Singapore
The ministry says the move is part of its plans to meet the growing demand for school places in Punggol.
A Google Street View screengrab of Yusof Ishak Secondary School in Bukit Batok.
SINGAPORE: From 2021, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will relocate Yusof Ishak Secondary School to Punggol as part of its plans to meet the growing demand for school places in the estate, it announced on Thursday (Sep 13).
The school is currently located in a part of Bukit Batok where demand for school places is falling, said MOE in a media release.
The ministry said that in deciding on the relocation or opening of schools, its key consideration is to be “responsive to changing demographics and community needs, while providing an optimal student experience at all times”.
None of Yusof Ishak Secondary’s current students will need to move to the new Punggol campus, and no new Secondary 1 students will be admitted to the school in the next two years.
The first Secondary 1 cohort at the school’s new campus in Punggol will be admitted in 2021. At this time, the school will also continue its operations for a year at its current Bukit Batok location to accommodate its Secondary 4 cohort.
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This will minimise any disruption to students’ learning, MOE said, adding that it will work with the school to ensure the transition to its new campus goes smoothly.
The ministry added that the school will have “a small number” of Secondary 5 students in the Normal (Academic) stream in 2022. These students will be transferred to other secondary schools within the Bukit Batok area.
The school was established in 1965 as Jubilee Integrated Secondary School and was renamed Yusof Ishak Secondary School in 1966, after Singapore’s first President Yusof Ishak, and was opened by Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
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The school also hosts the Centre for Teaching and Learning Excellence. The centre, which was set up in 2015, was set up to help boost the professional development of teachers in Singapore.
The school’s new site in Punggol will continue to host the centre, but with improved facilities such as an interactive learning centre with video streaming capabilities, a learning lab with an attached observation room, an enlarged classroom with additional space for observers and a covered area for outdoor learning activities.
Two new primary schools – Valour Primary and Northshore Primary – will also begin operations and admit its first Primary 1 cohort in 2020. This will meet the high demand for primary school places in Punggol, MOE said.
