Here it is, built in 1980, demolished 2004.
Taken on the last full day in this building, 27 Sept 2004.
More coming...

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/300classroomblk.jpg
^Classroom Block

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/300h_cb.jpg
^Classroom block & Hall from Science Block.

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/300scbk.jpg
^Science Block, with two 'extras' on the top floor. :D

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/300rear.jpg
^Rear, with hall & Science Block.Very cooling there, huge trees.

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/300sbk.jpg
^Science Block

Here it is, built in 1980, demolished 2004.

That's a very short life span for a school building, redstone! The place looks perfectly OK to me -- quite attractive, actually. :)

Was there something wrong with it? Was it perhaps not tall enough, and your new school is taller? Is Singapore swimming in money, so that they can just constantly replace old buildings, even public ones like a school?

I'm sorry, these may be strange questions to you ... but I really fail to understand what's going on here. :?

it's not up to the standards set by the ministry of education and today's parents i guess? singapore in 1980 is very different to singapore now - the gdp per capita today is more than 400% then. i imagine (not know for sure) that schools built in that era must be quite sorely lacking compared to newer schools.

for example, i had some sort of holiday camp in the old campus of some girl's school (they've moved into a new school already) a few years ago. the first thing i noticed and is still etched in my head till now was that there were only two ceiling fans per classroom. i wonder how they keep cool during summer when even 4 ceiling fans leave me sticky, and compare that to air conditioned schools now (which should have always been the norm, imho). there are things that can be installed or replaced as the school ages, like lcd projectors and new seats or tables, but unless the school's compounds are large enough, auditoriums and lecture theatres or bigger libraries or better equipped science / computer blocks are hard to build.

actually, uhmmm the linearity of this picture is hypnotic

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/300h_cb.jpg

The old classrooms have 2 fans per classroom, the new one has 6!

But the old campus has 10 toilet cubicles for the boys' at two blocks.One has 4 and the other has 6.

The new building has altogether only 2 cubicles per sex per floor! :bash:

Demolition started on 30 Sept with the removal of the windows and the placement of hoarding around the old school.


Progress at 5 Oct:

The roof over the classroom block has been partially removed. The hall's sides had been removed (dunno how).

Actually such old school buildings freak me out...so oppressive looking...standardised...ugly...

How does the new one look like? Any renderings etc etc?

The first 2 pics remind me of the art deco flats at Tiong Bahru! :D

Actually while I know the standards of educational facilities here have gone up, I guess theres fundamentally nothing wrong with these old school buildings.

So whats going to happen to the site of your old school?

A new classroom block would be built there, along with the school field.

It'll be complete in June 2005.By then, we would have gone 2 years without a school field.

Here is the new building at 14 Sept 2004:
http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/300newcampus.jpg

If a new classroom block is going to be built, where are the students who will be using that new block studying now?

At Campus 2 at Ang Mo Kio Street 23. :)

It's the holding school for us since 2000 for the lower secs.Used to be the old Bowen Sec campus.

So pretty!!!!! (The new campus, i mean). The old one looks like one of those really old HDB flats....

Any views from HDB surrounding your new school, Eye?

Whaaat? My highschool was made in the 1960s and its still running.. Sum lucky people :bash:

my school was built in like... 29346 BC

All thanks to the government's grand project to upgrade ALL government primary and secondary schools. 'Independent' schools are not affected by it.

School buildings were either expanded, or totally rebuilt.


The oldest school building still in use here dates to 1919, and is occupied by The Chinese High School, an Independent School. The 1919 building is a conserved building, part of the school complex. The rest of the buildings are pretty new, perhaps built in the 1980s?

Erm. Yeah. I have photos of my school, but i've already posted them in other forums. Should i repost? I'll take more After the Os. Lol.

those in the 1980s are built with somewhat third world standards, so i guess upgrading is quite necessary.

My old school building has a reputation of being haunted...

Dunno which one are real, which are created by boliao students...
Would share them...

My Alma Mater
- Redeveloped In 2002
http://img32.exs.cx/img32/5913/g_scenery2003_31s.jpg
http://img7.exs.cx/img7/5674/g_scenery2003_24s.jpg
http://img75.exs.cx/img75/7413/g_scenery2003_06s.jpg

what sch is that?!

I guarantee there is a skyscraper in China that looks like your school!

What! The design of my old school isn't really appropriate for skyscrapers...

