RAFFLESIAN TIMES

January 2014 / Issue 02

Plus
PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING
Mrs Lim Lai Cheng and
Mr Chan Poh Meng share
their thoughts on Raffes

PUTTING THE GREEN IN
GREEN BLACK WHITE
Four articles on how RI is doing
its part for the environment

GENERATIONS OF TEACHERS
Teachers whove taught teachers
whove taught teachers
features
58-
81
GENERATIONS OF TEACHERS
Teachers whove taught teachers
whove taught teacherswe
speak to 19 teachers across the
campus to fnd out more about
their generation-spanning legacy.
PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING
Our immediate past principal
Mrs Lim Lai Cheng and new
principal Mr Chan Poh Meng
share their thoughts on Raffes.
PUTTING THE GREEN IN
GREEN, BLACK AND WHITE
What does a green education
comprise? Dr Abigayle Ng and
Dr Jeffrey Lee, as well as alumni
Jocelyne Sze, Sean Yap and Tan
Mei Jia tell us what they think.
110 -
117
126-
131
A HISTORY OF RAFFLES
IN TEN OBJECTS
We trawl through crates of items
donated at the Memory & Artefact
Donation Drive to fnd ten objects
that tell the Raffes story.
26-
43
EDITORIAL TEAM
Lim Lai Cheng
Chan Poh Meng
S Magendiran
Adeline Wong
Caleb Liu
Dominic Chua
Heryanti Suhaimy
Inez Tan
Izyan Nadzirah
Raffes Publications
Raffes Press
(Please refer to the inside back cover for
the full list of student editors and writers)
CONTRIBUTORS
Joyce Er
June Lee
Kate Tan
Madeleine Lee
Raffes Photography and
Art Club
Sean Yap
Sharon Tan
Sheela Mariamah
Steven Goh
Terence Yong
ART DIRECTION
Egg Creatives Pte Ltd
PHOTOGRAPHY
Alvin Tang
Nicky Loh
To contribute an opinion or
suggestion, please contact the
editorial team at raffesiantimes@
ri.edu.sg
COPYRIGHT & REPRINTS
All material printed in Raffesian Times is
protected under the copyright act. All rights
reserved. No material may be reproduced
in part or in whole without prior written
consent of the publisher and copyright
holder. Disclaimer: The views and opinions
expressed in Raffesian Times are not
necessarily the views of the publisher.
ISSN 2345-7244
This publication is printed on
environmentally-friendly paper.
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AbOuT THIS ISSuE
SCHOOL uPDATES
LETTER fROM THE RPA
RGS REPORT
THE PREfECT
RIPb: Then & Now
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
THE HATCHLING
Empower or Manpower?
THE COuNCILLOR
Councillors: Leaders?
MEETING MR WIJEY
Eugene Wijeysingha
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
THE ATHLETE
A Day in the Life of
Daphne Chia
THE GEEK
A Conversation with
Professor Andrew Ng
RAffLES GOES GREEN(ER)
RIs Green Initiatives
THE ACTIvIST
Natural History in
an urban Jungle
THE WRITER
Madeleine Lee,
Singapores Eco-Poet
PuTTING THE GREEN IN
GREEN bLACK WHITE
Green Education
A TALE Of fLORA
AND fAuNA
Part 1
A HISTORY Of RAffLES
IN TEN ObJECTS
Raffesian Artefacts
THE TIME MACHINE
The Past in the Present
THE fEMININE EYE
Looking back
GIvING bACK
Giving That Really Counts
92

100


108


110


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126


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144
ContentS
ABOUT THE COVER
Our founder, Sir Stamford Raffes, recognised the importance of advancing knowledge
through biological exploration and the dissemination of new information. With the help of
natural scientists, collectors and painters, he systematically amassed a vast array of sample
specimens and illustrations sadly, 2,000 of these, including a live Malayan tapir, were
consumed by the fames that engulfed the Fame en route to England. We have chosen an
image of two tapirs to symbolise our schools longstanding links with nature, in line with
the green emphasis of this issue of Raffesian Times.
about
this issue
As we move into the New Year
and look back on the year thats
been, one of the more enduring
themes of 2013 was a growth
of a greater awareness of the
schools heritage.
On July 27, we celebrated the
schools 190th anniversary
and the Old Raffesians
Associations 90th anniversary
with a Homecoming dinner as
well as a Teacher Time Machine
and a Memory and Artefact
Donation Drive that saw some
of the schools teaching legends
and many alumni return to their
alma mater. The nostalgia of that
evening, as well as the pertinent
questionwhat does all this
have to do with the present
moment?are wonderfully
captured in The Past in the
Present: Refections on Raffesian
Togetherness (p132) by bryan
Chua and Law May Ning.
Other articles in this issue
extend that theme of
continuityin Generations of
Teachers (p58) we trace several
teacherly lines of descentof
RI teachers who have taught
Raffesians who have returned
to themselves mentor a new
generation of Raffesian
teachers. In our regular column
The Prefect (p20) Mr Jai Singh
ABOUT THIS ISSUE
School Scene
(Head boy in 1971 and currently
a Year 1-4 Research Education
teacher) and current Head
boy Jason Rohan Cheong
contrast their experiences
of the RI Prefectorial board
past and present. A History of
Raffes in Ten Objects (p126)
showcases some of the more
fascinating artefacts that will be
up on display when the Raffes
Archives and Museum opens its
doors in the frst quarter of the
year. And in The Principal (p26)
our student writers sit down with
our immediate past principal
Mrs Lim Lai Cheng and new
principal Mr Chan Poh Meng
to uncover their thoughts about
the schools recent past and its
immediate future.
One of the lesser known aspects
of our schools heritage is its
link to natureRaffes, apart
from being an administrator
extraordinaire, was also an avid
naturalist who applied Western
science to the discovery,
naming and documenting of
the biodiversity in Southeast
Asia. In much the same vein,
our longest-serving principal,
Richmond William Hullett, was
a botanist and plant collector.
Our countrys National Museum
(and Library) traces its roots to
the Raffes Library and Museum,
which was originally housed
in RIs bras basah campus up
till 1882 and was well-known
for its zoological collection of
Southeast Asian specimens.
We thought it apt, therefore,
to see how this interest
continues in the school today.
In Putting the Green in
Green black White (p110),
we asked our alumni and
some members of staff what a
truly green education would
look like. Alumnus Sean Yap
also shares, in Natural History
in an urban Jungle (p102)
why the conservation of our
natural heritage is of national
importance. In Raffes Goes
Greener (p94) we examine what
the school has done thus far to
green its physical infrastructure.
And A Tale of flora and fauna
(p118) offers a closer look at
some of the living beings that
we share our campus with.
Even as 2014 comes rushing
upon us, we hope that you will
fnd some time to savour the
articles in this issue and refect
on the relationshipswith
people, places, and even the
environmentthat you are part
of, and consider the part you can
play in breathing life and vitality
into these.
THE EDITORIAL TEAM
SCHOOL UPDATES
School Scene
School updates
TILTSHIFT SUMMIT 2013THE NEXT DRAFT
The biannual summit saw over 50 students from around the
world discussing, in tandem with several NGOs, the solutions to
some of the most pressing problems faced by our society today.
The summit also saw the launch of the Raffes Leadership Institute
(RLI), which organises programmes for students that emphasise
leadership and service to community as well as environmental
awareness. The Guest-of- Honour for the launch was RI alumnus
Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of foreign
Affairs, and other ambassadors present at the launch were South
Africas Hazel Ngubeni, the Philippines Minda Calaguian Cruz,
frances Olivier Caron and Norways Tormod C Endresen. RAFFLES SPEAKER SERIES
At this years Raffes Speaker
Series, three prominent
speakers of varied interests
spoke to and engaged in
dialogue with Year 56
students. The speakers were:
Mr Kenny Leck, entrepreneur
and owner of booksActually,
an independent bookstore in
Singapore; Minister Lui Tuck
Yew, Minister for Transport;
and Mr Khoo Teng Chye,
Executive Director, Centre
for Liveable Cities, Ministry of
National Development.
17 JUNE
10, 23 JULY | 28 AUGUST
TALK ON HISTORY OF RI
As part of the activities leading up to the schools 190th anniversary celebrations, Prof Kevin Tan (RI,
1977 & 1979) of the National university of Singapore delivered two talks on the early years of RIs history
during the Year 14 and Year 56 assemblies.
1617 JULY
4
SCHOOL UPDATES
School Scene
RI CAREERS
SCHOLARSHIP DAY
Year 46 students and their
parents/guardians participated
in this years CareersScholarship
Day which comprised talks and
booths set up by the various
university representatives.
17 JULY
WEST POINT MILITARY
ACADEMY DELEGATION
VISIT AND PUBLIC
LEADERSHIP SEMINAR
RI hosted a delegation
from West Point Military
AcademyCOL bernard banks,
Dr Luke Gerdes, MAJ Stephen
flanagan, and Cadets Juliet
Talavera and George Ozga.
The cadets helmed two
seminars for our students on
24 and 25 July, while COL banks
helmed the Public Leadership
Seminar with COL fred Tan
(SAf Centre for Leadership
Development) on 26 July.
1928 JULY
19 JULY
A RAPTUROUS RHAPSODY
Trombone-Piano Duo Amrein-Henneberger visited the school as
part of their 2013 South-East Asia tour. Swiss-German trombonist
Dirk Amrein and Swiss pianist-conductor Jrg Henneberger
recorded compositions specially written for the duo by RI and RGS
students from the Raffes Academy (Music) programme. They also
delivered an entertaining concert which included world premieres,
muscial experiments and some great music.
HAIR FOR HOPE
Raffes Community Advocates
organised their annual satellite
Hair for Hope event with a
total of 215 shavees (Year 16)
and raised $84,886 (online
and offine donations) for the
Childrens Cancer foundation.
5
SCHOOL UPDATES
School Scene
PROMETHEAN CEREMONY
In a short ceremony held during the assembly period, Year 4 and Year 6 student leaders handed
over the leadership of their CCA to the Year 3 and Year 5 students who would be taking over in 2014.
The ceremony was recognition for the CCALs as they took over the responsibility of running their
CCAs and guiding their peers from the Year 6s. CT Reps were also recognised as leaders of their class.
24 JULY
190TH FOUNDERS
DAY CEREMONY
The ceremony honoured
Year 16 students who
performed well in academic
and co-curricular areas, as
well as staff members for their
dedicated service to RI. This
years Guest-of-Honour was
old boy Mr Choo Chiau beng
(RI, 1964 & 1966), former Chief
Executive Offcer of Keppel
Corporation and newly-
appointed Chairman of RIs
board of Governors.
27 JULY
RAFFLES HOMECOMING
To celebrate RIs 190th anniversary, the school organised its frst
ever Raffes Homecoming which comprised three main events
Teacher Time Machine (where alumni caught up with their old
teachers and classmates); The Memory and Artefact Donation Drive
(where alumni donated their old memorabilia to the school); and
the Homecoming Dinner, which coincided with the Old Raffesians
Associations (ORA) 90th anniversary dinner.
At the Homecoming Dinner, which was held in the Albert Hong Hall,
Emeritus Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong (RI, 1960) was presented
the Gryphon Award in honour
of his signifcant contributions
to community and nation. ESM
Goh also launched the Raffes
Community Initiatives (RCI), which
will serve as seed funding for
community projects undertaken
by RI students, alumni and
parents. The RCI builds on the
Raffesian tradition of giving back
to the community.
from left to right: Legendary school teachers of the pastMr Tan Kim Cheng, Mr Patrick Pestana,
Mr Hector Chee, Mr Tan Hwee Hock, Mr S Puhaindran
6
7 AUGUST
SCHOOL UPDATES
School Scene
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH
SPORTS SCIENCE CONFERENCE
Organised by the E W barker
Institute of Sports, the inaugural
conference brought together
students from 12 International
leading schools, as well as 18 local
schools, to explore and hone their
research projects in Sports Science
and share new ideas in Sports
Science across cultures. Participants
put up their research projects
and shared their presentations at
the conference. Minister of State
(Ministry of Trade and Industry)
Mr Teo Ser Luck graced the event
as the Guest-of-Honour.
1317 AUGUST
NATIONAL DAY
The National Day observance ceremony began with all staff and
students congregating at the Year 56 field for the uniformed groups
parade. Accompanied by music by the band, RIs uniformed groups
(01 Raffes Scouts Group, 02 Raffes Scouts Group, boys brigade,
National Cadet Corps, National Police Cadet Corps and Red Cross).
After the parade, the entire school population gathered on the feld to
take a school-wide photograph. The Inter-House Track & field Meet
finals, National Day Carnival, Inter-House Staff & Student Telematch
and the Community Singing finale were also held on that day.
7
YEAR 56 FAREWELL ASSEMBLY
At the fnal assembly for the Class of 2013, awards were given
to outstanding students who had contributed to the school in
academics, sports and aesthetics. The Guest-of-Honour was
Nominated Member of Parliament, Mr Nicholas fang (RJC, 1993).
The assembly featured performances by staff and the graduating
batch, and concluded with a farewell address by Ashlynna Ng,
president of the 32nd Students Council.
18 OCTOBER
MEGA MUGGING MADNESS
The warm and enthusiastic
parents of the RPA held the
sixth installment of Mega
Mugging Madness, formally
known as the RI A-Level Dinner.
This annual event sees the
parents supporting students
staying late in school to study
for the impending GCE A-Level
examinations by providing them
with luscious buffet spreads of
food in the evenings after the
canteen stalls have closed.
The event was immensely
popular, with over 400 students
waiting in line for the food,
armed with tupperwares and
reusable cutlery. On the fnal
night, Principal Mrs Lim Lai
Cheng and Principal Designate
Mr Chan Poh Meng turned
up to show their support for
the parents and students by
helping to serve the food.
2131 OCTOBER
TEACHERS DAY
There was a lively air of
celebration all over campus
as students showed their
appreciation to their teachers
at a rousing Teachers Day
Concert. Teachers then
adjourned to the Shaw
foundation Ceremonial Hall for
a mouth-watering buffet lunch
hosted by the Raffes Parents
Association (RPA).
5 SEPTEMBER
SCHOOL UPDATES
School Scene
8
YEAR 14 FINAL ASSEMBLY
The entire Year 14 cohort
gathered to show their
appreciation to Principal
Mrs Lim as she was led around
the campus on a farewell
tour. The tour ended in the
Albert Hong Hall, where she
addressed the students in her
final Assembly.
8 NOVEMBER
SCHOOL UPDATES
School Scene
PROMETHEUS CUP
Organised by the Raffes Debate Academy (RDA), the biennial international debating tournament
for youths is the frst of its kind to be organised in Southeast Asia. This years competition featured
a diverse range of 32 international and local teams, including Singapores National Debate Team.
2127 NOVEMBER
9
2013:
An Eventful Year
Letter from the Raffes
Parents Association
bY SHEELA MARIAMAH
LETTER FROM THE RPA
School Scene
A-Level Supper
1 0
On a more sombre note, it will
indeed be sad to see Mrs Lim
leave RI at the end of this year.
No one can dispute that she
is an amazing and dynamic
lady, as well a dedicated and
passionate principal, who
has done wonders for RI and
our children. Im sure I speak
for all in RPA Management
Committee in saying that it has
been a privilege and pleasure
working with her and that she
will be dearly missed. However
saddened we are to see her
leave, we want to express our
heartfelt thanks for everything
she has done, and to wish her
success in her new endeavours.
On behalf of the RPA, we would
like to welcome Mr Chan Poh
Meng to RI as principal and look
forward to working with him as
closely as we did with Mrs Lim.
SHEELA MARIAMAH
Vice-Chair (Year 14)
Raffes Parents Association
Please check out our RPA
facebook page for photos
of past events and visit
our website at
http://raffes-pa.blogspot.sg.

