Raffles Institution (RI), founded in 1823, is the oldest school in Singapore for pre-tertiary education. It is an independent school, providing secondary education through a boys-only Year 1-4 section and pre-university education through a coeducational Year 5-6 section. Its current campus is in Bishan.

Since 2007, the school has offered the six-year Integrated Programme, which allows students to bypass the GCE O-Levels, and take the GCE A-Levels instead. Known as the Raffles Programme, it is offered jointly with its sister school, Raffles Girls' School (Secondary), or RGS.

RI was among the first schools to receive the Ministry of Education's School Excellence Award.^[4] It is a member of various academic partnerships and alliances, such as the G20 Schools and The Winchester Network. It also co-founded the Global Alliance of Leading-Edge Schools.^[5]

RI was awarded the Singapore Quality Award in 2011.^[6] RI is notable for having produced 94 President's Scholars, 3 out of 7 Presidents, 2 out of 3 Prime Ministers,^[7] including the first elected Prime Minister in Lee Kuan Yew, 4 Speakers of Parliament, 7 out of 20 members of the current Cabinet, 6 Ministers of State and 13 CEOs of government-linked statutory boards and agencies.^[8] It is often cited as Singapore's "premier school" and has been recognised as "the top feeder school for the Ivy League universities plus Stanford and MIT, as well as the top feeder school for Oxford University." ^[9][10][11]

School history

Foundation

Raffles Institution was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles, its establishment as the Singapore Institution or Singapore Free Institution was proposed at a meeting he convened on 1 April 1823.^[12][13] Raffles was interested in establishing a college for the people of Singapore since the founding of the colony, and wrote on 12 January 1823 that a site for a planned college had been selected.^[14] The intention was to provide education for the children of local leaders in the new British colony of Singapore as well as the Company's employees and others who wished to learn the local languages. Another objective was to "collect the scattered literature and traditions of the country" so that the most important may be published and circulated.^[15][16][19] Raffles referred to the plan as his "last public act"; by setting up the Institution, he hoped it that it could, through its generations of alumni, serve as "the means of civilising and bettering the conditions of millions" beyond Singapore.^[20] Those involved in the plan for the Institution included Reverend Robert Morrison, Sophia Raffles, William Farquhar, and William Marsden. Although it was initially agreed that it would merge with the Anglo-Chinese College founded by Morrison in Malacca, this plan did not materialise.^[17] Raffles secured a grant from the British East India Company, drafted the curriculum and set up the structure for the board of trustees that included William Wilberforce. Funds for the building of the institution were also raised through subscription. The original building of Raffles Institution was sited on Bras Basah Road, but the institution was moved a couple of times and it is now located at Bishan.^[22]

The first building at Bras Basah was designed by Lieutenant Phillip Jackson, the Garrison Engineer. Raffles laid the foundation stone of the building on 5 June 1823, a few days before he left Singapore for the last time on 9 June.^[22] No classes were held while the building was under construction, however, the project stalled and the building was left unfinished for some time.^[18] Raffles' vision was also not shared by the Resident John Crawfurd, who felt the scale of the project excessive, and that the government should focus its efforts on elementary education instead.^[25] In 1835, a group of European merchants raised money for the Raffles Monument Fund to commemorate Raffles' contribution to Singapore, and proposed that it should be used to complete the Institution.^[22] George Drumgoole Coleman was then hired to finish and extend the original building by Jackson.^[19]

Early years

On 1 August 1834 the Singapore Free School opened on the initiative of Reverend F.J. Darrah, and the number of its pupils grew to nearly 80. When the building for the Institute was completed in 1837, the school applied to occupy the building, a proposal the trustees of the Institution accepted.^[20] The Singapore Free School moved into the building in December 1837, and became the Institution Free School.^[21] It was however established as an elementary school rather than the college that Raffles had initially intended.^[22] Originally the school offered classes in Malay, Chinese and English; however, the Malay classes soon closed in 1842 due to low enrolment, and it would eventually become an English-medium school.^[21] In May 1839, the first wing extension was completed, and the second at the end of 1841. In 1856, the Singapore Institution Free School was renamed Singapore Institution.^[22]

In 1844, the school became Singapore's first institution to enrol girls with 11 pupils accepted.^[21] In 1879, the girls wing of the school was established as Raffles Girls' School (Secondary).

