Schools in Tiong Bahru, Bukit Ho Swee and Outram

As I was writing this post, I was reminded by a television serial which I had watched in 2002 when I was in secondary one. Named 河水山, or Bukit Ho Swee in mandarin, the backdrop of the serial was set in the kampongs around Bukit Ho Swee in the 1950s prior to the infamous 1961 fire which destroyed more than 2200 attap houses and put 16000 people homeless. Till this day, I could still remember the lyrics and melody of the serial, which was produced at a time when Channel 8 was producing local dramas which I loved to watch.

 

Bukit Ho Swee was named after Tay Ho Swee, a prominent figure in the Chinese community in the 19th century. In the early days, Bukit Ho Swee was the site of a disused Chinese cemetary and a large number of squatter huts, which gradually turned into a crowded attap slum as the poorest of the population, including labourers, hawkers and secret societies, moved into the area. (Source: Blog to Express) After the 1961 fire, a big national development plan was undertaken by the newly formed Housing and Development Board. Victims of the fire were housed in the recently built flats in Queenstown and St Michael's, while land in the Bukit Ho Swee area was acquired to facilitate the building of over 8000 flats. It was also after the fire when Jalan Bukit Ho Swee, the key road in the area, was built, where more than 10 schools where built in its vicinity. This included Bukit Ho Swee East Primary, Bukit Ho Swee West Government Chinese Primary, Bukit Ho Swee Secondary, Tiong Bahru Primary, Tiong Bahru Secondary, Delta Circus Primary, Delta Secondary and Seng Poh Government Chinese Primary School.

To the south of Jalan Bukit Ho Swee lies the estate of Tiong Bahru built in the 1930s. Interestingly, most of the streets within the estate are named after the early Chinese pioneers in Singapore, such as Seah Eu Chin, Tan Chay Yan, See Eng Watt and Tan Seng Poh. (Source: Remember Singapore). In fact, the word 'Tiong' means 'to die' in hokkien and 'Bahru' means 'new' in malay as the area was previously used as a burial ground for the Hokkien community. (Source: Tiong Bahru Heritage Trail)

Moving southeast from Tiong Bahru lies the Outram district. Commonly known as 'si pai por' , or Sepoy Plains in Hokkien, Outram and Pearls' Hill was the site of the Sepoy barracks housing the Indian soldiers who were employed by the British to maintain law and order in the British settlements. The key roads in the area, namely Outram and Havelock Roads, were also named after the 2 Generals who led the English army in the 1857 Indian Mutiny. Due to its proximity to the nearby Chinatown, Tiong Bahru, Bukit Ho Swee and Kampong Bahru districts, Outram was also home to numerous schools, including Outram Primary, Outram Secondary, The Chinese Industrial & Commercial Continuation School (later Gong Shang Primary), Pearl Park School (Pearl Bank School and Park Road School amalgamated), Pearls' Hill School (Pearls' Hill School and Pearl Park School amalgamated), Silat Primary School and Chiang Teck Public School (later Zhangde Primary).

Schools in Tiong Bahru, Bukit Ho Swee and Outram (Click to enlarge)

SN	School		Motto
1	Tiong Bahru Primary School  (Formerly Kai Min Public School/Jiemin Pri)	立达小学	Modest & Self-Reliant
2	Chuen Min Public School (Quan Min)	公立全民学校
3	Kai Kok Public School (Jie Gu)	公立介榖学校
4	Bukit Ho Swee East Primary School	河水山东小学	Kema Juan-Progress
5	Bukit Ho Swee West Government Chinese Primary School	河水山西政府华文小学
6	Bukit Ho Swee Primary School	河水山小学
7	The Chinese Industrial & Commercial Continuation  School (Gongshang Pri)	南洋工商补习学校	勤俭诚敬 / Perseverance, Thrift, Integrity and Respect
8	Sepoy Line Malay School
9	Pearl's Hill School	珍珠山学校	Perseverence, Honour, Success
10	Pearl Bank School
11	Park Road School		Truth & Honesty
12	Pearl Park Primary School
13	Outram Primary School	欧南小学	Stribe & Perservere
14	Silat Primary School	石叻小学	Pelajaran Asaskemajuan
15	Chiang Teck Public School (Zhangde Pri)	公立彰德学校
16	Delta Circus School	立道学校	Determination, Consideration, Progress, Success
17	Seng Poh Government Chinese Primary School	成保政府华文小学
18	Bukit Ho Swee Secondary School	立达中学	Belajar Dan Berkhidmat / Learn & Serve
19	Delta Secondary School	德才中学	Towards Knowledge & Virtue
20	Tiong Bahru Secondary School	立道中学	Maju & Jaya
21	Outram Secondary School	欧南中学	Labour Omnia Vincit
22	University of Singapore	新加坡大学