The RPA is planning another
exciting mission trip from 6
to 11 December, this time to
Myanmar. Organised by former
RPA Chairman Mr Chua Wah
Ann, a group of about 32 adults
and children (including Principal
Mrs Lim Lai Cheng) will be
going off to the Htauk Kyant
and Mayangone Orphanage
Schools to build extensions
and paint the schools, donate
sewing machines and taking
the orphans, all 250 of them,
on a trip to the zoo and to
watch movies.
LETTER FROM THE RPA
School Scene
RPA Lunch with Principal
How time fies, and what an
eventful year it has been!
The RPA organised several
activities throughout the
yearCareer Talks, Townhall
Meetings, Lunch & breakfast
with Principal, the RI Open
House and the PSLE Maths
workshopbut the highlights
of the year would have to be
the Teachers Day celebration
and A-Level Supper.
for the Teachers Day
Appreciation Lunch, many
parents came forward to show
their appreciation for the
schools staff by transforming
the Shaw foundation Dining
Hall into an elegantly-
decorated dining venue and
presenting a mouthwatering
spread of both local and
international cuisines. Parent
volunteers also cooked up a
storm in the A-Level Supper
(otherwise known to Year 56
students as Mega Mugging
Madness) to support the
hardworking Year 6 students
studying for their A-Levels.
both events took much
planning, involved many
parent volunteers, kind and
generous donations, and of
course lots of hard work, which
all culminated in successful
and satisfying results.
Medicine Career Talk RPA Lunch with Principal
1 1
Art thou a
Rafflesian?
RGS Report
bY JOYCE ER 403 AND KATE TAN 405
RGS REPORT
Art Thou a Raffesian?
While most may take it for granted,
RGS girls have always enjoyed some
degree of arts education as part of their
curriculum, as well as through student-
initiated arts appreciation events that
occur throughout the year.
RAWR, ARTreach, !nkspiration,
Renaissance fair, Dramafest,
Arts Tapestry. While most
current RGS girls are probably
familiar with this litany of terms,
strangely enough, their seniors
just a batch or two earlier may
fnd them completely foreign.
Not only are all the above
terms much-celebrated arts-
related events in RGS, they
were all also only implemented
in recent years, illustrating
the sudden boom of the RGS
arts scene.
This is thanks to the little-known
Arts Education Committee,
which was established two
years ago with the intent of
nurturing the high-ability girl
who will have increased self-
awareness and communication
through the arts.
What the AEC has done is
set in place is a four-tier arts
education programme, as well
as encourage studeny-intiated
arts appreciation events.
The programme is based
on Treffngers Levels of
Service, more well-known to
students by its four tiers
beginning, developing,
profcient and accomplished.
All students achieve
the second tier through
the mandatory General
Aesthetics Programmes (the
memorable dance, design
and technology, art, music,
and home economics lessons
of lower secondary). Those
in performing arts CCAs,
the arts and music elective
programmes and Literature
RA (Raffes Academy) attain
tier three, and the select few
of international standard are
awarded tier four.
However, the arts scene does
not end with merely arts
education, as testifed by the
advertisements for multiple
arts-related events that paper
the walls of the campus. The
last two years in particular
have seen an unprecedented
increase in the visibility of
the arts scene in RGS, mainly
with the aim of cultivating arts
awareness and appreciation
in students. Most of the
exciting large-scale events
that have dramatically shaped
the arts scene in RGS today
were only started in 2011 (as
more than one disappointed
senior can attest), around the
time that the Arts Education
Committee was established
in RGS.
behind every much-publicised,
well-planned (or well-
improvised, as some of them
unabashedly admit) event is
a group of arts lovers who
dedicate much of their time
Poetry Confessions, English
Language and Literature Week
1 3
to bringing art to the masses
of RGS. Proponents of the
art scene in RGS include the
recently-formed ARTreach,
comprising passionate art
advocates who aim to bring
art to RGS through organising
activities pertaining to the
literary, visual and performing
arts. One such event would be
the Really Arty Week @ RGS
(RAWR), an annual week-long
event dedicated to promoting
awareness and understanding
of the arts in RGS. This was
achieved through activities
such as Dress as an Artwork
Day, CCA busking, workshops
held by performing arts CCAs
and external vendors.
Another fervent advocate for
the arts scene in RGS would be
!nkspiration, a Student Interest
Group (SIG) self-described as
RGS resident book club and
writing society. Traditionally
headed by the years batch
of Literature RA students,
!nkspiration welcomes all
students to join and appreciate
literature. Chairperson Sandra
Tan (408) says their goal is
making creative writing (be
it poetry or prose) accessible
to the student body, and
establishing that literature is
for everyone.
To the skeptical eye, it would
seem that the so-called
upwards trend of emphasis
on the arts is merely the
result of a sudden spike in
student-initiated and teacher-
supported arts advocacy.
Nevertheless, promising
event participation rates,
would have us believe that
such a trend of arts events in
RGS will be more than a fash
in the pan.
Any performing arts girl can
tell you about the near-miraculous
coordination required to produce
a successful combined musical
performance, or that perfect
comedic timing borne of
chemistry between actors.
RGS REPORT
Art Thou a Raffesian?
1 4
Of course, all of the above is
based upon the assumption
that arts education and
appreciation is good. We dont
doubt that we echo many
a parent when we ask the
resounding question: what is
the point of arts?
Now, we could quote a
metric ton of statistics and
research here, like legions of
Singaporean parents, who
boast their knowledge of the
supposed manifold benefts
of music or arts education as
they shuffe their children from
one enrichment class to the
next. but ask an RGS girl what
she got out of her decision
to spend time indulging in
writing, music, dance, theatre
and arts, and you would get
far less pragmatic answers, as
well as a lot of initial confusion,
stuttering and mumbling.
Perhaps the word that
featured most was the word
passion. Although its used
so often to explain our
dedication to various activities
that one might think its just
a platitude, we can confrm
that it isnt a politically-correct
frontwitness the tireless
dedication to repeated
rehearsals to the extent of
actual physical injury, and
its obvious that nothing but
passion (or insanity) could
drive us to do what we do.
for good reason tooif
interest and enthusiasm are
It is the not-so-simple joy of many hearts
and minds coming together to create a
unique showcase of their abilities that makes
the arts so rewardingnot to mention the
rafter-shaking applause from an appreciative
audience afterwards.
RGS REPORT
Art Thou a Raffesian?
Writers block:
The Musical
1 5
not a good reason to spend
time and effort on something,
then what else is? Passion is
what drives all pursuers of the
arts to spur on and improve
themselves through months
and years of practice.
The second most-spoken word
was none other than friends.
Where studying tends to be
done alone at night with only
the feeble glow of a phone
screen for company, the arts
conversely offer collaboration
in spades, and with it the
chance to interact with and
grow alongside like-minded
friends. Any performing arts
girl can tell you (or more
accurately, good-naturedly
whine and moan) about the
near-miraculous coordination
required to produce a
successful combined musical
performance, or that perfect
comedic timing borne of
chemistry between actors.
It is the not-so-simple joy
of many hearts and minds
coming together to create
a unique showcase of their
abilities that makes the arts
so rewardingnot to mention
the rafter-shaking applause
from an appreciative
audience afterwards.
Of course, no creative
enterprise comes together
as easily as the movie
High School Musical would
have you believe. behind
every successful performance
lies a frazzled instructor, a
thousand and one Again!s,
countless nights spent in
rehearsals in school, and
underlying all that, the
sheer perseverance and
RGS REPORT
Art Thou a Raffesian?
Of course, no creative enterprise comes together as easily
as the movie High School Musical would have you believe.
Behind every successful performance lies a frazzled instructor,
a thousand and one Again!s, countless nights spent in
rehearsals in school, and underlying all that, the sheer
perseverance and discipline of the performers to keep
calm and carry on.
1 6
discipline of the performers
to keep calm and carry
on. This extends to more
individual artistic ventures
as well: every Year 4 Special
Arts Programme student
struggles with the monstrous
construct that is coursework,
and it takes a particular
strength of spirit and mind
to keep revising that poem
even when the writer would
like to just ball the offending
paper up and chuck it in the
wastepaper bin. Whether
youre a prodigy or just
someone whos got a passion
for a particular profession, it
takes years of perfectionistic
self-improvement before
one attains any semblance
of profciency. because of
this, exacting standards and
rigorous self-discipline are
two more rewards from the
arts that students can hope
to take away.
but these reasons only apply to
those who are actively involved
in the arts, we hear you protest.
Not everyone has the potential
for, or even the interest to
pursue the arts. So what other
reason can there possibly be
for the arts?
Simply put: liberation.
Everyone has at least once
experienced the freedom of
being completely and utterly
immersed in a piece of music
or dance or art. Theres
the tone-deaf friend who
enjoys belting out broadway
numbers, or the girl with two
left feet who still imitates
dances of K-pop music
videosand why not? The
arts are not only something
to pursue for the sake of
excellence. One does not need
to satisfy any prerequisites to
enjoy the freedom that the
arts provide. The arts are there
to offer a liberating option of
self-expression that we often
seek in our carefully planned
lives, a chance to simply
let loose and indulge for
indulgences sake.
Given the manifold benefts of
arts and RGS girls enthusiastic
receptiveness to the various
arts schemes and events of
recent years, we can only hope
that the school will continue to
take these cues and support
the development of the arts.
As we went to press, we learnt
that RGS has discontinued
Arts Tapestry and Dramafest
because of budgetary
constraints. In addition, EL
Week and Y2 Lit Renaissance
faire will be integrated. RAWR
may be integrated into EL
Week and Y2 Lit Renaissance
faire as well but this is still
under discussion.
RGS REPORT
Art Thou a Raffesian?
1 7
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND
LITERATURE WEEK
Organised by the English
Language and Literature
department, !nkspiration and
Year 3 Literature RA students, the
English Language and Literature
(ELL) Week was a one-week
homage to words at play. The
most celebrated event was
undoubtedly Poetry Confessions,
a two-part spoken word poetry
event courtesy of !nkspiration,
where RGS girls performed their
poetry alongside Sarah Kay and
Phil Kaye, renowned and prolifc
American spoken word poets
and co-founders of Project voice.
RENAISSANCE FAIRE
ELL Week also included
Renaissance faire, a celebration
of the Elizabethan times
that produced William
Shakespeareor, as the
organisers would have it,
Wilma Shakespeare. With
performances, a best-dressed
competition, games, crafts and
food booths set up by students
of all levels from the kingdom of
Raffeshire, the faire was a night
of revelry and merrymaking
for both Raffesians as well as
guests from other schools.
The week rounded up with an
under-the-stars screening of
the movie Pride and Prejudice.
besides this, a fve-part play was
broadcast over the AvPA system
each morning.
REALLY ARTY WEEK
@ RGS (RAWR)
During RAWR, the Student
Interest Group ArtReach,
Aesthetics, Home Economics
and Humanities departments
RGS REPORT
Art Thou a Raffesian?
bottom left to right:
Writers block: The Musical
and Renaissance faire
1 8
came together to create a
blowout week packed with
fun-flled activities and events.
Every morning, students walking
into the foyer were greeted by
busking performances put up
by Choir, Angklung, and
many other Performing Arts
in the mornings.
Throughout the week, comics
and book sales, face-painting,
Dali Colour-by-the-Numbers
Participative Art (courtesy of
the Art Club students), and a
host of workshops covering
latte art to tie-dye to cupcake
decoration kept us thoroughly
entertained. Dress as an Artwork
Day challenged students to
showcase their creativity as they
turned up in interpretations
of their favourite artworks
(think Dalis dripping clocks,
Mondrian squares and classes of
sunfowers). The Hall Assembly
that week was testament to
the immense talent housed by
RGS, opening with a symphonic
reinterpretation of the school
song by Guitar Ensemble,
Strings Ensemble and Angklung.
The week closed with book Day
and a late-night picnic under the
stars cum screening of Rango,
a movie about the enthralling
misadventures of a lizard
seeking the cause for his desert
towns lost water supply.
ARTS TAPESTRY
Traditionally held biannually,
Arts Tapestry was replaced
this year by RAWR. 2011s Arts
Tapestry featured workshops
covering henna painting, foral
arrangement and culinary
workshops, collaborative
graffti painting on the wall of
the amphitheatre, and Night
Extravaganza, a showcase
of various SYf-decorated
performing arts CCAs including
English Drama and Choir.
DRAMAFEST
The upper secondary
accompaniment to the lower
secondarys annual Drama
Nite, Dramafest is also
designed to be a sister event
to RIs Drama feste (minus
the space and the pretentious
spelling of feste). Each of
the fve houses has to write
a script based on a prompt
given by the organising
committee, and produce
and present the play with
cast and crew of each house.
Dramafest was frst organised
in 2011, and looks to be a long-
standing tradition to come.
WRITERS BLOCK
Writers Block: The Musical
was a joint collaboration by
RALit and RAMusic, produced
by ARTReach, and is the frst
musical that RGS has produced
in a long time. The production
featured a live orchestra and
jazz band, as well as a cast that
spontaneously burst out into
both whimsical and heart-
wrenching numbers adapted
from other musicals. Put
together in no more than two
weeks, the musical was opened
its curtains in October 2013 for
two sold-out shows.
RGS REPORT
Art Thou a Raffesian?
Top left to right:
Performance by the
Strings Ensemble,
RAWR and Dress as an
Artwork Day, RAWR
1 9
RIPB
Then
& Now
The Prefect
bY IZZAT RASHAD ROSAZIZI 3T AND SHEIKH IZZAT B Z-A BAHAJJAJ 3C
THE PREFECT
RIPB: Then and Now
As the oldest student leadership
body in Singapores oldest
school, the Raffes Institution
Prefectorial board (RIPb) counts
among its alumni a host of
ministers, CEOs and key players
in the world of business. but as
the world enters a new era of
systems and technology, how
has the RIPb altered its ways and
ideals as a student leadership
body? Have there been any
tectonic shifts in how the
RIPb functions and understands
itself, or have the values and
principles that shaped the
boards purpose when it was
established back in the schools
bras basah Road days remained
largely unchanged?
We caught up with two Head
Prefects, Mr Jai Singh (Head
Prefect 1971, current Research
The RIPBs functions seem
by and large to have remained
constantboth Mr Singh
and Jason concurred that the
RIPBs key foci are school
spirit and discipline.
Education Teacher) and Jason
Cheong (3C, Head Prefect
2013-2014) to contrast and
juxtapose the RIPbs past with
its present-day incarnation.
INTERNAL AFFAIRS:
The RIPbs functions seem by
and large to have remained
constantboth Mr Singh
and Jason concurred that the
RIPbs key foci are school spirit
and discipline. Its internal
structure, however, has been
more fuidwhereas it was run
as a single unit in Mr Singhs
time, in 2001, a fve-department
system (Human Resource,
Communication, Welfare, the
Discipline board and Gryphons
Committee) was introduced.
This was in turn re-simplifed
to 2 branches - Spirits and
Standards- as recently as 2012.
under these two branches,
there are various sub-
departments that oversee
different areas pertaining to
the RIPb. for instance, the
Spirits branch handles issues
Mr Jai Singh
(Head Prefect 1971, current
Research Education Teacher)
Jason Cheong
(Head Prefect 2013/2014)
2 1
THE PREFECT
RIPB: Then and Now
ranging from the Gryphons
Lair and match support to the
Raffes Merchandise series.
The Standards branch tackles
more discipline-related issues,
such as the booking systems
and restorative support for
students with disciplinary
issues. According to Jason, the
simplifed system was created
in the hope that we could serve
as role models of character,
who inspire and rally the school
in order to forge a united
Raffesian community, one that
we can all be proud of.
Prefects in Mr Singhs
time functioned more
independently, and mainly
worked based on their own
discretion and jurisdiction. This
was partly because the school
was less well-resourced
todays prefects have the
beneft of training camps,
leadership discussion sessions,
leadership forums and courses
to enhance their skills. There
was only one Prefect Master
in the past, unlike today,
where there are fve teachers
in charge of the RIPb. These
teachers (Mr Low June Meng,
Ms Imelda Chang, Ms Ng Geck
Woon, Dr Raphael Iluyomade
funwa, and Mr Tan Yan Li) help
the current prefects in their
organisation of the new dual-
branched RIPb.
While the reshuffe has
gained the approval of
many students, teachers
and prefects, there is still a
handful that remains sceptical
of the merits of the RIPbs
recent transformation. In
response, Jason asks that this
potential group of sceptics
give the system some time,
and adds that there were
numerous long-term goals
for the RIPb in mind while
the new plans were being
formulated. Quoting Jason,
without change, we might
never know what even better
things we could accomplish
as a Prefectorial board.
Head Prefect Jai Singh shares
his thoughts on RIs move
from bras basah to Grange
Road in the 18 Dec 1971
issue of Raffesian Times
Jai Singh delivering the Head boys
address at founders Day 1971
2 2
THE PREFECT
RIPB: Then and Now
SCHOOL STANDARDS
The Prefectorial boards role in
the school is to set standards
and maintain the discipline of
the student populace. In Mr
Singhs day as Head Prefect,
the prefects had to meet
and talk to repeat offenders
in groups during sessions
known as Detention boards.
Punishment would also be
meted out via Detention
Classes. Order among the
students was maintained
mainly due to the stigma that
came with having to be called
up for these offences.
Today, the RIPb is more
inclined towards having
prefects lead the way by being
role models themselves,
thereby inspiring their peers
to be on their best conduct
and observe the school rules.
Prefects now record down the
names of students that break
the school rules in the Offence
Record System and speak
with the student in person to
discover the reasons behind his
actions. Repeat offenders are
sent for Restorative Support
(RS) sessions where they would
be counselled individually by
prefects, as opposed to just
giving them a warning slip.
The RI Prefectorial
board in 1971
Another key aim of
the RIPB of Mr Singhs
era was to nurture
and sustain the
school spirit, although
there were far
fewer opportunities
to express this, as
signifcantly fewer
events were held
in his time.
2 3
THE PREFECT
RIPB: Then and Now
SCHOOL SPIRIT
Another key aim of the RIPb of
Mr Singhs era was to nurture
and sustain the school spirit,
although there were far fewer
opportunities to express this,
as signifcantly fewer events
were held in his time. Inter-
school matches thus became
the high points of school life,
with almost the entire school
turning up for match support.
This was especially prevalent
during rugby fnals, when
Raffesians from the old bras
basah campus would rush
down to the adjacent Padang
to support the ruggers.
Recalling how tense and
competitive those matches
were, Mr Singh shares that
supporters had to be kept
separated along clearly
demarcated lines to prevent
fghts from occurring.
feelings ran high when
we faced traditional rivals
like St Andrews in rugby,
St Josephs in football,
and Anglo Chinese School
in Track & field. Often,
class dismissals had to be
staggered in order to prevent
fghts, scuffes and brawls
from breaking out amongst
the students.
Even though Raffes current
opponents in sports such as
rugby, track and even soccer
are virtually identical to those
from four decades ago, long
gone are the days of fghts
and brawls between opposing
schools students. Raffesians
participation in these national
fnals is mostly limited to
cheering and supporting their
teams from the stands.
In this sense, the prefects
role today has become less
of maintaining Standards
by preventing fghts and
brawls between the student
spectators but more of trying
to invoke Spirit in Raffesians
by rallying the school and
leading their peers in cheering
for the school.
fast forward 40 years, and
the changed context of
Singaporean education has
made the lives of Raffesians
far busier with added
commitments and an increased
workload. Add to this the far
greater number of games
being played, and it comes as
little surprise that the school
spirit seems somewhat tamer
as compared to previous times.
The RIPb has thus felt the
need to invoke greater spirit
in the student populace
and has designated Match
Support as one of the
sub-departments under the
Spirit branch of the new and
improved board. Classes
are assigned to support
the school at competitions
and the rest of the student
populace is also strongly
encouraged to make their
presence felt in grand fnals
or other crucial season
matches. Jason says, We do
see the Raffesian Spirit; it is
there. We just want to see it
more often.
BEYOND SPIRITS
AND STANDARDS
Two larger challenges await
the RIPb. The frst is the
diffcult-but-not-impossible
task of safeguarding the
schools culture of a healthy
The 2013 RI Prefectorial board
2 4
THE PREFECT
RIPB: Then and Now
THE PREFECTS CREST
The Prefects Crest embodies the ideals and aspirations of the RIPb:
1. The dogs head at the top of the crest symbolises the watch-dog role that the
board playsguarding and upholding the values and traditions of the school.
2. The ring, which is known as the belt of unity, has the schools motto
embedded on it. It symbolises the prefects role in forging a more united and
dynamic Raffesian community.
3. The double-headed eagle within the ring represents the vision of the RIPb as
it draws strength from the schools past victories and leads the school to new
and greater heights.
respect for diversity Mr Singh
observes, Although the school
is less diverse today than it
was previously in terms of
socioeconomic diversity, we
are seeing many more students
of other nationalities. The RIPb
needs to fgure out what role
it can play in helping integrate
RIs non-Singaporean students
fully into the life of the school?
Perhaps more challenging
is the issue of how best to
continue the push towards a
vision of One Raffeswhat
Jason describes as a school
that is united and embraces
its diversity as one Raffesian
familythat was frst begun
with RIs re-integration with RJC
in 2009. How does it foster a
wider identifcation between
both wings of the school, and in
so doing, restore the school to
some semblance of its pre-1982
self? Might this involve more
interaction between the RIPb
and its Year 56 counterpart, the
Students Council?
The dog that sits atop the RIPb
crest has weathered the test
of time; we are confdent of
its ability to prove the age-old
adage that you cant teach an
old dog new tricks wrong. In this
age of rapid change, the faithful
RIPb canine is learning the new
tricks of the trade it needs to
keep up and remain relevant to
todays generation.
2 5
WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER
TO BE THE HIGH POINT IN
YOUR TENURE AS PRINCIPAL?
It would be in 2011, when we
went in for the Singapore
Quality Award (SQA). I sensed
that the school was ready
because weve done so much
over the years and built
such a strong foundation. It
served as a rallying call for
all of usstudents, staff,
alumni and stakeholders to
come together and be of
one mind. And we did very
nicely, because all of our
stafffrom the teaching and
administrative staff to our
canteen operatorscame
together and we were all so
proud of the school. I think
Raffesians love being put to
the test and we do very well
when we are tested.
WHAT WOULD THE LOW
POINT BE, THEN? DO YOU
HAVE ANY SIGNIFICANT
REGRETS UPON LEAVING?
I wouldnt explicitly pinpoint
a low point, but I do wish
I had more time to spend
with students and staff to
build relationships. I think
if you spend enough time
with people, trust is built and
everyone can discuss issues
like corporatisation more
easilythere wouldnt be any
niggling feelings of Why is
the school doing this?, and
Why were we not consulted?.
I actually found myself
spending a lot of time with
the parentsmeeting them
for townhalls, and lunch and
breakfast sessionsand I dont
get any diffcult questions from
them at all. They tended to be
very accepting of explanations
I provided, without second-
guessing me, without being
suspicious of the motives.
I feel this just goes to show
how important relationship-
building is.
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
principally
speaking
The Principal
bY ALLISON CHOONG 14S05A, BRYAN CHUA 14A01A,
LEE CHIN WEE 14A01b AND TAN JUN XIANG 14S06C
Mrs Lim Lai Cheng (left)
and Mr Chan Poh Meng
MRS LIM LAI CHENG
SPEAKS
Outgoing and
incoming
principals Mrs
Lim Lai Cheng
and Mr Chan
Poh Meng share
their thoughts
on the school's
recent past and
its immediate
future.
2 6
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
2 7
TELL US MORE ABOUT THE
GREATEST CHALLENGE
YOUVE FACED IN THE LAST
SIX YEARS.
You know, there had been
moments when I just dropped
all my work, called it a day
and went to sleep and prayed
that the next day would be a
better one. There was nothing
absolutely crucialjust
challenges to do with people
and, sometimes, events. Im too
focused on the tasks at hand to
look back and be bogged down
by all those moments.
WHAT WAS YOUR VISION
FOR RI UPON ENTERING THE
SCHOOL, AND DO YOU THINK
YOUVE ACHIEVED IT?
When I came, there was indeed
a purpose and a mission: the
integration of RI with RJC.
back then, the Ministry actually
wanted to see transformative
growth. They saw the potential
of the two institutions, and it was
up to me to make us more than
the sum of our parts. That was
an exciting challenge, because
anyone who knew both RI and
RJC knew there was a lot of
potential due to the quality
of staff, students, resources,
heritage and the alumni.
My main purpose was to work
closely with staff and let them
run with their ideas, rather than
impose my ideas upon them.
When I was principal of previous
schools, most of the teachers
would just wait for instructions.
They would say, What are your
ideas? Let us know, and they
would do it. but when I came
to Raffes, it was a much bigger
playing feld. If I tried to push my
ideas without any support from
the staff, they defnitely would
have fallen through.
but I could work on their ideas,
and provide them the support,
resources, networks and
connections to see their projects
through. Honestly, I cant take
any credit for what has happened
herenot the Gap Semester,
not the E W barker Institute of
Sports, nor the Raffes Leadership
Institute. These were ideas
offered by the Deans and HODs.
We came together a few times
to do strategic planning and to
formulate a set of common values
and ideals for the school. I cant
claim credit for any one initiative
in the school.
When I came,
there was indeed
a purpose and
a mission: the
integration of RI
with RJC. Back
then, the Ministry
actually wanted to
see transformative
growth.
Mrs Lim addresses the school
at Prize-Giving Ceremony 2013
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
2 8
SOME CRITICS,
ESPECIALLY OLD BOYS,
HAVE CRITICISED THE
ALLEGED CORPORATISATION
AS ALIENATING THE STUDENTS
AND STAFF OF THE SCHOOL
AND A DAMPENER ON
SCHOOL SPIRIT. WHAT
ARE YOUR VIEWS?
Teachers often lament the fact
that they dont have enough
time to know their students
well. What weve done is to
take away as much of their
administrative work as possible,
so that they can focus on
teaching well. With specialised
help, the school conducts itself
more professionally. I think that
has fed into the perception of
corporatisation, because we
have good staff who want to
do things properly. Our Estate
staff, for instance, are trained,
have dealt with contractors
and some have even worked
in town councils. I think when
you professionalise some
corporate services, you will get
a completely different feel than
if you had largely depended
on teachers who are trained to
teach and not to do fnance,
estates, landscaping or signage.
besides the aesthetic changes,
some have also commented
on the disappearance of a
homely school culture. Perhaps
thats because weve become
such a big school, with all the
management staff essentially
handling a six-year job scope,
and we have had far less time
to interact and be personable.
In my frst meeting with the
Students Council in 2008,
they told me that the school
was too cold, so we tried very
2013 Prize-Giving Ceremony
Guest-of-Honour, Mr vanu
Gopala Menon (second
from left), with (from left):
Senior Deputy Principal Mr
S Magendiran, 2013 Head
Prefect Isaac Leong, Deputy
Head Prefect Sean Ong
and Mrs Lim
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
2 9
hard to make the spaces more
interactive for students. I think
weve come a long way in
becoming cosierthere are a
lot more hubs where students
can congregate.
The lack of homeliness may also
stem from the fact that Mount
Sinai was a small, cosy set-up,
and the staff and students saw a
lot of each other, and their paths
tended to criss-cross getting
from one point to another. Now,
were on a sprawling campus
and thus see less of each other.
So I think the lack of homeliness
could be due to size, and we
must overcome that by building
closer relationships. I think now
that we have done most of the
strategic and structural work,
the focus should shift towards
building emotional connections.
WAS THE DISJOINT IN
CULTURE BETWEEN YEAR
1-4 AND YEAR 5-6 AN
OBSTACLE TO INTEGRATION?
Integration is an evolution,
rather than simply an
endpoint. It allows us to ride
on the advantages of size, or
economies of scale, and merge
two strong institutions, but I do
not want to force it by saying,
lets integrate in six years
time. Those of us who have
taught in JCs know that the JC
population is very different
from the secondary population,
and we cant treat the students
in the same way. for those who
experienced a six-year RI (before
1982, when RJC was formed),
it seemed only natural to have
completed ones education in
one school, with a shared school
ethos and culture throughout.
However, when two institutions
have grown apart and have
developed independently for
28 years, putting them back
together just doesnt occur
overnight. Ive always reminded
the Year 14 RI boys that, in
the six-year IP, they are the
minorityonly 450 out of a
batch of 1,250. How can they
then impose their past on the
Year 56 cohort?
DID YOU FACE ANY
DIFFICULTIES AS THE
FIRST FEMALE PRINCIPAL
OF THE SCHOOL?
Ive never thought of gender
as an issue, especially because
half the JC population is female!
Clearly, the board of Governors
didnt think it was an issue either,
because they were the ones who
agreed to a female principal in
the frst place.
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
3 0
When I frst came, I asked the
students in Year 14 about this,
and they had absolutely no
issue. What was most important
to them was having a principal
who was approachable. I dont
know whether the older alumni
have an issue, because the
younger alumni dont seem
to have much of a problem.
If they do, its never really
been something that has
been surfaced.
IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT
DEFINES RAFFLESIANS?
We are very task-oriented and
focused on our goals. because
were so indefatigable, which is
a word the Deputy Principals use
to describe me, we obsess over
winning, no matter whether its
a debate or a project. The other
side of the coin is that we never
lose sight of our goals, and we
do not let the things around
us hinder us from attaining our
dreams. frankly, that defnes
the way I work. It doesnt bother
me at all if I hear things like this
is the frst female principal,
because I feel I just need to
get the job done.
WHAT ARE YOUR KEY WISHES
FOR RAFFLESIANS?
The frst word that comes to
mind is kindness. We can be
so critical of so many things:
the government, the school
administration, our own peers,
ourselves. If Raffesians were
kinder, we would be able
to receive more kindness in
return. We intellectualise lots
of thingsmyself included,
Im always searching for the
critical argumentand we let
our minds control our hearts.
We get quite a lot of fak from
others about being elitist and
arrogant, but maybe if we were
more empathetic and kind, we
might receive less criticism.
In our assemblies, we always
talk about giving back and
being conscious of the fact
that you have the talent and
the strengths and must help
others along. We have also
urged Raffesians to be grateful
and realise that whatever we've
achieved is not solely by our
own merit but facilitated by
many others. That rhetoric
remains the same, but because
of the current landscape, this
has been brought a lot more to
the fore.
I don't know if you've read the
book, The Twilight of the Elites.
It talks about how America has
lost faith in its elite, in the wake
of a series of crises. There is
now a lot of focus on making
sure that there's more equity,
and that those who are more
privileged should have to
spend more effort and share
their resources with the rest.
I think there's going to be a
more conscious effort to let
our actions show, not simply
through words.
In our assemblies,
we always talk about giving
back and being conscious of
the fact that you have the
talent and the strengths and
must help others along.
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
3 1
RI DOES COME UNDER SOME
CRITICISM FROM SOME
QUARTERS THAT OUR SOCIO-
ECONOMIC PROFILE IS ONE
THAT IS SKEWED TOWARDS
PEOPLE WHO ARE WEALTHIER
AND THAT WE HAVE
SIGNIFICANT BARRIERS TO
ENTRY. WHATS YOUR OPINION
ON THIS AND DO YOU THINK
WE HAVE A KEY ROLE TO PLAY
IN PROMOTING EQUITY?
Yes, thats why we came up
with the RI Junior Scholarships
where we reach out to primary
school boys who may be in
need of educational resources
that we can help with. We
give out over 20 scholarships
every year. Through self-help
groups such as SINDA, we
have also started mentoring
programmes for Primary 5 and
6 students, to build confdence
and help them improve
academically. And we do see
them get into good schools,
even though it may not be RI.
The fact that more of our
students are from better
families is a refection of
Singapore society. It has
become more affuent, so we
cant go back to the days when
we were in school and say
that our peers were from poor
families. Even for myself and
many others, we are now much
better off than our parents.
There is a new idea for the DSA
(Direct School Admissions)
now to broaden the criteria
for admission. I dont think any
educator would fault these
policies aimed at increasing
social mobility, I think theyre
all good. The diffculty is in the
implementation, to make sure
that people dont abuse it.
MANY HAVE ACTUALLY
CRITICISED THE RAFFLES
DIPLOMA AS EXACERBATING
THE PAPER CHASE. WHAT ARE
YOUR THOUGHTS?
I think it's a natural thing to
say, because anything that
requires people to show
what they've done can be
taken in a negative light. It all
started because of the Raffes
Programme, and the A-Levels
just do not do justice to all the
things that our students do.
So we decided to come up
with our own accreditation,
something that sets us apart
from other schools. The Raffes
signature is one that refects
excellence. When you have a
Raffes Diploma, it does draw
Wonder Woman: Mrs Lim battling
a hooded fgure as part of a Total
Defence skit at Take 5, 2013
Mrs Lim at the Year 56
farewell Assembly, 2013
The Raffes signature is one that
refects excellence. When you have a
Raffes Diploma, it does draw attention
to the quality and standards that weve
set for this programme.
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
3 2
People outside like it, as far
as I've heard, because it helps
them better understand our
programmes, and they are able
to pick out the different things
that our students do, which
sets them apart from the rest
of the schools. The institutions
outside have also said that they
look at a graduate holistically.
It doesnt mean that your RD
attention to the quality and
standards that we've set for
this programme.
I've always told people to
do it not for the sake of the
Raffes Diploma, and that it
doesn't matter if you don't
get your Distinction or Merit.
It's just an encapsulation of
what you've done as a student.
grade represents the person
you are its just one among
a few things they look at.
WE UNDERSTAND
THAT RI WAS ONCE
CONSIDERING ADOPTING
THE INTERNATIONAL
BACCALAUREATE (IB)
PROGRAMME. DO YOU THINK
THAT ONE DAY, RAFFLES
MIGHT TAKE ON THE IB?
We have considered that. I think
the onus is on the MOE because
were a national institution and
we need to get the ministrys
permission to do it. Right now,
I think they want us to stick
with the A-Levels. To me, the
Ib provides an alternative for
students who prefer a more
broad-based curriculum.
I wanted it earlier on, for a small
segment of the population,
because I still prefer the
A-Levels for its rigour, especially
for our students who are strong
in individual subjects. but not
all students are for rigour in
terms of depth, some of them
prefer breadth.
IN THE PREVIOUS ISSUE
OF RAFFLESIAN TIMES,
YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW
THE 1823 FUND HAS GIVEN
MORE COHERENCE TO FUND
RAISING EFFORTS. WHAT
DO YOU THINK OF THE
WAY IT HAS GONE OVER
THE PAST SIX YEARS SINCE
ITS INCEPTION?
We set up the 1823 fund to
serve as a rallying point for
Raffesians. And through the
1823 fund effort, I think weve
reached more alumni than
weve ever done in the last
Soaking up the Raffesian spirit:
Mrs Lim gets dunked at Take 5, 2009
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
3 3
decades. We had alumni out
there who were saying, Were
just waiting for the school to
contact us and ask us what
they need. Theyve never
done that. Theyve been
waiting and no one has
knocked on their doors.
So I think Ive been quite
happy with the outcome.
Out of the alumni who give
back to RI, 90 percent give
to support fnancially-needy
students. Many of them do
not contribute toward our
buildings and programmes
they care more about making
sure that RI remains inclusive
and open to anyone who
needs fnancial help. So we
will continue with the efforts.
under the 1823 fund, weve
also launched the Raffes
Community Initiative, which
supports our community
service projects, and that is
another worthy cause that
people can contribute to.
A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY
THAT ALUMNI AND PARENT
RELATIONS HAVE IMPROVED
DURING YOUR TERM IN RI
AND ITS SOMETHING YOURE
VERY PROUD OF AS WELL.
HOW FAR DO YOU THINK
THESE RELATIONSHIPS ARE
IMPORTANT, AND HOW MUCH
MORE IS THERE TO GO IN
TERMS OF IMPROVING IT?
Its never about fundraising;
its the building of trust. When
you have alumni who are
well-disposed towards the
school, they will come forward
to support the school when
it receives criticism or if it
needs help, like contributing
to their former CCAs and
school events. It is really about
building emotional ties and
getting people to contribute
back towards any area that
interests them. When we
do strategic planning, we
would invite old boys and
girls to come and give us
ideas, especially those whove
been in government or in key
private-sector positions. They
are readily available. They all
want to help shape the future
of this institution, and they are
a very valuable resource.
for a place like RI, it never
really belongs to any one of us,
and none of us should presume
that it belongs to us. You cant
claim ownership over a school
like RI. You can only be a part
of it, and help to contribute to
its growth, and of course, be
inspired and transformed by it
whilst youre here. I think RI has
transformed me a lot. When
I talk about giving and the
Raffesian spirit, its made me
a lot more conscious about my
own social responsibility. I have
never been more proud of my
Raffesian heritage than I have
been in the last six years.
ANOTHER THING THAT SOME
HAVE PICKED UP ON BEFORE
IS THAT, IN RECENT YEARS,
THE SCHOOL HAS BEGUN
TO GROW AND EXPAND ITS
INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE
WEVE ALSO HAD A LOT
OF FOREIGN GUESTS AND
STUDENTS COMING IN AND
SO ON. WHY WAS THIS PUT
IN PLACE?
It wasnt a deliberate effort.
Each time we had groups
visiting, they were very intrigued
by Raffes. We started out just
getting involved in one or two
networks, and had students
take part in symposiums, like
the Winchester symposium.
Then a few of these schools got
together and we decided that
we wanted to form a network
that would enable our students
Mrs Lim on an RPA
community service trip to
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
3 4
to be more conscious of their
social responsibility. That was
when we set up GALES, the
Global Alliance of Leading-
Edge Schools. As the teachers
organised their own events,
they also invited some of our
partner schools. Our science
camp, for instance has become
an international camp, and
our debate club has started
to organise international
tournaments. I think theres a lot
of respect and regard for Raffes
outside of Singapore that we
never really tapped, previously.
LETS SHIFT BACK TO THE
LOCAL PERSPECTIVE
WITH THE RGS CAMPUS
SOON MOVING NEAR RI,
DO YOU ENVISION CLOSER
COOPERATION BETWEEN THE
TWO SCHOOLS, AND DO YOU
THINK THAT WOULD BE A
GOOD THING?
Our relationship with RGS has
been good the last few years.
I think its been quite strategic
that Im also from RGS, which
helped, in a way, when RI and
RJC re-integrated. So theyre
coming nearer, and it has given
us some ideas such as joint
CCA practices, joint seminars
and even joint modules. but we
have to work on these carefully,
because scheduling is one
issue, and whether we want
to get the boys and girls to
mix so early is another matter
for consideration.
YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU
CANT IMAGINE BEING A
PRINCIPAL OF ANY OTHER
SCHOOLIS THAT PART OF THE
REASON YOURE GOING TO SMU
AND NOT ANYWHERE ELSE?
When the idea for me to join
SMu came up, I was quite
excited about it. I liked the idea
of a new leadership initiative to
be focused on Southeast Asia
that would get youth to serve
the countries in the region. I will
be Senior Advisor to this new
initiative and also a fellow of
the School of Social Sciences to
teach a course or two.
WHAT DO YOU FEEL ABOUT
LEAVING THE SCHOOL?
Im happy that Im leaving it at
a high point. I wouldnt say I
was sad or sorryI know that I
cant stay forever, because the
school will not grow if a principal
stays on for a long time. Im just
appreciative of the students and
staff and the passion Ive seen
amongst them. I am grateful
for the experience of having
interacted and grown along with
them. And I feel I have grown,
and just like you guys who will
graduate, I have to move on too,
and take on new responsibilities
and grow new competencies.
IF YOU HAD ONE LAST THING
TO SAY TO RAFFLESIANS,
WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Dont be deterred by what
other people say. Just do what
you believe you need to do,
and do it well, and be kind
along the way!
Mrs Lim shaving Mr Tan
boon Pohs locks at
Hair for Hope 2012
Mrs Lim assisting the Raffes
Parents Association at the
A-Level Supper 2012
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
3 5
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
I want to spend my frst six
months getting to know this
new Raffes better; using an
appreciation of the past to gain
a deeper understanding of the
present Raffes.
3 6
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
WHAT SORT OF PRINCIPAL
WOULD YOU DESCRIBE
YOURSELF AS?
RI will be the third school Im
leadingOutram Secondary
School was my frst, and the
second was Victoria JC.
I would describe myself
with the abbreviation ABC:
approachable, bubbly and
communicative! Im a very
people-oriented principal
to me people matter the most,
because passionate individuals
driven by the right purpose
can do a lot for the world.
Of course, sometimes I
do realise that when I am
too people-centric, I may
sometimes give the impression
that anything goes and that
rules are not important. But
thats very not trueIm also
quite rule-centred, because
rules which are established
by a community provide
the structure for people to
understand each other better
and establish a working culture.
WHAT SORT OF RELATIONSHIPS
DO YOU HOPE TO FORGE WITH
STAFF AND STUDENTS?
I was very fortunate to have
studied in the original Bras Basah
campus in my frst three years,
followed by three more years in
Grange Road. Im fully aware that
the Raffes Im returning to is a
different Raffeseven though
its merged and now a six-year
institution again. I want to spend
my frst six months getting to
know this new Raffes better;
using an appreciation of the past
to gain a deeper understanding
of the present Raffes. I would like
to understand the system and
the place through its people
it will be you, the students, your
parents, the non-teaching and
teaching staff, and the alumni.
Ive already met the ORA, Ive
met parents, Ill be meeting the
softball alumni soon, and I just
came here two Saturdays ago
to witness the launch of the
new Rugby Union. I intend to
get to know everyone, and in
the process allow you guys to
know more about me and what I
stand for. I dont wish to impose
a singular vision on RI. In fact, I
want to understand RI again.
MR CHAN POH MENG
SPEAKS
On an 02 Scouts hiking trip
in the Lim Chu Kang area
Mr Chan winning the best Target
Winner prize for Job Week
Mr Chan with I Arts C, his Pre-
university Class, His Civics and
Economics tutor was Mr Chow
3 7
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
AS A RAFFLESIAN COMING
BACK TO YOUR ALMA MATER,
WHAT DOES AUSPICIUM
MELIORIS AEVI MEAN TO YOU?
Well, I was taught in RI that it
means Hope for a Better Age!
Its a very forward-looking motto
about being the hope for a future
age. As the oldest institution in
Singapore, we arent old for the
sake of being old. Theres a sense
of mission and duty to nurture
students who will do something
for the Singaporean community.
Its about touching lives and
benefting society no matter
what age we live in. Its not hope
for ourselves, but hope for the
community. We should frst start
with the Raffes community, and
then move outward in concentric
circles toward society, the nation,
and even the world.
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO TAKE
ON THE TASK OF HELMING
THE SCHOOL FOR THE NEXT
FEW YEARS?
Challenging would actually
be the frst thing that comes
to mind. I feel that I shouldnt
take for granted the progress
weve made. As a returning
alumnus, I dont want to fall
into the trap of imposing what
RI was like in the past onto
the present. Yet Im also sure
that the alumni expect me,
as a Raffesian, to retain the
true spirit of the school. Thats
why it is challengingnot
the long hours at work or the
size of the school, but trying
to capture the true Raffesian
spirit. Leading the school is a
two-way processas much as
I can provide input, I need the
help of students, their parents,
staff and old boys and girls to
work together in creating a new
future for the school.
FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF
AN OLD BOY, HOW HAS RI
CHANGED SINCE YOU LEFT?
WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE
OF SCHOOL LIFE AND SCHOOL
CULTURE, AND WOULD YOU
LIKE TO RECREATE THIS
EXPERIENCE?
I graduated in 1975, but I
did come back to RI from
1976 to about 1980 as a
boy scout. I even went to
Thailand with the scouts as
an alumnus. I also did one
term of cadet teaching in
1982 for six months. So that
was the RI that I last knew.
After that I came back to RI
only for meetings, but I did
not get involved in the school
anymore, as I was so busy in
my own career as a teacher
and everything else. So, in my
impression of RI, I am almost
like an outsider.
What I enjoyed most as a RI boy
was a six-year school where I
was given a chance to grow up
with peers who were a few years
my senior, and as I grew up and
became a senior myself, I was
able to be a senior to some
of my juniors in return. I was a
troop leader for the boy scouts
in Pre-U 1, and I thoroughly feel
that that was a very important
experience for me, because I
was a peer leader in the most
natural of contexts.
Back then, we still had teachers
in charge, but the ones actually
running the boy scouts were
the troop leaders, the Pre-U 1s,
As the oldest
institution in
Singapore, we arent
old for the sake of
being old. Theres
a sense of mission
and duty to nurture
students who will
do something for
the Singaporean
community. Its
about touching
lives and benefting
society no matter
what age we live
in. Its not hope for
ourselves, but hope
for the community.
Mr Chan being invested
as a Patrol Leader at the
02 Scouts Investiture
Ceremony, 1972
3 8
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
because the Pre-U 2s were busy
studying for their A-Level exams.
This happened in most of the
CCAs, and even the girls who
came in at the Pre-University
level also became natural
leaders. Seniors would mentor
their juniors, and the juniors in
return would learn from their
seniors role-modelling, and that
was very impactful.
RI has become so big now
it takes me 20 minutes to walk
from one end of the campus
to the other. The sheer size of
the school has likely changed
the quality and nature of the
interactions between seniors
and juniors. And the almost
romantic notion that I had
about seniors helping juniors
may have disappeared, or may
just not be the same. If I am
right, I want to do something
about it. This notion of
mentorship - of seniors helping
juniors - is something which
struck me during my time as a
student in RI. Besides scouts,
I was also in Raffes Players
and the choir. These were
the places where I met the
girls, and I noticed that girls
were able to play the role of
seniors, even though they had
Mr Chan served as a troop
leader during 02 Scouts frst
trip to Thailand in 1974 while
he was in Pre-u 1
only joined the school at the
Pre-U 1 level. In our present
context, we also have the
JAE students who enter the
school at Year 5. Even though
they have not spent their frst
four years in RI, I think it is
precisely because of this that
they would add diversity and
colour to the senior-junior
bonding interactions, and
I believe that they would
be good role models too.
This is what I felt Id like to
look intohow this senior-
junior role modelling and
camaraderie could be frst
explored then strengthened.
3 9
BROADLY SPEAKING,
WHAT DIRECTION WOULD