In the 1860s, the school was gradually turned into a high school. In 1868 the school was renamed Raffles Institution.^[22] The most significant headmasters of the period were J.B. Bayley and R.W. Hullett, who oversaw the transition and ran the school for a cumulative period of 50 years.^[21]

The school moved in March 1972 to Grange Road. The old building was demolished and replaced by Raffles City Shopping Centre. The Bras Basah campus's library building is featured on the $2 paper and polymer note in Singapore currency.^[23]

In 1984, it became one of two schools selected by the MOE to pilot the Gifted Education Programme to cater to intellectually gifted students.^[24]

Raffles Junior College (RJC)

In 1982 Raffles Junior College (RJC) was established at Paterson Road to take over the school's burgeoning pre-university enrolment. It subsequently moved to Mount Sinai.

Integration of RI and RJC

In 2004, the new Raffles Programme was offered to Secondary 1 to 3 students. It allows RI students to enter RJC and sit for the GCE A-Levels at 18, without having to sit for the GCE O-Levels, giving them more time to engage in enrichment and co-curricular or passion-driven activities. The curriculum serves to "seek to nurture the best and brightest into men and women of scholarship who will be leaders of distinction, committed to excellence and service in the interest of the community and nation."^[25] This subsequently led to the merging of RI's GEP and Special/Express streams to form a single Raffles Programme stream, and the establishment of its in-house academic talent development programme, Raffles Academy, catering to exceptionally gifted students via subject-specific pullout classes from Year 3 onwards, in 2007.

In 2005, RJC, along with Hwa Chong Junior College, became one of the first junior colleges in Singapore to attain independent status. RJC moved to its new Bishan campus adjacent to RI at the start of the 2005 school year, after attaining independent status and becoming the first Pre-University Institution in Singapore to be awarded the School Excellence Award.

In 2009, RI and RJC re-integrated to form a single institution under the name Raffles Institution to facilitate the running of the Raffles Programme and better align processes and curriculum.^[26]

School identity & culture

Motto

The school motto - Auspicium Melioris Aevi - comes from the coat of arms of its founder, Sir Stamford Raffles. The official translation by the school is 'Hope of a Better Age'.^[40]

Mission & Values

The school's mission of nurturing thinkers, leaders and pioneers of character who will serve by leading and lead in serving is further supported by the institution's FIRE Values - Fortitude, Integrity, Respect and Enterprise.^[27]

Rafflesian 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.^[27]

Houses

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

{{colorbull|Red|round|size=150}} J.H. Moor was the first Headmaster of the school, and whose 4th great-grandson is Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada.^[28]

{{colorbull|Black|round|size=150}} R.W. Hullett was Raffles Institution's longest-serving Headmaster (31 years).

{{colorbull|Yellow|round|size=150}} J.B. Bayley was a Headmaster who "raised Raffles Institution to a large and flourishing establishment", as recorded by the Board of Trustees.^[29]

{{colorbull|Blue|round|size=150}} The Reverend Robert Morrison was the co-founder of Raffles Institution.

{{colorbull|Green|round|size=150}} C.B. Buckley was the Secretary to the Board of Trustees of Raffles Institution.

