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Raffles Institution

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Raffles Institution is an independent boys' secondary school in Singapore. It is well known for being ranked as one of the best secondary schools in Singapore in the official annual school rankings published by the Ministry of Education, together with Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) and Hwa Chong Institution (formerly known as The Chinese High School). Raffles Institution was further recognised by the Ministry of Education in 2004 by being awarded the School Excellence Award (the pinnacle of awards in the Ministry of Education's masterplan), among others. The word 'Rafflesian' is used to refer to any student that has or had attended school at Raffles Institution, Raffles Girls' School or Raffles Junior College


Raffles Institution offers the Integrated Programme, also known as the Raffles Programme (RP), together with Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) and Raffles Junior College. It also offers an internal Gifted Education Programme (GEP/RP), but the GEP has started to merge with the mainstream into a single stream ever since Mr. Bob Koh took over the position of Headmaster.

Founded in 1823 as Singapore Institution by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore, it is the school with the longest history in Singapore. It was renamed "Raffles Institution" in 1868 as a tribute to Raffles.

The current Headmaster of Raffles Institution is Bob Koh Chin Nguang, who took up the post after previous Headmaster Wong Siew Hoong left the school at the end of 2004.

Symbols

Institution Anthem

The Institution Anthem was written by E W Jesudason, (Principal 1963–1966); interestingly, Raffles Institution went for more than a century without having a song to call its own. The school is also secular, despite references to Prometheus and God in the Institution Anthem. The inclusion of Prometheus is for his flame-bringing characteristic, signifying Entrepreneurship while 'God' in this context is used ambiguously and as a reference to a higher being.

Auspicium Melioris Aevi

When Stamford Raffles held the torch
That cast Promethean Flame
We faced the challenge of the day
To give our school a name

The eagle eye and gryphon strength
They led us to the fore
To reign supreme in ev'ry sphere
The sons of Singapore

Come heed the call Rafflesians all
And let our hearts be stirring
We'll do our best whate'er test
And keep our colours flying

Let comradeship and fervent hope
With one voice make us pray
Auspicium Melioris Aevi
With God to guide the way

Motto

The school motto reads "Auspicium Melioris Aevi", Latin for "Hope of a Better Age".

School vision

To be a world-class school delivering an all-rounded education of the highest standards to the best and the brightest.

The Principle Of Honour

In intellectual pursuit,
I shall reflect discipline and passion for learning and in personal conduct,
I shall live in integrity and regard individuals, groups and the community with kindness and respect,
And in so doing, uphold the Rafflesian Principle of Honour.

The Rafflesian Principle of Honour is a guideline to how to live one's life as a Rafflesian. Plaques with the Principle of Honour are placed prominently in each room in the campus to serve as a reminder of one's place in society. The Principle of Honour is taught to the Secondary One students in their orientation programme at the start of the year. It is recited with the right hand raised, palm facing outwards and fingers open.

The school's coat of arms

The original Raffles arms are "Erminois, on an eagle displayed double headed gules an eastern crown or; a chief vert charged with pendant from a chain two oval medallions in pale, the one bearing Arabic characters and the other a dagger in fesse, blade wavy, point downwards, the dexter in relief gold." (See Heraldry)

The two-headed eagle is a traditional symbol of empire - one head looking back on the past to draw strength, and the other, onto the future, symbolizing RI's tradition of drawing strength and experience from the past to excel in the future; in traditional heraldry, this also indicates universality - looking to the East as well as the West.

The chief is decorated with two medallions. They were presented to Sir Stamford Raffles by a Javanese prince. The upper crest bears an Arabic inscription pledging loyalty, and hanging from it, another bearing a dagger. These medallions were incorporated into the crest in recognition of services rendered to the British Empire in the East. Above the Raffles' shield is the helmet of a knight, and above that, the crest, a crown with a gryphon's head couped facing dexter.

The school shield is a modified version of the Raffles coat of arms – granted permission for use by his family. This replaces erminois with or (gold) and the eagle with a gryphon. The gryphon is a stately creature, majestic and strong, symbolizing stability and success for the school. The gryphon's lower lion half symbolises the school's roots in Singapore.