YOU LIKE TO TAKE RI IN THE
NEXT FIVE YEARS?
People outside of RI may
sometimes harbour a lot of
misunderstandings about
our school. I experienced
the consequences of such
misunderstandings when I was
a 13-year-old RI boy. In the last
fve years though, this issue has
become increasingly prevalent,
because of all the accolades that
RI has won and also this national
consciousness that we want to
make sure that nobody is left
behind. So, frst, I want to make
sure that the community around
RI reads us correctly.
I live around here, and I think
of myself as a very Bishan
community person. I take
public transport; I dont drive,
I dont have a car. Im telling
you this because I feel quite
strongly that RIs presence
is not felt in our immediate
community. RIs presence in
Singapore is felt, sometimes in
the wrong way. Id like to make
sure that the Bishan-Toa Payoh
community knows RI more.
I think we should reach out to the
residents here and let them know
what RI stands for. Charity begins
from the home. When Raffesians
doing community service are
featured in the media, thats great,
because it lets the general public
know what were doing to give
back to society. But it would be
even better if we could impact our
community to the extent that they
stand up for us and tell the world
about usI think that would be
so much more impactful.
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
In addition, I would also like
to bring RI to a place where
we are more exploratory and
more open about things. For
example, Im a movie buff, and
Ive been following people
with non-academic pursuits
all the chefs, musicians, and
movie makersand I feel
that theres a big, wide world
out there outside of your
conventional, regular careers
like law and medicine. Nothing
wrong with being regular; we
do need good doctors as well!
But what Im really saying is
that I would like for us, over
the next fve years, to be open
and explore alternatives.
A young Mr Chan leaving
the Grange Road campus
via its Kay Poh gate
Another photograph of I Arts
C at Grange Road, circa 1974.
In the background is the schools
classroom block, and on the left
is the school hall
4 0
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
IN THE MIDST OF CONCERNS
LIKE CCA CLOSURE AND
DWINDLING INTEREST IN NON-
COMPETITIVE CCAS, HOW WILL
YOU WORK TO SUPPORT THE
SCHOOL'S CCAS?
Let me frst state that I strongly
believe in the value of CCAs.
However, when we evaluate
whether a CCA should continue
or be closed down, we have to go
back to the objectiveswhy was
it set up, and did it fulfl what it set
out to do? We also have to talk to
the members and ask them why
they want to continue, and explain
to them to why certain current
conditions have to be met before
we can carry on with the activity.
Otherwise, their offcial status
(which may include funding,
manpower and resources, and
even infrastructure) may be
changed into an SIG (Special
Interest Group), where some
of these things are less
important, and you can still
pursue your interests. It may
even become something
thats not an SIGwhere you
actually make membership
more open, where maybe
even non-Raffesians can
take part.
I want to give a message
to RaffesiansIm not
here to close things down,
but Im here to look at the
rationale, and whats best
for us. CCAs are extremely
important, especially for
holistic development, and
Ive believed this since I was
13 years old. However, I want
to emphasise this againIm
not here to lead my own life;
Im here to make sure that
students lives are well cared
for. I also want to ensure that
at the end of the day its not
all about closing down CCAs,
but that it will be a properly-
reviewed process, and Im
happy to hold dialogues
with students. Thats what
I can promise.
MOVING ON TO YOUR VISION
FOR THE RAFFLESIAN
POPULATION, IF THERE WAS
ONE KEY VALUE YOU WANT ALL
RAFFLESIANS TO HAVE, WHAT
WOULD IT BE?
If there were only one value, it
would have to be resilience
its something that I feel quite
strongly about. I feel quite
personally disturbed if I see
successful people breaking
down over the smallest failures,
for example, a team that losing
the volleyball fnals. Initially,
an outburst of emotion, a
few droplets of tears, thats
fnebut sometimes it can
get too over the top. I feel one
of the biggest challenges of
successful people in excellent
institutions is that these people
may not truly understand
what it really means to fail.
Everything is relative, and even
failing an exam in RI doesnt
mean its the end of the world!
I think thats why sometimes
people misunderstand
us when we have such
outburstsI think sometimes
its because we have no
resilience. Resilience means
that whatever failure, big or
small, we will tell ourselves
to try again. Trying again
cannot start with great regret,
getting discouraged, or losing
your passion entirely and
trying something else instead.
There is a Chinese saying:
failure is the mother of
successresilience is about
understanding what failure
means to us, and as time goes
on and we face challenges,
our resilience levels should
get higher and higher. Its
a personal thing, and we
shouldnt be comparing
ourselves with others, but I
hope that Raffesians will hold
this value dear, and strive to
compete with themselves and
continually improve.
Mr Chans Secondary 4 class with
their form teacher Mr Kovac in 1972
4 1
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
SO YOU MENTIONED
RESILIENCE AS A VALUE FOR
US TO STRIVE TOWARDS,
BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK
ARE CURRENT TRAITS THAT
CHARACTERISE RAFFLESIANS?
Thats a very interesting
question. Excellence, I would
say. The pursuit of excellence
in Raffesians is relentless. And
I see nothing wrong with that
at all. No one should enter a
competition thinking: Im going
to be second. When you say
something like that, it refects
how much effort you put in your
training. Your psyche must say,
Im going to be frst. And thats
the right way to go about it!
I dont believe that you should
go to a competition and just tell
yourself: Im just going to give
it my best. In a sports match, if
you dont go into the game with
the mindset that you want to win,
that shows a lack of respect, if
anything, for the opponent!
Singaporeans are increasingly
talking about us being elitist,
but that is a separate issue
from the pursuit of excellence.
Wanting to win is what
distinguishes us as Raffesians,
and we shouldnt apologise for
that. However, sometimes this
can be misunderstood, because
we dont always explain why
we have such a mindset, and
no one can win all the time!
So when we lose, sometimes
we dont necessarily react in a
proper manner and that is where
the training of resilience comes
into lose gracefully and avoid
unnecessary misunderstandings.
That is something we need to
work towards.
IT CAN BE SOMETIMES SAID
THAT SOME RI STUDENTS
HAVE BECOME NARROW-
MINDED IN THE PURSUIT OF
EXCELLENCE. WHAT CAN WE
DO TO CHANGE THIS?
It would be silly to say that one
or two simple assembly talks can
change this. We have to address
this through non-curricular
meansa broad range that
could include participation in
activities like science research,
Mathematics competitions,
Raffes Players or uniform groups,
just to name a few examples.
They all contain elements of
competition, whether as an
individual or in a group, and
there inevitably will be moments
where we fail. These are the best
opportunities to build up our
resilience, and we can be taught
to better cope with failure.
Another good way would be
to work through the student
leaders, like the CCA leaders,
prefects and councillors. Ive
recently spoken to all the
student leaders of the different
CCAs to ask me, each, a
question. Ive already received
over a hundred of questions
and grouped them into various
categories, and I would like
to answer all these questions
directly, so that I know what the
students are concerned about.
I believe this is another very
effective avenue that I can use
to help change this mindset. It
is not enough to just talk about
itthe teachable moment
will come afterwards, in a
competition, when we fail or
succeed. For me to individually
reach out to the thousands of
students in RI would hardly be
feasibleI think that student
leaders would be a more
effective outlet. I understand
that Mrs Lim used to have
meetings with the student
leaders, and I think such
platforms would be a good
platform for me to start.
BEYOND RAFFLES, WHAT DO
YOU THINK IS THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGE CURRENTLY
FACING THE SINGAPORE
EDUCATION SYSTEM?
That would be the obsession
with grades. The Singapore
government and the Ministry
of Education have gone out
to engage stakeholders,
especially the parents, to
persuade them and let
them realise that grades
are not everythingbut
peoples mindsets havent
quite changed yet. People
are still as kiasuin terms
of kindergarten education,
in terms of PSLE scores,
A-Level grades; they are still
very exam-oriented. The
Integrated Programme (IP)
was started a decade ago to
send the message that we
dont need so many exams,
that many students dont need
the O-Levels, and we have
proven ourselves. IP students
from all the schools have been
accepted by top universities,
both local and overseas.
But again, I think people
are still very conscious of
grades, even though the
working industry has told
us, through the media and
through their engagement of
school principals and MOE
4 2
THE PRINCIPAL
Principally Speaking
offcials, that at the end of the
day, those academic grades
translate into one simple key
to open the door to a career
or a job. Beyond that, it is up
to their performance.
How does one perform
well? It is through the values
learnt while engaging in
non-academic pursuits, and
a willingness to re-learn and
un-learn while on the job. This
simple message has been
around for a decade or more,
but I think people still dont
seem to buy it. Even when I
speak to some students here,
or back in VJC, they still think,
Mr Chan, its still the A-Level
scores that matter the most.
So if they get a B instead of
an A, they get depressed.
True, I understand they get
depressed because they feel,
due to the great demand for
and the limited availability of
places in the top universities
or industries that theyre
aiming for, that they are going
to lose out. But I feel that if
one is resilient and can look
beyond the grades, it will
end up better for everyone
involved. We have to come
up with a way to make sure
people understand that an
education is so much more
than just grades.
The other challenge, though,
would be in implementing
alternative forms of
assessment outside of
standard examinations. The
diffculties are, frstly, that the
general public is unfamiliar
with the validity and rigour
of such assessments (like
Project Work, for example).
Next, employing alternative
assessments can result in
a situation where people
who are better off fnancially
and who can afford earlier
exposure, may be better
prepared to take these
alternative tests. How are you
going to ensure a level playing
feld for people from ordinary
or less-privileged families?
They will feel more deprived.
That is the challengewe see
the value of having alternative
assessments, but we are quite
concerned about whether it
will have other unintended
consequences.
4 3
L L
E E
T T
from left: Neilsen
Chan (2T), Christoph
Chong (2G) and Ivan
Tang (2D)
Empower or
Manpower?
Evaluating RIs Leadership Experience
and Training Course
bY MUHAMMAD HAMEEM 3C, RAMGOPAL VENKATESWARAN 3C AND TEO YAO NENG 1M
Its a familiar scene by now:
you walk up to those glass
doors, push them open and
take off your shoes. You cross
over to the no-shoes zone to
your familiar Gryphons Lair
(GL) prefect (perhaps even to
collect this copy of Raffesian
Times). And then you look up
to face a Raffesian wearing
white shoes, shorts and an
ordinary RI badge: in short,
a Year 2.
Is something wrong? Defnitely
not. One needs no more than
to look at the schools motto
to see why. Thinker, leader,
pioneer. Of course, a sharp
ear during assemblies also
helps. This year, the school has
implemented a new initiative
for the Year 2s: The Leadership
Experience and Training
Course, or, in short, the LET.
In the words of Mr Paul Lim,
the former Year 14 Head of
Department (HOD) of Character
and Leadership Development,
[the programmes] objective
is to allow the Year 2s the
opportunity to explore their
own leadership.
Designed as part of the
schools existing leadership
development framework,
the LET primarily serves as
a platform for them to gain
exposure in areas such as
leading cheers, planning
projects and serving in the
Gryphons Lair (the Year 14
students lounge). In addition
to this, they are introduced
to the RIPb and allowed to
shadow prefects. The LET
would then conceivably pave
the way for Year 3s to develop
their leadership if they choose
Designed as part
of the schools
existing leadership
development
framework, the LET
primarily serves as
a platform for them
to gain exposure in
areas such as leading
cheers, planning
projects and serving
in the Gryphons Lair.
taking initiative, yet, inevitably,
one starts to question whether
it really provides them with
the experience to lead. And in
this, we are faced with another
pressing questiondoes it
aim to bring out the leader
within or simply supply more
manpower to aid the prefects
in running their duties?
Taking a step back, let us
frst clarify what we mean
by leadership. The schools
Character and Leadership
Education (CLE) curriculum
offers an apt defnition:
Leadership is the art of
mobilising others to want
to struggle for a shared
aspiration.
PSLs help to guide the Year 1s,
starting from the Orientation
camp, to work towards a
common vision (the past
years Orientation themes of
Spiritus Audentthe spirit
of adventure, Chromaunity
in diversity, or Lodestarthe
guiding light, for example)
and the RIPb helps to improve
the school environment in a
variety of waysyet it isnt as
immediately apparent what the
role of an LET-er is.
At frst glance, the LET might
seem to be a means of spotting
talents for consideration for
prefectorial duty in the future
or a form of training to prepare
students for the demands of
prefectship, given the close
association between the LET
and the RIPb.
Although the LET may initially
sound like a viable method of
talent-spotting, being a prefect
surely isnt simply about
sitting behind a counter in the
Gryphons Lair and monitoring
students in the morning for
assembly. The LET in the frst
place is not meant to be an
alternate body of leadership
but a means of providing the
Year 2s with more experience.
A prefect in RI, for example,
is not just an exemplar in
behaviour, but he organises
many activities, events
THE HATCHLING
Empower or Manpower?
Although this does seem to give them
experience in conducting school events and
taking initiative, yet, inevitably, one starts to
question whether it really provides them with
the experience to lead.
to take on any leadership
position, as prefects, Peer
Support Leaders (PSLs) or
Student Leaders (SLs) in
general such as being CCA
leaders (CCALs).
Many aspiring Year 2s have
since signed up, earning
themselves the informal
nickname of LET-ers. besides
being behind counters
attending to the maintenance
and running of the Gryphons
Lair, one may also spot these
LET-ers in action in the morning
as they perform other tasks
such as distributing Colour
your World with Words short
stories, dealing with latecomers
and being attached to classes
on the Raffes Square in what
LET-er Ivan Tang (2D) described
as being guided prefect
duty. During the National Day
celebrations, they could also
be seen facilitating the game
booths alongside the prefects.
Although this does seem
to give them experience in
conducting school events and
L
4 6
THE HATCHLING
Empower or Manpower?
and platforms for interaction,
communication as well as
bonding. for many of our
school events, we see prefects
hard at work, whether upfront
or behind-the-scenes and
they toil very hard in order
to make school life a
pleasant experience.
On the other hand, since a
LET-er helps in the execution
and possibly the planning
stage of school events
and activities, it may be
hard sometimes to see the
signifcance of this role in the
wider scheme of things. And
the reason for this is that there
isnt a concrete connection
established between LET-ers
and the school, especially
with the mediation through
the RIPb. An essential facet
of being a leader is, after all,
connecting to ones peers.
This is an important aspect
of leadership that the LET-ers
do not seem to be exposed to
as much; they are sometimes
seen as merely being attached
to the RIPb but do not in
themselves establish any
individual connections with
the RI student populace.
So, does the LET really
empower Year 2s in pursuing
leadership opportunities or
is it merely a cover for more
manpower here in school?
Empower or manpower; that is
the question.
Perhaps this supposed dichotomy
between true leadership and
flling up the needs of manpower
could very well be a false
dilemma. Leadership cannot
be divorced from its requisite
Leadership cannot be
divorced from its requisite
of learning how to follow frst
and humbly accepting work
delegations before stepping up
to take the lead.
4 7
THE HATCHLING
Empower or Manpower?
of learning how to follow frst
and humbly accepting work
delegations before stepping
up to take the lead. As Aristotle
notes: He who cannot be a good
follower cannot be a good leader.
This is echoed in the belief of
Christoph Chong, a LET-er of
class 2G, that we should lead
others in serving them.
And as Mr Lim has said,
many other initiatives and
programmes have already
been in place to shape
Raffesian leaders in the school.
Thus, from an evolutionary
perspective, ones leadership
journey should frst start off
learning how to serve, which is
a pivotal aspect of becoming
a leader. In this respect, the
LET-ers exemplify the ideal
of servant leadership by
performing the low-skilled
tasks that are essential for the
everyday running of the school.
Arguably, the LET could
provide valuable exposure for
Year 2s before they bring their
leadership journey to the next
level at the Year 3 mark (or at the
end of Year 2, for prospective
prefect candidates). It should
also be noted that despite the
apparent link between the LET
and the RIPb, there is not meant
to be any direct nor necessary
correlation between both other
than the fact that LET-ers were
attached to prefects.
Christoph, who was a prefect
candidate like his fellow LET-er
Ivan, saw the LET as a means
to help one to decide whether
or not to run for prefectship
rather than a mere training
ground for the RIPb. In fact,
Christoph regarded this link
with the RIPb as natural since
prefects are the leaders in
school; and after all, who
else better to emulate but the
Arguably, the LET could
provide valuable exposure
for Year 2s before they
bring their leadership
journey to the next level
at the Year 3 mark.
E
4 8
THE HATCHLING
Empower or Manpower?
role-models in our prefects?
He described the prefects
to whom the LET-ers were
attached to as ideal exemplars
who were genuinely helping
to hone [their] skills, and
thus who not only provided
them the opportunity to fully
experience a wide range of
such roles and responsibilities
within the school but
who also brought out the
necessary skills that come
along with it. furthermore,
it can be seen that prefects
themselves are able to develop
their leadership by taking
responsibility for these LET-ers.
At the same time, this does
not mean that there is no room
for improvement. Perhaps,
the LET-ers could be exposed
to working with not just the
RIPb but also with the larger
school body to develop a more
holistic and well-rounded idea
of what it means to be a leader
(besides merely managing the
running of events). They can
then choose to take up full-
fedged leadership positions
with a better lens through
which to formulate their own
individual styles of leading.
In terms of the programme
itself, Ivan also suggested
including more hands-on
activities, like planning for
the game booths for school
National Day celebrations
independently instead of just
doing mechanical stuff and
following prefects. Christoph
seconded this opinion, adding
that it would be a more
enjoyable and experiential way
to develop leadership.
The LET, overall, is a very
meaningful initiative by the
CLE department; however,
much can be learnt from its
frst year of running to add (or
cut out) more elements which
could enhance the experience
of the coming batches of LET-
ers. Mr Lim himself remarked,
that all said, it was a pretty
good try and we are seeing
how to do it better next year.
After all, do we not remember
Mr Han from The Karate Kid
(2010) putting his student Dre
Parker through the menial task
of repeatedly putting on and
taking off his jacket before fnally
teaching him the art of kungfu?
Dre would only appreciate this
later on upon his triumph in
the tournament, but his initial
frustration would be akin to that
of a LET-er who has yet to grasp
the bigger picture of leadership.
Appreciating how service forms
the basis of leadership is the frst
step to becoming a leader.
The LET, overall, is a very meaningful
initiative by the CLE department; however,
much can be learnt from its frst year of
running to add (or cut out) more elements
which could enhance the experience of the
coming batches of LET-ers.
T
4 9
Councillors:
Leaders?
The Councillor
bY AUSTIN ZHENG 14A01b
THE COUNCILLOR
Councillors: Leaders?
5 0
THE COUNCILLOR
Councillors: Leaders?
first, we have to look at
the Councils structure
and work delegation. The
Council is divided into
several departments: CCAD
(CCA Department), Welfare,
Communications and the
fve house directorates,
each with different tasks and
projects. In addition, the
councillors also form functions
committees to plan and
manage school events, like
Teachers Day celebrations or
Grad Night. The secretaries
of these departments and
functions committees form
the Secretariat, which is led
by the Councils secretary
of fnance and secretary of
manpower, serving as a check
to the Councils Executive
Committee (Exco). Much of the
councillors time is taken up by
event preparation, meetings
and day-to-day administration
like running the Hodge Lodge
or Whats On This Week.
The Exco has a relatively heavier
workload, with the President
and vice-President having
morning assembly duty from
Tuesday to friday, a meeting
with the Council teacher
in-charge, and a meeting
with a member of the school
administration every week.
All, in other words, as expected.
Though the councillors efforts
are universally appreciated and
respected, the overwhelmingly
administrative nature of their
work has led some to ask if
they truly are leaders. There is
the perception that councillors
simply manage a pre-set list
of tasks, conforming to the
structures and instructions of
the institution without doing
much else.
The chore-like nature of some
councillor duties, such as the
Moor-Tarbet house committee
phoning students for hours to
get sign-ups for the Inter-house
Competitions, only bolsters
such a perspective. Ng Qi Xiang
(14A01C) opines, I recognise
that the councillors have tried
very hard and made sacrifces
for the school, and I respect
them for what they dobut due
to their structural constraints,
theyve turned out to be a
handmaiden of the school. It is
not hard to see why councillors
may be seen as managers rather
than leaders.
We all have that one councillor
friend who staggers to school
every morning, only to rush
off for a Council meeting once
lessons end. While juggling
schoolwork, CCAs and external
commitments like the rest of us,
councillors also continuously
strive to better the school
community. but what exactly
do they do? And perhaps more
importantly, what does that say
about them as leaders?
5 1
We must frst note, however,
that managing is a critical
prerequisite for leading. It is
impossible to inspire people or
initiate change if one doesnt
handle ones basic duties well.
In this respect, the Council
has done an admirable job.
Though there is, of course,
room for improvement,
the Council has largely run
its events well, allowing
participating students to
enjoy themselves immensely
while bonding through shared
experiences. Not many schools
can claim to have events
such as Take 5, a full day of
sports, music and games to
commemorate Total Defense
Day, or even the Inter-House
Challenge. We must certainly
give credit to the Council for
making the school a much
THE COUNCILLOR
Councillors: Leaders?
more vibrant place and giving
many of us a memorable
school experience, beyond
academics and CCAs.
but genuine leadership goes
beyond handling a fxed set
of duties. Some of these
additional aspects include
listening to students voices
and initiating positive change.
As vice-President Kimberly
Chia (14A03A) notes, As a
Councillor, its a constant
duty for us to be in tune with
how the school population
is feeling; to consider the
welfare of students, and to
take action. Initiatives like
Snack Attack, which provided
fruit and coffee to Year 6s
during their Prelims to give
them an energy boost, are the
concrete result of this process.
As a Councillor,
its a constant duty
for us to be in tune
with how the school
population is feeling;
to consider the
welfare of students,
and to take action.
VICE-PRESIDENT KIMBERLY CHIA
5 2
culture of servitude. Though
subsequent Council batches
may thereby fnd it much easier
to serve the school community,
the wider student body cannot
appreciate the indirect benefts
of such changes.
Existing initiatives can also
quickly become fxed events
in the councillors list of duties.
back in 2008, the Council
noticed that a considerable
number of Year 6 students
stayed back late in school to
study for their A-Levels, and
collaborated with the Raffes
Parents Association (RPA)
to organise Mega Mugging
Madness, a yearly affair in which
the RPA provides luscious buffet
THE COUNCILLOR
Councillors: Leaders?
Yet the 33rd Students Council
has hardly distinguished itself
through these initiatives.
While well-meaning, Snack
Attack is ultimately a mostly
forgettable event, particularly
since most students would
have their breakfasts before
taking examinations as
important as the Prelims.
Even the 32nd Students
Councils ground-breaking
Smile Challenge initiative,
which encouraged students
to smile at strangers and
brighten their day, received
a modest response, at best.
Thus, though Council displays
leadership in developing these
new initiatives, it may not
be perceived as leading the
student body, because of the
infrequency of those initiatives
and their limited effects.
furthermore, even if the
councillors efforts have
signifcant impact, they may
not necessarily be credited
for it. for example, should
the Council Exco relentlessly
and successfully attempt
to persuade the school
administration to alter some
of its policies in accordance
with students interests, most
non-councillors would remain
oblivious to the Councils role,
because they did not know
about the negotiations. The
Councils leadership may also
go unnoticed if its initiatives
do not directly beneft the
student body, but instead
focus on internal reform. for
instance, the councillors may
seek to improve ineffcient
practices or structures, or to
instil a sustainable, vibrant
spreads of food to the support
the hardworking students. This
was a glowing indicator of its
leadership; it was sensitive to
students needs and addressed
them effectively, beyond its
required duties.
Subsequent batches, however,
could only be credited with
running the event well, not
with displaying leadership by
innovatively responding to
student needs. The pressure
to continue with previous
batches more successful
initiatives can also take up
resources and inhibit future
batches from coming up with
their own initiatives. And
when the Council focuses on
5 3
performing its existing duties
well, for instance by handling a
particularly impressive National
Day celebration, we applaud
the Councils hard work and
event-management skills rather
than its leadership.
Add this to the diffculty of
pushing out new initiatives in
the frst place. President Edward
Kim (14A01C) clarifes that
councillors are given a lot of
room to initiate their own events
and make their ideas come to
life on alternative platforms.
but creative space is only
a part of what is needed to
successfully develop and
execute initiatives. Councillor
Carol Yuen (14A01A) laments
that there is a lot of red
tape involved when we are
attempting to come up with
new ideasapproval needs
to be sought but that takes
time as we have to consult the
Exco and teachers. Theres
also a lot of uncertainty when
budgets are not explicitly
given, and schedules are
subject to abrupt changes,
with miscommunication being
a major hindrance. It is diffcult
to keep the momentum going
because of schoolwork, so
there may be unwelcome
pauses in our planning
and execution, particularly
when we have to keep
revising our proposals. To
overcome these bureaucratic
constraints, councillors must
be exceptional managers,
working well together while
handling their fxed events. It is
no wonder that so much time is
spent on administrative work.
All this means that the councillors
are underappreciated as leaders,
because their leadership, like
their regular duties, manifest
in tedious background work.
At the same time, we should
judge leaders not by their
efforts, but by their actions,
and the Council isnt known
for responding to students
needs through initiatives.
but even as each Council batch
faces enormous hurdles in going
beyond their regular duties to
lead as an organisation, most
councillors do display leadership
in their personal capacity. That
is, perhaps, the most important
aspect of Council leadership. If
the councillors are not worthy
of admiration in their personal
capacity, they will not be seen
as leaders; at most, we will
respect what they do, but not
who they are. Kimberly opines
that greatest form of leadership
is being able to inspire others
in your own way to believe in
what you believe in, and here
the councillors seem to have
succeeded. Pamela Ming
(14S03f) notes, I think a leader is
someone you look up toI see
the councillors as role models
in terms of morals and values.
In their enthusiasm, diligence
and desire to serve a larger
community, there is much to
respect the councillors for.
Nevertheless, there is much
room for the Council to improve
as an organisation to serve
the school more effectively. In
terms of the Councils structure,
Councillor Andre Hui (14A03A)
hopes that information can be
clearer and more accessible,
and Carol thinks that approval
procedures should be
accelerated. In terms of job
scope and vision, Qi Xiang
suggests that councillors can
stand up for students views
and try to explain why
things are as they are, or
push for change.
THE COUNCILLOR
Councillors: Leaders?
In line with this, given its unique position, the
Council can facilitate communication between
the student body and the school administration.
It can convey a broader range of students
feedback, such as their receptiveness to certain
assembly programmes, and also help students
understand some of the schools decisions, so the
administration would not appear disconnected.
5 4
In line with this, given its
unique position, the Council
can facilitate communication
between the student body
and the school administration.
It can convey a broader range
of students feedback, such as
their receptiveness to certain
assembly programmes, and also
help students understand some
of the schools decisions, so the
administration would not appear
disconnected. An example
would be explaining the full
meaning of this years theme,
Great Expectations, so that
students can better appreciate
the rationale behind it.
ultimately, the Council has
made great contributions,
and without it, school would
defnitely be a much duller
place. Even though there
havent been grand, prominent
changes, as Moor-Tarbet
House Captain Thiviya
Kumaran (14S06L) refects, Its
also paramount that we focus
on the things that we can do,
instead of those we think we
cant. besides, as mere junior
college students, do we really
need the Council to enact
sweeping reforms? Though
we might wish for the Council
to play a more active role in
the school, we should also
recognise their limitations, and
remember to appreciate their
existing, extensive efforts.
The next time your councillor
friend stumbles into class, you
could pass him some fruit and
coffeewith a smile.
THE COUNCILLOR
Councillors: Leaders?
5 5
I remember my form Teacher
handing me a mammoth tome in
Year 1. The title of the 500-page
hardback was The Eagle Breeds
a Gryphon. On the cover was the
name EuGENE WIJEYSINGHA
the Headmaster credited with
leading RI to independence.
He featured prominently in our
History classes, when we learnt
about the past of the school.
for many years, Mr Wijeysingha
was a mythical fgure. Then on
4 December 2013, twenty of us
got to meet the man himself at
his Seletar Hills home. We were
an eclectic group, comprising
MEETING MR WIJEY
Eugene Wijeysingha
MEETING
MR WIJEY
Eugene Wijeysingha
bY CHUA JUN YAN 13A01A
representatives from Year 1 to
6. Some of us entered RI after
primary school, while others joined
RI at the junior college level after
taking the O-level examinations.
All of us were there simply because
we were interested to hear from
the legendary individual. We were
chaperoned by Mrs Cheryl Yap
(Head, RI Archives & Museum), and
accompanied by several members
of staff as well as an alumnus from
the Class of 1965.
for over two hours, Mr
Wijeysingha engaged us in a
full and frank discussion about
a range of issues. He shared
stories from the past, as well as
his insights about the education
landscape in contemporary
Singapore. What struck me was
the dexterity of Mr Wijeysinghas
mind, as well as the depth of his
knowledge about RIs history. He
adopted a Socratic approach,
posing thought-provoking
questions and challenging
our assumptions. Ever the
gentleman, he indulged us with
his hospitality.
Below are snippets of the
conversation which transpired:
ON THE VALUE OF HISTORY
AND THE UPCOMING MUSEUM
Mr Wijeysingha argued
forcefully that RI would be
no different from any other
school if it did not cherish its
history. When asked for his
thoughts on the upcoming RI
Archive and Museum, which is
currently under construction,
he expressed his view that the
whole of the campus should be
a living museum. He felt that
every wall and every corner
should tell a story.
ON DEVELOPING CHARACTER
Mr Wijeysingha commented
that charity begins at home. He
felt that Raffesians needed to
start by helping under-privileged
students within the school,
before moving out to the local
community. He also shared that
character was the product of
many factors, including the
home environment, and could
not be attributed solely to
schools alone.
ON INCLUSIVITY AND ELITISM
Mr Wijeysingha believed that the
individual Raffesian must be the
agent of change in bolstering
the public perception of RI.
He affrmed the importance of
simple, humble, ordinary acts in
creating a culture of inclusivity.
He articulated his conviction
that Raffesians must be able
to empathise with the wider
community, especially since
some of them would eventually
pursue policy-making as a career.
5 6
Mr Wijeysingha recalled that in
the 1960s, a group of teachers
had voluntarily gotten together
to create an informal fund to
help needy students. Every
teacher would contribute $1
from their monthly salary. The
fund would go towards covering
expenditures like students
Cambridge examination fees, or
the costs of their new uniforms.
While Mr Wijeysingha conceded
that RI has become less socio-
economically diverse over time,
he felt this was a symptom of a
broader issue with Singaporean
society as a whole.
ON STORIES FROM THE PAST
Mr Wijeysingha shared several
interesting anecdotes. for
example, when he was a History
teacher in 1963, the whole
school (then at bras basah) was
evacuated after a bomb threat
was received. This was at the
height of Konfrontasi between
Indonesia and Malaysia. After
the students were accounted
for, it turned out that two
boys were missingthey
were the perpetrators of the
hoax and were watching the
pandemonium from the Capitol!
Another time, during the 1964
riots, Mr Wijeysingha and
his colleagues had to drive
stranded students home, after
schools were told to dismiss
everyone. following the episode,
a committee was formed to
maintain a supply of biscuits and
water in school, in case students
were unable to leave the campus
during periods of unrest.
Thankfully, the biscuits never had
to be eaten and they eventually
went stale.
ON RUGBY
Mr Wijeysingha mentioned
that the rugby team was much
engrained in the school culture
during his time. Alumni would
visit him in his offce and lobby
him for more support. He
recalled that the rugby boys
would have their own table in the
canteen at Grange Road. Three
decades on, some of us could
only smile and think:
The more things change, the
more things stay the same.
MEETING MR WIJEY
Eugene Wijeysingha
Students from Year 1-6 with an interest in school
heritage visit Mr Wijeysingha at his home in
Seletar Hills. On the right are Mrs Cheryl Yap,
Head of the Raffes Archives & Museum (RAM)
and Mr Siu Kang fook (RI, 1968), who has been
volunteering with the set-up of RAM.
5 7
Generations
teachers
of
Clockwise from left:
Mr Lu Shang-Yi, Mr Carlsen
Tay, Ms Tang Mui Kee, Mr
Leroy Choo, Mr Chan Ter
Yue, Ms Wang Juat Yong
teacher
tree
the
CHAN TER YUE
(1991-present)
SEE THO MUN YEE
(2006-present)
NG MEI SZE
(2006-present)
LU SHANG-YI
(2009-present)
NG YEE LING
(2012-present)
JASMINE CHONG (YR1-4)
(1997-present)
YEO YAM KHOON
(1991-present)
MOHAMED KAMEL
2005-present)
LEROY CHOO
(2011-present)
EDMUND KWOK
(2003-present)
TANG MUI KEE
(2012-present)
JASLINE HONG
(2009-present)
HELEN TAN
(1981-present)
LEONG CHEE MUN
(1991-1995; 1997-2000;
2006-present)
WANG JUAT YONG
(1981-2013)
GEOFFREY PURVIS
(1990-2013)
TEO SIEW KUANG
(2012-2013)
BENJAMIN WONG
(2012-2013)
EUNICE LOW
(2003-present)
LYE SU LIN
(2004-present)
MELISSA LIM
(1997-present)
LEONG YEW WAH
(1985-present)
JAMIE REEVES
(1989-present)
NICOLA PERRY
(1991-present)
CARLSEN TAY
(2012-present)
TAN MIAN OU
(2013-present)
MR S MAGENDIRAN
(1985-present)
MR LAM
(1991-present)
ENG HAN SENG
(1996-present)
TAN KIM CHENG
(1963-1987)
MICHAEL JEYASEELAN
(1990-present)
There are many more staff
members who are Raffesian
alumni than we could capture
in this article. We felt it was
worthwhile, however, to
begin tracing some of these
genealogies. If you knowof
more relationships to add to the
web, please let us know!
WHAT DO YOU FIND
MEANINGFUL ABOUT BEING
A TEACHER?
I feel happy whenever I see that
I have fnally made a difference
in my students learning and
character. As a teacher, I help
students to gain new insights
with increasing interest in a
particular subject and most
importantly self-discovery
through learning, where my
students learn more about
themselves. I am in a position
whereby I can impact and
infuence my students views
and train of thought as well
as their understanding of the
issues around them. I help
them to develop with the right
character and inculcate in them
the skills that are required for
them to lead meaningful lives
after they have grown up.
Teaching to me is like an act
of service to the Singapore
community. I am in a position in
which I can impact and infuence
my students views and train
of thought as well as their
understanding of the issues
around them. I can help them
develop a good character and
equip them with useful skills to
lead meaningful lives. Moreover,
being a teacher allows me to
laugh almost every day. Be it
WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE TO
COME BACK AND TEACH
ALONGSIDE YOUR FORMER
TEACHER?
I still address him as Mr Chan
when I meet him around the
school or the Staff Room.
As the Chinese saying goes,
(he who
teaches me, even if it is only for
one day, is my father for life). I
will always respect him as my
teacher, for all the care, concern
and values that he taught me
when I was his student.
This applies to all teachers
that have taught and guided
me before. I felt really happy
to be back here and teaching
alongside with my former
teachers. I felt that it was really
great that I can be learning
from my teachers again, not
about subject knowledge this
time, but how to be a good and
effective teacher myself!
MS TANG MUI KEE
RJC, 2003
Teacher, Chemistry,
Year 56
Taught by: Mr Chan Ter Yue
the silly jokes that I make up
during my lessons or the funny
statements my students bring
up in class, it is quite diffcult
for me to fnd a day of teaching
without laughter.
WHAT WAS YOUR TEACHER
LIKE BACK THEN?
Mr Chan was a strict teacher,
especially with regard to
whether we students did our
Biology tutorials on time, but
he always tried his best to come
up with creative ways to get us
excited about learning Biology.
When we were learning about
Food Biotechnology, Mr Chan
turned our tutorial into a class
party by bringing along many
kinds of cheese for us to sample
and explaining to us how each
type of cheese was made.
Moreover, as my Civics Tutor, I
feel that he has fully maximised
each of our talents, skills and
character. Mr Chan is defnitely
a dedicated teacher that
allows each student to grow in
terms of their knowledge and
character in their own way.
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
MR LU SHANG-YI
RJC, 1999
Teacher, Mathematics,
Year 56
Taught by: Ms Wang Juat Yong
WHAT WAS MS WANG LIKE
BACK THEN?
What I remembered about
Ms Wang was her passion for
Mathematics and how she
made it elegant and beautiful.
She always found the time to
tell jokes during class (some of
which were quite mathematical
in nature!) which I have also
incorporated into my own
teaching style. Ms Wang still
looks the same as she did ten
years ago, just that she has less
white hair now! (you can
guess why)
In fact, when I frst came back
to RJC (before reintegration),
most of my teachers were still
aroundMdm Teng, my Civics
tutor, who is now retired, Ms
Wang, Mrs Tan Woon Ching
(Physics) as well as Mrs Lee
Chye Keow (GP). I have always
addressed them by Ms/Mrs as it
is natural to me.
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
Teachers whove taught teachers whove
taught teachers we speak with 19 teachers
across the campus to fnd out more about
their generation-spanning legacy.
6 1 6 2
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO
A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO
BECOME A TEACHER?
Id ask if he or she has three
important character traits:
passion, patience and good
communication skills.
Clichd it may sound, but in
order to survive in this line,
you do need to be passionate
about imparting knowledge
and refning your craft.
Sometimes, things may not
work out between you and your
colleagues or even your boss,
but what will hold you together
and keep you going is passion.
If passion is what drives you,
then you are headed in the right
direction, as you will then be
focused on teaching well and
you will be able to dispel these
other distractions.
WHAT WAS YOUR TEACHER
LIKE BACK THEN?
Ms Wang was my Math lecturer
some 20-odd years ago, back
at the Mt Sinai campus. Back
then, she must have been very
young and relatively new to the
teaching profession. Despite
that, I remember that she was
already very good at teaching
us Math. She explained some
of the very complicated
mathematical concepts in
Further Mathematics so easily
and effciently that they turned
out to be quite interesting at
the end of her lessons. Best of
all, she delivered her lessons
with a smile all the time, and
she did so despite having to
entertain silly questions from
students like yours truly.
All in all, Ms Wang was and still
is a passionate, patient and very
dedicated teacher.
Obviously, as a teacher, being
in constant contact with young
people can be very challenging.
One can be at the receiving
end of disobedience, outright
rudeness, blatant disrespect
and indifference despite
having good intentions. The
challenge is on how to channel
these negativities into positive
outcomes, so having lots of
patience comes in handy.
Communication is one of the
core aspects of a teacher.
We have to constantly
communicate, not only
with students but also with
colleagues as well as parents,
and so one must develop ones
communication skills as one
progresses as a teacher. In
teaching students, one needs
to deliver the content in such a
way that it is easily understood
and in the most pleasant
manner possible, otherwise
students will lose interest. It is
also imperative that teachers
communicate effectively with
parents in order to avert any
form of misunderstanding.
MR MOHAMED KAMEL
BIN SALIM
RI, 1987; RJC, 1989
Teacher Mentor,
Physics, Year 56
Taught by: Ms Wang Juat Yong
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
6 3
WHAT DO YOU FIND
MEANINGFUL ABOUT BEING
A TEACHER?
being a teacher makes me a
frontline fgure and gives me an
opportunity to touch lives and
to be a part of another persons
growth. To me, thats really
rewarding. Having worked in
several schools before, I have
come to appreciate teaching as
a profession that keeps me in
touch with the diverse spectrum
of our community.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO
A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO
BECOME A TEACHER?
I would ask them to give the
following points a thought:
1. Whats your driving force?
2. Do you enjoy working with
young people who naturally
and constantly have that
extra dose of energy to
embrace their own ideals?
WHAT WAS YOUR TEACHER
LIKE BACK THEN?
Ms Wang was my Math teacher
back then, and she is still my
teacher now, guiding me along.
I remember her as the ever-
patient, systematic teacher who
never forgets to wear her kind
smile to class every day. She
had such a systematic way of
delivering her lessons that we
always felt enriched after her
lessons. On occasions when we
couldnt complete our tutorials
(not completing ones tutorials
was almost a criminal offence
back then), we would try our
best to avoid eye contact with
our teachers. but classrooms
were so small and cosy back
in Mount Sinai that it was no
easy task. The RI boys in my
class would always volunteer to
divert our teachers attention
from those who couldnt
complete our tutorials. I often
wondered how they managed
to do it, when they themselves
never completed their tutorials.
for Ms Wangs lessons, we
never had such stress because
she was reasonable and her
voice just had that calming
effect anyway. She always
emphasised learning, instead
of scolding students for not
doing their work.
MS NG YEE LING
RJC, 1989
Senior Teacher,
Chemistry, Year 56
Taught by: Ms Wang Juat Yong
Ms Wang is still the Ms Wang
with the super memory. I am
amazed that till this day, she
still remembers the name of
everyone in my class, even
though we have left RJC for
more than two decades!
She still remembers our
idiosyncracies and how we
looked like back then (round,
lean, loud or restless). In fact,
she just corrected me when
I recalled the name of
a classmate wrongly.
WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE TO
COME BACK AND TEACH
ALONGSIDE YOUR FORMER
TEACHER?
Its a marvelous feeling working
alongside Ms Wang. I am
fortunate to have my teacher
here to help me settle into the
school environment. I am ever
grateful to Ms Wang for her
encouragement. To me, she
will always be my teacher, my
mentor. Thank you, Ms Wang!
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
6 4
WHAT DO YOU FIND
MEANINGFUL ABOUT BEING
A TEACHER?
A teacher touches lives and
leaves footprints behind in
one of the most critical phases
of a childs life. A teacher has
the opportunity to inspire, role
model and actively participate
in molding a society through its
younger generation. A teacher
can help a society become what
it hopes to be, through the lives
of the young.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO
A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO
BECOME A TEACHER?
Be a teacher who teaches with
sincerity and genuinely cares
for her students. Always do
your best and what is right,
with students as your central
focus; not for fame, popularity
or fanfare.
WHAT WAS YOUR TEACHER
LIKE BACK THEN?
Mr Chan is a very caring and
patient teacher who teaches
with a heart. He cares very much
for his students and is a teacher
not just of the books, but a
teacher of life. He is still the
samea value-based educator,
doing his best for his students
and teaching them both inside
and outside of the classroom.
WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE TO
COME BACK AND TEACH
ALONGSIDE YOUR FORMER
TEACHER? DO YOU STILL CALL
THEM MR/MRS/MS?
It is a privilege to teach alongside
my former teachers, learning
from their wealth of experience
and seeing things anew from
their perspective. Mr Chan is
always eager to share his nuggets
of wisdom and inspire me with
his passion for educating the
younger generation. He holds
no account of wrongs, and treats
his students with great pride and
patience. Yes, I still call Mr Chan
Ter Yue Mr Chan, and Teachers
Day is still a day on which I would
give him a token of appreciation,
yet that is a far cry from all the
effort he has put into teaching
me. Thank you Mr Chan!
MS JASLINE HONG
RGS, 2000; RJC, 2002
Assistant Department Head,
Physics, Year 56
Taught by: Mr Chan Ter Yue
A teacher touches lives and leaves
footprints behind in one of the most critical
phases of a childs life. A teacher has the
opportunity to inspire, role model and
actively participate in molding a society
through its younger generation.
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
6 5
WHAT DO YOU FIND
MEANINGFUL ABOUT BEING A
TEACHER?
I fnd that it is meaningful as we
are able to share experiences
with our students and allow
them to learn from our
experiences. Its meaningful also
to let students gain exposure
new physical sports that they
normally would not try, and to
see them start to enjoy it after
they become more competent
in it. It is also heartwarming
to see how our teaching has
impacted our students later on
in their lives.
WHAT WERE YOUR TEACHERS
LIKE BACK THEN?
Ms Wang was a very sweet
Math teacher who was very
patient, helpful and kind.
unfortunately, I had a terrible
problem of always dozing off in
class. She would just smile and
reprimand me in a sweet but
exasperated manner.
Mrs Helen Tan was a very
organised teacher who was
very passionate about
Economics, but also very strict
and demanding. We often felt
a sense of satisfaction if we
were able to answer her
questions correctly.
Mr Leong Chee Mun was my
ODAC Teacher in charge, and
he was a very funny guy who
was very outdoorsy and relaxed.
He often seemed nonchalant
but he actually cared a lot for
the students, and he was my
inspiration to be a teacher.
Mrs Lim Jee Nee did not teach
me directly but I remember her
as a strict teacher who because
she was in charge of school
discipline in my time struck fear
in all the students. She was very
passionate about softball, her
CCA. When we went to support
the team, it was quite enjoyable
as she personally led the
supporters in cheering for them.
WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE TO
COME BACK AND TEACH
ALONGSIDE YOUR FORMER
TEACHER?
It felt different and weird to call
them by name, especially when
I frst joined. for Ms Wang and
Mrs Tan, I still call them by their
surname. Mr Leong always tells
me to call him by name but Im
still trying to get used to it.
I dont really interact much with
them, as they are mostly at the
Year 56 side and I usually meet
them only during joint events.