Schools in Tiong Bahru, Bukit Ho Swee and Outram

Schools in Bukit Merah

Do you still remember the myth of Bukit Merah and the little boy who came up with the clever idea of building a row of banana tree trunks to defend the fisherman from the swordfish. In December 2011, Remember Singapore published an article about the history of Bukit Merah and Redhill and the developments in the area over the years, where the development of the housing estates along Jalan Bukit Merah, such as Henderson, Redhill Close and Lengkok Bahru has led to the establishment and amalgamation of numerous schools in the region. In the following post, we try to recollect the 21 schools which once stood in Bukit Merah, Alexandra and Henderson.

Schools in Bukit Merah and Alexandra (Click to enlarge)

SN	School		Motto
1	Belvedere School
2	Jervois West School
3	Jervois East School
4	Jervois Primary School
5	Delta Circus School	立道小学	Determination, Consideration, Progress, Success
6	Henderson Primary School	达善小学
7	Hwa Kong Public School	公立华光学校
8	Keng Seng Public School	公立更生学校
9	Keng Seng Primary School	更生小学	Strive For Success
10	Tai Wah Public School	公立大华学校
11	Alexandra Hill Primary School	阿力山大山小学	Usaha Itu Jaya
12	Redhill School	红山学校	Knowledge, Courage & True Endeavour
13	Bukit Merah North School	红山北学校	Onward
14	Bukit Merah South School	红山南学校	Be Modest, Sincere & Staunch
15	Bukit Merah Primary School	红山小学	Excellence
16	Henderson Secondary School	达善中学	Education For Life
17	Tiong Bahru Secondary School	立道中学	Maju & Jaya
18	Crescent Girls' School	克信女子中学	Courtesy, Generosity, Sincerity
19	Xianglin Primary School	祥林小学
20	Bukit Merah Secondary School	红山中学	Sedia
21	Hua Yi Secondary School	华义中学	仁义智群 / Benevolence, Justice, Wisdom, Togetherness

Map of schools in Bukit Merah and Alexandra (Click to enlarge)

Photo Credit: http://www.bigbus.wordpress.com

Photo Credit: http://www.bigbus.wordpress.com

Schools in Sembawang

Schools Along Jalan Ulu Sembawang and Sembawang Road

Jalan Ulu Sembawang was first named in July 1948 as a dirt track off the 13th milestone of Sembawang Road, just south of Chong Pang Village - then one of the largest towns in the north of Singapore - and Sungei Simpang Village. The road served the rural villages and vast plantations around the Mandai and Ulu Sembawang areas. 

The majority of the residents along Jalan Ulu Sembawang were Hokkien, descendents of immigrants from the southern China, with surnames Toh or Ang. There were also 4 relatively well-established schools along Jalan Ulu Sembawang, namely Hua Mien Public School, Cheng Chi School, Chung Yee School and Sin Hua School.

Sembawang Road, the other key road in the area, began in the 1920s as a dirt road and was renamed Sembawang Road in 1938. The road connects the naval base in the area to the city and is dotted with many Chinese villages and Malay kampongs. These eventually gave way to the establishment of Sembawang and Yishun new towns.

Schools along Jalan Ulu Sembawang and 12-14 ms Sembawang Road (Click to enlarge)

SN	School		Motto
1	Cheng Chi School	增志学校
2	Chung Yee Public School	公立中玉学校
3	Hua Mien Public School (Huamin Pri)	公立华民学校
4	Si San Public School (Xishan Pri)	西山公学
5	West Hill School
6	Camberra School
7	Lee Teck Public School	公立励德学校
8	Hwa Kwang Public School	公立华光学校
9	Sembawang School
10	Poi Chai Public School	公立培材学校
11	Naval Base School	军港学校	Enitamur In Altiora / Be The Best

Schools Along Former Jalan Ulu Sembawang and Sembawang Road (12 - 14 milestones) (Click to Enlarge)

Former Path of Jalan Ulu Sembawang (From Mandai to Former Chong Pang Village)
Photo Credit: http://poskod.sg/Posts/2013/3/22/Road-to-Nowhere