And that skyscraper in China is pink, has red roof tiles and concrete walls...?

Man that has gotta be an ugly skyscraper...

And that skyscraper in China is pink, has red roof tiles and concrete walls...?



http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3140/103parkson1.jpg

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/503/103parkson.jpg

My gosh! Thats horrendously ugly! Who paints a skyscraper pink! Its like the ugly EuroAsia Centre in red...

It looks quite similar from afar but from close up, its very different...thank goodness...

What a bad idea for a skyscraper design...

Oh the school's Presbyterian High, not that many know of it....

yup..skyscrapers like that are giving Chinese skyscrapers a bad name.

Presb High? Isnt that the same school as EyeToEye?

I think they used to be located near Yio Chu Kang MRT.

It has been at Yio Chu Kang for the past 20 years...

E2E studies at Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School...

I used to study at Presbyterian High School...

These 2 schools are often thought by others to be the same school... They are in fact totally different schools, with no affiliation to each other other than for the fact that they are mission schools and are under the Presbyterian Church in Singapore...

IMO, China's skyscrapers are overly designed... They serve more to wow the Chinese population rather than for practical purposes... And as in this case that you had mentioned, they try too hard sometimes... Jin Mao Tower I can accept, Shanghai World Financial Centre I can accept, but that tower full of balls in Shanghai, as well as that pink building that you had mentioned, I cannot and I will not accept... If every building in a city is all flashy, it doesn't mean that the skyline would be great... Look at NYC, it only needed the Twin Towers to wow the world's population... If everything is flashy everywhere, then there's no uniqueness to a building and a skyline, no contrast and as such boring...

oh ic..thanks for clearing that up....I dunno why but I thought you were from St ANdrews since you seemed excited about its new campus :D

anyway I'm glad Singapore's skyline hasnt gone the way of most Chinese cities - in regard to tacky colours and spikes on practically every building.

Did you study at PHS's new building?

Demolition progress:

Central staircase is demolished, roof of the hall removed.
Quite noisy at one time today.

I see the burning bush in that last pic. Haha.

oh ic..thanks for clearing that up....I dunno why but I thought you were from St ANdrews since you seemed excited about its new campus :D

anyway I'm glad Singapore's skyline hasnt gone the way of most Chinese cities - in regard to tacky colours and spikes on practically every building.

I am from St. Andrew's, the Junior College...

Did you study at PHS's new building?

Nope.

But I toured the new premises last year when I returned for a visit during Teacher's Day. The hall is finally air conditioned (IMO it has far too many air conditioning units)...and 2 storeys tall to accomodate the entire school population. The blocks are given names such as Samuel & Ruth etc., a concept that originated back in 2000. The new premises now occupies an additional 2 hectares of land, meaning that there is more space for the new classroom blocks as well as an oddly shaped field. The church was being torn down to be redeveloped when I was there last year. The administration block a.k.a. the clock tower houses the H.O.D. room which has contactless smart card security entry features and a more corporate looking environment. The administration office there has black LCD panels everywhere for work and the staff room has large televisions showing Channel NewsAsia. Man, I wish I were in that school now... CCTV cameras cover most areas of the school. The cut off now is 236 and its band 7 (rank 30-40 out of 50 schools)

Previously, the school occupied a much smaller rectangular piece of land, and had only 3 blocks (the hall & canteen block, the administration/classroom block, the technical/science block) and even had to share the field with 2 primary schools. A really pathetic school I was in. Back then the cut off was 221. Previously its rank ranged from 40 - 49 out of the top 50 schools.

The students nowadays really have a nice environment to study in. During my O levels when the construction was going on, the hall was vibrating when I was doing my paper and everywhere was boarded up. And the carpark was turned into a badminton soccer play area. Pathetic.

Demolition progress:

Central staircase is demolished, roof of the hall removed.
Quite noisy at one time today.

The staff and the students just moved out like a week ago and they are already tearing down so much of the building so quickly? It took forever for my old school to be torn down...

I see the burning bush in that last pic. Haha.

The Presbyterians just love bushes burning in the sun. Never really understood what it meant... :bash:

Presbyterian High School (PHS)
- Since 1965
- Redevelopment Commenced In Mid 2000 & Was Completed In Mid 2002

The Clock Tower
http://img75.exs.cx/img75/7357/g_scenery2003_28s.jpg

Bethel Hall
- Take Note Of The Number Of Air Conditioning Units In Relation To The Size Of The Hall, Excessive!
http://img8.exs.cx/img8/117/P1010482.jpg

it does look kinda excessive, but i remember having two of those units in each music room, which is smaller than a normal classroom. maybe they're made to cool rooms fast but not to cool large areas?

