Nan Chiau High School

Nan Chiau High School is a co-educational government-aided institution in Sengkang, Singapore affiliated to the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan. It offers the G3 course only, for secondary education.
Founded in 1978, the institution operates under the Special Assistance Plan, with the mission to nurture bilingual and bi-cultural scholars who are highly knowledgeable in the Chinese language and culture. Affirmed as the North Zone Centre of Excellence for Chinese Language, the institution is known for its strong Chinese foundation in terms of teaching of the language and promulgation of the heritage and culture, which are not confined to the classrooms.
To date, Nan Chiau High has nurtured three President's Scholars, and is currently one of Singapore's leading schools for Infocomm Technology. It is also one of the joint organisers of the National Secondary School Chinese Creative Writing Competition.

History

Nan Chiau Teachers' Training College (1941–1947)

Nan Chiau High School was initially established as Nan Chiau Teachers' Training College in 1941 by Mr Tan Kah Kee, a Chinese businessman, community leader and philanthropist, to support the local education needs. The initial schooling site was incorporated from mansions donated by Mr Lee Kong Chian, on a plot of land in River Valley. The campus was used as the base and training barracks for Dalforce, a Chinese volunteers' army formed promptly before the Japanese invasion in 1942.

Nan Chiau Girls High School (1947–1984)

After the war, the demand for education rose, especially for high school education. There was also a rising need to cater to students enrolled in the elementary schools affiliated to the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan. Thus, Nan Chiau Teachers' Training College was converted into a girls' high school on 8 March 1947, featuring a primary school section. Mr Yang Zhen Li was the first principal of the institution, which had an initial student enrolment of 900 students. A female hostel was also built in the 1950s. By the 1960s, Nan Chiau Girls' High had gained reputation as one of the state's top high schools. In 1965, the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan spent 2 million dollars to rebuild Nan Chiau Girl's High School to meet the needs of an increased student enrolment. During the re-construction, the high school section conducted lessons at a temporary campus at Guillemard Road, while the primary school section continued lessons at the unaffected classroom blocks of the Kim Yam Road campus. The new campus was officially opened by then Minister for Education Mr. Ong Pang Boon, on 8 March 1969.
In 1974, the student population of the institution went up to 2700, the highest in the school's history, with 48 classes in the six-year high-school section and 24 classes at the primary-school section. Two-year pre-university classes were also offered to top students alongside senior high classes, with good GCE Advanced Level examination results yearly. To cope with the increased enrolment, additional 300 thousand dollars was spent for constructing the 5th storey of the school building.
In 1978, Nan Chiau Girls' High was initially included in the list of 12 newly accorded Special Assistance Plan schools. However, with the concern from the Ministry of Education over the surplus of school places that might hinder the success of the scheme, the number of SAP schools were amended to nine, which excluded Nan Chiau Girl's High School. In 1980, the institution ceased senior high and pre-university classes following the changes to the education system, and adopted English as its language medium. As student enrolment started to decline, the institution went co-educational in 1984 with the enrolment of male students, and was renamed "Nan Chiau High School"

Relocation to Sengkang

In the 1990s, calls for Nan Chiau High to consider attaining independent status surfaced amidst shrinking student population, stating of the institution's ample human and financial backing along with its affiliation with several Special Assistance Plan primary schools, under the auspices of Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan. Nearing the end of the decade, the declining student population became more significant and the institution was on the verge of permanent closure. In 2000, Nan Chiau High School relocated to Sengkang New Town under an agreement with the Singapore Land Authority. The primary section separated to form Nan Chiau Primary School and relocated to 50 Anchorvale Link. That year, Nan Chiau High School was also ranked the top value-added school in the Ministry of Education's 1999 ranking of Special/Express schools in Singapore.