Schools in Chong Pang; Camberra School; Naval Base School; West Hill School; Si San Public School
Photo Credit:  http://www.canberra79.tripod.com

Malay Kampongs around 14 milestone Sembawang Road; Sembawang School
Photo Credit: http://swallowerwins.blogspot.sg

Schools in Jurong, Boon Lay & Tuas

Jurong Road is one of the oldest road in Singapore and was constructed in 1852 - 1953 during the colonial era to link the rural area of Jurong to the rest of Singapore. It was extended in 1929 to Bukit Timah Road, which branches off from 7 1/2 milestone Bukit Timah Road (intersection of Jalan Jurong Kechil and Bukit Timah Road), close to Pei Hwa School and the former Seh Chuan High School.

For the local Chinese population, Jurong was formerly called peng kang, a reference to a gambier plantation located in the area. After 1906, rubber plantations dominated the area — Bulim Estate, Lokyang Estate, Chong Keng Estate, Seng Toh Estate and Yunnan Estate, giving rise to many of the local names for areas in Jurong. The majority of the Chinese immigrants living around the villages in Jurong came from Fujian Anxi and worked as rubber tappers and plantation workers. As there was a severe lack of schools in the 1900s, the pioneers of the Ann Kway (An Xi Clan) Association villages visited villages across Singapore, including Jurong, to encourage them to set up their own  schools on the wayang (chinese opera) stages within the villages.

Of which, schools which were set up by the Ann Kway (An Xi) immigrants in Jurong includes Joo Hwa Public School, Joo Koon Public School, Sin Nan Public School, Joo Long Public School, Fu Hua Public School, Pei Teck Public School and Loke Yang Public School (Lim Chu Kang area). 

With the establishment of the Jurong Industrial Estate in the 1960s, housing estates such as Teban Gardens, Pandan Gardens, Boon Lay Gardens and Taman Jurong were built at the fringes of the industrial estate to encourage workers to move to its vicinity. This also brought about the establishment of schools within the housing estates to cater to the educational needs of the children, such as Jurong Town Primary and Jurong Integrated Secondary. 

The villages along the old Jurong Road gradually gave way to the newer housing estates, such as Bukit Batok, Yuhua, Jurong East, Jurong West and Boon Lay. As of now, the only stretch which remains untouched is the one running parellel to PIE from Hong Kah Flyover to Bukit Batok Road.

Schools in Jurong, Boon Lay and Tuas (Click to Enlarge)

SN	School		Motto
1	Pei Hwa School (Pei Hwa Presbyterian Pri)	培华学校	忠诚 / Loyalty & Honesty
2	Toh Tuck Primary School	笃德小学	Tread The Path Of Service
3	Bukit Batok Primary School (East & West)	武吉巴督小学（东、西）	Strive For The Best
4	Wei Sin Public School	公立维新学校	礼义廉耻 / Courtesy,  Righteousness, Integrity, Sense of Shame
5	Joo Hwa Public School (Yuhua Pri)	公立裕华学校	勤朴诚勇
6	Pei Teck Public School	公立培德学校	勤朴诚勇
7	Sin Nan Public School (Xingnan Pri)	公立醒南学校	诚毅勤朴
8	Joo Rong School (Jurong Pri)	裕廊学校	Forward
9	Boon Lay Garden Primary School	文园小学	Strive For Perfection
10	Joo Long Public School (Rulang Pri)	公立孺廊学校	礼义廉耻 / Courtesy,  Righteousness, Integrity, Sense of Shame
11	Boon Lay Primary School	文礼小学	Behold The Light
12	Fu Hua Public School (Fuhua Pri)	公立辅华学校	(Frugality & Honesty)
13	Joo Koon Public School (Yuqun Pri)	公立裕群学校	(Strive & Shine)
14	Jurong Town Primary School	育园小学	From Each His Best; Maju Jaya
15	Yung An Primary School	永安小学	Progress Forever
16	Pulau Merlimau Primary School (Merlimau Pri)	美茂小学	Strive For The Best
17	Pandan Primary School	博仁小学	Perservere, Progress & Serve
18	Princess Elizebeth Estate School (Princess Elizebeth Pri)	伊丽莎白公主学校	Patiente Et Sapientia / Patience & Wisdom; Each His Best
19	Seh Chuan High School (Shuqun Pri/Sec)	树群中小学校	亲善忠诚 / Fraternity, Loyalty & Honesty
20	Toh Tuck Secondary School	笃德中学	知行合一 / Match Knowledge With Deeds
21	Jalan Lama Secondary School	育明中学
22	Jurong Integrated Secondary School (Jurong Sec)	裕廊混合中学	忠勤诚爱　/ Loyalty, Industry, Sincerity, Love
23	Yuhua Secondary School	裕华中学	Towards Excellence
24	Yuan Ching Secondary School	耘青中学	今日耕耘，明日长青 / Efforts Today, Rewards Tomorrow
25	Boon Lay Secondary School	文礼中学	爱与恕 / To Love & To  Forgive
26	Jurong Junior College	裕廊初级学院	Plus Ultra
27	Bulim Primary School	广渊小学