So good...

Our hall was initially intended to be air coned, but in the end not sure what happened...! :bash:

The staff and the students just moved out like a week ago and they are already tearing down so much of the building so quickly? It took forever for my old school to be torn down...

Demolition begun with the removal of windows 3 days after moving out.

The students nowadays really have a nice environment to study in. During my O levels when the construction was going on, the hall was vibrating when I was doing my paper and everywhere was boarded up. And the carpark was turned into a badminton soccer play area. Pathetic.

oh well, but u did alright in the end didnt you? :D

When we were moving schools too, the construction was irritating, with wet puddles here n there.

So good...

Our hall was initially intended to be air coned, but in the end not sure what happened...! :bash:

MOE cost-cutting measures?

The government has been trying to cut down on excesses recently.

No, the school wants it as an extra....

I think not enough funds, so it was scrapped! :bash:


But in the end we got a stunning theatrette, which was basically useless, too small...

Mayflower is a government school. Isn't air conditioning part of the standard package that as such they don't need to pay extra for it? Cause so many govt schools have air con halls so I assumed wrongly that air conditioning has become part of the standard package...I guess not...

At least for the main building facilities you all dont have to pay...mine's govt aided so have to fork out even for the main building fund...

What's RafflesCity's alma mater?

So many schools have a/c halls meh?! :eek:


We have a/c classrooms, but my classroom is not cold...
A/c since July last year, would continue to May 2005...

The construction site is only a mere 5m or so away.

What's RafflesCity's alma mater?

ACS(i) then NJC :cool:

Actually during my time, we used the old Barker Rd campus (ACS wasnt called ACS Barker or Independent then), then in sec2 we moved to the Dover Rd campus.

I also got to use the old NJC campus (where Nanyang Girls now is) before moving to the new one next door.

To my knowledge, govt schools such as Anderson Sec, Ahmad Ibrahim Sec etc have...

But come to think about it, schools like Woodlands Ring Sec & Naval Base Sec don't so...

Okay...not many schools have it...hehe

ACS(i) then NJC :cool:

Actually during my time, we used the old Barker Rd campus (ACS wasnt called ACS Barker or Independent then), then in sec2 we moved to the Dover Rd campus.

I also got to use the old NJC campus (where Nanyang Girls now is) before moving to the new one next door.

Woah!!!!!!!!!!! ACSian... Swimming Pools... Running Tracks... Money Money Everywhere am I right...haha... You don't seem like the typical ACSian as perceived by others generally...

You must be really...................old right.............haha

Outram sec have swimming pool! :bash:

Har!!!!! I thought government schools are usually quite young so they don't have a strong alumni a.k.a. hard to raise funds for non standard facilities like Swimming Pools?

It is built with money they raised...

Like we wanted to raise money for a/c hall...

Woah!!!!!!!!!!! ACSian... Swimming Pools... Running Tracks... Money Money Everywhere am I right...haha... You don't seem like the typical ACSian as perceived by others generally...

You must be really...................old right.............haha

stereotypes!

Thats interesting...as perceived by others? :D ;)
Well I've been told that before anyway that I seem more Josephian, but heck lah..just be yourself :okay:

yup..I'm ancient as far as you are concerned! :lol:

A 50m X 25m Swimming Pool costs something like a million SG$... Can't believe they actually managed to raise that much...and I can't believe they actually managed to pay for the maintenance of the Swimming Pool...

stereotypes!

Thats interesting...as perceived by others? :D ;)
Well I've been told that before anyway that I seem more Josephian, but heck lah..just be yourself :okay:

yup..I'm ancient as far as you are concerned! :lol:

Oh cause the ACSians that I have known so far are SERIOUSLY THE TYPICAL ACSians...

But usually if they come from the AC Junior or Primary School, they don't turn out as bad...

And its known that ACSi looks down/despises ACS Barker right, and does not consider it much as part of the ACS family?

Oh cause the ACSians that I have known so far are SERIOUSLY THE TYPICAL ACSians...

But usually if they come from the AC Junior or Primary School, they don't turn out as bad...