I did work together with Mr
Leong and Mrs Lim for some
periods of time though, and
they are very good mentors.
It felt funny initially, but they
have been very casual and are
always trying to narrow the gap.
Mrs Lim is very friendly, and Mr
Leong always jokes and makes
comments to break the ice.
MR LEROY CHOO
RI, 1993; RJC, 1995
Teacher, Physical Education,
Year 14
Taught by: Mrs Helen Tan,
Mr Leong Chee Mun,
Mr Michael Jeyaseelan, and
Ms Wang Juat Yong
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
6 6
WHAT DO YOU FIND
MEANINGFUL ABOUT BEING
A TEACHER?
Teaching is meaningful because
it lets me meet so many
studentseach of them with
different needs and characters
and allows me to equip them
with useful values. Its also a
great feeling when Im able
to get students excited about
History. being a teacher also
spurs me to be passionate in
what I do and to be a good role
model. It is meaningful because
the environment pushes me to
constantly acquire knowledge
and life-long skills together with
my charges (i.e. students).
MR EDMUND KWOK
RJC, 1997
Senior Teacher,
History, Year 56
Taught by: Mrs Helen Tan and
Ms Wang Juat Yong
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO
A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO
BECOME A TEACHER?
because of my mostly pleasant
experiences in teaching, I would
always encourage aspiring
teachers to enter the profession
and try to dissuade those who
harbour thoughts of leaving.
but I also want them to make an
informed decisionI would ask
them whether they really like to
interact with people of that age
group, whether they are in for
the money or whether they really
fancy the nature of the work. Do
not sign on to become a teacher
because of the scholarship only
to regret it later, especially when
you are assigned to teach in
certain schools.
WHAT WERE MS WANG AND
MS TAN LIKE BACK THEN?
Miss Wang Juat Yong was my
Math teacher, I think, way back
in 1982-83. Like most students
in the Humanities and Arts, I
was not a very enthusiastic Math
student and in my own quiet
ways, I resisted the subject.
Yet, I remember Juat Yong
as someone who had always
maintained her cool and she
never showed impatience or
anger. She would just nag in a
rather tactful way.
Mrs Helen Tan was my
Economics teacher, and
she stood out as a lady who
dressed very stylishly during
the early 1980sher air of
elegance when she entered
the class added some glamour
to the mostly new subject
that I took. She was also very
concerned about our well-
being as students. Helen has
retired, but she is still teaching
Economics here as an adjunct
teacher. Throughout my 20
years in Raffes, I have always
been sitting one or two seats
from her in the staff room.
Hence, geographical proximity
enables me to cement the
decades-old link.
Being a teacher also spurs me to be
passionate in what I do and to be a good
role model. It is meaningful because the
environment pushes me to constantly
acquire knowledge and life-long skills
together with my charges.
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
6 7
WHAT DO YOU FIND
MEANINGFUL ABOUT BEING
A TEACHER?
The opportunity to share with
students my subject knowledge
and take on life as well as to
learn from them too! I have
learnt a lot of things from
students and this helps to keep
me young! I hope to also
contribute, in my own small
way, to helping the students to
develop and grow in intellect,
maturity and a sense of
responsibility to themselves and
those around them. It is always
very heartening when I meet my
former students and hear about
their how they have progressed
since leaving RI.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO
A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO
BECOME A TEACHER?
be sincere and passionate in
what you do, both in the subject
you teach and in your role as a
teacher! The work of a teacher is
not easyit may be very trying
at times, but when you see your
students grow and develop later
on, it is a very rewarding and
heartening feeling!
As I taught biology, I worked
with my former biology teacher
Ms Linda Leong, who has
since retired. Ms Leong was
so nurturing and encouraging,
advising me on teaching
matters but always giving me
space to work on my own
too. That was something I
still apply in my mentoring
of new teachers. She was
very good at improvising and
trouble-shooting too! I feel
very privileged that she was so
willing to impart her skills and
knowledge to me.
WHAT WERE JASLINE AND
MUI KEE LIKE IN CLASS?
both of them were very
conscientious, independent and
motivated students. both were
good role models as in they
handed in their work punctually,
were well-behaved and got
along well with their peers.
basically, they worked hard in
lessons and they played hard in
their CCAs :)
WHAT WAS YOUR TEACHER
LIKE BACK THEN? IS HE/SHE
STILL THE SAME NOW?
Take Ms Wang, who was my
Mathematics teacher: to me she
was really sincere in teaching us
and she would not hesitate to
give us advice when we needed
it. She is still like that today!
WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE TO
COME BACK AND TEACH
ALONGSIDE YOUR FORMER
TEACHERS?
It was good to know that a
number of my former teachers
were still there when I was
posted to RJC in 1991. Ms Wang
welcomed me warmly and I
know she was very happy that
some of her former students had
returned to the same school to
teachI feel the same about my
students too! With the support,
guidance and encouragement
of my former teachers, my
tentative start to teaching was
made much easier, and I am very
grateful to them.
MR CHAN TER YUE
RI, 1981; RJC, 1983
Senior Teacher, biology, Year
56
Taught by: Ms Wang Juat Yong
Taught: Ms Jasline Hong and
Ms Tang Mui Kee
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
6 8
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO
A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO
BECOME A TEACHER?
I would ask why and how
certain the student is about
it, because being a teacher is
so demanding. Teachers not
only have to teach in the
classroom; they must also
organise school events, handle
projects and deal with dreaded
administrative matters. If the
student understands all this
and still wants to pursue this
ambition, I would suggest that
he or she go and try out relief
teaching to get a good feel of
the profession.
WHAT YOUR TEACHERS LIKE?
One of the teachers I knew
very well in RJC is Mr Michael
Jeyaseelan. He was our
teacher-in-charge and coach
of the Track and field team.
He demanded much of the
athletics team and sought to
bring out the best in us. He
is still very much the same
as before, passionate about
sports and for Raffes to do
well. I remember how he and
the other teachers used to play
football at the Mount Sinai side
feld with the trackers after each
trainingit was a great time.
Ms Wang was my Civics Tutor.
She is defnitely still the same
after all these years! She has
always been friendly, kind and
understanding. I remember how
I would lag behind in my math
due to my cross-country and
track commitments but she
would always understand and
allow me the time and space
to catch up later. When I came
back to teach after 15 years,
I was pleasantly surprised
that she remembered me...
especially as the student who
ran very fast. :)
WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE TO
COME BACK AND TEACH
ALONGSIDE YOUR FORMER
TEACHERS?
It is a blast coming back to
Raffes to teach! It was kind of
funny having to work with my
former teachers who are now
my colleaguesI got to see the
other fun side of them that they
used to shield from us in our
student days.
Sometimes I still feel like a
student in relating to my former
teachersI often make the
mistake of greeting Mr Gary
Ortega Sir at times and he
would then gently remind me
not to as I am not his student
anymore :) When I was a
student, the track team always
greeted Mr Mike J as Mr
Michael. We always thought
that was his surname. It was only
when I came back here to teach
that I realised our error!
MR CARLSEN TAY
RJC, 1997
Teacher, Physical Education,
Year 56
Taught by:
Mr Michael Jeyaseelan and
Ms Wang Juat Yong
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
6 9
COULD YOU TELL THAT YOUR
STUDENTS WERE GOING TO
BECOME TEACHERS?
I taught most of them when I
was very young in my teaching
profession, and I was perhaps
too focused on teaching to
notice any potential teachers
among my students. I did notice
Shang-yis great passion in
Maths and I was aware that he
had an interest in becoming a
Math teacher. At the back of
my mind, I was thinking that he
would one day come back to
take over from me!
WHAT WERE THEY LIKE
IN CLASS?
Chan Ter Yue (1982-1983)
Conscientious and thoughtful
Yeo Yam Khoon in my Civics
tutorial class S03C (1982-1983)
Model student (steady,
respectful, attentive). I enjoyed
marking his workhe was very
neat, organised and displayed
good understanding of the
subject matter.
both Ter Yue and Yam Khoon
have, without fail for many years
now, come up to me with a
teachers day card to wish me.)
Ng Yee Ling (1988-1989)
Serious, highly motivated,
respectful, and appreciativeI
remember her sending me
a card to thank me after the
release of the A-Level results.
Im glad to have met her again,
when she joined the school last
year. Shes just as respectful and
appreciative, and Im happy to
see that shes blossomed into a
highly competent and confdent
lady who exudes joy and
exhibits passion in her work.
Lu Shang-yi (1998-1999)
Respectful and highly
competent in mathematics
he represented Singapore
in the International Maths
Olympiad! His class was one
of the best performing classes
in the school, such that when
the school frst introduced
air-conditioned classrooms, his
class was rewarded with one
as a home room. It was always
a joy to go to his class as the
students were very focused,
enthusiastic, participative and
intellectually-stimulating.
Ng Mei Sze (First three
months of 1994)
Chatty, witty, interacted well
with her teachers. I have been
working under her for the past
two years and she treats me
with kindness and respect.
Edmund Kwok (First three
months of 1982)
I taught his class AO maths
for the frst three months in
JC1 at the Paterson Campus.
He was scrawny and one of
the well-behaved and
responsible students.
Carlsen Tay (1996-1997)
A respectful student who
spent much time in athletics
but still tried his best to catch
up with his work.
Leroy Choo (1994-1995)
He was in the commerce stream
doing double maths, a tough
combination for the commerce
students as they did not do
physics which would have
helped them in the mechanics.
Always cheerful and one of
those who could follow well.
For Kamel and Jasmine
(1988-1989), and Leong Yi-Lin
(1992-1993), they were in my
lecture group.
MS WANG JUAT YONG
Senior Teacher,
Mathematics, Year 56
Taught: Mr Carlsen Tay, Mr
Edmund Kwok, Mrs Jasmine
Lim, Mr Leroy Choo, Mr Lu
Shang Yi, Mr Mohamed Kamel,
Ms Ng Mei Sze, Ms Ng Yee
Ling, Mr Yeo Yam Khoon
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
7 0
from left to right:
Mr Eng Han Seng,
Mr Michael Jeyaseelan,
Mr Lam Nam Soon, and
Mr Tan Mian Ou
WHAT DO YOU FIND
MEANINGFUL ABOUT BEING
A TEACHER?
It is a privilege for me to engage
young people and and instill in
them a good set of values and a
zest for life. for me, teaching is a
symbiotic relationshipnot only
do you teach, but you also learn
from the students as you work
closely with them. They shape
and inspire you too.
When my former students return
to teach, I feel very encouraged
and it reaffrms my belief that
teaching is rewarding.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO
A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO
BECOME A TEACHER?
be a teacher because you want
to inspire young people. Your
motivation is important because
it will be your anchor through
your teaching career.
COULD YOU TELL THAT
HAN SENG WAS GOING TO
BECOME A TEACHER?
I taught him in lower secondary
and he showed no disposition
then of wanting to be a teacher.
WHAT WAS HE LIKE IN CLASS
AS A STUDENT?
He was just like many of his
classmatesenergetic and full
of spirit, proud to be a Raffesian.
MR S MAGENDIRAN
Senior Deputy Principal,
Student Development
Taught: Mr Eng Han
Seng and Mr Michael
Jeyaseelan (at beatty
Secondary during his NIE
Teaching Practice)
For me, teaching is a symbiotic
relationshipnot only do you teach, but
you also learn from the students as you
work closely with them. They shape and
inspire you too.
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
7 2
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE
WHEN YOUR STUDENTS
RETURN TO THE SCHOOL
TO TEACH?
I like to believe that I might
have subliminally inspired them
(hopefully) to consider the career
path of teaching PE. I also hope
that I had been a positive role
model to them when they were
students. I am really proud to
see my ex-students becoming
my colleagues because it
reinforces my belief that, as
teachers, we can inspire others.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO
A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO
BECOME A TEACHER?
I would say, Great! It is a wise
choice, but remember that
teaching is a vocation and you
need passion to teach well.
Choose teaching not because
of pay or promotion, but
because you want to make a
difference. You have the power
to either inspire your students
to do great things in life, or
to destroy their confdence.
Therefore, choose wisely.
MR MICHAEL JEYASEELAN
(Dean, E W barker
Institute of Sports)
Taught: Mr Carlsen Tay,
Mr Eng Han Seng and
Mr Tan Mian Ou
WHAT WERE HAN SENG
AND MIAN OU LIKE AS
STUDENTS?
Han Seng was passionate about
sports then and now. He was
also a leader and wanted to
inspire others around him. He
was very involved in PE class
and in all kinds of Sports from
Rugby to Judo. He showed a lot
of maturity and commitment as
a student.
Mian Ou, like Han Seng, was a
leader in the sports feld. He had
the spark to inspire his peers
and was very involved in and
passionate about Rugby. He
was matured in his thinking and
always gave his best. He had the
makings of a good leader.
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
7 3
WHAT DO YOU FIND
MEANINGFUL ABOUT BEING
A TEACHER?
being a teacher is meaningful
because I have the opportunity
to change lives. Helping
students with problems to
turn around and achieve
their dreamsthis has got
to be a dream job! My life
has also changed as a result
and I am very grateful for this
opportunity.
WHAT WAS HAN SENG LIKE
AS A STUDENT?
He knew what he wanted for
himself and he worked hard
for it. He was a loyal student
to his club and especially to
the school. I could see some
potential in him becoming
a teacher because he was a
natural leader in the Judo Club
and the traits he had shown in
the way he guided his peers
and juniors were congruent with
the traits needed as a teacher.
He knows what he wants for
himself and he works hard for
it. He is a loyal student to his
club and especially to the school.
MR LAM NAM SOON
RI, 1977
HOD, International Students
Taught by: Mr Tan Kim Cheng
Taught: Mr Eng Han Seng
WHAT WAS MR TAN LIKE
BACK THEN?
Mr Tan Kim Cheng will always
be our Captain Tan. Those who
dont know him well would fnd
him a ferce disciplinarian who
allows no nonsense. Those who
know him better or who were
taught by him would be able to
see a fatherly side to him. As a
teacher, he was approachable
and very rational and to top it
off, he was real funny in class
and we all enjoyed his lessons
very much! To this day, Mr Tan
still turns up for literally any
school function that we invite
him to, and he still shows the
intense love that he has had for
the school all these years.
WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE TO
COME BACK AND TEACH
ALONGSIDE YOUR FORMER
TEACHER?
When he was my colleague,
he remained a giant in all
aspects! We were in awe of
him. We learnt so much just
by observing himhow he
conducted himself and how he
dealt with daily problems.
Helping students
with problems
to turn around
and achieve their
dreamsthis has
got to be a dream
job! My life has
also changed as a
result and I am very
grateful for this
opportunity.
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
7 4
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO
A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO
BECOME A TEACHER?
Really? Sure or not? What is so
good about being a teacher?
Think about the ordeal you
will face when you have a
student like you! On a more
serious notemake sure it is
your calling to teach. Try doing
some relief/contract teaching in
mainstream schools to have a
better idea of what teaching is
about before committing.
MR ENG HAN SENG
RI, 1989; RJC, 1991
Dean, CCA &
Physical Education
Taught by: Mr Lam Nam Soon,
Mr S Magendiran, and
Mr Michael Jeyaseelan
Taught: Mr Tan Mian Ou
His PE lessons were torturous
because he would make us do
interval training. Once, he made
us run intervals of 400m at a
pace of under 1.5 minutes for
an hour! Quite a number of us
puked at the end of the lesson,
but it did spur a number of us
(I was in the sports class) to
work harder on our ftness. I am
seated opposite Mike now. As a
colleague, he is funny and very
approachable very different
from when I was his student :P
Mr Lam is the reason why I
wanted to be a teacher. He
was my Judo teacher. He was
very ferce and had very high
expectations on us. We would
be punished rather severely but
he would always explain the
reason for our punishment. At
the end of the day, we realised
that he wanted us to be a better
judoka, student, and friend
He cares :)
He is still the same caring
Mr Lam, but I must say that he
has mellowed a lot and is not
as fery as beforeno more
scolding across the parade
square or punishing the entire
school in the hall :P
WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE TO
COME BACK AND TEACH
ALONGSIDE YOUR FORMER
TEACHERS?
Scary at frst because they used
to punish me. HahaSeriously,
Im honoured to be working side
by side with my heroes.
COULD YOU TELL THAT
MIAN OU WAS GOING TO
BECOME A TEACHER?
I didnt think he would become
a teacher. I didnt have the
chance to teach him, but I saw
him in action during rugby
games and trainings. He was a
good athlete and natural leader
(rugby captain), and I thought
that maybe he would become a
businessman or soldier.
WHAT WERE MR MAG, MR
MIKE J AND MR LAM NAM
SOON LIKE BACK THEN AS
TEACHERS?
Mr Mag taught me for a brief
period when my class had no
literature teacher. He was always
cracking jokes and making us
laugh. but when we didnt turn
in our homework, he would
become very angry and stern.
Sometimes he scolded us while
putting on a smile and we got
very confused about whether he
was scolding us or not. He was
very approachable then, and he
still is now.
When Mike J taught me in RJC,
he was very stern-looking and
we thought he was rather aloof.
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
7 5
WHAT DO YOU FIND
MEANINGFUL ABOUT BEING
A TEACHER?
The opportunity to interact with
and make a positive difference
to youths lives makes teaching
meaningful. Having received
valuable mentorship myself
from my teachers in RI and RJC,
I see teaching as exactly that
mentoring students in their
formative years to help them
achieve their fullest potential.
WHAT WERE MS MELISSA
LIM, MR MIKE J AND MR
ENG HAN SENG LIKE BACK
THEN AS TEACHERS?
Ms Melissa Lim was my GP
tutor back at the Mt Sinai
campus. back in 1998, she had
noticed that one of my rugby
teammates was having issues at
training and she took the time
to talk to me separately, just to
understand his situation. I think
that concern about her students
outside of the classroom was
what struck me the most about
her as a teacher.
Mr Mike J was the HOD of PE
when I was in RJC, and he was a
fun PE Teacher. He was involved
in Track & field CCA, but took
the trouble to train the Rugby
boys during the December
holidays. He was always smiling
and cracking jokes with his
students, who always had fun in
his PE lessons. In that regard,
hes still the same now as he
was beforealways friendly and
always willing to joke with.
MR TAN MIAN OU
RI, 1997; RJC, 2000
Teacher, Physical Education,
Year 56
Taught by: Mr Eng Han Seng,
Ms Melissa Lim and
Mr Michael Jeyaseelan
Mr Eng Han Seng was a PE
teacher and Judo Teacher-in-
charge when I was in RI, and
he had a mostly serious no-
nonsense persona. We heard
stories about his tough training
sessions from our Judokas, but
also knew that he cared a lot
for his boys. He was quite the
disciplinarian though, and was
especially tough on shirts that
were tucked out (he told me off
in the canteen once!). You know
what? I do the exact same thing
now with my students (Eh hello,
tuck in your shirt!).
Having received valuable mentorship
myself from my teachers in RI and RJC,
I see teaching as exactly thatmentoring
students in their formative years to help
them achieve their fullest potential.
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
7 6
from left to right:
Ms Lye Su-Lin, Mr Jamie
Reeves, Mrs Nicola Perry,
Ms Melissa Lim,
Mr Geoffrey Purvis and
Ms Teo Siew Kuang
WHAT DO YOU FIND
MEANINGFUL ABOUT BEING
A TEACHER?
being able to interact with and
infuence young people. They
are fun and idealistic and see
lots of possibilities in life and
the world.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO
A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO
BECOME A TEACHER?
Yes, go for it!
WHAT WERE BENJAMIN,
SIEW KUANG AND MIAN
OU LIKE AS STUDENTS?
COULD YOU TELL THAT THEY
WERE GOING TO BECOME
TEACHERS?
for benjamin, not really as he
was very quiet and introverted.
Siew Kuang did have some
key qualities, like being
enthusiastic, empathetic,
creative and disciplined. Mian
Outotally no! Hahaha! He
was the cool dude who was
good in sports and somehow
I didnt think of teaching as a
career for him.
MS MELISSA LIM
RGS, 1990; RJC, 1992
Dean, Student Development
Taught by: Mr Jamie Reeves
and Mr Leong Yew Wah
Taught: Mr benjamin Wong,
Mr Tan Mian Ou and
Ms Teo Siew Kuang
Helping students with
problems to turn
around and achieve
their dreamsthis
has got to be a
dream job! My life
has also changed
as a result and I am
very grateful for this
opportunity.
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
7 8
WHAT DO YOU FIND
MEANINGFUL ABOUT BEING
A TEACHER?
Im at an age when most of
my contemporaries are either
retired or retiring. Most of them
couldnt/cant wait to fnish
work and are now looking for
something meaningful to do with
their time. I have no intention of
retiring, because I already think
what I do is meaningful, and I
enjoy it enormously. This is the
great thing about teachingit
is not simply a way of earning
a living, but what we do is of
value in itself. I like to feel that
we help young people to enjoy
better and more fulflling lives,
and that makes me very happy.
The other great thing about
WHAT WERE EUNICE,
MELISSA, BENJAMIN AND
SIEW KUANG LIKE AS
STUDENTS?
Eunice was most memorable for
her musical prowess. I watched
her perform with the Singapore
Youth Orchestra and she had
a lovely singing voice with an
interesting vibrato. Her class
recorded me a cassette (shows
how old this is) for Teachers Day
and she sang on thatvincent
by Don Maclean, as I recall.
Melissa was the one I would
have been most likely to pick
as a future school teacher.
Economics wasnt her greatest
strength, but she was always
extremely diligent and well
organised. Her class was
dominated by some strong-
minded ladies, and Melissa
was an enthusiastic part
of the group, emphasis
on enthusiastic.
ben and Siew Kuang were in
the same class and, of the two,
Siew Kuang would have been
more the one Id have picked
as a future teacher. However,
there were some girls with very
strong personalities in that
group, so they were the main
focus (all lawyers now I think!).
ben was very quiet, but given
that he was one of only two
boys (I think) it was probably
a good idea to keep his head
down and not upset the ladies.
MR JAMIE REEVES
Programme Head, Economics,
Year 56
Taught: Mr benjamin Wong,
Ms Eunice Low, Ms Lye Su-Lin,
Ms Melissa Lim and
Ms Teo Siew Kuang
teaching is that I spend all my
time with young people (except
for when Im with Mr Purvis!).
My friends all spend their time
with other old people, talking
about the old days. Thats no
good, we need to look to the
future, and thats what young
people want to dolook
forward, not backwards!
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO
A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO
BECOME A TEACHER?
It doesnt suit everybody, but
for some people (like myself) it
doesnt even feel like working,
merely an extension of my
personality. If the student is
sociable, has great energy,
likes people (especially kids),
wants to communicate and has
heart then I think teaching is a
great career.
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
7 9
WHAT DO YOU FIND
MEANINGFUL ABOUT BEING
A TEACHER?
I found my mission in life to be
a teacher while teaching in the
classrooms of a village school
in Myanmar, while on a youth
and community development
project in my second year at
NuS. Teaching is my way of
contributing to the community. It
is hard to describe the immense
satisfaction and joy I feel when
I am in class. for the past fve
years, I have been juggling my
full time teaching job while
volunteering to train teachers in
Myanmar during the holidays.
Teaching, to me, is not only
about educating a student,
but also learning about life as
we live it. It means making a
difference in students lives
by doing the simple things
like giving them respect. It is
about experimenting with ways
to excite students to explore
and make meaning of the
world, and about learning to
empathise with others.
MS TEO SIEW KUANG
RJC, 2003
Teacher, Aesthetics,
Year 14
Taught by: Mr Geoffrey
Purvis, Ms Melissa Lim,
and Mrs Nicola Perry
Ms Melissa Lim was my civics
tutor and Literature tutor,
and I remember her smiles
and the times she sat with
me on the bench along the
corridor, patiently listening to
my struggles and encouraging
me. She also had a knack of
writing testimonialsIve always
been successful in all my job
applications and I believe her
testimonial made the difference
because all the other applicants
had the same or even better
qualifcations than I do.
I had Mr Purvis for Hard Times
and Mayor of Casterbridge.
He was also the reason why I
was able to take the Literature
S-paper and thus qualify for a
scholarshiphe had spoken
to the principal and said he
would take me, when no
other teachers would. It was
a blessing, given my familys
fnancial situation, but it was
also a real struggleI received
an ungraded for all my Lit-S
essays, but what kept me going
was the fact that I didnt want to
disappoint Mr Purvis, because
he believed in me. I received a
Merit for Lit-S in the fnal battle
and the frst person I went to
thank was Mr Purvis.
I want to take this opportunity
to put on paper my gratitude
towards all the teachers who
have taught me in RJC. Thank
you, for believing in me.
WHAT WERE MR PURVIS
AND MS MELISSA LIM LIKE
BACK THEN?
My teachers were the reason
why I chose RJC, as a Dunman
High student, and also the
reason why I chose to return to
RI to teach. My junior college
years were the darkest years of
my student lifemy father was
struggling with diabetes, kidney
failure and peritoneal dialysis
before he passed on, and my
housewife mother became
the sole bread winner for my
family of fve. I had to take a
part-time job while keeping
up an active CCA involvement,
and struggled with meeting
my academic demands. The
faith that these teachers had in
me was the beacon that shone
through the darkness and
guided me through.
We would have loved to publish all our
teachers' responses in their entirety, but
we sadly had to abridge them due to space
constraintsplease visit http://raffesiantimes.
wordpress.com to view them in full!
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
8 0
THE TEACHER
Generations of Teachers
8 1
Daphne Chia
A Day in
the Life Of:
The Athlete
bY JAYNE CHAN 14S03D, LU XINYI 14S06b AND VANATHI RAJARAJAN 14S05b
THE ATHLETE
A Day in the Life Of: Daphne Chia
she has had to make, and most
importantly, the support she
receives from those around her.
ACADEMIA
Daphnes secret to getting her
work done (and scoring ideal
grades) is using small pockets
of time to consolidate her work
or complete a tutorial. Everyone
has the same 24 hours in a
day, she says. Its a matter of
prioritising what you deem as
important. for example, trying
to squeeze in some work during
breaks in school instead of going
on, say, facebook.
Another piece of advice she gives
is something all of us have heard
countless times from teachers:
having a sense of urgency.
Sometimes, I waste time if theres
no sense of urgency, especially
during weekends. Its important to
create a sense of urgency on your
own. for example, before exams,
write a timetable and scare yourself
All of us have, at some point in
our student lives, encountered
an all-rounder. They are the
students heavily involved in
extra-curricular activities, but
yet are able to score excellent
grades, effectively dispelling the
myth that being over-involved
in non-academic activities mean
not having enough time to
focus on schoolwork.
Daphne Chia (14S03P) happens
to be a part of that minority.
being a national gymnast,
a member of the biology
Raffes Academy, and a double
deans-lister (Chemistry and
Mathematics, which happen
to be her favourite subjects),
most of us cannot help but
sigh in awe, wondering if we
would ever attain such a level of
having it all.
We had the pleasure of sitting
down with Daphne Chia one
friday afternoon to talk about
her daily schedule, the sacrifces
Daphne at the 2013
National Championships
Photo credit: Steven Goh
Everyone has the
same 24 hours in
a day, she says.
Its a matter of
prioritising what
you deem as
important. For
example, trying
to squeeze in
some work during
breaks in school
instead of going on,
say, Facebook.
DAILY SCHEDULE
Heres what a typical day in Daphne Chias life looks like.
6.00am : Rise and Shine
7:00am : Reach school to do some work before fag-raising
Recess/Lunch : Do some more schoolwork
1.30/3:00pm : Dismissal
4:00pm - 8:30pm : Gymnastics training
8:30pm - 10:00pm : Eat dinner in the car on the way home, wash up
10:00pm - 12/1am : Homework and Project Work
1am : Sleep
8 3
THE ATHLETE
A Day in the Life Of: Daphne Chia
when you see the large amount of
things you have to study. Its better
than seeing so many things and
not knowing where to start.
When asked about study advice
for individual subjects, she
answers without hesitation with
the wise-old adage of Math
is practice. Chemistry and
Economics, in her opinion, also
require diligent, timed practices.
However, in the case of GP, she
smiles sheepishly before saying,
Its a long-term thing.
When it comes to exam
preparation, she advises, firstly,
make sure you understand
your concepts. Do the paper
once or twice to get a feel of
the time frame given. Oh, and
make sure you listen for tips
during class. Whenever I hear a
teacher mention always comes
out in exams, Ill always say to
myself, this question is very
important. She also prescribes
self-control and self-discipline
when it comes to the lure of
social media as a distraction
while studying. Her advice
Just dont open it.
GYMNASTICS
People always say I look like a
gymnast. Well, that comes as
no surprise. With her jet-black
hair pulled into a neat ponytail,
a chiselled v-shaped face
completed by intent eyes, and
a to-die-for willowy fgure, you
can barely guess wrong. In fact,
Daphne has been repeatedly
mistaken as her friends or
seniors because of her signature
gymnast hair.
All the same, appearances
aside, gym hasnt always been
a walk in the park for Daphne.
Speaking of when she frst
joined the national gymnastics
team, Daphne explained how
it took some time to adapt
to the hectic schedules and
hard-core training routines.
As any athlete would know,
competing on ones home
ground makes winning ever
more important, and Daphne
is gearing up to do her best.
While the majority of her
teammates joined in Primary
23, Daphne considered
joining the national team very
late, at the end of Primary 6,
when she was talent-spotted
by Singapore Gymnastics (SG)
during a selection trial. Even
though she had clear talent,
coasting through the trials, it
was a rather abrupt transition
which took time and effort to
adjust to, compared to her
peers who had a three-year
head start.
During her fve years in SG,
she has taken part in numerous
competitions in rhythmic
gymnastics. Her biggest
event to date was the Asian
Championships (AC) and World
Championships (WC) held in
June and August respectively
this year. It was the frst time
that Singapore has sent a senior
(16 and above) to compete in
both competitions. Overall, she
was 86th place in the world.
8 4
THE ATHLETE
A Day in the Life Of: Daphne Chia
It was a good experience, she
enthused, we get to see more
and how others are better, and
strive to be as good as them.
As Daphne shared with us,
rhythmic gymnastics combines
elements of ballet, gymnastics,
dance, and apparatus
manipulation. The sport
involves the performance of
fve separate routines with the
use of fve apparatusesball,
ribbon, hoop, clubs, ropeon a
foor area, with a much greater
emphasis on the aesthetic
rather than the acrobatic.
Going into the interview, we
wondered what might drive
such a high-achiever to put
oneself through a tiresome
and disciplined regimebut
as Daphne talked about the
different facets of gym, we could
see just why. Her voice had a
clear interest and passion when
it came to the sport she had
devoted so much of her life to.
Daphne is aiming for the 2015
SEA Games, which will be
hosted by Singapore. As any
athlete would know, competing
on ones home ground makes
winning ever more important,
and Daphne is gearing up to do
her best.
Rhythmic gym in Singapore
is young but improving, she
explained, you need to be
Daphne and her team
at Gymfest 2012
Photo credit: Steven Goh
8 5
THE ATHLETE
A Day in the Life Of: Daphne Chia
in the top 24 positions of the
World Cup to qualify for the
Olympics, but we are not up to
that standard yet.
Maybe in 2020, my juniors
can make it. She said with a
hopeful smile.
Of course, nothing is
without labour. As seen in
her daunting daily schedule,
Daphne trains for four and
a half hours a day, six days
a week. When asked whether
she feels hungry during
training, she chuckled and
asserted resolutely, you
wont think of food when
youre training.
As per the life of an avid
sportswoman, physical
limitations are also something
Daphne has had to grapple
with. She had sustained foot
injuries twice, in Sec 3 and
Sec 4. fortunately, both were
minor fractures and she had
recovered quickly.
You cannot overdo training,
she mused, listen to your body
and if youre not feeling well,
tell your coach.
SOCIAL LIFE
To achieve so much,
undoubtedly, some sacrifces
have to be made. for Daphne,
this sacrifce has been her social
life, which, as she put wistfully, is
not really there. Given her
heavy commitments, she has
had to give up class outings,
meet-ups with friends and
other social activities so many
of us take for granted. Other
than the occasional clique
lunch after Saturday gymnastics
trainings, she rarely spends
time away from her desk on
weekends, where she catches
up with schoolwork. However,
she does utilise social media
such as facebook, Tumblr
and Instagram (when she
isnt studying).
When the topic of her class
came up, Daphnes eyes
brightened. The people in my
class are smart, so we do have
a certain degree of friendly
competition. Even then, we
all help one another out and I
know theyll be there to help
me. Im lucky in that sense.
Whenever she is out of school
for gymnastics, she is grateful
that her friends would take
notes for her and fll her in
on everything she missed.
I wouldnt know what Id do
without them, she said with
a smile.
but even this overachiever has
a playful side. Daphne fashed
a cheeky grin as she mentioned
she runs faster than the guys
in her class (her timing for the
2.4km run is an impressive 9
minutes 40 seconds).
I try to make the best of
my time with friends. Even
if Daphne cant spend time
outside of school with her
friends, she strives to make her
time spent with them during
school hours just as fulflling.
FUTURE CAREER
One cannot work for something
without thinking about whats
ahead in the future. beyond the
When the topic
of her class came
up, Daphnes eyes
brightened. The
people in my class
are smart, so we
do have a certain
degree of friendly
competition. Even
then, we all help
one another out
and I know theyll
be there to help
me. Im lucky in
that sense.
8 6
THE ATHLETE
A Day in the Life Of: Daphne Chia
upcoming 2015 SEA Games
though, Daphne admits that
although she has a keen passion
in the sport, it cannot be denied
that rhythmic gymnastics
sporting lifestyle isnt long,
and she would therefore
probably not continue gym in
university as there would be
many other commitments at
the university stage. She hopes
to combine her passion for
academics and sports by one
day becoming a sports doctor.
When asked if she would
look back one day and regret
anything, she said, Hopefully,
Ill be satisfed with what Ive
achieved. Theres no point
in regretting something. If I
worked hard, in the end, itll
all be worth it. Its important to
make use of any opportunity
presented to you, but dont
regret what you cannot
change anymore.
Daphne (second row, third from
right) with her class, 14S03P
8 7
bY SHARON TAN
Known for his groundbreaking contribution to Artifcial
Intelligence, Professor Andrew Ng is deeply convinced that education
is a human right. He shares his thoughts with alumna Sharon Tan.
THE GEEK
A conversation with Professor Andrew Ng
conversation
with Professor
Andrew Ng
The Geek
When I was in RI, I did an
internship at the National
university of Singapore (NuS),
where I worked with some
What got you
started on
Artificial
Intelligence (AI)?
1
Andrew Ng (RI, 1992) is the co-founder of
Coursera and a Computer Science faculty
member at Stanford. In 2011, he led the
development of Stanford Universitys main
MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses)
platform, and also taught an online
Machine Learning class that was offered
to over 100,000 students, leading to the
founding of Coursera in January 2012.
Through Coursera, his goal is to give
everyone in the world access to a high
quality education, for free. Today, Coursera
has 62 top university partners from around
the world who offer more than 300 courses
in a wide variety of subjects, including
computer science, business, medicine,
science, humanities, social sciences, and
more. More than 3.3 million students from
196 countries have enrolled for Coursera
courses, making Coursera the largest
MOOC platform in the world.
andrews
bio
8 8
THE GEEK
A conversation with Professor Andrew Ng
Most of my work in AI is about
building smart machines and
a little bit of it is making its
way into education. frankly,
its not that much. So in AI,
the thing Im excited about
now is building artifcial neural
networks. The human brain
learns by having billions
of neurons and so artifcial
neural networks are computer
simulations which are loosely
inspired by how we think the
brain would work. These neural
networks are the best technique
for speech recognition and
for solving most problems in
computer vision today. The
speech recognition software
on your Android phone is built
on top of a neural network
technology that I developed. Its
a very exciting technology.
Tell us a bit
about your work
in AI. 2
We understand
that online
education is
another great
passion of yours.
Where do you see
education being
headed, given all
these advances
in educational
technology? 3
The online platform is a great
way to provide content. I think
that far too many teachers today
at all levels are spending their
time, year after year, walking into
the same rooms and delivering
the same lectures. I was doing
the same thing in StanfordId
even tell the same jokes each
year! I dont think this is the best
way for us to serve our students.
If we want to provide content to
our students, thats often better
done via the Internetwhich,
ironically, can be more interactive
than large lecture halls.
professors on a project in AI.
I thought it was so astounding
that you could write computer
programs that would learn by
themselves. The idea that you
could build intelligent machines
to take away a lot of the routine
work just amazed me. Partly as
a result of that early internship,
I wound up getting involved in
AI and Ive been working on it
ever since.
Thinking back about my
experience in RI, I had some
inspiring teachers whom I had
wonderful conversations with,
and I remember the teachers
that, for some inexplicable
reason, took me under their
wings and found the patience to
answer all of my incredibly stupid
questions. I still have no idea why
they had so much patience to
deal with me.
What were doing today is that
were making the instructor
spend too much time giving
lectures and grading manually.
Why do students like you come
to Stanford? I think its not
solely for the content. Content
is increasingly free on the web
anyway. Stanford delivers an
extraordinary experience through
the professors and the other
students. by using websites to
automate grading and lecture
delivery, our professors can
devote more of their time to
interacting and having one-on-
one mentoring with students.
8 9
Honestly, I really admire
Singapores education system.
It taught me what an impact
amazing teachers could have
on their students. I think the
whole world looks to Singapore
for inspiration. That said, I think
we should offer our teachers
more support. I would love to
give teachers better tools. for
example, the fipped classroom
format is one where students
obtain their lesson content
online, thus freeing up the
instructor from manual grading
and content delivery. Itd be a
worthy thing to do. but I think
NuS has been a huge innovator
in pedagogy and teaching tools,
and together with the National
Institute of Education (NIE),
deserves credit for all of these
talented educators in Singapore.
I admire both institutions.
What kinds of
changes would
you make to
Singapores
education
system?
4
I was really fortunate to have
gone to Raffes. Many of the
friends I met there turned out to
be life-long friends. I think the
wonderful teaching I received
was what set me down of the
path of academia. The extra-
curricular activities tooplaying
in the Chinese Orchestra,
playing rugbythose are
the experiences I remember
and cherish. I think Raffes is
fortunate to have the resources
to provide its students with
these kinds of experiences.
One teacher from RI that I still
remember well after all these
years is Mrs Nora de Silva, who
was my form teacher and who
taught Literature. Thanks to her,
therere random Shakespearean
quotes that I still remember and
love today! She really opened
my eyes to the world of the arts,
which today form a signifcant
part of the courses that Coursera
offers too.
What was your
experience as
a student in RI
like?
5
THE GEEK
A conversation with Professor Andrew Ng
At Coursera, what motivates me
the most is helping the needy
in civil society. I taught my frst
Massive Online Open Course
(MOOC) out of Stanford as a
free class. I actually got emails
from a lot of people saying,
why did you do this for free?
You should have charged $5
for this, anyone could afford
that, and itd be very lucrative.
but what is a cost of a latte to
you and me, is far beyond the
means of a poor kid in India or
in Africa. They not only do not
have $5, they dont even have
a credit card. To prevent them
from accessing great online
courses would just be a tragedy.
I think that online education
would contribute a lot towards
improving everyones quality
of education.
What motivates
and inspires you?
6
9 0
This is a story I dont often tell.
Some months ago I was at a
party with a bunch of friends.
After everyone had left, it was
just one friend and me, sitting
on the foor. In the course of that
conversation, my friend started
taking $10 and $20 bills out of her
wallet and counting them out on
the foor to see if she had $700
to pay her community college
tuition fees. Its very jarring image
to see your friend counting bills
on the foorits one of those
images that sears itself on your
eyeball. This happened right here
in our backyard in California.
I want everyone to have access
to a great education. I think
that if we could provide a great
education to anyone in the world
for free, the world would be a
much fairer and more interesting
place. I want ones success to be
determined only by guts, hard
work and strength of will, and not
by the wealth of ones parents.
I want every child to have a
chance, which many dont today.
Is empowerment
through
education your
way of levelling
the inequality
we face in the
world?
7
Our biggest challenge is to
reach out to the neediest in
society, including those who
have no access to food or an
Internet connection. We are
talking to some NGOs that work
to use Coursera as a justifcation
to invest more in infrastructure
in underdeveloped areas.
Previously, if you give kids in
Africa an Internet connection
they might use it to read
Wikipedia articles, which is
pretty good. but now they can
take courses from Stanford and
Princeton, and thats amazing.
Honestly, thanks to Coursera, I
think the cat is out of the bag.
Its now clear that its possible
for one professor to teach
50,000 students. This changes
the economics of education.
We often think about human
rights as the right to vote and
the right to free speech. With
MOOCs, I think we have the
resources to deliver a great
education to everyone. Its
a matter of whether we, as
a society, can fnd the moral
courage to declare this as a
fundamental human right.
What do
you think is
the biggest
challenge
standing
between you and
that goal?
8
THE GEEK
A conversation with Professor Andrew Ng
Sharon Tan (RGS, 2008; RI, 2010) has
had the privilege of attending RGS and RI,
where she not only received a world-class
education but also met many inspiring
individuals amongst her teachers and peers.
Supported by a Singapore Armed Forces
Overseas Scholarship, she is now in her
3rd year at Stanford University where she
has had her worldview broadened under
sunny Californian skies. She graduates
with a Bachelor of Science in Symbolic
Systems in 2014. She had a great time
interviewing Professor Ng and showing
him a comprehensive list of Singaporean
food sources in the surrounding area
as compiled by her peers at Stanford.
She is grateful to RI for the opportunity.
Sharons
bio
9 1
RAFFLES
GOES
GREEN(ER)
RIs Green Initiatives
bY JEREMY YEW 13A01b, CARA LEONG 13A01b
AND JONATHAN TAN 13A01C
Why the grass is greener on our side
literally and fguratively.
~
Its getting hot in here...
Im melting into a puddle
of sweat! Cannot tank
1
this
heat anymore!!
In January last year, many
Raffesians must have heard
the same tormented cries
issue from their peers as they
streamed into their classes
after every morning assembly.
from the sheer agony of these
lamentations one would have
imagined a classroom full of
tortured souls, when it was in
fact merely a class of fustered
students (and a teacher)
perspiring profusely.
This was all part of a new eco-
friendly initiative that RI tried
implementing, in which air-
conditioning units in Year 5-6
classrooms were switched off
for the frst period of the day in
order to save electricity. While
the initiative received praise
for its noble intentions, many
students and staff complained
vehemently about it not
creating a conducive learning
environment, and eventually
after a trial period it was
silently pulled, to the blessed
relief of many. We are, after all,
citizens of the Air-Conditioned
Nation, and for some, the
loss of personal comfort may
have been too diffcult to get
accustomed to, even in the
name of a good cause.
To Senior Deputy Principal
(SDP) Planning and Resources,
Mr Tan Nam Seng, It is about
a school culture in which we
are too used to comfort. A
bit of sacrifce, a change in
personal habits, overcoming
initial inconvenience, is always
necessary if you want to save
the environment. You cant
have your cake and eat it too.
While such an automatically
negative knee-jerk reaction to
the move was disappointing,
the school is not fazed in its
green efforts, and has a slew
of other environmentally-
friendly initiatives and
technologies that have
been, and are continually in
operation. Mr Tan is currently
spearheading the Green
Management Policy, which
adopts a holistic approach to
being environmentally friendly.
Such endeavours are especially
important given the massive
carbon footprint of RI. To
give some perspective on
just how much energy our
school consumes: when the
current RI Year 5-6 bishan
campus was built in 2005, it
RAFFLES GOES GREEN(ER)
RIs Green Initiatives
It is about a school
culture in which
we are too used to
comfort. A bit of
sacrifce, a change
in personal habits,
overcoming initial
inconvenience, is
always necessary
if you want to save
the environment.
You cant have
your cake and eat
it too.
MR TAN NAM SENG
1
Tank: [v] (slang): To endure
9 3
was designed for a maximum
capacity of 1,800 students.
It now has an enrolment of
2,500. Its facilities include
over 80 fully air-conditioned
classrooms installed with fans,
6 lecture theatres, seminar
rooms, training rooms, science
and research laboratories,
computer laboratories, a media
studio, multiple recording
studios, a Leadership Institute,
a Performing Arts Centre,
dance studios, the blackbox
performance theatre, indoor
sports halls, tennis and
basketball courts, a running
track with spotlights, student
lounges, staff lounges, staff
rooms, a three-storey library,
and a standalone four-story
Administration Centre.
Occupying a sprawling land
area of 18 hectares, these
facilities are united by a
campus-wide sound system
and wireless internet access.
While we do not have exact
fgures, we can see that
energy-saving in RI is indeed
serious business.
Yet, other than the air-
conditioning policy, which
affects our daily lives, most
of the school population
seems to know little about
the other subtle changes
that the administration has
been incorporating into the
school. Hence we present to
you the following infographic
of the most interesting and
recent additions to RIs Green
Management Policysome of
which you may not have even
known existed.
WHAT ARE THE POLICIES/INFRASTRUCTURE ACTUALLY
BEING IMPLEMENTED?
TO DATE THEY HAVE GENERATED
MORE THAN 40MWH WORTH OF
CLEAN ENERGY
RI capitalises on sunny
days with the 625
photovoltaic (solar) panels
that are installed on the
rooftops of block A and
b, strategically located to
maximise sunlight exposure.
Their maximum power
generation is 150 KWp,
and have been in operation
since January 2013. To date
they have generated more
than 40MWh worth of
clean energy.
They were implemented
with $0 capital cost, under
a leasing model, in which
an external company sets
up the infrastructure free
of charge and handles
maintenance, and the school
only pays for the electricity
generated. Without the
leasing model the set-up
costs would have been up
to half a million dollars.
625
PHOTOVOLTAIC (SOLAR) PANELS
- SOLAR PANELS -
THIS IS EQUIVALENT TO: SAVING
21,624.44 KG
OF CO
2
EMISSIONS PLANTING
52.46
TREES
POWERING
121,349.27
LIGHT BULBS FOR A DAY
RAFFLES GOES GREEN(ER)
RIs Green Initiatives
9 4
So, why the sudden emphasis
on going green? Actually,
this is nothing new to RI. The
schools continuous green
journey dates back to 2007; as
a school, there was always the
understanding that there is a
responsibility for RI to lead in
modeling the way for our staff
and students in achieving a
green sustainable campus.
2