The school motto, "Auspicium Melioris Aevi", is displayed black on gold at the base of the shield.

Awards

Raffles Institution has received many awards over the years as Singapore's premier institution, these awards include

  • Singapore Quality Class (2001-2004)
  • National Arts Education Gold Award (2004)
  • Cherish Gold Award (2004)
  • Partners Outstanding Award (2004)
  • Awards in the MOE's masterplan
    • School Excellence Award (2004-2008)
    • School Distinction Award (2004-2008)
    • Best Practice Awards
      • Student All-Round Development
      • Staff Well-Being
      • Teaching and Learning
      • Organisational Effectiveness
    • Sustained Achievement Awards 2004
      • Physical Fitness
      • Sports
      • Uniformed Groups

Other credentials

The Raffles Institution Bras Basah Campus's library is featured on the $2 paper and polymer bill in the Singapore legal tender.

History

The original campus of Raffles Institution was located along Bras Basah Road, where Raffles City (a hotel and shopping centre) now stands today. The school was relocated to Grange Road in 1973, and in 1990 moved to its current location at Bishan in central Singapore. Its address, at 1 Raffles Institution Lane, makes it the only secondary school in Singapore with a road named after it. The Grange Road campus is now the Teacher's Network, where teachers can go for courses.

Raffles Institution also has an alumni called the ORA (Old Rafflesians Association), noted for its interest and active participation in Singapore's political scene. This includes current Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and current Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and three ex-presidents of Singapore. The Wall of Fame in the Administrative Block of the school has photographs of previous students of RI who have gained recognition today in their respective arenas.

Raffles Institution has had a total of 24 headmasters and principals to date.

The history of Raffles Institution up to 1985 is also documented in the book The Eagle Breeds a Gryphon written by a previous headmaster Eugene Wijeysingha. It has gone through 3 editions, the latest documents the prestigious history till 2003.

Raffles Institution currently has a population of more than 1,900 students. It admits the top 2-3% of students in Singapore based on their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). A large percentage of Singapore's Gifted Education cohort (the top 1% of students countrywide) are in the Special stream.

Culture

Uniform

Lower secondary students wear a white shirt and white shorts. Upper secondary students have the option of wearing long trousers. On Thursdays, the boys wear the school tie for the entire day. Shoes are to be white-based (by rule at least 70% white), and cannot have any flashy or gaudy designs and colours. Socks are no longer banned from going below the ankles, but the practice is discouraged. High-cut shoes are disallowed. Students must wear their badges prominently on the top right side (from the wearer's point of view) of their chest pockets.

There is also a RI polo t-shirt designed for casual wear, which was introduced in 2005. Students may choose to wear this shirt, but limited to Fridays and after school hours on other days.

Teachers have a formal gown for special occasions which include Headmaster's Assembly, a time where the Headmaster delivers his termly address. However, due to the rebuilding that is going on around the school, Headmaster's Assembly has been cancelled for 2006. Male teachers are given special green ties with a single small Raffles Institution crest imprinted on it on the bottom right side.

Affiliation

Raffles Institution is affiliated with Raffles Junior College, and both campuses are co-housed in Bishan side-by-side and run an open campus concept, where students of both schools can access both campuses. Both schools also share a main gate at Bishan Street 21. Students from RI often use the facilities in RJC for various purposes such as PE lessons, CCAs and major lectures. It is also affiliated with Raffles Girls' School (Secondary), and the two schools frequently conduct joint programmes and activities, such as concerts and overseas learning journeys.