And its known that ACSi looks down/despises ACS Barker right, and does not consider it much as part of the ACS family?

oh I was from ACJS as well.

yah I heard that ACS Barker has the reputation as the 'rejects' or something like that - not very nice IMO.

But then its been said that the Barker boys have been quite rowdy.

During my time when they didnt segregate the schools there was a mixture from good to bad.

ACS(i) was turning into a very designer school when I left..it must be even more posh now :eek:

oh I was from ACJS as well.

yah I heard that ACS Barker has the reputation as the 'rejects' or something like that - not very nice IMO.

But then its been said that the Barker boys have been quite rowdy.

During my time when they didnt segregate the schools there was a mixture from good to bad.

ACS(i) was turning into a very designer school when I left..it must be even more posh now :eek:

The former ACSian (ACS Primary, ACS Barker Road) in my class has a better reputation amongst the class people than the one time ACS(i)ian...

Designer yes... My friend often complains that she risks getting late every morning for school at my school because her father insists that he drive her lil bro all the way into ACSi, and with the high traffic volume there cause the majority of its student population have their dads drive their cars in, its hard to get in, and nearly impossible to get out...

And who could forget the reality stories of people getting snubbed at ACJC's Fun O Rama if they ever declare or it is ever known that they came from neighbourhood schools... And the ACSians that I know admit to that...as well as the fact that Chinese is detested...

ACS(i) looks down on ACS(br). ACS(i) looks down on ACS(i) GEP.

Designer yes... My friend often complains that she risks getting late every morning for school at my school because her father insists that he drive her lil bro all the way into ACSi, and with the high traffic volume there cause the majority of its student population have their dads drive their cars in, its hard to get in, and nearly impossible to get out...

And who could forget the reality stories of people getting snubbed at ACJC's Fun O Rama if they ever declare or it is ever known that they came from neighbourhood schools... And the ACSians that I know admit to that...as well as the fact that Chinese is detested...

ACS(i) looks down on ACS(br). ACS(i) looks down on ACS(i) GEP.

LOL so true about the daily traffic. Dover Rd being a narrow rd, every morning used to be damn congested. But what I was referring to was the fact that I remember when I was leaving, they were going to create socks with the ACS symbol on them or something like that. And the hostel and pool looked more like a country club :D

As for Fun O Rama, I dunno never bothered with it - I do feel that in ACJC some people do go overboard. Anyway you're right about the GEPs - theyre seen as freaks, social rejects and in my time, believe me there were some really eccentric characters. Its these few that really gave a bad name to the GEP batch. Quite mean isnt?

oh and you'er right about Chinese being very weak.

Its certainly true for me..I've had Chinese tuition since P1 and still I cant hold a decent conversation in Mandarin without being confident. But then thats maybe becos of my family background as well.

Fortunately I digged my heels in and passed all important Chinese exams. I knew someone (GEP) that constantly got three E8s in a row for the Chinese AO level he kept resitting....

LOL so true about the daily traffic. Dover Rd being a narrow rd, every morning used to be damn congested. But what I was referring to was the fact that I remember when I was leaving, they were going to create socks with the ACS symbol on them or something like that. And the hostel and pool looked more like a country club :D

As for Fun O Rama, I dunno never bothered with it - I do feel that in ACJC some people do go overboard. Anyway you're right about the GEPs - theyre seen as freaks, social rejects and in my time, believe me there were some really eccentric characters. Its these few that really gave a bad name to the GEP batch. Quite mean isnt?

Yeah...Dover Road is like 2 lanes or something...per direction...

Anything with the ACS symbol sells well...especially if girls can get their hands on them... I guess to them even the ugliest and rudest ACSian are like princes to them as long as its ACS...

I was on this bus to the University Cultural Centre and as the bus passed by ACSi, this couple behind me commented that ACSi looked like a country club too. Too bad the hostel sucks as my classmate says...cause it follows strict rules...no air conditioning...wash your own laundry...etc

Of course its mean...a true blue ACSian wouldn't do such classless acts or behave classlessly...if there were such a word...

The reason why FMSS students generally avoid ACJC and skip on to SAJC is cause they aren't accepted in ACJC too, its a MGS ACSi environment...(Seems like though there are many affiliated schools, most don't make use of their affiliation points). So why didn't you consider moving on to another 2 yrs in ACJC, completing the ACS Cycle.

oh and you'er right about Chinese being very weak.

Its certainly true for me..I've had Chinese tuition since P1 and still I cant hold a decent conversation in Mandarin without being confident. But then thats maybe becos of my family background as well.

