The Beginning

“Every place, every junior college has got something to fulfill,” said Mrs Mary Choo.

Grooming future leaders was the primary function of the junior college (JC) system. In 1970, National JC became the nation’s first standardised pre-university school. Using infrastructure left behind by the British Armed Forces, National JC saw its first intake of students that year.

Back then, “brightest students based on academic merit, sound extracurricular activities (ECA) record and strong sense of social discipline and loyalty to Singapore” were selected through admission interviews, according to a 1970 article by The Straits Times.

Today, all you need to enter National Junior College is a secondary school leaving certificate, with an ‘O’ Level aggregate score of 8 points and under.

The curriculum was also designed to provide a more well-rounded education, comprising lectures, tutorials and Co-Curricular Activities. JC lessons mirrored that of universities to ease students into further studies.

Tampines JC was the 13th JC to open in Singapore. It accepted its first batch of students in April 1986, with lessons held at Tampines Primary School before moving in to its current premises in December 1986. The college occupied six hectares of land and costs approximately 18.2 million dollars. The college received the Best Designed College Building Award for 1988.

Moving On

Meridian JC, Tampines JC’s partner school, opened its doors in 2003. Meridian has worked its way up the rankings — its school-entry requirement score improved from 18 points in 2013 to 11 in 2016. The new Tampines Meridian JC will occupy Meridian JC’s original campus.

The government’s plan for the merged schools is to “encompass the identities, strengths and cherished distinctiveness” of the two student bodies. The histories and cultures of the two schools will be documented within a heritage space in the merged school’s campus.

According to MOE, they decided on the new names after considering factors such as the schools’ history and heritage, enrolments, as well as stakeholders’ interests and the sentiments of all schools involved.

In light of the merger, Tampines JC did not take in students in 2018. The two schools will come together to co-organise a brand new orientation camp for JC1 students of the new Tampines Meridian JC. New school, new faces, new culture

Apart from the four closing JCs, 20 other schools will be paired and merged, closing a total of 14 school compounds.

Singaporeans are no strangers to change. In early 2018, Singapore saw a slew of en bloc attempts, starting with the successful sale of Pearl Bank Apartments. More are expected to follow. In recent years, we have also seen the closure of Rochor Centre, Dakota Crescent, Sungei Road Thieves Market and other sites that have long histories.

These post-independence buildings were a reflection of the new nation’s hopes and dreams. Even if they are listed for conservation, the preservation schemes in Singapore do not restrict any government policies. As seen from Rochor Centre, the government can easily grant permission for construction works or delist properties from the registry.

Change arrives quickly in our small city-state. Renewal, gentrification and urban redevelopment are common. The building across your street may not be there in a decade’s time. When these structures are torn down, there will be nothing to remind us of them, except the memories of people who lived or worked there.

For Tampines JC, these people include the custodians of the college, like Rahmat Bin Mohd Zaini, 65, who could probably walk around the campus with his eyes closed.

They are the unsung heroes who are first to arrive and last to leave. From unlocking the school gates to cleaning up after school events, they’ve done it all.