RIs pioneering efforts were
recognised in 2011 when it
became the frst recipient of
the building and Construction
Authority (bCA) Green Mark
Award (GoldPlus) under the
Existing School Scheme, the
highest award given to any
school at the time. However,
as we know, RI is never one
to rest on its laurels; far from
being the end of a half-hearted
journey, this award was only a
milestone in RIs ongoing green
endeavours. As we can see,
new technologies and practices
are constantly being adopted
in order to keep the running of
the school energy-effcient and
environmentally-friendly.
Indeed, the above initiatives
are just some of the newest
innovations that make up RIs
Green Campus; they are
the culmination of years of
steady long-term progress and
incremental changes. As Mr Tan
explains, there is a need to build
up infrastructure and establish
a proper system in stages over
time. for example, there would
be no rainwater collection
This allows us to enjoy the beneft of shelter without wasting energy for lighting
during the day. The Admin Centre is also designed with an open concept so as to
allow sunlight to illuminate most of the offces and rooms within.
- NATURAL LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY -
SPECIAL TUBES CAPTURE NATURAL
SUNLIGHT, FOCUSING AND REDIRECTING IT
WITH SPECIAL MIRRORS TO ILLUMINATE THE
INDOOR BASKETBALL COURT
- SOLAR WATER HEATERS -
On the roof of block J solar panels
are also used to heat water for bathing
in the toilets. They save 108 KWh
of clean energy per day, which is
equivalent to powering 45 100-watt
lightbulbs 24 hours a day.
SAVE
108 KWh
OF CLEAN ENERGY PER DAY
THIS IS
EQUIVALENT TO:
POWERING
45
100-WATT LIGHT BULBS
FOR A DAY
RAFFLES GOES GREEN(ER)
RIs Green Initiatives
2
Raffes Institution: Journey Towards a Green
and Sustainable Campus
9 5
system without frst planning
and laying down an extensive
drainage system; there would
be no energy-usage targets to
set without prior knowledge of
the actual energy consumption
patterns, which are only made
possible through the Energy
Monitoring System.
but thats not all. RIs approach
to building a green school is a
four-pronged holistic philosophy
which encompasses Green
Campus, Green Curriculum,
Green Culture and Green
Community. under these other
aspects, RI works to encourage
a strong sense of green
practices and values in students
and staff
3
This manifests itself
in the form of discreet but
deliberate operational policies
such as the Green Procurement
Policy, in which products the
school purchases or uses must
meet certain requirements.
for example, the use of
biodegradable disposable
cutlery when catering as well as
in the canteen and Manna Cafe
not only minimises wastage but
also supports environmentally
safe products and vendors.
Other small, subtle changes
include the new school
venue booking policy
in which school groups or
clubs booking locations such
as the lecture theatres or the
Innovation Centre for after-
school usage must fulfl a 50
percent capacity requirement
for booking of venues.
Lastly, an awareness of
environmental issues and
the need to save resources
is engendered through
RIs pioneering
efforts were
recognised in 2011
when it became
the frst recipient
of the Building
and Construction
Authority (BCA)
Green Mark
Award (GoldPlus)
under the Existing
School Scheme,
the highest award
given to any school
at the time.
The customized building Management System (bMS) centralizes control of ventilation,
air-conditioning, temperature, etc to allow for integration with facility bookings and daily
schedules with automated precision. The Energy Monitoring System (EMS) is used in
tandem to measure and collate energy usage over periods of time for better insight into
energy consumption patterns and ways to reduce wastage.
- ENERGY USAGE MANAGEMENT -
THE EMS IS USED IN TANDEM TO MEASURE AND
COLLATE ENERGY USAGE OVER PERIODS OF TIME
FOR BETTER INSIGHT INTO ENERGY CONSUMPTION
PATTERNS AND WAYS TO REDUCE WASTAGE.
RAFFLES GOES GREEN(ER)
RIs Green Initiatives
3
Raffes Institution: Journey Towards a Green
and Sustainable Campus
9 6
education in the form of
student-initiated campaigns
(e.g. Earth Week, which is
organised by the Raffes
One Earth CCA) various
recycling/sustainability/
biodiversity research projects,
an enrichment programme
on Eco-Literacy, service
learning projects related
to the environment, and
numerous invitational talks by
prominent leaders in the feld
of environmental studies.
fundamentally, the role that
the school plays is simply to
put into place these policies
and programmes that help to
leaving an air-conditioning unit
turned on overnight can waste
twice the amount of energy it
uses in one day. The wastage
caused by such forgetfulness
led to a decision to centralise
the control of air-conditioning
with the Estate Offce. failures
to exercise due care can also
have signifcant environmental
costs. Mr Tan cites the example
of stubborn acrylic or spray
paint stains on the foors of
areas outside the Council
Canteen and the black box,
which can take up to 300-400
litres of water per square metre
to eliminate. Such a huge
wastage in water would be
unnecessary if students
took greater care when
painting banners.
Simple changes in mindsets
and daily habits can make a
world of difference; the best
way to encourage such positive
action and build individual
environmental consciousness
would be to have our very own
school leaders leading
by example. And what better
role model than Principal
Mrs Lim Lai Cheng herself!
Students and staff werent
alone in their suffering when
6
RAINWATER COLLECTION TANKS
- RAINWATER COLLECTION TANKS -
Since febuary 2012 there have
been six rainwater collection
tanks that can found around the
schoola pair each in the Year
5-6 Canteen, near the pull-up
bars at block L, and at the back
of the Estate offce. Each tank
has a capacity of 250 litres, which
means during a heavy downpour
up to 1,500 litres of rainwater can
be harvested for plant watering.
EACH TANK HAS A
CAPACITY OF
250
LITRES
1,500
LITRES OF RAIN WATER
CAN BE HARVESTED FOR
PLANT WATERING
create a greener environment
and culture; it is still crucial for
individuals to recognize the
need for them to cooperate
with the administration. for
instance, the three percent
energy-consumption reduction
target set by the Estate
Department a few years ago
has not been very successful
because many things are
outside of their control.
In fact, much wastage stems
from poor individual habits and
a lack of thoughtfulness that
may seem trivial or negligible
but, in aggregate, are highly
consequential. for example,
RAFFLES GOES GREEN(ER)
RIs Green Initiatives
DURING A
HEAVY DOWNPOUR,
9 7
it came to air-conditioning
deprivationMrs Lim doesnt
switch the air-conditioning
in her personal offce on in
the mornings and whenever
she works late. Instead, she
leaves her offce doors and
windows open to utilise natural
ventilation. Mr Tan sums up
the roles that the different
stakeholders of the school
play in the collective effort to
go green: If all of us can do
our little bit as individuals, it
makes a big difference. The
Estate Department is just
here to give the infrastructural
support for students to
practice environmentally-
conscious habits.
but why go green at all? Other
than for obvious reasons,
these new developments in
environmental-friendliness
do bring benefts to RI.
being a premier institution,
RI often plays host to high-
ranking foreign delegates,
ambassadors and local
visitors from other schools
or organisations as well. The
fancy high-tech equipment as
well as the lush garden settings
complement the overall
impression that these visitors
get of RI, which has earned it
many vocal commendations
ranging from a remark that the
overall ambience evoked the
feeling of a premier school
and others gushing that it
was exactly the campus they
dreamt of. This helps build
RIs image and reputation as a
world-class institution.
In addition, the consciously-
placed greenery (refecting
Singapores Garden City
image itself in its abundance)
has proven psychological
benefts; it softens harsh,
utilitarian buildings and flls
empty, lifeless spaces with
natural ambience, creating a
Were not doing
it for the awards
and certifcates;
if, at the end, out
of all the 1,250
students who
graduate each
year, just a small
group turn into
environmental
champions
and leaders
of sustainable
practices, then it
is all worth it.
- WATER-EFFICIENT DISHWASHING -
A COMBINED SYSTEM FOR WASHING ALL CANTEEN
CUTLERY INVOLVES A SPECIAL DISHWASHER
WHICH SAVES WATER BY USING HEAT.
RAFFLES GOES GREEN(ER)
RIs Green Initiatives
9 8
more calming and conducive
learning environment. And
of course, there are the
prestigious awards. However,
Mr Tan is quick to point out
that these efforts are not
for the sake of appearances
or accolades; ultimately,
it is about the welfare and
education of students. Were
not doing it for the awards and
certifcates; if, at the end, out
of all the 1,250 students who
graduate each year, just a small
group turn into environmental
champions and leaders of
sustainable practices, then
it is all worth it, emphasises
Mr Tan. If we can get the
environmental consciousness
into both staff and students,
then wherever they are in the
future, they will know that
these things can be done.
Indeed, with such a promising
concentration of potential
leaders in the school, it is
not hard to imagine that
spending their formative years
growing up and learning in
a school with an emphasis
on the environment will have
multiplying effects when our
students enter their respective
private and public roles in the
future. Thus, the focus of the
schools green efforts, rather
than merely being half-hearted
solutions, is instead frmly
rooted in infuencing individual
students environmental
consciousness in order to
magnify the collective positive
environmental impact of
each batch of Raffesians.
ultimately, RI going green is
all about bringing about a
better age for current and
future generations, in the most
practical sense of the word...
starting from the small but
signifcant things.
- BIODIVERSITY -
Since December 2007, over 34,000 trees and shrubs spanning over 40 species have
been planted all over school, creating the natural, lush green ambience we often take
for granted.
OVER
34,000
TREES AND SHRUBS
RAFFLES GOES GREEN(ER)
RIs Green Initiatives
9 9
THE ACTIVIST
Natural History in an Urban Jungle
The word Singapore brings
to mind a bustling, effcient
city. Having the third-highest
per capita income and one of
the fve busiest ports in the
world, it is only natural that
Singapore is associated with
incredible fnancial success.
In all that economic glory, it is
easy to overlook Singapores
wealth of natural history and
her heritage.
In fact, our little island nation,
in the course of history,
was home to two famous
naturalists, one of them
being Sir Thomas Stamford
Raffes himself.
Many of you would know Sir
Thomas Stamford Raffes as
the founder of Singapore and,
of course, the very school you
are studying in, but perhaps
few would know that he was
also a keen naturalist who had
a deep fascination with the
biodiversity in the region. So
enthusiastic was he that he
actually employed zoologists
and botanists to fnd out all
that they could about the
regions biodiversity, and
hired assistants at his personal
expense to help him collect
specimens. He even reared
a sun bear together with his
kids, and it often joined them
for dinner! upon returning
to England, he co-founded
the world-famous Zoological
Society of London (of which he
was its frst president) as well
as the London Zoo. As he was
rather well known in natural
history circles, a number of
animals and plants have been
named in his honour. Perhaps
most famous of these would
Natural
History in an
Urban Jungle
The Activist
bY SEAN YAP
As more Singaporeans
start to appreciate
nature, natural history
and heritage are
slowly stepping up to
a larger stage on the
national agenda.
100
THE ACTIVIST
Natural History in an Urban Jungle
be the Raffesia, a genus of
parasitic plants which he
discovered on an expedition
to a jungle in Sumatra in 1818.
These plants are endemic to
Southeast Asia and produce
the worlds largest and
possibly the most spectacular
(albeit vile-smelling) fowers.
The other famous naturalist
is someone biology students
might be familiar with. Alfred
Russell Wallace is best known
for conceiving the theory
of evolution through natural
selection and being the
father of biogeography. He
also wrote prolifcally about
both scientifc and social
issues, and his journal of his
adventures and observations
while exploring Singapore,
Indonesia and Malaysia, The
Malay Archipelago, is regarded
as the best journal of scientifc
exploration published during
the 19th century. He stopped
over in Singapore in 1854
and collected many species
of beetles in the vicinity of
Dairy farm Nature Park,
where the Wallace Education
Centre, Wallace Environmental
Learning Lab and Wallace Trail
(all named after him) were set
up by NParks and RGS.
At this point youd probably
be thinking: but that was
all history, surely in modern
Singapore, a sprawling urban
The Chequered Lancer
butterfy (top) and Common
flashwing damselfy (middle)
are just two of the many
beautiful insect denizens that
lurk in the Central Catchment
Nature Reserves.
biodiversity is everywhere, even
in school! This friendly mantis
was found loitering in the plants
next to the lockers.
1 0 1
THE ACTIVIST
Natural History in an Urban Jungle
jungle where the national
bird is the construction crane
(actually, it is the crimson
sunbird), there is no place for
the naturalist!
Indeed, many organisms that
once used to call Singapore
home have since abandoned
ship or gone extinct
altogether, seeing as how we
only have less than fve percent
of our original forest cover,
and many of our natural shores
have been reclaimed.
Even so, due to our geographic
position, Singapore lies in a
biodiversity hotspot, and in
spite of rapid development,
the biodiversity here is
something still worth noting.
I spent my childhood
watching documentaries and
reading books on wildlife
from all over the world,
and grew up thinking that
awesome wildlife could
only be found overseas, in
distant, exotic lands. I read
of dolphins and eagles, and
thought of them as animals
that could only be seen
locally in the underwater
World and Jurong bird Park
respectively. However, as I
became actively engaged in
the local nature scene, I was
pleasantly surprised to learn
that Singapore is home to
both wild native dolphins and
eagles, as well as many other
wonderful creatures and
plantswhats more, there
were eagles nesting in my
own backyard!
Our island is home to 30
percent of the worlds coral
biodiversity, 375 species of
birds, 305 (and counting)
species of butterfies, and
thats only for the relatively
well-studied animals. In fact,
A variegated Green Skimmer
(inset) rests on a twig in
Macritchie Reservoir. Singapore
has 124 recorded species of
dragonfies as of the time of
writing, but that number may
likely increase in the near future.
Life is always around us
sometimes we just need to slow
down and take a closer look. This
mating pair of tiny Cycad blue
butterfies are no larger than
1cm, and were shot in the Ixora
around the fagpole at the Year
14 parade square.
102
THE ACTIVIST
Natural History in an Urban Jungle
many other animals and plants
such as tarantulas, sea turtles,
otters and pitcher plants can
all be found in the wild locally.
In recent years, weve even
discovered new species that
are endemic to Singapore.
Who can say how much more
there is to discover in this feld!
Our natural heritage is as
valuable and important as any
other form of national heritage,
and concern for it should be
encouraged in our endeavour
to nurture an environmentally-
conscious citizenship. Granted,
many of the places where we
currently live and work used
to be natural areas. However,
aspirations and mindsets have
changed over time, and we
now have greater appreciation
for the few natural areas we
have leftthey are an integral
part of our quality of life,
whether as a recreation space
or just for appreciation.
Conserving our natural heritage
may also beneft our health.
Nature Defcit Disorder, a
hypothesis by American writer
Robert Louv, theorises several
negative effects on children
growing up disconnected
from nature, such as attention
disorders, depression and
obesity. It claims a number
of causes, including the loss
of accessible natural areas.
There arent many pockets of
easily accessible natural lush
greenery left locally. A survey
conducted by zoologists at
Cambridge university showed
that schoolchildren are better
at recognising Pokmon
characters than local wild
animals, and I suspect this
is equally true with children
in Singapore.
We need to impress on our
youths the importance of
conservation and the natural
environment. Exposure and
proximity to nature is critically
important in fostering resonance
and improving the relationship
between people and their
natural environment.
In 2006, a belgian
entomologist, Patrick
Grootaert, came to Singapore
and discovered 150 new
species of forest fies,
exclaiming: I was so surprised
to fnd so many species here,
with different communities
living in microhabitats just
500 metres apart. We are just
scratching the surface and
the information is already
overwhelming. He shared that
the vast spectrum of creatures
still undiscovered in tiny
pockets of biodiversity here
makes it even more critical to
save what is left. Singapore
is like an open laboratory. All
you need is a short drive and
you get to see insects in their
natural habitats, displaying and
feeding, he observed.
We need to impress
on our youths the
importance of
conservation and the
natural environment.
Exposure and
proximity to nature is
critically important in
fostering resonance
and improving the
relationship between
people and their
natural environment.
1 0 3
THE ACTIVIST
Natural History in an Urban Jungle
fortunately, visible change is
underway. In the past, where
economic imperatives and
urban development were the
overriding priorities, natural
history of the island might have
been kept at the periphery.
Now, as people are becoming
more discerning and more
willing to take action, the green
voice in Singapore is growing
louder and the discourse on
the conservation of our fragile
natural history is becoming
more intense. Local initiatives
are mounting, led by the young
and driven by their conviction
and advocacy.
Tan Ming Kai, now a third-
year life sciences student in
NuS, loves orthopterans
grasshoppers, crickets and
the like. Conducting feld
surveys in his own time
outside of school and
working with the National
biodiversity Centre (Nparks)
and foreign experts, he has,
as of the writing of this article,
already discovered 15 species
of orthopterans new to science
(meaning no one has described
them till now!)a number
that is sure to increase.
Ernest Aw and Zeng Tianchen
(RI, 2008 & 2010) have chosen
to inspire others into action
instead, setting up fyllum, a
social enterprise promoting
bio-diversifcation of the
ecology via youth-initiated
projects such as setting up
a butterfy garden in bishan
Park. Huang Xinyuan (RGS,
2010) and Ruth Ng (RGS, 2010;
RI, 2012) set up Youth for
Ecology Singapore together
with other like-minded youths,
which holds dialogues with
local youths to fnd out their
concerns regarding the
environmental impacts of the
Population White Paper, with
the objective of publishing
their own paper to make these
concerns known.
Within the school, Year 56
students from the Raffes
Ecological Literacy Programme
Now, as people are becoming
more discerning and more
willing to take action, the
green voice in Singapore
is growing louder.
104
THE ACTIVIST
Natural History in an Urban Jungle
Pages from a nature journal
I kept while serving NS, as
cameras were not permitted.
1 0 5
THE ACTIVIST
Natural History in an Urban Jungle
have published childrens
storybooks featuring local
wildlife and natural areas, in
order to provide resources
for our young learners while
instilling in them a sense
of place.
These are just a few examples
of youths taking action for
the conservation of our
natural history and they
represent an increasingly
articulate and engaging
segment of our citizenry.
In 2001, reclamation plans for
Chek Jawa on Pulau ubin were
called off and deferred after a
biodiversity survey conducted
by NuS with conservationist
volunteers and massive public
feedback. More recently, many
groups of residents have been
raising concerns over the
sudden burst of housing and
other land use development
that have encroached on
numerous patch forests,
such as bukit brown Cemetery
and the Pasir Ris Greenbelt
among others.
Military training areas help
preserve biodiversity as a
side effect, but with changing
land use planned for mainland
training areas, will the army still
be able to protect our non-
human citizens?
One important case currently
is that of the Cross Island Line
(CRL), which is planned to
cut through the heart of the
Central Catchment Nature
Reserve. Ecological systems,
especially in the tropics,
are maintained in a fragile
balance, and it is very diffcult
to predict what actions may
or may not adversely affect
the area, as even preliminary
investigation works could be
damaging and hard to recover
from. This is especially so for a
nature reserve, where a large
proportion of our remaining
but still importantly diverse
fora and fauna reside.
Rerouting the CRL around
the fringe instead of through
the reserve would extend
travelling time by only four
minutes, but would also
greatly reduce the impact on
the areas ecology and might
also be able to serve built-up
Not a common sight on
mainland shores, Knobbly Sea
stars are quite commonly seen
in the southern islands. This
shot was taken at Cyrene Reef,
a submerged reef that persists
despite lying in the middle of the
Industrial Triangle, surrounded
by petrochemical plants on
Pulau bukom, massive heavy
industries on Jurong Island and
world class container terminals at
Pasir Panjang.
106
THE ACTIVIST
Natural History in an Urban Jungle
Sean Yap (RI, 2008 & 2010) has been in
love with nature since kindergarten,
and has a soft spot for creepy crawlies
and other less charismatic animals.
An alumnus of the Raffes Ecological
Literacy Programme and the Raffes
Science Institute. Sean is currently
studying life sciences in NUS. Before
this, he was a temporary staff at the
National Biodiversity Centre at NParks,
doing research on ladybird diversity
in Singapore, and has published A
Picture Guide to the Ladybird Beetles
of Singapore, an online guidebook. He
is also a volunteer with environmental
volunteer groups such as Teamseagrass,
NUS Toddycats and the Naked
Hermit Crabs, and he jots down his
experiences in his nature blog: http://
ourlittleurbaneden.wordpress.com.
areas along that route. This is
something Singaporeans will
have to decideit may cost
more to build longer tunnels
and tracks, but it may well be
a worthwhile investment in
the long term.
These are neither random
acts of appeals nor scattered
pockets of conservation
efforts, but the sum total of the
emerging national concern and
aspirational needs of a people
yearning to keep a precious
piece of Singapores natural
history and ecology.
If Raffes was still alive today,
what would he think of the
country Singapore has become?
Will we see the loss of our
remaining biodiversity within
our lifetime, or will our children
still have access to parts of an
unmanicured, wild Singapore in
the future? Even though we have
lost much of our natural heritage
over the course of our short
history, we have much left
still that is worth preserving,
and efforts have to be taken
now if we want to prevent our
natural history from becoming,
well, history.
Even though we have lost much of our natural heritage over the
course of our short history, we have much left still that is worth
preserving, and efforts have to be taken now if we want to prevent
our natural history from becoming, well, history.
1 0 7
THE WRITER
Singapores Eco-Poet
Singapores Eco-Poet
The Writer
Madeleine Lee (RGS, 1978), is an investment manager
who also writes poetry and short stories about everyday things
which we often fail to see in our busy lives. She has amassed
many poems on trees, insects, fungi and things she sees on
nature walks and the meaning therein.
108
Madeleine has published six
books of poetry. The frst four
are published by first fruits
Publications : a single headlamp
(2003) and ffty three/zero
three (2004), y grec (co-written
with Eleanor Wong, 2005) and
synaesthesia (2008). Her ffth
collection, pantone 125, was
published by Math Paper Press
in 2012. The latest collection, one
point six one eight, was published
this year and is her frst foray with
Ethos books. She is currently
working with Enoch Ng to
translate her work into Chinese.
Madeleine has read at poetry
festivals in Singapore and around
the world, in particular, Kuala
Lumpur, Jakarta, Palembang,
Adelaide, Melbourne, ubud and
Taipei. Her poems have appeared
in numerous anthologies and
have been translated into bahasa
Indonesian and Chinese.
THE WRITER
Singapores Eco-Poet
1 0 9
Putting the
GREEN IN GREEN
BLACK WHITE
Green Education
bY DIVYA MUTHIAH 14S06C, LIM SHAOMIN 14S03K, KYLIE WONG 14A01b,
TAN JUN XIANG 14S06C, AND IZZAT RASHAD B ROSAZIZI 3T
When you hear the words
green education, what
do you picture? Chances
are, these are probably the
typical images that form in
your mindglobal warming,
climate change, polar
bears on melting glaciers.
for many, the mention of
a green education is met
with studied indifference.
We all know that the
environment is important,
but when you spend
hours every day trying
to prioritise between
studying, meeting deadlines
and fnding time to rest
and relax, it is diffcult to
consider the vast landscape
around us as a fragile,
beautiful place that actually
requires our protection.
It is not an easy issue to
tackle. How exactly does
one foster an entire culture
built around giving back to
an environment we spend
most of our lives taking
from? The issue is made
even worse in the pragmatic
society of Singapore, where
ideals and goals are often
evaluated based on the
extent to which they bring
about material benefts.
While its one thing for RI to have eco-friendly initiatives,
as a school, its strength lies in the educational experiences
it offers. We ask RI staff as well as young alumni who are
deeply concerned about the environment what a truly
green education might encompass.
Dr Abigayle Ng (left) and
alumnus Sean Yap at the
biodiversity Pond
PUTTING THE GREEN IN GREEN BLACK WHITE
Green Education
110
PUTTING THE GREEN IN GREEN BLACK WHITE
Green Education
1 1 1
However, let us not make the
sweeping generalisation that
all Raffesians lack interest in
environmental conservation.
With the support and
infuence of a few of our
dedicated biology staff
members, a few of our alumni
are helping to further the
cause of nature conservation
in Singapore.
In this piece, we speak with
Dr Abigayle Ng (Research
Specialist, Raffes Science
Institute/Open Labs, Year 56)
and Dr Jeffrey Lee (Senior
Scientist, biology, Year 14),
as well as three ex-students
of Dr NgJocelyne Sze,
Sean Yap and Tan Mei Jia (all
from the RI Class of 2010),
who have gone on to make
remarkable contributions to
nature conservation efforts
in Singapore. With the help
of Dr Ng and the Open Labs
management, her ex-students
developed a keen interest in
the environment during their
Year 56 days and have gone
on to pursue this passion even
after graduation.
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE
A GREEN EDUCATION IN A
SINGAPOREAN CONTEXT?
Jocelyne: I think Singaporeans
are, at least, well-educated in
terms of not littering and the 3
Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle),
and that is because of the size of
our island. We have to take steps
to reduce the amount of trash
generated or we will eventually
be overrun by it. Anyway, thats
considered green as well, but
thats not quite what were after.
It is our ecological education
in the sense of the richness of
biodiversity we have on our
islandthat is lacking.
The situation is defnitely
improving though. The kids
now get a lot more of it than
we did. I know kindergartens
have some kind of programme
where they go outdoors and
learn about the environment.
Primary Ones and Twos also
have outdoor education in
certain schools. In Primary
Three and four you learn
about life cycles, the trees in
Singapore and the like. I think
secondary schools and junior
colleges are lagging behind
in that aspect, unfortunately.
Everything just drops off once
you go to secondary school,
because there are O and
A-Levels, and all the students
learn about is just molecular
and life sciences.
Mei Jia: There might be some
options for enrichment and the
like, because thats what we
did. A lot of us were the Raffes
It is our ecological educationin the sense
of the richness of biodiversity we have on
our islandthat is lacking.
JOCELYNE SZE
PUTTING THE GREEN IN GREEN BLACK WHITE
Green Education
from left to right:
Tan Mei Jia, Jocelyne Sze,
Ernest Aw, Dr Abigayle Ng,
Sean Yap and Samuel Tan
112
BRIEF PROFILE OF
INTERVIEWEES
Jocelyne Sze worked in
the Raffes Museum of
biodiversity and NParks,
and is involved in a number
of volunteer work groups in
Singapore. She is currently
studying in the university of
Cambridge, uK, and even
started her own nature
society there.
Tan Mei Jia was involved
in Youth Advocacy for the
Environment
and is currently studying in
Middlebury College, uSA,
where she is interested
in both politics and
conservation.
find out more about Sean
Yap in his article, Natural
History in an urban Jungle,
on page 102.
Ecological Literacy Programme
from the then Raffes Institute
of Experiential Learning,
which is now called the Raffes
Leadership Institute. We had a
space and a time to talk not just
about environmental issues but
also conservation in general.
Jocelyne: This is probably only
possible in schools that have
the luxury of resources and
time to do it. In many other
schools, they can only focus on
their O or A-Level curriculum,
and they dont have teachers
who really prioritise it.
Dr Lee: for me, a green
education consists of different
levels. first, we have to increase
awareness, because some
people are completely unaware
that there are even interesting
things that live in our forests
that can be studied. We are
more familiar with the foreign
life forms we see on National
Geographic, but what we dont
realise is that there are many
interesting things that can be
studied in our own backyard,
like at Macritchie Reservoir.
The next step would be to
explore the fora and fauna of
Singapore. You need to have
these projects where you get to
actually look at it more deeply
and start fnding that there are
actually so many things that you
can learn about it.
The last step would be
engagement. Once you
know more about our own
life forms, you will then want
to protect them. That would
be the ultimate aim of green
educationto allow people to
see value in these natural things.
WHAT EFFORTS HAS THE
SCHOOL MADE THUS FAR TO
PROMOTE ECO-AWARENESS
AMONG STUDENTS? FOR
INSTANCE, WHAT PURPOSE
DOES THE BIODIVERSITY
POND SERVE?
Dr Ng: To be honest, there
was already going to be a
water feature anyway, like a
koi pond or something. The
biodiversity part was the
initiative of Dr Loo, Mrs foo
(whos in charge of the Raffes
Society of biological Science
and some other bio teachers,
who wanted the pond to be
populated only with native
animals. Initially, we consulted
PUTTING THE GREEN IN GREEN BLACK WHITE
Green Education
1 1 3
If its just something
thats being taught,
you might feel a
bit distant from it.
But if its started by
students themselves,
it becomes more
authentic and
heartfelt.
DR JEFFREY LEE
Dr Jeffrey Lee in his lab
PUTTING THE GREEN IN GREEN BLACK WHITE
Green Education
114
the Raffes Museum of
biodiversity Research to ensure
that the fsh in the pond would
all be native, and we actually
got some students to write a
book describing the different
species of animals in the pond!
unfortunately, the plants are
a different issue altogether,
because horticulturists have
a different idea of what plants
should be planted where. The
animal life is supposed to be
native, but along the way, some
people have been releasing
non-native species in it. I think
theres a soft-shell turtle, though
I cant fgure out its species.
The other thing is that most
of the fsh, like the pacuthe
big black fsh, which is actually
not a native speciesand the
catfsh can be eaten. Some of
them are actually quite juicy.
basically, the pond is meant to
be educational.
Mei Jia: As an alumni coming
back to school, its really nice
to see how the walkway from
Marymount has changedit
used to just be grass, but now
there are so many different
plants, and all the creepers
along the walkway. Seeing these
thingseven if they dont have
a direct link to our curriculum
and stuffmakes coming back
here very pleasant.
Dr Ng: Actually, the walkway is
where the butterfy Project is.
Some of the biology teachers
have, in their own time, been
purchasing plants for the
garden. They chose specifc
plants that are hosts for the
caterpillars of some butterfies,
and this has actually resulted
in more butterfies appearing
around RI over the last few
months, if youve noticed. Most
of the butterfies are Plain
Tigersthe orange, white and
black onesthat have been
attracted by the blood-fowers
planted around the walkway,
and blocks A and b. There are so
many of them around and I think
they really enhance the place!
(Read more about the fora and
fauna of RI on page 118!)
Dr Lee: I think its a really good
sign that students are becoming
more proactive in engaging
with the environment. Its so
much more effective when
these efforts are student-driven
rather than being part of the
curriculum, because the buy-in
and take-up by the student
population will be higher.
If its just something thats
being taught, you might
feel a bit distant from it. but
if its started by students
themselves, it becomes more
authentic and heartfelt.
HOW DO YOU THINK WE
CAN GET THE ENTIRE
STUDENT POPULATION
INVOLVED IN THIS ECO-
FRIENDLY EFFORT?
Dr Ng: Its very important
to have some people who
are ambassadors. Its not so
much about converting other
people, but at least exposing
them so they know about
it. We dont need to see a
change right here right now,
but it could be later on in life
when they go to university or
start working.
Dr Lee: Its hard to get everyone
involved in it because we all
have different interests and
different motivations. but maybe
PUTTING THE GREEN IN GREEN BLACK WHITE
Green Education
1 1 5
we can at least make everyone
aware of environmental issues,
and then there might be a
few people who become very
passionate about them and this
provides opportunities for other
students as well. for example,
if theres a project being
organised, students can join in
and help. And after that they
go back and start something on
their own. So it becomes a self-
perpetuating cycle rather than
something forced on everyone.
I dont think coercion is an
effective method, and it might
even be counter-productive.
Nature conservation, after all,
is something that you have to
actually feel for and want to do
something about. If you just go
around forcing people to plant
trees, it wont work out in the
long run. Just like nature, it has
to be organic. It must take root
by itself.
IF YOU COULD HAVE A
DREAM SCHOOL IN TERMS
OF NATURE CONSERVATION,
HOW WOULD YOU ENVISION
IT TO BE LIKE?
Jocelyne: for many of us, its not
just about a nature education,
but the way the whole school
system in Singapore is structured.
Instead of a rigid classroom
structure, we should have more
experiential learning and going
outdoors because nature is
outdoors. You can certainly sit
here and look at guidebooks
and watch documentaries and
learn about nature that way, but
its always better being out in the
feld. So, for me, a dream school
The main problem with the system is
that its very diffcult to measure how
much youve learnt outside the classroom.
Inside the classroom its very easyyou
get this question correct, you get your
points. But how about somebody whos
spent a weekend on the rocky shores and
learnt so much about the different species
of sponges and sea shells?
TAN MEI JIA
Jocelyne volunteering
with TeamSeagrass at
Chek Jawa, Pulau ubin
PUTTING THE GREEN IN GREEN BLACK WHITE
Green Education
116
to test students on how good
they are in this subject. Having a
passion for biodiversity and the
environment is an innate thing; it
is something that you carry for the
rest of your life, unlike your studies
at school, which you may not
always remember. Caring for the
environment is a kind of affnity
that is hard to test for.
One way that Singapores
education system can be
improved is to allow for more
pockets of time for people
to explore different interests.
Were not saying that everybody
must be interested in nature, but
they could have other passions
that are not A-Level or syllabus-
related also, and some time to
explore those would be nice.
With that being said, I think
this school is, for me, already
almost a dream school because
students have been given some
pockets of time to pursue their
own interests. They do have
that time to do things for the
environment, and the school
provides resources and facilities
and supports their initiatives.
Mei Jia: The main problem
with the system is that its
very diffcult to measure how
much youve learnt outside
the classroom. Inside the
classroom its very easyyou
get this question correct,
you get your points. but how
about somebody who spent a
weekend on the rocky shores
and learnt so much about the
different species of sponges
and sea shells? How do you
measure things like that if
your system doesnt have
anything that places value
on it? Well, its going to be
a tough journey.
RI students participating in the
Marine Education programme
in St Johns Island
PUTTING THE GREEN IN GREEN BLACK WHITE
Green Education
would be more dynamic and
have more feldwork and time for
people to just explore and talk on
their own, instead of sitting down
and writing like in primary school.
Sean: When youre outside
of the classroom, not only do
you learn more about nature,
there is also more room to be
creative. Youre not just going
to your classroom, sitting at
the same seat, going through
the same routine every day
in the timetable. I think a
break in routine would also
encourage more students to
ask questionsour education
system is so focused on making
students answer questions
that they are often afraid to ask
questions of their own.
Dr Ng: I agree, but incorporating
this into the syllabus would
also mean that we would have
1 1 7
This is Part 1 of a two-part feature on the fora
and fauna in RI. Part 2 will be published in the
next issue of the Raffesian Times.
bY INEZ TAN
There is actually a lot to
appreciate about plants,
Dr Adrian Loo, the former
Dean of the Raffes Science
Institute says as he shows
me some of his favourite
green spaces on the campus.
We use them, but we dont
really have the culture of
understanding the plants
we grow.
The fact that a whole host of
plants (and therefore, animals)
can be found in RIs sprawling
18-hectare campus should not
come as a surprise to most
people; after all, RI is home to
over 34,000 trees and shrubs
spanning over 40 species.
These include the unique
A TALE OF FLORA AND FAUNA
Part 1
orchids the students of the
Raffes biological Sciences
Society had hybridised a
few years ago, and the fruit
treesincluding a very young
dragonfruit plantgrowing in
a green spot behind the staff
car park near Gate 11. Despite
this, however, I had remained
under the impression that
these are just rare exceptions;
that most of the plants
on campus exist solely
for decorative or practical
purposesan extension of a
manicured garden city where
plants are often grown but
are rarely celebrated. Here is
where I am wrong; the fora
and fauna of RI all have a
history, and stories to tell.
A whole host of plants can be found
in RIs sprawling 18-hectare campus
should not come as a surprise to most
people; after all, RI is home to over
34,000 trees and shrubs spanning
over 40 species.
1 1 9
CANTEEN (YEAR 14)
A banyan tree, sprawling
and majestic, stood tall next
to the canteen of the old RI
on bras basah Road and in
the minds of the boys who
used to play, study, and form
deep friendships in its shade.
Even though it has been
decades since the banyan tree
mysteriously toppled and the
RI campus was replaced by the
current Raffes City Shopping
Centre, the tree remained
signifcant to those young men
in whiteso signifcant that
they published a book titled
Under the Banyan Tree to
chronicle their experiences in
those impressionable years.
Native to Singapore, the Malayan
banyan (Ficus microcarpa) is a
strangler fg. birds swallow its
fruit and disperse the seeds
through their faeces, and the
seeds that germinate on the
branch of another tree will
develop entwining stems that
will literally choke and perhaps
even kill the host plant as the
banyan continues to grow
upwards to reach the sunlight.
However, the banyan can also
grow as a bonsai, or as a singular
tree like the young specimen
that now stands next to the Year
14 Canteen, which was planted
in 2007 to commemorate the
release of Under the Banyan Tree.
banyans have multiple stems
and characteristic aerial roots
hanging from the branches
of its dense crown. Like all
fgs, it oozes a whitish sap.
Interestingly, fgs have an
extremely close symbiotic
relationship with wasps. Each
of the 800 over species of fgs
cannot live in the absence of a
corresponding species of wasp,
which pollinates the plants and
depends on their fruit for food
and shelter.
A TALE OF FLORA AND FAUNA
Part 1
The banyan tree outside the
Year 14 canteen
120
RI BOARDING
Twining themselves around
the structure that borders a
fountain in the middle of the
boarding Complex are several
unexpected long-time residents
of RI boardinggrapes. Mr Yeh,
the landscaper who achieved
this feat more than a decade
ago, must have had grape
expectations of the school.
Even though grape plantations
exist in some regions of
Malaysia and Indonesia, grapes
are hard to fnd in tropical
countries because the high
humidity encourages rot and
fungus problems. Yet, the
grapes of RI boarding have
survived for 15 years or more.
Mr fabian Ng of the Estates
Department, who oversees the
A TALE OF FLORA AND FAUNA
Part 1
school gardeners, says that
the grapes need a lot of care.
This includes ample exposure
to direct sunlight and a lot of
fertiliser. The fruits they bear
taste sharp and acidic, so there
is no need to suffer from a case
of sour grapes if you have not
tried them yet.
MENDELIAN CORRIDOR
(YEAR 56)
If you take the MRT to
Marymount station to get to
RI, you will most likely enter
the school via Gate 10 and
walk along a covered walkway
that forks in the middleone
pathway leads to block H,
where youll fnd the Year
56 General Offce and the
biodiversity Pond, while the
other leads to block K, which
houses the E W barker Institute
of Sports. However, some of the
visitors you may meet on your
journey along the walkway did
not arrive there by train. One of
them is the Plain Tiger (Danaus
chrysippus), a local relative of
the Monarch butterfy, which
can be found futtering amongst
various patches of blood-
fowers (Asclepias curassavica)
planted along the path.
Truth be told, Plain Tiger is
probably a misnomerboth
caterpillar and adult are tawny
orange, with bold black and
white markings. In fact, the
Plain Tigers beautiful, striking
colouration possibly made it
one of the frst butterfies to
Grape vines at RI
boarding Complex
The Mendelian Corridor
1 2 1
A TALE OF FLORA AND FAUNA
Part 1
be used in art, and images
of its ancestors can be found
in a 3,500-year-old Egyptian
fresco in Luxor. The Plain Tigers
larval host plant is the blood-
fower, a kind of milkweed.
both caterpillar and butterfy
retain poisonous glycosides
from the milkweed, and are
hence distasteful to predators.
Incidentally, the Plain Tigers
can also be found futtering
gaily around the blood-
fowers planted in the Year 56
Sculpture Garden.
The covered walkway has been
affectionately dubbed the
Mendelian Corridor by members
of RIs science community in
reference to Gregor Mendel,
the father of Modern Genetics
known for his mid-19th century
experiments with pea plants.
True to its unoffcial namesake,
the Mendelian Corridor is home
to many legumes like the blue
Pea (Clitoria ternatea), which is
used in Malay cooking to colour
kueh blue. Some parts of the
Corridor are covered in brightly-
coloured Honolulu Creepers
(Antigonon leptopus), which
have been all too successful at
attracting bees.
The Corridor was jointly
conceptualised and conceived
by Mrs Selvamani Nair and
Mrs Christina Khoo of the RI
blue pea
A Plain Tiger butterfy
rests on a blood-fower
122
A TALE OF FLORA AND FAUNA
Part 1
(Year 56) biology Department,
the students of the biological
Sciences Society and the
Estates Department.
What we did was try to plant
plants with fowers that will
brighten the walkway, so that
when students walk in or out of
school they can have a sense
of biophiliathe feeling of
being close to naturewhich
may help them relax a bit.
We wanted this place to be
fowery. You dont usually see a
Singapore garden with a lot of
fowers, but here you do, says
Dr Adrian Loo.
BIODIVERSITY POND
(YEAR 56)
Most students would have
walked past the biodiversity
pond, an enclave near the
canteen that is home to many
plants and animals native to
Southeast Asia. However, not
many know that the large fsh
that glare at them as they
walk in and out of the school
campus are all edible. for
instance, the herbivorous giant
gouramiwhich kiss to assess
the strength of other males of
the same speciesis popular in
Indonesian and Malaysian
Raffes biodiversity Pond
1 2 3
A TALE OF FLORA AND FAUNA
Part 1
cuisine. It is also dried and
eaten in certain regions of India.
The clown knife fsh, which can
swim backwards by undulating
its elongated ventral fn, can
be found in the sluggish waters
of lakes and foodplains. It is
also a highly-important food
source in Southeast Asia. Soup
made from the knife fsh is
reportedly given to people
suffering from measles. Also
taking up residence in the
main display pond is the Pacu,
the vegetarian cousin of the
piranha from South America
with a mouthful of horrifying
human-like teeth. In its native
environment, the Pacu eats big
seeds that fall into the river, but
a cursory Google search reveals
that residents of Papua New
Guinea have nicknamed it the
ball-cutterrumour has it that
it has bitten off the testicles of
several fshermen.
The Raffes biodiversity Pond
was frst conceptualised by the
school in 2007. With advice
from the Raffes Museum
of biodiversity Research
in the National university
of Singapore, RIs science
community decided upon
the native plants and animals
(that have strong educational
attributes in terms of economic
use, ethno-botanical history
and interesting ecology) that
would be showcased in the
pond. Mr Tan Nam Seng, our
Senior Deputy Principal, and
Mr Seah Chye Ann, the former
Dean Academic studies, played
Giant gourami
Clown knife fsh Pacu
124
A TALE OF FLORA AND FAUNA
Part 1
a role in getting the pond to
stabilise so that the fsh could
thrive. The Estates Department
helped make the pond a
reality, and by March 2009, it
was flled with water and fora
was planted around it. These
include the dwarf papyrus, an
aquatic or emergent tender
perennial plant that is a relative
of the giant papyrus used to
make Mankinds frst paper.
Accompanying them are
water lilies from the personal
collection of a former Chinese
Teacher, Mr Goh Tock Woo.
Also of note are the ornamental
wild banana plants surrounding
the pond, which bear fruit
containing seedsunlike the
common seedless Cavendish
bananas that one can fnd
in supermarkets. Contrary
to popular belief, bananas
plants are not trees. They are
actually the worlds largest
herb, and their fruit are really
large berries. As cultivated
bananas have no seeds and are
propagated via conventional
vegetative reproduction, they
are all genetically identical and
are exceptionally vulnerable
to disease. The Cavendish
bananas we now eat are
reportedly smaller and less
tasty than the Gros Michel
bananas that were commonly
sold and consumed up until
the early 1960sthe Gros
Michel is now extinct, having
fallen victim to the highly
virulent Panama disease.
Water lilies
Wild banana plant
1 2 5
Raffesian Artefacts
bY BRYAN CHUA 14A01A
As RI celebrated its 190th anniversary, the
theme Great Expectations encouraged
Raffesians past and present to refect on the
journey Raffes has taken and the milestones it
has achieved to arrive at where we stand today.
With this, the school launched its frst Memory
& Artefact Donation Drive (MADD) in 2013 to
collate pieces of Raffesian history donated by
alumni. These artefacts will be preserved and
displayed at the Raffes Archives and Museum;
which is currently under construction and is
scheduled to open in 2014.
Henry ford once said, Every object has a story
to tell if you know how to read it. We trawled
through crates of items to search for ten objects
that bring to life a side of the Raffes story that,
while less well-known, nonetheless forms an
integral part of the schools identity.
F L A G
Donated by Mr Fathul Rahman Bin Kamsani