Orientation camp

Every year, the new intake of Secondary One students go through an orientation camp, which lasts 3 days and 2 nights. The camp was previously held in the Boys Scout campsites in Sarimbun, a forested area near a Singapore Armed Forces Live Firing Area, with the exception of year 2001, but the school has decided to move the camp to the school campus itself from 2005. Secondary 4 PSLs, or Peer Support Leaders, guide them through this camp, and for the duration of the orientation period. At the end of the camp, the Secondary 1s receive their school badges in the formal Junior Rafflesian Investiture Ceremony. The Orientation Camp serves to imbue them with the Rafflesian way of life and to familiarise them with the Institution campus. Much to the disappointment of the seniors, PSLs are no longer allowed to incorporate push-ups in the camp as a form of punishment or make them do too many push-ups during morning physical training. Many believe this militarised regime is perhaps the most effective way in enforcing discipline in the Junior Rafflesians. This change resulted in feelings that each batch is turning weaker physically and mentally. The year 2005 was the supposedly 'slack' year, when the school decided to hold the orientation camp that year, and in future, in the school campus itself, with the Secondary 1 students sleeping in the school hall instead of the attap huts and dormitories in Sarimbun. Previous batches of Rafflesians endured the elements of nature, together with mud, dirt and sweat from themselves and the Rafflesians around them. Discipline Master Mr Paul Lim has been in charge of the orientation camp from 2005-2006, but since he left the school in late August 2006, the teacher-in-charge for subsequent orientation camps is yet to confirmed.

Each batch of students also has their own batch song, which they will pass down to their Secondary 1 juniors as Secondary 4 students. As a result, the Secondary 4 and Secondary 1 students of any year would share the same batch song. The three batch songs are

OBS camp

At the beginning of every year, the new Secondary Three students would undergo an Outward Bound course in Pulau Ubin. Almost half of Pulau Ubin is owned by the company which runs the course, Outward Bound Singapore (hence the abbreviations). A committee comprising students of the cohort heading for this camp and supervised by the Year Head would oversee the planning and schedule of the camp. After the camp, the Secondary Three students would officially be considered as seniors of the school, thus being permitted to don long pants, which distinguish the Secondary Three and Four students from Secondary One and Two students, who wear shorts instead.

Prefectorial board

The Raffles Institution Prefectorial Board (RIPB) is split into 3 main departments: Wel-Comm, Human Resource and Discipline. Wel-Comm was previously 2 departments, namely Welfare and Communication - but they have been merged so the two departments can relate more interdependently. The Board organises many events and activities, ranging from interests groups to some formal occasions. The Board is also responsible for events such as Rafflesian Spotlight, a competition in the performing arts, ranging from singing to dancing to band performances.

Class Executive Committee

Every class in Raffles Institution has its own Class Executive Committee (CEC). The CEC comprises 4 students, the Monitor, Assistant Monitor, Treasurer and Security Officer, which was a new post started in 2006. Often, the class members vote for classmates to take up these positions, but some Form Teachers may choose to impose this task upon themselves.

The CEC Council is made up of representatives from each level. It works closely with RIPB to organize events. It also organizes the inter-class soccer competition.

School stories

The swimming pool is slightly short of being an Olympic-sized pool, measuring around 49 metres in length. According to school legend, this is because a grave was exhumed during construction at one end of the pool and after it was removed, that section of the pool kept collapsing, making it impossible to build the full 50 metres.

The land which the present campus was built on was formerly occupied by a cemetery, giving rise to numerous ghost stories and reported sightings, especially during overnight camps, outside the staff rooms, science (notably biology) labs and around the Clock Tower. One particularly long-lasting story is of a haunting on the third floor of the Administration Block, in the corridor leading to the Biology laboratories. It is believed that students who walk along the corridor late in the night would see the floating head of a foetus, believed to be the ghost of the actual human foetus preserved in the Biology laboratories.

These legends are told to new Secondary 1 students by their PSLs during the Orientation Camp, usually just before a night hike or after a campfire since 2005, from when their Orientation Camps were held in the school compound.

Houses

The five houses of Raffles, three of which are named after former headmasters, are Moor, Morrison, Buckley, Bayley, and Hullett, represented by the colours red, blue, green, yellow and black respectively.

Moor was the first headmaster of the school; Buckley was a former secretary to the headmaster; Hullett was the Raffles Institution's longest-serving headmaster and one of the most respected; Bayley was a headmaster regarded to have "raised Raffles Institution to a large and flourishing establishment"; and Morrison was the co-founder of Raffles Institution. Of all the five houses of Raffles Institution, only Buckley was not a former headmaster of the school.