Year 1 students are sorted into houses by class. In the early years of RI's history, there were ten houses, including a sixth Philips house (purple), later disbanded. House allocations used to be student-based, instead of class-based. Each House is led by a House Captain, a Year 4 student, who carries out his role along with the respective House Committee. The Houses participate in inter-house tournaments and activities, notably including the annual Inter-House Sports Carnival, Dramafeste and the Inter-House Debate tournament, with points earned from each activity contributing to the House Championship which is awarded at the end of the school year.^[30]

Students of the college section were divided into five Houses, the name of which is an amalgamation of its counterparts in RI and RGS:

• Bayley-Waddle (yellow)
• Buckle-Buckley (green)
• Hadley-Hullett (purple/black)
• Morrison-Richardson (blue)
• Moor-Tarbet (red)

Students from the Raffles Programme (RP) remained in the same House for the entire six years, while students enrolled into RI through the Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE) were assigned to a House upon admission.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}} Houses compete in Inter-House Competitions (IHC) annually. Organised by the Students' Council, the events span across disciplines and challenge participants both physically and mentally. The IHC Remix is generally held earlier in the year and comprises the non-Sports events whilst IHC Sports is held later in the year.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}}

Institution Anthem

The Institution Anthem was written by E.W.Jesudason, RI's headmaster from 1963 to 1966. It is sung every Wednesday at both Y1-4 and Y5-6 morning assemblies, at the closure of all formal Institution events as well as in celebration of the Institution's triumphs.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}} Although the anthem refers to Prometheus and God, the school maintains secular principles. The inclusion of Prometheus is due to the literary allusion to passing the torch, signifying the importance of education while 'God' in this context is a historical legacy of the school's British roots.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

Orientation programmes

Year 1: Orientation Camp

The new intake of Year 1 students go through a 3-day orientation camp, involving understanding the school's culture and knowing the campus grounds, and various activities to facilitate class bonding, leadership development, etc. Year 4 Peer Support Leaders (PSLs) guide them through this camp and the rest of the orientation period. At the end of the camp, the Year 1s receive their school badges in the Junior Rafflesian Investiture Ceremony (JRIC), which occurs on the Friday of the Orientation Week.^[31]

Year 5: Orientation Camp

The Y5 Orientation Camp is an event organised by members of the Student Council. Between their acceptance into the Junior College and the start of school, Year 5 students are split into Orientation Groups (OGs) of about 20 each led by 5 Orientation Group Leaders (OGLs) according to houses and participate in a 3-4 day long orientation programme filled with activities and games designed to help students better integrate into Junior College life. A notable activity of every orientation is the learning of the batch dance (4-song medley unique to the batch, done in boy-girl pairs) and either the Sun dance or the Legacy dance (in 2-year rotations). Despite the short period of the orientation, strong bonds lasting for the entirety of two years may be formed among OG mates.

Uniform

The Raffles uniform from year 1-4 is all-white, including a white short-sleeved shirt with the Raffles badge at the top-right corner of the shirt pocket. Lower secondary students (Years 1 and 2) wear white short trousers and white socks. From Year 3 onwards, students may continue in short pants or opt for white long trousers. Shoes are white-based for all students, with the exception of laces, which must be fully white. Year 3 and 4 prefects must wear formal black shoes, except for Physical Education lessons, where they are required to change into appropriate shoes. School ties are worn only for formal occasions. Teachers have a formal gown for special occasions.^[48]

For the college section, boys wear white shirts and long white pants while girls wear medium-sleeved, pleated white blouses and a short, pleated green skirt, with some choosing to wear shorts along with it. Uniform for Year 5-6 boys is largely similar to that for Year 1-4 boys, except in the pleats in the pants and the back of the shirt and the cotton material. The college badge is identical to RI's pre-1990s design; during that period RI slightly modified its badge design.

As of 2014, Fridays are dress-down days (also known in the school as Team Raffles Day); students may don the black Team Raffles polo shirt. This day used to be on Wednesday, until it was changed in early 2014.

Upto 2016, all students were required to wear their ties on schoolwide assembly days. Due to heat-related concerns, administration eased up and made it such that students are only required to wear their ties during formal events.

