACJC) · Catholic (CJC) · Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) · Innova (IJC) · Jurong (JJC) · Meridian (MJC) · Nanyang (NYJC) · National (NJC) · Pioneer (PJC) · Raffles (RI(JC)) · St. Andrew's (SAJC) · Serangoon (SRJC) · Tampines (TPJC) · Temasek (TJC) · Victoria (VJC) · Yishun (YJC)   Polytechnics Nanyang (NYP) · Ngee Ann (NP) · Republic (RP) · Singapore (SP) · Temasek (TP)   Institute of Technical Education ITE College East (ITE CE-SM) · ITE College West (ITE CW) · ITE College Central (ITE CC)