The houses determine all teams in intramural sports and competitions, and the results from these competitions are summed up in a yearly point system; as such, the houses are a very important part of the school and command a great amount of loyalty from their members. House Events takes place annually, events include the Track and Field Championship, the Swimming Carnival, Cross-Country run and aesthetics based competitions such as Dramafeste, Debates and Photography. The House Carnivals, consisting various sports, is also a major feature. Academic competitions like quizzes in Maths, Science, Humanities and IT are also part of the overall competition. In the past 5 years, these are the houses that have won the House Championship:

2006: Moor
2005: Bayley
2004: Moor
2003: Morrison
2002: Bayley

Co-curricular Activities

Raffles Institution has a significant Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) programme, with a wide variety (totalling fifty) of sports, uniformed groups, musical groups, clubs and societies.

The school has earned top places in many national inter-school competitions, doing well in swimming, softball, tennis, judo and cricket among others. Air rifle has always been one of the top CCAs in RI, turning out many national athletes. The school used to be a champion in squash back in the 1990s, although recently there have been fewer squash players in the CCA and thus contributing to a weaker squash team. In addition, the basketball team has won the occasional interschool championship. While relatively strong, the rugby team has not won the National Championship for 10 years, due to powerhouses Saint Andrews and ACS (I). The Judo club is also one of the oldest in the school, and regularly produces National Team members.

In recent years, RI has produced many track and field stars that have gone on to perform for Singapore U-18. These include long jumper Wang Kan and sprinters Jonah Tang and Ng Jiayuan, who between themselves have broken many school and national records. Jonah Tang had broken the 'A' division record for 200 metres in the year of 2005, clocking a blistering 21.78 seconds. In 2006, Wang Kan broke a 10-year-old long jump held formerly by Tang Yew Seng. His record-breaking jump measured a staggering 7.07m; bettering Tang's jump by 0.03m.

Shifting the focus back to Raffles Institution, there has been an abundance of talents in RI track as well. Year 2006 proved to be a bumper year in setting records. Ding Liang, Kelvin Yin, Stuart Lee and Raja Kamarul have shattered the previous 4x1 record of 44.00 seconds by clocking an impressive 43.78 seconds. This achievement deserves special mention mainly because the previous record was held by sprint legends such as Jonah Tang and Jia Yuan. Syafiq Poh has also been dominant in Singapore's long jump event. He has broken the U-13 school record thrice and also broken the U-14 record, which is the record held by Sec 2s. As a Sec 1, breaking a U-14 record is no doubt an incredible feat.

The performing arts groups have done well in the Singapore Youth Festival Central Judging, held once every two years, and most have clinched the Gold with Honours award in 2005, the first year the award was introduced into the judging scheme.

Raffles Institution has a system where all students have to take a "Core" CCA, which are CCAs in the competitive sports, uniform group, and performing arts categories. All other CCAs are considered "Merit" CCAs, which must be taken in addition to a Core CCA.

This is a list of the various CCAs in Raffles Institution:

Please note that the list provided here is not exhaustive.

Competitive sports

Uniformed groups

Performing Arts groups

Service clubs

  • Audio-Visual Circle
  • Career Guidance Club
  • Hullett Memorial Library (HML) Club
  • Interact Club
  • Rafflesian Times (Newsletter)
  • Raffles Archives
  • The Rafflesian (Yearbook)

Cultural clubs

  • Chinese Drama Circle
  • Chinese Literary Club
  • Indian Cultural Club
  • Malay Cultural Club

Academic clubs

Special interest clubs

Student interest groups

In 2004, there has also been an addition of Student Interest Groups (SIGs). These are interest groups formed by students themselves. The concept of SIGs was formed by the Prefectorial Board. However, these optional interest groups are not considered as a CCA and students are still required to take at least one core CCA.