Discipline

In former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's book The Singapore Story,^[32] he mentions being caned for chronic lateness in the 1930s by the then headmaster, D.W. McLeod. In 1956, a former RI prefect wrote that, during his time there, "boys were caned on their bottoms for even winking at the girls. We did have very good discipline in our time and the boys became good citizens, lawyers, doctors, etc."^[33]

The school continues to maintain strong discipline with a strict set of rules and regulations. Disciplinary measures are based on the Raffles Online Discipline system, introduced in 2011 and adapted from the Year 5 - 6 Section. Prior to the present system, student records were maintained based on a demerit point system, with Reformative Work Order and detention sessions for repeat offenders. These systems are primarily targeted at petty offences. Current school rules include prohibitions on eating and possessing sweetened drinks outside the canteen, physical activity in school uniform (as opposed to PE attire), and changing in class. The discipline framework is administered by the Discipline Master, in collaboration with the RIPB, for Year 1-4 students, and the Assistant Department Head (ADH) for Discipline for Year 5-6 students. For more serious offences, all male students are liable to receive corporal punishment in the form of caning if necessary.^[34]

Curriculum

Raffles Academy

The Raffles Academy (RA), implemented in 2007, is a programme for students with higher capabilities in specific subjects. RA offers a curriculum pitched at a deeper level. During the academic periods, RA students leave their normal classes to join a special pull-out class. For some subjects, compulsory extra classes are also held. The subjects available are History, Geography, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Literature. RI had also offered RA Music from 2010, but stopped offering it in 2016 due to the low cohort size.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

At Secondary 2, students can apply for RA via a submission of portfolio of achievements, selection tests and interviews, before they are identified for RA. Minimum requirements for application include a minimum GPA of 3.6, and an 85th percentile rank in the cohort for the subject in question. Each student is allowed to take a maximum of two RA subjects, to allow students to focus their time and effort on subjects they are truly passionate about.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

If a student decides to take one of Physics, Chemistry and Biology RA, he will be required to take the triple science one humanities subject combination in Year 3 and 4.

The Raffles Academy has also been initiated in the Junior College section in 2009 so that there is a continuation of the curriculum. However, only the Sciences are offered and students who wish to continue taking RA for subjects in RJC will have to sit for a separate placement test at the end of Secondary Four.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

Raffles Leadership Programme

The Raffles Leadership Programme (RLP) is an initiative of the Leadership Development Department, aimed at preparing Rafflesians to take on positions of leadership in school and in life. All Year 3 pupils go through the programme which includes going through the Leadership Challenge Workshop and taking the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Instrument. It also features a one-term residential component at RI Boarding.^[35] The boarding programme started as a trial in 2008 and has now become a full-cohort programme.^[36][37]

Under the RLP, Year 3 pupils also get to take part in a ten-week residential programme in RI Boarding to learn about independent living skills.^[38]

However, due to budget constraints, the RLP Boarding Programme has been scaled down to a 7 week programme in 2019. Popular events such as Boarding's Got Talent, Fruit Fiesta, Midterm Dinners etc have been scrapped on the insistence of the Ministry of Education.

Student Leaders (consisting of all CCALs, ACCALs and Prefects) also get additional training which includes the annual Student Leader Camp, or SL Camp. This takes place around late Term 2 to prepare the student leaders to take up their responsibilities as leaders of their CCAs. Participants board in the school's boarding complex and take part in several team-bonding and leadership-oriented activities both locally and overseas.{{Citation needed|date=November 2011}}

Prefectorial Board (Secondary School Section)

The Raffles Institution Prefectorial Board (RIPB) aims to serve as role models of character, committed to inspiring and rallying the school, so as to forge a united Rafflesian community.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

Since its founding, the RIPB had comprised 5 departments - Communications, Discipline, Human Resource, Welfare and the Gryphon's Committee (the latter's mandate was to drum up school spirit). Its Executive Committee constituted the Head and Deputy Head Prefects, together with the 10 Heads and Deputy Heads of each department. However, in July 2012, after an acrimonious schism between the previous Executive Committee and the teachers who oversaw the RIPB, the teachers initiated a comprehensive review of the RIPB's structure. It was the first in many years for the Board; and after 3 months of dialogues with students, teachers and the school management, the RIPB was streamlined to comprise 2 key branches, Standards and Spirit, reflecting the core mission of all prefects. The work of these 2 branches was supported by the Development branch.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}} This top-down change generated a fair amount of controversy as the objections of numerous alumni to the changes were overruled by the school management.