Fortunately I digged my heels in and passed all important Chinese exams. I knew someone (GEP) that constantly got three E8s in a row for the Chinese AO level he kept resitting....

PSLE: A
O Level: B3 (1 girl who you might have guessed moved on to ACJC, got C6 while a few got A1 A2. Everyone else got B3)
AO Level: C5 (Looks ugly on the cert)

I hated reading chinese newspapers...dont understand anything...takes me forever to decipher one sentence... Its like oral, I skip many words... Once there was this topic on entrepreneurship, and I didn't know how to convert Sim Wong Hoo to Chinese...and its hard to talk about entrepreneurship in chinese...

I dont mind HK Serials and listening to other's speak chinese though...

Yeah...Dover Road is like 2 lanes or something...per direction...

Anything with the ACS symbol sells well...especially if girls can get their hands on them... I guess to them even the ugliest and rudest ACSian are like princes to them as long as its ACS...

I was on this bus to the University Cultural Centre and as the bus passed by ACSi, this couple behind me commented that ACSi looked like a country club too. Too bad the hostel sucks as my classmate says...cause it follows strict rules...no air conditioning...wash your own laundry...etc

Of course its mean...a true blue ACSian wouldn't do such classless acts or behave classlessly...if there were such a word...

The reason why FMSS students generally avoid ACJC and skip on to SAJC is cause they aren't accepted in ACJC too, its a MGS ACSi environment...(Seems like though there are many affiliated schools, most don't make use of their affiliation points). So why didn't you consider moving on to another 2 yrs in ACJC, completing the ACS Cycle.

I've heard all that before :D

Lets just say that in the story of Singapore schools, the ACS name comes across as having a very strong and certain image. You either like it or hate it.

I did consider ACJC, but ultimately the rankings of JCs, plus location decided my final choice of JC. :cool:

PSLE: A
O Level: B3 (1 girl who you might have guessed moved on to ACJC, got C6 while a few got A1 A2. Everyone else got B3)
AO Level: C5 (Looks ugly on the cert)

I hated reading chinese newspapers...dont understand anything...takes me forever to decipher one sentence... Its like oral, I skip many words... Once there was this topic on entrepreneurship, and I didn't know how to convert Sim Wong Hoo to Chinese...and its hard to talk about entrepreneurship in chinese...

I dont mind HK Serials and listening to other's speak chinese though...

yup its easier for me to read and listen to others speak than to speak it myself.

so you must be preparing for your Chinese exam? or did you stop taking it in J2?

I've heard all that before :D

Lets just say that in the story of Singapore schools, the ACS name comes across as having a very strong and certain image. You either like it or hate it.

I did consider ACJC, but ultimately the rankings of JCs, plus location decided my final choice of JC. :cool:

It depends on which ACSian you meet. Some that I met are nice... Some that I met are really bad... So I am quite neutral on the issue...

There's also another rumour that ACJC devalues its students.. Value addedness has always been one of the last... And last year they even thought they were fourth...when instead they fell to 8, behind SA for one of the few times...

yup its easier for me to read and listen to others speak than to speak it myself.

so you must be preparing for your Chinese exam? or did you stop taking it in J2?

CHINESE HAS BEEN OUT OF MY LIFE for the past year...the last time i wrote chinese was last november...

No point retaking if chinese is no longer considered for Uni admission, and no point retaking if chinese is not one of my strong points...

There's also another rumour that ACJC devalues its students.. Value addedness has always been one of the last... And last year they even thought they were fourth...when instead they fell to 8, behind SA for one of the few times...

I'm not sure, but when I was choosing JC's, the facilities at ACJC sucked big time. Since then theyve really added a lot of hardware though and they do excel in niche areas like debating prowess. Anyway ACJC has always had the image as a party/havoc-school, so I'm not surprised how low it would be on the MOE-values scale! :lol:

CHINESE HAS BEEN OUT OF MY LIFE for the past year...the last time i wrote chinese was last november...

No point retaking if chinese is no longer considered for Uni admission, and no point retaking if chinese is not one of my strong points...

I agree with you 101%

Chinese can be a hindrance in preparing for the end of year exams, since an undue amount of time is spent memorizing.

I believe everyone will find their own time to be inspired and later in the future you may wanna take it up more seriously.