Most of the SIGs no longer exist anymore due to various reasons. However, a few successful SIGs have emerged from the programme. One of them is the Raffles Institution Student Entrepreneurship (RI$E) SIG, which has gone on to triumph in nationwide competitions. Another SIG is the Raffles Institution Fish SIG, and also surviving is the Aviation SIG which won the 1st National Air Championship in November last year.

School layout and facilities

The Raffles Institution campus consists six main blocks lying on 10 hectares of land originally slated for the construction of Bishan Junior College. The main building is housed in the Administrative Block, which is linked to the Senior Block where some upper secondary classes are located, the Science Block where the science laboratories are located, and the future canteen, Auditorium and Hall. The administrative block would undergo moderate rennovations come year-end to upgrade and expand existing facilities, such as additional Science Laboratories and a new staffroom.

The Junior Block, which previously housed Secondary 1 and 2 students, is currently the newest block on campus, being completed in 1997. Located within are the current Secondary 3 classrooms, 8 Seminar Rooms, 2 Computer Laboratories and an English Studio in its four stories. It also contains the first retractable sun roof in Singapore, covering the block's atrium.

The Design Centre is home to various facilities. These include the art galleries, art rooms, robotics laboratory, music laboratory, and a Macintosh Lab. The gymnasium and lock-ups for Uniformed Groups are located at the second and third level of the block respectively.

Constructions are currently ongoing for a new 7-storey block on the area located behind the Junior Block, where the Junior Block field once was. It is originally scheduled for completion in late August/early September 2006 but due to delays, it is now scheduled for completion in early October. On 2nd October 2006, the Secondary 1, 2, and 4 classes would be transferred to this block, thus freeing up the main administrative block which would then go under rennovation. This new block is connected to RJC and the Junior Block at opposite ends, and would be named in memory of the late Mr. S. Rajaratnam. A new overhead bridge is also currently being constructed to link Junior Block with the Main block, thus providing a seamless link between RI and RJC.

The canteen block has been demolished to be replaced by newer facilities, which will include an auditorium/drama theatre/performing arts centre. The Albert Hong Hall is currently undergoing expansion works to accommodate more students as well as additional CCA rooms. The Moor Block of the Boarding Complex has been demolished and a new 13-storey, 200-room hostel block is being built on site. The school's track and field has also be removed in favour for a full sized rugby field and softball pitch. Hence, students will now use the track located in the Raffles Junior College premises. Currently, the Shaw Foundation Ceremonial Hall serves as the main eating area for students while upgrading works are being carried out, with the food managed by Continental Delight Catering Services. The entire project will cost an estimate of 36 million dollars and is expected to be completed in June 2007.

Hullett Memorial Library

The Hullett Memorial Library (HML) is situated between the Junior Block and Design Centre and is named after Raffles Institution's longest serving principal, R. W. Hullett. It was founded in 1923, although its roots go back to the 19th century, thus making it the oldest library in Singapore. In fact, the origins of Singapore's National Library lie in the HML. With nearly 49 thousand books in four different languages (excluding the few books on French, Germans and other languages), and around 50 computers with internet access, the HML is one of the most well-equipped secondary school libraries in Singapore. The library employs full-time staff for administrative purposes, and other tasks are performed by the members of the Hullett Memorial Library Club and also parent volunteers. The HML is designed with the era of Sir Stamford Raffles in mind, so the furniture in the library is custom made, according to the regency style furniture that was used in Raffles' time.

Sports facilities

Raffles Institution offers many sports facilities, the largest of which is the 400-metre synthetic track that circles the field. The field is used by CCA groups like rugby, softball and the track and field team to conduct training sessions. In addition to that, Raffles Institution has an almost, but not quite Olympic-sized swimming pool behind the design block.

Due to renovations, the track will be replaced by a rugby field and a softball diamond. The last major event to be held on the track was a Guinness World Record attempt by Dr William Tan, an old Rafflesian who is wheelchair-bound as a result of polio as a young child. Dr Tan embarked on a 24-hour ultramarathon on the 30th and 31st of July, 2005, and beat the old record of 181.2 kilometres with his 242.8 kilometres. For every single moment during his Guinness World Record attempt, even when he was resting, he was kept company by students from Raffles Institution running alongside him, cheering him on. Different levels were assigned different time slots to run with him, with boarders from the RI Boarding House running with him during the night. He was also the first person to break the record of 10 marathons on 7 continents in 70 days.