In 2015, the RIPB had another review of the role of prefects in RI, and after discussions with the school management, the RIPB has come up with a more pertinent board structure that further enables the RIPB to serve the school. As of 2016, the RIPB has 3 main branches, namely Standards, Spirits and Outreach. The RIPB is headed by the Head Prefect and Deputy Head Prefect, together with 3 members of the RIPB Executive Committee. They work closely with the prefects and a team of RIPB teachers to fulfill the mission of the Board.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

The selection of prefects is a rigorous process. Prefects are first nominated by students and seconded by teachers and prefects. The RIPB will then shortlist a number of candidates for interview. A selection camp may also be conducted. Subsequently, potential prefects will be voted in by the school population. In addition to helping maintain order in the school, the Board organizes activities ranging from interest groups to formal occasions. In 2005, the Board raised S$40,000 to buy a van for use by the handicapped at a voluntary welfare organisation, as well as co-organising a Guinness-record-breaking attempt with Dr. William Tan, in aid of a cancer foundation.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

In late 2018, the RIPB Student Executive Committee, along with the teacher mentors, decided to streamline the PB as a whole. The Standards Branch, consisting of Offence Record Systems and Duty Systems Department, remained unchanged while other branches underwent major changes. The Outreach Branch, which previously did not have any divisions, is now split into the Internal and External Outreach. The Inter-Intra Board Relations Department from Spirits branch was disbanded, and a new Student Welfare Department was created. Other departments, such as Match Support and Gryphon's Lair from the Spirit Branch remained unchanged. Prefects were allowed to leave old departments and join new ones. Its benefits are yet to be seen.

Students' Council (Junior College Section)

Members of the Students' Council are selected through a college-wide election process. Each batch undergoes a rigorous selection process, which culminates in the Council Investiture. The Students' Council is headed by a President, who is assisted by his/her EXCO consisting of two Vice-Presidents, two Secretaries, the three Heads of Departments and the five House Captains. As of 2018, the school is served by the 38th batch of Student Councillors.

Class Executive Committee

Every class in Raffles Institution has its own Class Executive Committee (CEC). This consists of three students: a Monitor and two Vice-Monitors. Often, students vote for classmates to take up these positions, but some Form Teachers may choose to select students themselves.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

The CEC Council is made up of representatives from the CEC from each level. These representatives are nominated and voted by all the CEC members in their respective level. It works closely with RIPB to organize events. It also organises inter-class events, such as the inter-class classroom decoration competition and the inter-class soccer tournament.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

Student activities

Co-curricular activities

Secondary School section

Raffles Institution offers about a hundred CCAs under the co-curricular activity (CCA) programme, including sports, uniformed groups, performing arts, and clubs and societies.^[40]

CCAs are categorised as either core or merit CCAs. Core CCAs comprise all sports, uniformed groups and performing arts, as well as Raffles Debaters while merit CCAs consist of all other clubs and societies. Every student of the school takes up at least one core CCA. Merit CCAs are optional, but students are encouraged to take up at least one merit CCA to supplement their core CCA. Certain merit CCAs, such as the Infocomm Club, however, may substitute for a core CCA instead.

The school's sports teams and uniformed groups have earned top places in many national inter-school competitions, doing well in Red Cross Youth, Rugby, NCC, Floorball, Boys' Brigade, and cross-country among others.^[41][42]

The performing arts groups have also done well in the Singapore Youth Festival, held once every two years,^[43] while the clubs and societies have also won awards.^[44]

Junior College Section

The Year 5-6 section offers over seventy CCAs including sports, performing arts, and clubs and societies. Unlike in the first four years of the Raffles Programme, no distinction is made between core and merit CCAs. Students may offer up to two CCAs, no more than one of which may be a sports or performing arts group.