I'm not sure, but when I was choosing JC's, the facilities at ACJC sucked big time. Since then theyve really added a lot of hardware though and they do excel in niche areas like debating prowess. Anyway ACJC has always had the image as a party/havoc-school, so I'm not surprised how low it would be on the MOE-values scale! :lol:

Don't forget GP, Rugby, Swimming, Water Polo etc etc and the list goes on and on and on...at the detriment of academic standards...

RJ thrashed AC this year though...(every year its always these 2 competing for first place). During the SA-AC match, one of the trainers of AC's team I think physically assulted (not that seriously but its still assault) SA's coach and SA's coach reported it to the police... And this started all because SA's coach I think approached AC's to talk about the booing made by the ACJC crowd...it was featured in the news... The Consequences Of Bitter Rivalry.

SAS & SAJS thrashed ACJS & ACSi too...

I agree with you 101%

Chinese can be a hindrance in preparing for the end of year exams, since an undue amount of time is spent memorizing.

I believe everyone will find their own time to be inspired and later in the future you may wanna take it up more seriously.

Maybe thats the time I should step in......:lol:

Actually I'm quite "sad" to see Chinese as a "hinderance" or something you throw it away once you've pass it, it just goes to show how "successful" the mother tougue education in Singapore is........

I think I'm not going to study so hard for Chinese...
Other subjects more important...

Don't forget GP, Rugby, Swimming, Water Polo etc etc and the list goes on and on and on...at the detriment of academic standards...

RJ thrashed AC this year though...(every year its always these 2 competing for first place). During the SA-AC match, one of the trainers of AC's team I think physically assulted (not that seriously but its still assault) SA's coach and SA's coach reported it to the police... And this started all because SA's coach I think approached AC's to talk about the booing made by the ACJC crowd...it was featured in the news... The Consequences Of Bitter Rivalry.

SAS & SAJS thrashed ACJS & ACSi too...

oh well...inspite of all these the ACS brand name still manages to draw its fans :lol:

If I have a choice, I won't join a single-sex school...

Maybe thats the time I should step in......:lol:

Actually I'm quite "sad" to see Chinese as a "hinderance" or something you throw it away once you've pass it, it just goes to show how "successful" the mother tougue education in Singapore is........

yup I'm fully aware you might be reading this and have a different opinion :lol:

It IS sad but the reality (at least during my time when I had to take it compulsorily in school) was that I and many others weak in Chinese had to put in a lot of time and effort in learning the script and memorizing model answers in order to secure some decent marks in the exam. This took up a disproportionate amount of time that could be distributed to other subjects - remember that time the MOE had not decided to make syllabus cuts. There were chunks and chunks of info per subject. The beauty and cultural importance of the language was simply butchered away beneath worksheets and weekly tests.

It is perhaps this sad state of affairs (and the new economic potential of China) thats why all the reforms to 2nd lang education lately, but I am sure the new system will present Chinese as a less regimental subject to those weaker in it.

how on earth do you study for o level chinese anyway...only ten words from ci yu shou ce. the rest is based on your own standard. i might have gotten all ten words wrong. its quite terrible to emerge from an exam and have all your classmates say 'aiyoh the words so easy study for what' with yourself not knowing how to write any of them haha.

yup I'm fully aware you might be reading this and have a different opinion :lol:.

:rofl:


It IS sad but the reality (at least during my time when I had to take it compulsorily in school) was that I and many others weak in Chinese had to put in a lot of time and effort in learning the script and memorizing model answers in order to secure some decent marks in the exam. This took up a disproportionate amount of time that could be distributed to other subjects - remember that time the MOE had not decided to make syllabus cuts. There were chunks and chunks of info per subject. The beauty and cultural importance of the language was simply butchered away beneath worksheets and weekly tests.

It is perhaps this sad state of affairs (and the new economic potential of China) thats why all the reforms to 2nd lang education lately, but I am sure the new system will present Chinese as a less regimental subject to those weaker in it.

Actually even if MOE change "everything", they have yet to tackle one root problem.......people's perceptions that mother tougue is a 2nd class subject......In fact, sometimes students make use of such "weakness" in the system to "officially" declare that they can don't pay attention in chinese classes and all sorts of other excuses(emm I referring to my students:lol: )...... :bash:

So I really wonder if the changes are bringing us to the correct direction??

Another root problem is that the education system is a tad too result oriented....so much so that the students are "forced" to make a "choice" to concentrate on the core subjects........or take subjects that they are able to score........they might have change the ranking system.....but does it make any difference?? At the end of the day, schools are ranked anyway.......

