SINGAPORE: Twenty-two secondary schools will merge over the next two years due to falling student cohort sizes, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Friday (Mar 4).
This is the largest merger exercise conducted in the past five years. MOE said Singapore's declining birth rate over the past two decades has led to a similar decline in demand for school places, and this has led to a "significant excess of secondary school places at a national level".
Seven of these 22 schools did not receive any Secondary 1 students for 2016 after the 2015 Secondary One Posting Exercise. About 38,600 students were posted to secondary schools after the exercise.
"SUFFICIENT MASS" NEEDED
The schools affected are:
To merge in January 2017
Balestier Hill and Beatty Secondary, with the school located at Beatty Secondary
Henderson and Bukit Merah Secondary, with the school located at Bukit Merah Secondary
MacPherson Secondary and Broadrick Secondary, with the school located at Broadrick Secondary
North View and Northland Secondary, with the school located at Northland Secondary
Pioneer and Boon Lay Secondary, with the school located at Boon Lay Secondary
Siglap and Coral Secondary, with the school located at Coral Secondary
Si Ling and Marsiling Secondary, with the school located at Marsiling Secondary
To merge in January 2018
Bedok North and Damai Secondary, with the school located at Damai Secondary
Bishan Park and Peirce Secondary, with the school located at Pierce Secondary
Chong Boon and Yio Chu Kang Secondary, with the school located at Yio Chu Kang Secondary
Greenview and Loyang Secondary, with the school located at Loyang Secondary
"Sufficient critical mass is needed for a school to offer a good range of educational programmes and co-curricular activities for its students," the ministry said.
"Schools with low enrolment will find it challenging to offer a good range of educational programmes due to the smaller number of students and this would have an impact on students' learning experience," it added.
NAMES NOT YET DECIDED
The final names of the merged schools have yet to be decided. MOE said these schools were identified based on factors like enrolment size, facilities, and the capacity to accommodate students.
The final school locations were chosen mainly based on their proximity to public transport, and the quality of the buildings and facilities.
The ministry added it will work together with the schools to ensure a smooth transition, and the new locations will also house a heritage space for the schools' histories.
Two pairs of schools merged in 2011, while four pairs of schools which merged started operations this year.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/22-secondary-schools-to/2572566.html?cid=fbsg
This is the largest merger exercise conducted in the past five years. MOE said Singapore's declining birth rate over the past two decades has led to a similar decline in demand for school places, and this has led to a "significant excess of secondary school places at a national level".
Seven of these 22 schools did not receive any Secondary 1 students for 2016 after the 2015 Secondary One Posting Exercise. About 38,600 students were posted to secondary schools after the exercise.
"SUFFICIENT MASS" NEEDED
The schools affected are:
To merge in January 2017
Balestier Hill and Beatty Secondary, with the school located at Beatty Secondary
Henderson and Bukit Merah Secondary, with the school located at Bukit Merah Secondary
MacPherson Secondary and Broadrick Secondary, with the school located at Broadrick Secondary
North View and Northland Secondary, with the school located at Northland Secondary
Pioneer and Boon Lay Secondary, with the school located at Boon Lay Secondary
Siglap and Coral Secondary, with the school located at Coral Secondary
Si Ling and Marsiling Secondary, with the school located at Marsiling Secondary
To merge in January 2018
Bedok North and Damai Secondary, with the school located at Damai Secondary
Bishan Park and Peirce Secondary, with the school located at Pierce Secondary
Chong Boon and Yio Chu Kang Secondary, with the school located at Yio Chu Kang Secondary
Greenview and Loyang Secondary, with the school located at Loyang Secondary
"Sufficient critical mass is needed for a school to offer a good range of educational programmes and co-curricular activities for its students," the ministry said.
"Schools with low enrolment will find it challenging to offer a good range of educational programmes due to the smaller number of students and this would have an impact on students' learning experience," it added.
NAMES NOT YET DECIDED
The final names of the merged schools have yet to be decided. MOE said these schools were identified based on factors like enrolment size, facilities, and the capacity to accommodate students.
The final school locations were chosen mainly based on their proximity to public transport, and the quality of the buildings and facilities.
The ministry added it will work together with the schools to ensure a smooth transition, and the new locations will also house a heritage space for the schools' histories.
Two pairs of schools merged in 2011, while four pairs of schools which merged started operations this year.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/22-secondary-schools-to/2572566.html?cid=fbsg