At frst glance, this seems like any other school
fag used for morning assembly but it isnt.
This fag was used by the rugby team after
winning the A Division rugby fnal back in
1990, held at the Padang. fathul was one of the
senior players on the team that year, and they
sang the school anthem to the fag, as was the
tradition after every fnal. being his fnal year in
RI, fathul then decided to hold on to the fag
as a keepsake.
Of course, fathul would like to remind all
that the fag was technically stolen property,
despite his noble intentionsand that he does
not encourage such acts. Rather, he hopes that
Raffesians will view the fag as representative
of the school spirit fathul and his teammates
had (and still have).
1
R A F F L E S I A N T I M E S
October 1966

The Raffesian Times has had a long standing
history as the school's student-run publication.
Notable past editors include Emeritus Senior
Minister Goh Chok Tong. formerly known as
the RI Times, the paper featured articles on
the major happenings in the school, such as
sporting results, messages from the principal,
and announcements of new prefects, and was
in essence a student newspaper.
The Raffesian Times was relaunched in July
2013, combining the student newsletter with
the Eagle Eye school magazine and the ONE
alumni magazine to become the schools
new offcial publication. It is currently written
by the members of Raffes Publications
(Year 14) and Raffes Press (Year 56) in
conjunction with alumni and staff from the
Communications department.
Raffesian Times
2
A HISTORY OF RAFFLES IN TEN OBJECTS
Rafflesian Artefacts
1 2 7
F I R S T F E M A L E
P R E F E C T B L A Z E R
Donated by Mrs Leaena Tambyah