I think I'm not going to study so hard for Chinese...
Other subjects more important...
CHINESE HAS BEEN OUT OF MY LIFE for the past year...the last time i wrote chinese was last november...

No point retaking if chinese is no longer considered for Uni admission, and no point retaking if chinese is not one of my strong points...

See what I mean?? :lol:

I actually sort of regret dropping Express Chinese to take up Syllabus 'B'. I don't know why. I should be happy. Because i dropped express chinese, i have more time to study other subjects, and that's probably why did so well for my prelims.

But i can't help but feel like something is missing. It's a mix of guilt, shame and pity. I can't really express it. SOmetimes i really wish i hadn't stopped trying.

When my friends speak chinese with each other, which they do alot(many of my friends happen to have score A1s during their june papers), i'm often left aloone feeling sort'a left out. Sure, i understand what they are saying, since i've been listening to chinese all my life, but it would be so nice if i could reply in chinese.

I mean, they understand english perfectly, so i could just reply in english and they would be able to understand. We could carry out a you-speak-chinese-i-reply-in-english conversation and we'd be perfectly able to comminucate effectively.

But it's not the same. There seems to be this barrier. I don't know. It's like a forcefield between us that can't be broken despite the ability to comunicate. Cammunication is, after all, more than simply the passing of ideas from one person to another, right? It's just not the same.

A common identity holds us together. Am i right to say that? Our identities are moulded by our environment, our genetics, our upbringing, our education, our cultures etc etc etc... So when there's a gap in this common identity, a certain degree of un-belonging is irrevocable.

Yeah. That's what i have to say. It's not at all logical, because, logically speaking, as long as we understand each other, we can communicate. But this society is based on so much more than mere logic, isn't it?

somehow, i dont think there would have been much difference between studying and not studying for the chinese o levels.

i was brought up speaking english, but one of my best friends and many other peripheral ones belong to the chinese only type. yet the other two of my best friends are mainly english speakers. there is a quite large culture gap between my chinese speaking best friend and myself, but somehow we get along very fine. that may be because she gets along with just everyone though.

i thought the root of the chinese lang problem migiht have more to do with the way its being taught? weren't they introducing a new syllabus to get the students more interested in the language before going all out to teach the intricacies of the language or osmething with some super quick method used in educating chinese peasants?

It is possible to get by Chinese O levels by just mugging.

In fact I was ambitious and very determined to get an A2 at least. I think I ended up with a B3 due to my weak oral skills. But after the June paper I decided to stop there.

As for AO Chinese - totally lost interest. The long phrases were a real killer and I guess I was more distracted - got a C6 in the end :lol:

oh well..this topic is never-ending. But if you are really interested in learning the language (any language) you will find time to do it..doesnt have to be within the school system (may not be practical since everything is RESULTS orientated).

Own time own target :yes:

Initially when I received my B3, I was like ''phew! thank god it isnt F9 or C6''. Then upon realizing everyone else got that, I was like ''maybe I should retake to try to get a A2''. And I would have, but thank goodness my friends reminded me that if they spoke and wrote chinese so well and still got A2, what does it show about my potential to get A2?

It is possible to get by Chinese O levels by just mugging.

In fact I was ambitious and very determined to get an A2 at least. I think I ended up with a B3 due to my weak oral skills. But after the June paper I decided to stop there.

As for AO Chinese - totally lost interest. The long phrases were a real killer and I guess I was more distracted - got a C6 in the end :lol:

oh well..this topic is never-ending. But if you are really interested in learning the language (any language) you will find time to do it..doesnt have to be within the school system (may not be practical since everything is RESULTS orientated).

Own time own target :yes:

From the first Chinese lesson in JC1 onwards, the tutor reminded us that this time around, there is no syllabus...no CHI YI SHOU CE... We did have an unofficial SAJC CHI YI SHOU CE, but we were reminded that it was only the tip of the iceberg of chinese characters and phrases. Hence, we are on our own. I was like, sianzzzzz... Every 2 period chinese lesson was spent staring at the OHP, supposedly learning about what types of compo questions are there and how do we tackle them... And we had to learn how to write like 15 words each week still and learn how to form sentences and what is the meaning bla bla bla...if you ask me, i don't remember any of them now...I only know conversational chinese, not 550A.D. Qin Dynasty Chinese...or something like that...

i thought the root of the chinese lang problem migiht have more to do with the way its being taught? weren't they introducing a new syllabus to get the students more interested in the language before going all out to teach the intricacies of the language or osmething with some super quick method used in educating chinese peasants?

