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Sunday, 23 March 2014

保校 (侨南小学)

联合早报 2014323 陈秋华

 一九五三年新加坡温州会馆三十周年纪念

“我校名侨南,矗立在狮岛……”

这是侨南小学校歌的首句歌词,现在看来令人不胜唏嘘,相信曾在侨南孕育下成长的校友都会有此感触。

本报日前报道《六小学合并成三所》的新闻,内容透露了历史最悠久的侨南小学校名不获保留的消息。报道刊登后,引发不少关注,读者主要是为80年老校走入历史感到惋惜。为了保住校名,侨南校友会日前向教育部请愿,希望能有一次对话的机会,说出当年的“约定”。

同许多华校一样,侨南在上世纪80年代也因收生人数骤减而面临关闭。那时的侨南还只是补助学校,而非政府学校。校董最终因无法筹足经费,只好将学校交给政府,条件之一是要求政府保留“侨南”校名。


坦白说,在政策改变、优化资源的大前提下,我对不时上演的学校合并和易名之事早已习以为常。因此在报道这则新闻时,最令我感到意外的不是校名不获保留一事,而是校友会在这之前竟然毫不知情。

访谈中,侨南校友会主席林永强不止一次提到,最令他无法接受的是,校友会是在有关事宜尘埃落定后才接获通知,他甚至以“迅雷不及掩耳”来形容消息来得突然。林永强在说这一番话时,语气尽显无奈。

诚然,以目前整体的教育景观而论,侨南其实只是教育部众多学校中的一所,当年既然已“过名”给政府,教育部在做任何决定之前确实无需征询校友的意见。但是,制度不外乎人情,不是吗?

教育部在做出这么重大的决定之前,没有直接与校友会联系并协商、探讨其他可能性就定案,在情理上似乎说不过去。尤其是像侨南这样历史悠久、桃李满狮城的学校,在处理上是否应该更具人情味一些?

关闭一所学校、除去一个校名,不仅仅是在教育部的学校名单上抹去一行字而已。抹去的,是一整代人的情感记忆;切断的,是校友与母校之间的联系。

林永强说,当初他与另外三名友人成立校友会,就是因为有此隐忧,希望有朝一日能借校友之力保住学校,没想到最终还是没有获得对话的机会。


他这一番话,不禁让我想起多年前华中初级学院和华侨中学的更换校名事件。回想起来,华中要比侨南幸运多了,至少校友能决定校名应怎么改,不像侨南只落得“被通知”的结果。

事实上,侨南从创校至今曾多次努力尝试保校,目的就是为了不辜负先贤对办学的坚持。它除了接受学校成为政府学校,也曾多次主动要求教育部让侨南搬迁以改善收生情况。

然而,反观教育部在做出合并和改名的决定时,它是否事先探讨了各种可能?以校名与侨南调转的南侨为例,该校在金炎路的旧校址一度也面临关闭的命运,并经历了保校还是保地的挣扎。但南侨在搬到盛港后,就如浴火重生的凤凰一般获得新生。

一所学校的创立、迁移或停办,折射的是一个时代的历史和精神。听林永强说,侨南创办人王希元在二战时期宁可冒着被日军杀死的危险,也要坦荡荡地表明自己是一名教师,最后果真被痛恨知识分子的日军给枪毙了。如此对教育义无反顾的热血,令人动容,也体现了侨南的精神。如今,有关方面选择以“事后通知”的方式结束一所拥有80年历史的学校,显得仓促。