Raffles Institution has a gymnasium located on the 2nd level of the Design and Technology block housing the judo dojo, table tennis training area, a gymnastics training area and a rock wall. The campus also has two tennis courts, two basketball courts, two squash courts and is one of the few schools to have two cricket nets. These are currently removed as as a result of ongoing construction in the school. Raffles Institution also has an artificial turf commonly known as the "Astroturf" by all in the school. It is used for school assembly in the morning, and later in the day, for hockey training and for individual sports and games. The turf was donated by the Prince of Brunei, in 1994.

The tennis courts, cricket pitch and basketball courts are current not available for use. However, the school is currently sharing facilities with Raffles Junior College, reducing the impact of the situation.

Boarding school

Raffles Institution has a Boarding Complex consisting of five blocks. These blocks are named after Hullett, Bayley, Buckley, Moor and Morrison. Moor used to be the only block catering to girls. However, it has since been demolished to make way for the new twin-tower hostel, which should be ready by January 2007. The Hullett block now caters to girls. Each block can accommodate 90 pupils and has its own staff, which is overseen by a Boarding Master.

Boarders consist of Raffles Institution pupils interested in boarding life, scholars from other countries (mostly China and ASEAN countries), as well as pupils from other secondary schools and junior colleges.

Academic facilities

The administrative, junior, and senior block all contain classrooms. Each classroom is fully air-conditioned with a computer console, a digital projector and an overhead-projector for transparencies. The administrative block has three lecture theatres, one audio-visual theatre (AVT), and one band room which is shared with Raffles Junior College.

In the science block, there are three levels of laboratories — one for each sub-discipline of science, chemistry, physics, and biology. Each floor has four laboratories allocated to it, except for the third floor, which has three biology labs and one Exploratory Lab for research in life sciences.

IT facilities

The entire school has four general-purpose computer labs, one Macintosh laboratory, one Internet Lab (for the study of LAN connections), and one X-lab, short for Experimental Lab (not to be confused with the Exploratory Laboratory) for research in computer studies. Connectivity is supplied to all buildings by the campus LAN, with additional wireless access blanketing most areas such as the Administrative Block and the HML.

Previously, one week during the year was dedicated to "iLearning". During this week, lessons and materials were disseminated online at Edulearn for students to study at their own pace and students were not required to attend school. The programme was initiated in 1999 but it has been scrapped with effect from 2006. It is said that it is because the nowadays students spend too much time on the computer, and since the mission of the programme was to encourage students to use computers, its purpose had already been achieved. Instead, iLearning will be carried out throughout the year, together with normal lessons.

Notable alumni

  • Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore (1959 - 1990), Senior Minister of the Republic of Singapore (1990 - 2004), Minister Mentor of the Republic of Singapore (2005 - )
  • Goh Chok Tong, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore (1990 - 2004), Senior Minister of the Republic of Singapore (2005 - )
  • Dr S Jayakumar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Law (2005 - )
  • Lim Bo Seng, World War II hero
  • Encik Yusof Ishak, 1st President of the Republic of Singapore (1959-1970)
  • Benjamin Henry Sheares, 2nd President of the Republic of Singapore (1971-1981)
  • Wee Kim Wee, 4th President of the Republic of Singapore (1985-1993)
  • S Rajaratnam, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore (1965 - 1980), Minister for Culture of the Republic of Singapore (1968 - 1971), Deputy Prime Minister (Foreign Affairs) of the Republic of Singapore (1980 - 1984).
  • Michael Chew Koon Chan, Baron Chan of Oxton, second person of Chinese descent to serve in the House of Lords
  • Dr William Tan, who set a Guinness World Record for riding approximately 607 laps of the school track (242.8 km) on a wheelchair in 24 hours in 2005 as part of a fund raising effort for charity. The previous world record was 181.2 km.
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