If only we could resolve the problem that easily.........:no:

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly where the flaw resides. It just seems that everything about the system is wrong. Or perhaps society itself is flawed at some fundamental point.

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly where the flaw resides. It just seems that everything about the system is wrong. Or perhaps society itself is flawed at some fundamental point.

So demoralising yet this is my job......sigh...... :sleepy:

Good luck lor..... must help to revitalise the subject! Haha. Take bold new approaches(and risk losing your job)... lol...

Good luck lor..... must help to revitalise the subject! Haha. Take bold new approaches(and risk losing your job)... lol...

Actually I wouldn't worry too much......quite a number needs tuition.....:lol: Anyway, b4 I could revitalise anything, at least our dear ministry must try to steer it in the correct direction loh......if not we will be just "paddling in circles".......:yes::lol:

Singapore's education system seems to be in a constant state of flux, with the recent changes being especially radical. At the same time, parts of it seem to be pretyy stagnent. Something has to be done soon. Seriously. Lol. Otherwise, Singapore as a whole won't be looking forward to a very bright future....

Singapore's education system seems to be in a constant state of flux, with the recent changes being especially radical. At the same time, parts of it seem to be pretyy stagnent. Something has to be done soon. Seriously. Lol. Otherwise, Singapore as a whole won't be looking forward to a very bright future....

Wah so pessimistic.......:lol:

Anyway, I doubt they'll change those "silly" mother regulations lah......sigh....I'm also pessimistic......:lol:

I don't know. Things just seem to look so grim. Singapre needs a wake-up call. A revival or sorts. A revolution, if you will.

I don't know. Things just seem to look so grim. Singapre needs a wake-up call. A revival or sorts. A revolution, if you will.

Actually I think the system here has its merits......but they need to reconsider some fundamental stuff like the mother tougue thingy.....so far the so call changes is quite terrible....to say the least......

They're like wester medicine: treating the symptoms. What we need here is a dose of TCM....

They're like wester medicine: treating the symptoms. What we need here is a dose of TCM....

For mother tougue thingy, I think they need a heart bypass operation.......:yes:

True. Then again, it's very difficult to do, because with all the buildings already laid down, the foundation can be very hard to change.

I like the metaphors in this thread. lol.

True. Then again, it's very difficult to do, because with all the buildings already laid down, the foundation can be very hard to change.

I like the metaphors in this thread. lol.

Metaphors live in our language, be it chinese or english, which is "beautiful" i think........

Emm I don't expect them to have a major change actually but then i hope they at least make an effort to steer things back in the correct direction.....so far it just keeps getting off tangent it seems........

I don't know. It's a sticky situation. It won't be easy. That's definate.

Suddenly this became a Chinese advisory thread! :lol:

Confucius say: It is the irrevocable nature of online bulletin board threads to deviate from the main topic of discussion.... Hoh....

Well now demolition is in full swing.

Yesterday, a standard 'clawer' started demolishing the staircase bearing the school name, facing the main road.

Now, the toilets section had been removed, along with a few classrooms.

Thanks for bringing us firmly back on track here, redstone! :okay:

Is it hard to see your old school building being demolished before your very eyes?

How are you adapting to life in the new building? :)

According to a friend whose grandmother lives in the area, my old school building still bears the school name! What gives? Haha.

Yup, the name is still there...



Not sad...
The new campus is slightly larger, but I never got lost before. :)

Lol. It's not always easy to get lost in large places. My new school building is big and very bright and airy, so it feels really open and easy to get around.

All is gone now except for a 'column' of 8 rooms, and a staircase.

Meanwhile, pilting works for the new block had begun.

cool, was that woodlands secondary school? the cluster of flats in the background of the first pic remind me of marsiling drive flats 33-39.

P.S can someone please check for me the status of the former De la salle primary school campus? I don't remember much, except that it was a pretty small school in teck whye.

P.S can someone please check for me the status of the former De la salle primary school campus? I don't remember much, except that it was a pretty small school in teck whye.

It's still there.

cool, was that woodlands secondary school? the cluster of flats in the background of the first pic remind me of marsiling drive flats 33-39.

.

Mayflower Sec! ;)