写这篇文章之前,听说教育部已经接到请愿书。跟侨南校友一样,我也在静心期待着教育部的回复。希望教育部这回不会再轻易翻过我国学校历史重要的一页。

Singapore's unsung pioneer schools should be more than just footnotes

By Leong Chan-Hoong
Most of us would not have heard of Qiaonan Primary, at least not until last Thursday.
No thanks to the decline in the fertility rate, some of the less popular schools in Singapore’s mature estates have witnessed a drastic decline in student enrolment numbers over the years. In a few extreme cases, there were barely enough pupils to fill up a class.
Last week, Qiaonan, Bedok West, Griffiths and Hong Kah primary schools became the latest victims of our population conundrum. In the name of optimal resource allocation, the Ministry of Education issued the schools with marching orders.
From next year, Bedok West Primary and Hong Kah Primary will be absorbed by Damai Primary and Lianhua Primary, respectively, while Qiaonan Primary and Griffiths Primary, both of which are in Tampines, will merge to form Angsana Primary.
In one fell swoop, the names of the four primary schools, Bedok West, Griffiths, Hong Kah and Qiaonan, will be erased from the national directory of schools.
This is by no means an isolated case. Ghim Moh Primary was absorbed into New Town Primary in 2009; and in 2000, Li Hua, Hong Dao and Ang Mo Kio North Primary were amalgamated to form Anderson Primary.
While the consolidations may appear as mere footnotes in the annual education report, the closure of the schools is likely to elicit more than a tinge of poignancy for some. Former pupils, teachers and even long-time residents will lament the unrelenting march of history that reshapes familiar neighbourhoods.
From a broader perspective, the demise of these institutions will also have repercussions on the discourse on Singapore’s future. How we deal with our past will have an impact on our sense of place and identity as Singaporeans.
 Qiaonan's Remarkable Story
Previously known as Kiau Nam School, Qiaonan Primary was founded by the Wenzhou Clan Association. In 1933, its first intake of 20 pupils started classes at a rented unit in the now-defunct Lorong Koo Chye. In 1940, the director of the school board donated his house at Paya Lebar Road to be used by the school and its pupils. It was closed during the Japanese Occupation, but reopened after the end of the World War II.
Student enrolment figures soared to 480 in the late 1950s. Makeshift classrooms were added to accommodate the influx of pupils. Classes were purportedly conducted within the confines of a Chinese temple at the peak of its space crunch. In all, the school clocked more than 80 years of history, a period that is longer than Singapore has been independent.
The Qiaonan narrative is not unique. Started in 1950, Griffiths Primary shared an equally illustrious past, chalking up 64 years of dedicated teaching.
Illuminating Singapore's future through history
At a time when Singaporeans agonise over the meaning of citizenship and identity, we may do well to take stock of how we treat our history.
Qiaonan and Griffiths may not rank among the league of more established schools such as Raffles Institution, Anglo-Chinese School and Methodist Girls’ School, which draw a larger number of applicants each year than they can accommodate.
The humble beginnings of these neighbourhood schools, however, are the founding pillars of modern Singapore and no less important. Pioneer institutions such as Qiaonan were built on sacrifice, in the name of philanthropy and communal obligations. Their rich histories epitomise the unyielding spirit of resilience, hope and faith — a quintessential ingredient in the Singapore narrative.
These floundering schools served the needs of our society at a time when the prognosis for the little red dot was bleak. Behind such institutions are numerous unsung, nameless individuals who dedicated themselves to the missions of the schools. The school closures, announced unceremoniously, are akin to us flipping the pages of our history with scant recognition of the role of Singapore’s pioneer generation.
Can we do more to preserve our local heritage? Has due consideration been given to relocate the schools to housing estates with younger families? Or rejuvenation of the schools through combination/affiliation with secondary schools? Or revamping of the schools to teach other education models, such as social enterprise?
We can also consider honouring the pioneers of these neighbourhood schools by naming community spaces or buildings after them.
The closures of these schools may be inevitable in light of an ageing demographic landscape. Nonetheless, their humble beginnings and role in educating the pioneer generation of Singaporeans hold lessons on perseverance, hard work and collective ownership, which should be taught outside the classroom.
Remembering these schools and their founders can be our way of remembering our forefathers who trod the rocky path of independence on our behalf.
Reproduced with author's permission.

Saturday, 1 March 2014

Goodbye Hong Kah, Qiaonan, Bedok West & Griffiths Primary Schools

The past week had been an really intense week for me as I was really caught up with my Honours Year Project, leaving school after midnight every day. However, I still managed to catch the huge buzz online as MOE announced the impending merger of 6 schools next year, where 4 schools will officially go into the history books in 1 Jan 2014 - Hong Kah Primary, Qiaonan Primary, Bedok West Primary & Griffiths Primary School.

Stay tuned for more stories about these 4 wonderful schools. If you have any personal stories of your time in these schools, drop me a mail at txls89@gmail.com =)

Regards,
SK
Hong Kah Primary School


Qiaonan Primary School (Formerly Kiau Nam School at Lorong Koo Chye and Tai Seng)


Bedok West Primary School (Formerly Kaki Bukit Primary School)

Griffiths Primary School (Formerly Griffiths School at Towner Road)