In its early years, the Raffes Institution
Prefectorial board (RIPb) was an all-male
organisation despite the then co-ed
environmentuntil Leaena Chelliah (Mrs Leaena
Tambyah) became the frst female prefect in the
school. The blazer belongs to Mrs Tambyah,
who attended RI from 19551956. Mrs Tambyah
was nominated to the Prefectorial board by RI
Principal Mr John Young in 1955.
As the frst female prefect on the RIPb, Mrs
Tambyah was not just a student leader, but
a pioneer for the subsequent generations of
female prefects in the school, and the female
councillors after the formation of RJC.
M O U N T S I N A I
R A I L R O A D T R A C K S

The Mount Sinai campus housed RJC from
1990 to 2004, and one of the most signifcant
parts of the campus would be the Keretapi
Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway which ran behind
the school. The KTM train was especially
known to disrupt morning assembly on a daily
basis, often running past the school in the
middle of the daily morning announcements.
The school has retained some sleepers taken
from the original railwaythese will be treated
and placed in the Looi Eng San Memorial
Garden, which is currently under renovation.
first female
prefect blazer
3
4
A HISTORY OF RAFFLES IN TEN OBJECTS
Rafflesian Artefacts
128
blazer crests
5
B L A Z E R C R E S T S
Donated by Dr Kevin Tan

Dr Kevin Tan was elected to the RIPb in 1979, and
donned the Raffes blazer when representing RI
at various events and competitions, such as the
Current Affairs Quiz and the SbC Debates (Raffes
emerged champion in both events).
Aside from the RIPb crest (bottom left) and
the school crest (bottom right), there is a third,
special crest (middle) embroidered with gold
thread, which was given to those who won
school coloursthe greatest honour the
school could bestow on anyone. The crest is no
longer found on any blazer today, making this a
rather extraordinary artefact from the past.
G R A N G E R O A D
S C H O O L C R E S T
The Grange Road campus was home to Raffes
from March 1972 till 1990, the same year RI
attained its independent status. This crest was
the prominent feature on the entrance to the
school gates.
The Grange Road campus now houses the
Ministry of Education's Gifted Education branch.
6
A HISTORY OF RAFFLES IN TEN OBJECTS
Rafflesian Artefacts
1 2 9
R A F F L E S I N S T I T U T I O N
MI L I T A R Y B A N D
( R I MB ) U N I F O R M

Known for its sharp precision military
marching, the RIMb was one of the top school
bands in Singapore, and it was also the frst
to adopt the all-black outft. The uniform was
changed somewhere around the mid-1970s,
championed by Principal Mr Philip Liau, who
was one of the great supporters of the band,
and had a hand in designing the uniform.
former RIMb member Mr bryan Chang (RI,
1980; RJC, 1982) recalls how the black beret
with the red feather (in addition to) the black
uniform stood out very well against the green
colour of the feld.
The all-black uniform was later adopted by
schools across Singapore.
R U G B Y J E R S E Y
Donated by Mr Mok Yew Fun

Mr Mok Yew fun was a member of the Raffes
Rugby team from 1957 to 1962, playing for the RI
first Team (now considered the A division) from
Secondary 3 onwards. He was also the frst school
student to play rugby for Singapore in 1962.
As part of the national team, Mr Mok played
games in Malaysia (then Malaya), and
remembers travelling by train to play in
Negeri Seremban, Selangor and other states.
He was one of two Chinese players in a team
comprising mostly expatriates.
7
8
A HISTORY OF RAFFLES IN TEN OBJECTS
Rafflesian Artefacts
130
G R A F F I T I T A B L E