Map of Schools in Jurong, Boon Lay & Tuas (Click to Enlarge)

Realigned Jurong Road (Starting from Bt Timah Fire Station instead of Beauty World Junction); Bukit Batok East and West School; Wei Sin Public School (Next to St Mary of the  Angels Church)
Photo Credits: http://sgforums.com/forums/1279/topics/342472

Former Jurong Road between Jurong East Central and Jurong Town Hall Road; Joo Hwa Public School; Jalan Lama Secondary School (Current Location of Crest Secondary/Former Commonwealth Secondary; Pei Teck Public School (Present Location of Heavy Vehicle Park)
Photo Credits: http://sgforums.com/forums/1279/topics/342472

Jurong Road between Jurong Town Hall Road and Hong Kah Flyover; Jurong School (Present Location of Green Haven Home); Sin Nan Public School
Photo Credits: http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.sg

Former Jurong Road at 18 milestone; Joo Koon Public School
Photo Credits: http://bigbus.wordpress.com

Schools in Lim Chu Kang

Schools Along Lim Chu Kang Road and Neo Tiew Road 林厝港路与梁宙路一带的学校

Remember Singapore recently published an article on the history of Ama Keng, one of the 3 large Chinese villages located in Lim Chu Kang. Lim Chu Kang was originally made up of large areas of pepper and gambier plantations. In 1910s, Neo Tiew 梁宙 (1884 - 1975), originating from Lam Ann Fujian, was entrusted by the landowners to lead over 800 workers in the development of Lim Chu Kang, such as rubber plantations, coconut plantations, agriculture and farms.

Located at 18 ms Lim Chu Kang Road and Neo Tiew Road respectively, Thong Hoe Village (通和村) and Lam Hoe Village (南和村) were both named after the shophouses set up by Neo Tiew to cater to the daily needs of the workers in the early periods of development. Most of the infrastructure within the villages were also set up by Neo Tiew, including the village houses, electrical and water supply. Ama Keng Village (亚妈宫村), located along 16-17 ms Lim Chu Kang Road, was named after the Ama Keng Temple built in 1900 by Lim Nee Soon.

As Lim Chu Kang began to flourish in the 1930s, there were no proper schools to cater to the educational needs of the farming community in the area. In 1938, a group of warm hearted pioneer educators, led by Neo Tiew, began the challenging task to merge the study centres in the 3 villages to form Kay Wah School 公立启化学校 (now Qihua Primary School), a Chinese medium school with an enrolment of about 200 students. In mandarin, 'Qi Hua' means 'the opening of minds to receive education'. The school was closed during the Japanese occupation but re-opened after the war with an enrollment of over 2000 pupils. Kay Wah School had 3 branches, namely Kay Wah Main at Thong Hoe Village for upper primary levels, Kay Wah Branch I at Ama Keng Village and Kay Wah Branch II at Nam Hoe Village for lower primary levels, run by 3 principles, Mr Ong Hang tin, Mr Choo Phie Ching and Mr Tan Chek Sen respectively. In 1980, the school adopted English as its medium of instruction. As the villages around Lim Chu Kang were resettled in the 1980s, the 3 branches of Kay Wah School merged and moved to Woodlands New Town in 1987 to form the new Qihua Primary School.

 

In 1951, Ama Keng School 亚妈宫学校 was founded with 53 students in a single storey building with 14 classrooms. The school population grew quickly to 570 in 1963, and doubled between 1965-1973. As such, an expansion program was lunched to build a 4 storey block of 12 classrooms and a hall-cum-canteen in 1973. Ama Keng School became an integrated school when a Chinese-medium class was started. But by the 1980s, the Chinese medium classes were phased out. In 1990, Ama Keng School merged with Nam San School to form South View Primary School.