Attainment of SAP status

In November 2010, Nan Chiau High School was formally recognised by the Ministry of Education to be included as the 11th Special Assistance Plan school, with effect from 2012. The news was given by minister of education Dr Ng Eng Hen during his opening address at the Singapore Hokkien Festival, and was welcomed by numerous school alumni and educators, noting that the institution could finally fulfil its mission to preserve and advocate the Chinese heritage and culture with more support from the government. In commemoration, a public musical performance was staged at Nanyang Polytechnic on 23 June 2012. Themed "Equilibrium", the musical was the first public performance in the institution's history to have the production and songs composed entirely by teachers and students.
On 29 December 2013, a home-coming event was held at the former Nan Chiau High School campus at 46 Kim Yam Road, which thousands of alumni, former and present principals, teachers and staff of the institution gathered at the former school hall in a brunch buffet setting. The event was held before the official relaunch of the site of the former campus as a commercial development of offices, schools and F&B establishments.
In March 2015, Nan Chiau High School celebrated its 68th anniversary. Themed "Appreciating our Past, Inspiring the Future", the event was graced by Guest-of-Honour, Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, which saw the school and the community coming together to mark the occasion with a celebration of SG50, the outstanding achievements of the students, as well as the completion of the school's upgrading works which cost 2.67 million dollars. The school upgrading works were co-funded by the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan, comprising a revamp of the canteen and the air-conditioned library, as well as the construction of the park square and a new 300-seat auditorium.

70th anniversary

Nan Chiau High School commemorated its 70th anniversary in 2017 along with Nan Chiau Primary School. On 27 January 2017, a total of 3,398 staff and students of both institutions came together to craft knots on a triple-ring with red strings, which resembles the school logo. The event set a national record for the most people making knotted rings together. A dedicated maker-space was also opened on 10 March 2017. Named The Nest, the tools-equipped space allow students to design, construct or modify meaningful or handy items in their own accord.
On 1 August 2017, Nan Chiau High was featured in an episode of Channel 8's "When The Bell Rings" documentary series. This eight episode documentary series featured eight Special Assistance Plan Schools in Singapore, and told stories of their transformation through the times. The episode on Nan Chiau High was the fourth episode to be aired.
In January 2018, Nan Chiau High School became one of the first 62 institutions in Singapore to pilot the Singapore Student Learning Space, a nationwide online learning portal developed jointly by the Ministry of Education and GovTech. The SLS empower students to conduct self-directed learning through a variety of interactive resources, and assist teachers in designing meaning learning experiences that promote critical thinking and teamwork among students.

Introduction of Language Elective Programme (LEP)

On 28 May 2019, Minister of Education Ong Ye Kung announced that Nan Chiau High School will offer two year Chinese Language Elective Programme at upper secondary level along with nine other selected institutions from 2020. First introduced in 1990 at the junior college level, the LEP programme aims to nurture students who excel in mother tongue languages through the study of literature and participating in cultural activities, and has been highly regarded for nurturing effectively bi-cultural and bilingual leaders across industries.

Principals

Name of Principal	Native Name	Years served
Yang Zhenli	杨振礼	1947 - 1950
Qiu Rentuan	邱仁端	1951 - 1960
Lin Fanglan	林芳兰	1961 - 1968
Kau Ah Suo	高亚思	1969 - 1988
Su Wei Cher	苏伟哲	1989 - 1997
Ng Lee Huat	黄利发	1998 - 2004
Yeo Kuerk Heng	杨昱贤	2004
Ong Kian Choon	王建春	2004 - 2010
Tan Yee Kan	陈毅刚	2010 - 2018
Siau Fong Fui	萧芳辉	2019 - 2022
Ler Jia Luen	吕佳伦	2023 -

School identity and culture

Nan Chiau High shares its heritage with several other institutions in Singapore with the same founder. The name of the institution is a direct phonic translation of the term "南僑" in Chinese which meant the Overseas Chinese of the Southeast Asian region, particularly the Malayan Peninsula. The name of the institution is a reflection of its mission to empower youths through education, shared along with several other institutions which share the same identity, such as The Chinese High School as well as Nanyang Girls' High School.

Motto

Nan Chiau High School's motto, Sincerity & Perseverance, is set after the philosophy of its founder, Tan Kah Kee. The motto is also shared by all Hokkien Huay Kuan schools, as well as several institutions in mainland China with the same founder, such as Xiamen Jimei Middle School of Fujian, Jimei University & Xiamen University.

"Sincerity" or 誠, meant to be truthful to self and others
"Perseverance" or 毅, meant the dedication and persistence in the pursuit of excellence in the face of challenges.