This special table has been painted over
several times by Mr Greddy Khong, Operations
Manager at RJC until 2008. It used to be
vandalised on a regular basis, but not by
random streaks of paintthis table featured all
kinds of messages, from expletives to hearts,
sketches or a teenager's longing for love.
As a result, Mr Khong would show up at the end
of every year and douse the table in a fresh coat
of black paint, free for students to draw on once
again the following year. What makes this table
even more incredible is how, because of this table,
students would no longer vandalise other parts
of the school (like toilet doors or school walls),
and the table became the central focus point for
Raffesians attempting to 'go rogue'.
C A ME R A
Donated by Mr Low How Loke

The iconic photo from the bras basah campus
in 1972 was taken with this Nikon SLR, which
belonged to Mr Low Hou Loke, the 1966 senior
team rugby captain and also the person who
took the photo 41 years ago. featuring the
entire staff and student population of RI, the
photo was taken on RIs last day at the bras
basah campus in 1972 before it moved to
Grange Road.
The day before the shoot, the school had
the scouts build a structure on the parade
grounds as a form of scaffolding, to enable
Mr Low to take the aerial shot. Principal
Mr Philip Liau requested Mr Low (who was
an alumni by then) to return to RI to take the
photo. With assistance from the scouts and
Mr Roney Tan, Mr Low took his camera,
climbed atop the structure and took the well-
known photo, which can be found on the wall
next to the Raffes Heritage Centre.
These ten objects alone hardly tell the history
of the school, but each individual object
donated portrays its own facet of the Raffesian
story. As the Raffes Archives and Museum
moves towards completion, the MADD is
still ongoing and the school appeals to all
Raffesians, past and present, to donate items
they wish to see preserved and kept in the
museum for generations to come. Raffesians
who are keen to donate their memorabilia
can contact Mrs Cheryl Yap (HOD, Archives &
Museum) at cheryl.yap@ri.edu.sg.
9
10
A HISTORY OF RAFFLES IN TEN OBJECTS
Rafflesian Artefacts
1 3 1
The Past in
the Present
Refections on
Raffesian Togetherness
bY BRYAN CHUA (14A01A) AND LAW MAY NING (14S03O)
THE TIME MACHINE
The Past in the Present
132
27th July 2013 marked the day
we celebrated our 190th year
of excellence as a school. The
programme for founders Day
2013 featured the Teacher Time
Machine, an event where former
teachers and students returned
to reminisce about the good ol
days in campuses pastfrom
bras basah to Mount Sinai, all
the way up to our present day
campus in bishan. beyond the
splendour and cheer though, the
occasion certainly seemed apt to
pause for refection: just how far
have we come in 190 years?
THE OLD RI LIVES ON
The theme of change was
certainly something that
Emeritus Senior Minister Goh
Chok Tong, who was presented
with the Gryphon Award at the
Homecoming Dinner, addressed
in his speech. Looking back
on his days as a Raffesian, he
fondly recounted memories of
RI, from the nostalgia he had
with memories in the bras basah
campus to even the picture of it
on the back of our $2 bills.
Yet, for many alumni, perhaps the
greatest legacy of the RI family is
simply being known as a Raffesian.
The RI that ESM Goh remembered
included students of all races,
socio-economic backgrounds and
histories, all completely different,
but with precisely this thread to
hold them together: the name, the
pride of the name, and the sense
of belonging that came with being
part of Raffes. They were grateful,
as ESM Goh put it, of the fact that
they had qualifed for RI on the
basis of merit.
but what exactly is it that they
were proud of? And are we proud
of the same things?
MEMORIES FROM A
TIME PAST
Speaking to some of the teachers
at the Teacher Time Machine
event, we asked Raffesian
teachers both past and present
to share their fondest and most
vivid memories of their time in
RI. Perhaps unsurprisingly, not
one of their favourite moments
included accolades or awards or
A grades, but rather much more
light-hearted and even almost
dangerous occurrences. Here we
list some of the anecdotes which
we found most fascinating.
Left: The entrance to the Y1-4
canteen, where the Memory &
Artefact Drive and the Teacher
Time Machine were housed;
the Welcome Structure
was specially set up for the
occasion by the 01 Scouts
Alumni with some of
their favourite teachers
from the early 1990s:
Ms Constance Chew
(second from left),
Mrs Lim Jee Nee, and
Ms Ivy Tan
THE TIME MACHINE
The Past in the Present
1 3 3
1
In an age where students still had gardening exercises,
a group of students digging holes to grow new trees
on the Grange Road campus found their shovels hitting
something mysteriously metallic-sounding in the ground. It
turned out to be a remnant of World War II which was then
in the not too distant pastthere was a bomb buried in
the ground!
It was chaos, remarked Mr Pestana, the then-discipline
master. We evacuated all the students to the feld. Amidst
the furry of activity, the civil defence came to the rescue,
extracting the bomb and bringing it to a nearby clear zone
where they detonated the bomb. The smoke attracted the
attention of the press and Raffes was yet again in the papers.
PROMETHEAN FLAMES
THERES A BOMB IN RI
2
for some reason beyond mortal comprehension, the
RI of times past certainly never did seem to have a dull
momentand many of these eventful memories seem
to involve fres. Two of these fres started with a group of
rugby boys sneaking off to smoke some cigarettes near
the art room. As luck would have it, the cigarettes ended
up lighting some oil paintings the art club had left lying
around. Oh, the art club! There were so many fres and it
always seemed as though it was their fault! remarked Mr
Patrick Pestana, as he shared the stories with us.
The remark seemed pretty apt considering the second fre
seemed to involve the same creative (but absent-minded)
artiststhis time, they left the gas for batik painting
switched on in the art room, spelling disaster with all the
oil paintings nearby. fortunately, the billowing fames were
no match for sciencea brave Chemistry teacher allegedly
applied his expertise and managed to cut off the fames
oxygen supply during the heart-racing wait for the fre
team to show up.
THE TIME MACHINE
The Past in the Present
134
The students of the past were defnitely more mischievous
then, playing pranks at a level rarely seen today. One day,
some boys were tasked to fx a fag line that had gotten
tangled up in a tree. They ended up creating a contraption
so complex that the unwitting boy in charge of raising
the fag the next morning would have ended up pulling
the string to release a clothesline of ladies underwear
instead. The horrifed expressions on the teachers faces
might have made the probable punishment that followed
worth it, but it was not to bethe trick was discovered and
the students were made to take down the unmentionables.
Mr Tan Kim Yong (RI, 1948) shared how it was something
of a tradition for students to hold annual dinners with their
teachers, and even today a few of them regularly meet for
lunch. As he proudly declared, the Raffes connections one
builds certainly lives on beyond the two short years we have
in the school. It certainly is a heart-warming story about ties
that bind, even 65 years later.
4
AN INTERESTING
MORNING ASSEMBLY
THE RAFFLESIAN SPIRIT LIVES ON
3
THE TIME MACHINE
The Past in the Present
1 3 5
RAFFLES TODAY
ESM Goh in his speech
addressed concerns about how
the almost perceptible change
in student demographic, with
students being considerably
wealthier and more privileged,
could spell worry for a culture of
elitism to ruin the Raffes breed.
In todays Raffes, even beyond
the profle of the average
Raffesian, there is something
inexpressibly different about
the school we go to. Perhaps
it is a product of our culture of
achievement and the nation-
wide trend of exam fever;
perhaps it is even the fact that
facilities are less accident prone
and havent caught fre in a
while! It is diffcult to place, but
somehow with globalisation
and the upgrading of the school
campus, school system and
even curriculum, the carefree,
jovial and, for lack of a better
word, simple environment
seems gone. There werent
complex systems for tabulating
results, CCA points or even
grading leadership then. It was
simplistic, but it was also fun. In a
way, it was almost as if they had
a type of carefree childhood in
their teenage years, something
many of us never had.
Memories like the ones shared
with us seemed separated
from us by a lifetimeask
any Raffesian in school today
about the most exciting thing
that ever happened to them,
and most would be hard-
pressed to fnd an answer
outside of their prescribed
curriculum, be it in co-
curricular activities or lessons.
The whole phenomenon was
really summed up for us as
we interviewed Ms Lim Puay
Miao, a Literature teacher who
has been teaching for the last
15 years. In contrast with Mr
Pestana, who was just bursting
to share his plethora of stories,
she remarked nothing much
happened to the agreement
of many other of the new-era
teachers around her.
In striving towards excellence,
have we crossed the line into
that utopia, that computed,
bubbled environment so
perfect that nothing much is
ever going to happen to us?
RI Then and Now: An Old
boy shares a recollection
prompted by one of the
artefacts on display
THE TIME MACHINE
The Past in the Present
136
WHY HAVE THINGS
CHANGED?
Thats not to say, of course,
that we should start setting fre
to the art clubs room or start
rigging fagpoles to reveal lines
of lingerie; but one cant help
but wonder if, as the school
has changed, theres a deeper
reason behind why these
stories are gradually becoming
few and far between. Have we
lost something?
Our stories and experiences
shape our school lives, and
they also defne what we will
remember about our time
in the school once we leave.
Twenty years from now, will
we remember that one time
we tried to play our favourite
school prank or the content of
the Chemistry lecture notes we
so laboriously committed
to memory?
Perhaps, as the years have
gone by, we have become
more conservativeless
willing to push the boundaries
with fun, harmless pranks that
are now dealt with severely in
the form of white slips and so
on. Have we forgotten how to
have a little fun? Perhaps the
infltration of books and notes
has successfully orchestrated a
coup on the (supposed) fun of
years past.
Some attribute this to the rise
of the academic culture that
has not only crept its way into
Raffes, but also Singaporean
society as a whole. Ms Lim
describes it as students now
(understanding) the value
of an Anot to say that
As werent important in the
pastbut as degrees become
an entry level requirement in
a growing percentage of jobs
and university applications
become more tightly
contested, it could be that
we need more As to gain an
extra advantage.
Alternatively, Mr Joseph
Wong, Year 14 Discipline
Master, suggests that the
different culture of today
could have started with
academic streaming, in
addition to lists such as the
Straits Times Annual School
Rankings that began in 1992.
This perhaps caused a shift
in focus towards academic
excellence, a key criterion
in the ranking. Other forms
were perhaps the featuring
of top students that only
recently has been removed
from mainstream media
the prestige that came
with having four out of
fve top A level scorers
hailing from Raffes causing
greater pressure, if not
from the school then the
students themselves, to
pursue excellent results,
leading to the rise of the
paper chase.
Amidst all this, one cant help
but notice that discipline
in recent years has begun
to take on a much greater
signifcance in the school.
The adage that rules were
made to be broken perhaps
adds fuel to the frewhile
rules are needed to maintain
boundaries, the constant
Moment of reunion: ESM
Goh (RI, 1960) is warmly
greeted by his former
teacher Mr Ng fook Kah
(RI, 1950)
THE TIME MACHINE
The Past in the Present
1 3 7
Do we want a
school only known
for its on-paper
achievements, or a
school known for its
spirit of togetherness
and community?
updating, revising and
adding of the school rules
create more lines that
students, being young
and perhaps rebellious,
struggle to stay within.
Pranks and practical jokes
are mostly played in the
name of fun and usually lack
malicious intent, yet with
the rise of a strict discipline-
oriented culture, it seems that
we might be losing our ability
to take a joke. Moreover, this
fear of permanently damning
consequences (in the form
of white slips) for the sake
of playing a harmless prank
perhaps turns many students
away from even attempting
to add some colour to their
school lives.
BUILDING STRONG
MEMORIES
In talking to our alumni we
discovered that they shared
one thing in commona
powerful sense of community
and common spirit that
united the entire school and
remained strong in their
hearts even in the many
decades since they left RI. This
feeling, unfortunately, seems
somewhat watered-down in
our more recent cohorts.
When we invite old boys and
girls back to give speeches
at Prize Giving Ceremonies,
Investitures and founders Day,
we hear a lot about what they
remember of Raffes back then,
and how much they treasured
their time in the school.
ESM Goh catches up
with his old chums and
cohortmates
THE TIME MACHINE
The Past in the Present
138
We need to regain this sense
of community; we need to
build a family of Raffesians,
both past and present, that
ties us all together.
Twenty years from now, the
Raffes we see now will be vastly
different. ESM Goh refected
on how the school had evolved
since his graduation: Much has
changed since I left RI more than
ffty years ago. for example,
there is now a school anthem,
which, sadly, was introduced only
after my time. The school itself
has twice relocated, regretfully,
to many of us.
When all the buildings in the
bishan campus we currently
reside in have long been
demolished, when perhaps
Raffes has moved to another
campus, all that will be left
is our memoriesnot of the
structures, but of the people:
our teachers, our friends and
our Raffesian community.
The Teacher Time Machine at
founders Day was a time for
former staff and students not
to reminisce about the interior
design of the old classrooms at
bras basah and Grange Road,
but about the time spent within
those classrooms, trying to pull
pranks on the teachers or on
each other.
We hold onto the memories
of the Raffesian community.
However, if all we have left to
remember is our books and our
letter grades, then do we really
have anything memorable at all?
When Stamford Raffes
held the torch That cast
Promethean fame, We faced
the challenge of the day
To give our school a name.
In the end, we all speak of
giving our school a name
but the question then is, what
name do we want for Raffes?

Do we want a school only known
for its on-paper achievements,
or a school known for its spirit of
togetherness and community?
Top: The Class of 1991
registered the largest
cohort presence at the
Dinner, with more than
four tables and seven
teachers in attendance
bottom:
The Year 1-4 Albert Hong
Hall was transformed
for the evening into a
mini-banquet hall
THE TIME MACHINE
The Past in the Present
1 3 9
FEMININE EYE
SINCE 1969
NO
88
Looking Back
The Feminine Eye
bY ANGELICA CHONG 14A01b, DANIELLA LOW 14A01b AND GAO WENXIN 14A03A
THE FEMININE EYE
Looking Back
A monumental moment in our
Institutions history occurred
in 1969, when RI fnally opened
its doors to female students
attending its Pre-university
classes. Although there had
been intermittent batches of
girls admitted to the Pre-u
classes before this, this
particular cohort was special in
that they frst donned the white
blouse and green skirt uniform
still in mode today.
Those green-skirters brought
many colourful changes to the
campus, including a new column
in the Raffesian Timesthe
feminine Eye. One of the frst
articles, titled Dreamboy (31
July 1969), was actually a survey
on the girls idea of an ideal
boy, and amusingly enough,
many girls chose to withhold
comment on their opinion of
their RI counterparts!
We caught up with Ms Tan
Su Yuen, a former editor of
the feminine Eye. She shared
with us what it was like to take
charge of the column back in
1978, describing it to be rather
good fun: I dont recall any
censorship, we wrote whatever
we wanted to write, whatever
was of interest to us. We could
be trusted to be sensible.
An editorial from 10 february
1978 illustrates the history of
how Raffesian Times went
from being a weekly cyclostyle
print publication with no
photographs to a fedgling
newspaper with pictures and
artwork. A commercial printer
did the printing, and by 1978
it had evolved into a very
professional organisation
canvassing for advertisements,
layout planning, proofreading,
on-the-spot news coverage,
photography, we did them
all as students!
Ms Tan is but one in a long line
of editors that have worked at
its helm, with female writers
penning quirky anecdotes about
changing in the classrooms after
PE (14 April 1977) and giving
advice on personal grooming
Ms Tan (front row, frst
from left) with the 1978
A-Division Air Rife
team, Principal Mr A K
Sigamoney (front row,
third from left) and
teacher-in-charge Mr Sim
(front row, fourth from left)
Ms Tan Su Yuen
Those green-skirters
brought many
colourful changes to
the campus, including
a new column in the
Raffesian Timesthe
Feminine Eye.
1 4 1
THE FEMININE EYE
Looking Back
(5 June 1971). She recalled the
Press Roomsmall, but it
was where we did most of our
brainstormingwhere the
editors would draft their articles
and columns. As the column was
one of the most prominent ways
to express their views, it quickly
caught on with the girls, who
were the stark minority.
As Ms Tan reminisced, back
in those days, there was also
no such thing as Raffes Junior
College. Instead, she had to
compete her way to obtain one
place out of a mere hundred in
the previously all-male Pre-u
cohort. There was, however,
no leftover animosity from the
tough competition in the two
years of education to come.
After all, she mused, friends you
made then were friends for life.
Indeed, since there were
only a hundred girls in the
entire cohort, the batch was
a bonded one, with Ms Tan
making arrangements with
ex-classmates for outings even
as we spoke! With only four
girls to the 36 boys in her class,
she inevitably found herself
relegated to the girls team for
inter-class games like javelin
throwing, squash, and the
ubiquitous 400m runwith a
dearth of female participation,
the girls were encouraged to
try a wide range of sports.
A picture is painted of a
school community that, while
overwhelmingly patriarchal in
terms of the gender stereotypes
present, did not impede the
contributions and experiences
of its girls. An article in April
142
1970 discussing gender
isolationism in RI then, was
quick to generalise that Its
the rugged type [of boys] who
sweep [the girls] off their feet,
in an attempt to convince more
boys to interact with the girls.
Rather, such isolationism
sometimes even served as
added motivation for the girls
to step up. The writer of the
October 1981 column made a
strong statement, rallying the
girls to be one and united,
so as to form a strong, solid
foundation, in keeping the
school fag fying high in the
sports arena.
but surely there were some
diffculties in adapting to the
testosterone-fueled crowd?
for example, the subconscious
gender segregation in each
class, the teasing one received
when one approached a
member of the opposite sex?
At this point, Ms Tan said,
for many of us girls who had
come from girls schools, yes, it
was a bit of a culture shock for
us. but thats why we had the
feminine Eyefor the female
population to air their views.
The feminine Eye was thus
incorporated into the Raffesian
THE FEMININE EYE
Looking Back
Timesa column for female
students, by female students.
With such an unbalanced
gender ratio in the past, there
needed to be some sort of
representation in the school
publication. The column
was undoubtedly a frst step
in empowering the female
population with the written
word, by discussing the
problems of the minority on a
majority platform.
One article in the 16 Oct 1975
edition discusses the apparent
lack of enthusiasm of the Pre-u
1 girls, attributing it to the
lack in numbers and, more
signifcantly, the common yet
unfair expectations of female
behaviour. As an ex-feminine
Eye writer, Lim Swee Kim, points
out, There also seems to be a
tacit understanding that the girls
are more sensible, industrious
and quiet than boys. No one has
yet tried to topple this axiom.
The girls fnd that they are
getting demure, more ladylike
and staid. I suspect they are
getting a bit repressed too.
Today, with the balanced
gender ratio in RI, some might
consider the feminine Eye
outdated. After all, why is
there a need for an exclusively
feminine perspective when
all students voices can now
be heard? Well, with times
changing and perceptions
evolving, we are able to take
it a step furtherwhat the
feminine Eye aims to do now
is not just to give a feminine
perspective, but also a
feminist perspective. Rather
than just giving women a voice
or providing an exclusively
female perspective, it
emphasises the need for
gender equality (which is more
than just womens issues), and
encourages women to be self-
assured in their own identity.
The feminine Eye column of
today is a markedly different
one of the 1960s and 70s, just
as its writers are. Yet instead of
making arbitrary comparisons
or one-sided judgements, let
us acknowledge the insights of
those that have come before
us, and look to the future for
new stories to tell.
Visit http://raffesiantimes.wordpress.com
to view the full-length columns of Feminine
Eye cited in this article!
Rather than just giving women a voice or
providing an exclusively female perspective,
the Feminine Eye emphasises the need for
gender equality (which is more than just
womens issues), and encourages women to be
self-assured in their own identity.
1 4 3
Ensuring continued fnancial
support for needy students
bY JUNE LEE
GIVING BACK
Giving That Really Counts
Since it was founded in 1823,
RI has not wavered in its
mission. As one of the oldest
institutions in Singapore, RI has
a track record of developing
the best and brightest for the
nation regardless of their race
or economic backgrounds.
Today, entry into RI is still
based on its tradition of
meritocracy and multi-
culturalism. I am very conscious
of the fact that RI, being a
national institution, must be
representative of Singapore
society. So, we make sure that
the needy students in RI and
those who qualify to enter the
school are well-supported, and
do not fall through the cracks,
Mrs Lim Lai Cheng, Principal of
RI assured.
Hence, RI has set up various
fnancial schemes, from
scholarships to bursaries
and a new medical fund, to
help those who qualify to be
educated here should they
be unable to afford it or need
extra help.
KEEPING RI OPEN AND
INCLUSIVE
In 2013, RI gave out 260
scholarships and awards, each
worth up to $2,000. The money
comes mainly from the 1823
fund that alumni, parents and
individual donors contribute
towards because they believe
in the premier education that
RI provides. They remembered
the kind of RI they were in and
didnt mind giving to make
sure we ensure that diversity
and inclusivity, Mrs Lim said.
The scholarships and bursaries
enable the school to address
immediate areas of fnancial
need not met or not fully met
by government funding.
HELPING CURRENT
RAFFLESIANS IN NEED
RIs various scholarships,
for instance, have enabled
gifted students like the
Phuah tripletsPhuah Wei
Ke, Wei Deng and Wei Yuan
Left:
Muhammad Khalis
Samion, a recipient of
the RI Scholarship
In 2013, RI gave out 260 scholarships and
awards, each worth up to $2,000. The
money comes mainly from the 1823 Fund
that alumni, parents and individual donors
contribute towards because they believe in the
premier education that RI provides.
(all in 14S03T)to study in
their dream school at a time
when their father, the sole
breadwinner, was taken ill
with cancer.
Since 2010, Wei Deng and
Wei Yuan have been on the
RI-KPMG scholarship while
Wei Ke has beneftted from the
Soh Eng Hwa and Chua Koon
Meng Scholarshipa sum of
money donated by old boy
1 4 5
Mr Teh bong Lim as part of
the 1823 fund in honour of his
two friends who were also old
RI boys. Drawing inspiration
from his two friends, Mr Teh
wanted this scholarship to help
students who are struck by an
adversity in life.
This particular scholarship
is really a resilience fund,
meant to help people to build
up their resilience. both my
friends faced the ultimate
adversities of their lives.
They were struck down by
terminal illness. While they
cant bounce back from that
one, I hope the fund will be
able to help people bounce
back from lesser adversities
in life. They need not be the
best in the class academically
but if they have a setback in
life that they have no control
over and they are in need at
that point in time, I think that
is suffcient reason for us to
extend a helping hand so that
they do not need to interrupt
their academic pursuit in RI,
Mr Teh said in an interview for
ONE, the RI Alumni Magazine,
in 2010.
Indeed, the helping hand
has enabled the triplets to
continue their studies after
their father passed away.
Today, the boys are in their
fnal year of their academic
journey at RI.
The scholarships have
also helped other bright
students who come from
humble backgrounds. When
Muhammad Khalis Samion (2J)
received his PSLE results in
2012, his father who works as a
security guard and his mother
who is a housewife were
apprehensive about sending
their youngest of four children
to RI, as school fees could
reach up to $300 a month.
However, the school and a few
individuals, including alumni,
stepped forward to help,
assuring Khalis and his parents
that fnancial aid was available
for him.
The money the former head
prefect of Yishun Primary
School gets under the RI
Scholarship goes to cover
expenses such as school fees,
uniforms, textbooks, and
even pocket money. With that
fnancial burden taken off his
familys shoulders, the bright
and energetic 13-year-old is in
full gear to focus on his studies
and student life in RI.
Its been so much fun coming
to RI. The teachers are also
very engaging because they
use more educational tools
in class. I fnd Mathematics
fascinating, challenging and
satisfying. I would like to be
a teacher when I grow up as
Id like to impart and share
my knowledge especially with
the Malay community, said a
beaming Khalis, who is also
actively involved with the
schools National Police Cadet
Corps unit.
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FUTURE
RAFFLESIANS
but the school is doing more to
proactively support and inspire
students even before they
come to RI.
GIVING BACK
Giving That Really Counts
This particular
scholarship is really
a resilience fund,
meant to help people
to build up their
resilience. Both my
friends faced the
ultimate adversities
of their lives. They
were struck down
by terminal illness.
While they cant
bounce back from
that one, I hope the
fund will be able to
help people bounce
back from lesser
adversities in life.
MR TEH BONG LIM
146
In 2010, the school launched
the Junior Raffes Institution
Scholarship (JRIS) programme
because it saw a need to
reach out to bright but needy
Primary 6 boys who want to
come to RI. It is, therefore,
aimed at encouraging them
to succeed.
The scholarship is partially
funded by an anonymous
alumnus. This alumnus came
from a humble background,
and was keen to reach out to
the various ethnic minority
groups in Singapore, given
that he greatly benefted from
studying in RIs multi-ethnic
culture, said Mrs Lim.
The programme started with
50 primary schools. It has now
been expanded to include every
primary school in Singapore
and students from all ethnic
backgrounds. Students are
invited to apply based on their
grades, fnancial need, and their
academic potential through
the recommendations of their
principals or teachers. Each year,
about 20 students qualify and
so far four have made it to RI
through this programme.
While the $800 scholarship
can help ease some of the
fnancial strain experienced by
these boys and their families,
RI hopes that it can also inspire
Principal Mrs Lim Lai
Cheng (far left) and
Senior Deputy Principal
Mr S Magendiran (far
right) with the 2013
recipients of the Junior
RI Scholarship
GIVING BACK
Giving That Really Counts
1 4 7
these students to achieve
their potential and fulfll their
dreams like it did for
13-year-old Matthias Enrui
Thummachai (2f).
The former Chongfu School
student is grateful for the JRIS.
It helped relieve the burden
off my parents so that I could
buy recommended assessment
books as well as take tests that
require money, he shared.
The Year 2 student also
remembered vividly what
motivated him to choose RI as
his frst choice of secondary
school. When I watched
the video during the JRIS
Presentation Ceremony, I was
inspired and touched by the
old Raffesians, particularly
when Professor Tommy Koh
shared about his experience
in RI. It was one of the
motivations for me to enroll
into RI as I know that this is
a school that not only excels
academically but it builds
character and produces
people who contribute to
the community. I really want
to be part of this institution.
I was moved by all the old
Raffesians who contributed so
generously to our alma mater
and community, so when I
grow up, I will not hesitate to
do my part, said the young lad,
who already has aspirations to
be a pediatrician as he loves
working with children.
A NEW MEDICAL FUND
Constantly looking out for
ways to help its students, the
school set up a new Medical
fund in 2012 to help students
who are unexpectedly stricken
by severe health issues such
as cancer, muscular dystrophy,
blindness or psychological/
developmental problems and
lack the fnancial resources to
seek treatment. With rising
medical costs, some students
and parents have turned to
the school in desperation to
seek fnancial support or may
even hesitate to seek timely
medical treatment. Principal
Mrs Lim, who saw such a need
in the school, initiated this fund
with the aim of helping these
students and their families
alleviate some of their fnancial
and emotional strain.
RI sees it as a duty to help
students in need, particularly
since we have a large extended
community that we can appeal
to for resources towards this
noble cause. We want to
take the lead in providing
support above and beyond
the classroom to Raffesians
in need. We hope this will
demonstrate to our students
that their alma mater stands
by them in time of need and
inculcate a culture thats not
centred on excelling in grades
but thats also one of service,
she said.

Indeed, the Raffesian Spirit
of serving and giving back
lives on through the loyalty
and generosity of the alumni,
parents and stakeholders.
This act of paying forward to
the next generation will also
ensure that continued fnancial
support will always be there for
bright needy students.
GIVING BACK
Giving That Really Counts
RI sees it as a duty to help students in need,
particularly since we have a large extended
community that we can appeal to for resources
towards this noble cause. We want to take the
lead in providing support above and beyond
the classroom to Raffesians in need.
MRS LIM LAI CHENG
148
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1823 FUND GIFT FORM
One Raes Institution Lane
Singapore 575954
www.ri.edu.sg
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STUDENT EDITORS
RAffLES PubLICATIONS (Y14)
2013/2014
Muhammad Hameem
Ramgopal venkateswaran
RAffLES PRESS (Y56)
2013/2014
Lee Chin Wee
Allison Choong
Tan Jun Xiang
bryan Chua
Law May Ning
STUDENT WRITERS
Angelica Chong
Allison Choong
Austin Zheng
bryan Chua
Cara Leong
Chua Jun Yan
Daniella Low
Divya Muthiah
Gao Wenxin
Izzat Rashad b Rosazizi
Jayne Chan
Jeremy Yew
Jonathan Tan
Kylie Wong
Law May Ning
Lee Chin Wee
Lim Shaomin
Lu Xinyi
Muhammad Hameem
Ramgopal venkateswaran
Sheikh Izzat b Z-A bahajjaj
Tan Jun Xiang
Teo Yao Neng
vanathi Rajarajan
One Raes Institution Lane, Singapore 575954
Year 1-4: T: 6353 8830, F: 6353 8357
Year 5-6: T: 6419 9888, F: 6419 9898
www.ri.edu.sg