Two other schools which were set up in the Lim Chu Kang area are Lim Chu Kang Primary School 林厝港学校, located at the junction of Jalan Bahtera and Lim Chu Kang Road, and Loke Yang Public School 公立洛阳学校, located at the junction of Lim Chu Kang Road and Lim Chu Kang Lane 3.

SN	School		Motto
1	Kay Wah Public School (Main, Branch I, II) (Qihua Pri)	公立启化学校	勤爱诚朴 / Industry, Love, Honesty, Purity
2	Ama Keng Primary School	阿妈宫小学	Alert, Keen, Steady
3	Lim Chu Kang Integrated Primary School	林厝港混合小学 /广扬小学	忠善知 / Knowledge, Character, Knowledge
4	Loke Yang Public School	公立洛阳学校

 

References:

http://remembersingapore.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/searching-for-the-remnants-of-ama-keng/

http://www.qihuapri.moe.edu.sg

http://www.southviewpri.moe.edu.sg

http://sgcls.zhongwenlink.com/news_read.asp?NewsID=11502
http://lostnfiledsg.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/kranji-heritage-trail-part-1/

Schools in Queenstown

Queenstown is the first satellite town in Singapore built by the Singapore Improvement Trust in the 1950s, later completed by the Housing and Development Board in the 1960s. The apartments ranged from 1 to 3 room flats, housed in low-rise, walk-up blocks. Previously known as Boh Beh Kang, the British made plans to develop the land in Queenstown to ease the overcrowded situation in Chinatown. However, the failure of the SIT led to the completion of the estate by the HDB, where close to 20,000 units were built.

Queenstown comprised of 7 main districts, namely Commonwealth Estate, Tanglin Halt Estate, Princess Estate (Strathmore/Dawson), Duchess Estate (Duchess/Queenstown Centre), Mei Ling/Mei Chin Estate, Queens' Close/Crescent Estate and Buona Vista Estate. To cater to the burgeoning population in Queenstown, more than 20 schools were established within the 7 districts, including:

Schools in Queenstown (Click to enlarge)

SN	School		Motto
1	New Town Primary School	光道小学	Be Ready To Serve
2	Permaisura Primary School	Sekolah Rendah Permaisura	Bejaya / Success
3	Tanglin Integrated Primary School	东林混合小学	Think, Improve, Progress, Succeed
4	Mei Chin Primary School	美景小学	Honour, Courage, Perseverence
5	Queenstown School	女皇镇学校	Onward To Success
6	Birkhall School	普华小学	Give Of Your Best
7	Margaret Drive School		Ever Onward
8	Hua Yi Primary School	华义小学	Hanya Yang Ikhtiar Subor
9	Strathmore School		Strive For Success
10	Kay Siang School	启祥小学	Forward & Onward
11	Tanglin Girls' School		Truth, Glory, Service
12	Tanglin Boys' School		Play, Study & Obey
13	Ghim Moh Primary School	锦茂小学
14	Keok Ming Public School (Keming Pri)	公立克明学校	礼义廉耻 / Courtesy,  Righteousness, Integrity, Sense of Shame
15	Buona Vista Secondary School	建国中学	Ever Onward
16	New Town Secondary School	光伟中学	To Forge A Better Life
17	Tanglin Technical Secondary School (Tanglin Sec)	东林工艺中学	Berusaha Untok Bejaya / Strive For Success
18	Queensway Secondary School	女皇道中学	Success Through Diligence
19	Mei Chin Secondary School	美景中学	Progress Through Achivement
20	Commonwealth Secondary School	立才中学	Ever With The Best
21	Hua Yi Government Chinese Middle School (Hua Yi Sec)	华义政府华文中学	仁义智群 / Benevolence, Justice, Wisdom, Togetherness
22	Queenstown Technical Secondary School (Queenstown Sec)	女皇镇工艺中学	Berani Berkhidmat / Dare To Serve
23	Ghim Moh Secondary School	锦茂中学	Strive and Persevere
24	Baharuddin Vocational Institute (Temasek Poly Design School)
25	Townsville Institute	城景高级中学	With Fidelity And Discipline

  

Photo Credit: http://myqueenstown.blogspot.sg/

Photo Credit: http://myqueenstown.blogspot.sg/