Teams from RI performed well nationally in 2011, with the performing arts groups clinching 15 Golds (including 9 with Honours) and 5 Silvers at the biennial Singapore Youth Festival Central Judging^[45] and the sports teams winning 32 championship titles as well as 24 Silvers and 11 Bronzes at the National Interschools Sports Championships.^[46] The school's Clubs and Societies have also performed excellently in their various national competitions, with Raffles Debaters clinching championship titles and the History and Strategic Affairs Society clinching best school delegation awards at international Model United Nations conferences.^[47]

Publications

The college community is served by Raffles Press, the school's journalism society, which publishes its flagship online student newspaper Word of Mouth. The newspaper includes features, op-ed columns, sports reports and concert reviews. In addition, all staff and most students also receive a copy of the [https://rafflesiantimes.wordpress.com/ Rafflesian Times], the school's official magazine, from the Communications Department.

The journalism society regularly publishes articles dealing with daily school life, recent assemblies and events as well as wider national issues including the SG50 sentiment{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/Southeast_Asian_haze 2015 Southeast Asian haze]{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.

In 2015, students from the school also started an unofficial satirical publication called "The Waffle Press" (a play on the official Raffles Press) that made fun of school events and examinations.

Boarding

Raffles Institution Boarding is housed in a Boarding Complex consisting of five blocks. These are named after the five Houses; Bayley, Buckley, Hullett, Moor and Morrison. Each block, apart from the new Hullett block, can accommodate 90 pupils. All blocks have their own staff, and the Boarding Complex is overseen by several Boarding Mentors.

History

The foundation stone of the Boarding Complex was laid by Lee Kuan Yew on 25 March 1994. The first batch of boarders moved into the Complex in 1996.

During the upgrading works in 2006, the former Moor block was demolished to make way for a 13-storey twin tower hostel, the Hullett block, completed in July 2007,^[65] and the former Hullett block in turn renamed Moor. The three blocks of Buckley, Moor and Bayley houses boys enrolling in Raffles Leadership Programme, whereas Morrison block catered to girls previously.

The boarding complex is undergoing renovation and was expected to be completed by the end of 2012. There will also be a new facade that blends in with the contemporary looks of Hullett block with new windows and new exterior coat of paint. The tiles along the common areas like the staircase and corridors will also be changed to new ones. There will also be new lifts installed at every block. The current games rooms in the four blocks will be shifted into the current reception lobby and in its place, the Buckley block will have a new mini-mart, Bayley a new gym cum dance studio (only for RIB boarders), Morrison and Moor will have new offices for ORA/RPA and the Internationalisation Office. All rooms would also be fully air-conditioned too.

Boarding traditions & culture

Boarders consist of local Raffles Institution pupils and scholars from other countries (mostly China and ASEAN countries), as well as pupils from other secondary schools and junior colleges. The Raffles Leadership Programme's first two cycles, in 2008 and 2009, which first phase was mandatory for CCA leaders, included a semester long (Term 3-4) residential component. The remaining two phases, open to applicants through their CCAs, each had a one term long boarding component. Since its third cycle in 2010, all three phases have been open to all interested Year 3 students, and had a one term long boarding component.

Boarding traditions include formal dinners that are held twice a year, as well as an orientation programme for newcomers. Other programmes include the annual RIB Night.

Campus

The Raffles Institution Year 1 - 4 campus consists of six main blocks on 18.65 hectares of land.{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}}

Yusof Ishak Block (Former Admin Block)

The main building is the Yusof Ishak Block, comprising offices, staff rooms, lecture theatres, study areas and computer labs, as well the Main Atrium. It houses the Year 1-4 General Office and the Raffles Archives & Museum. Major upgrading works were completed in early 2007.^[48]

Science Hub

The Science Hub, opened in 2008, includes facilities for specialised research such as Xploratory-Labs;^[49] as well as Chemistry, Physics and Biology labs. It also houses the Discovery Labs, a Laser Animation/Technology Studio, the Materials Science Lab and the Raffles Academy Home Room. It is connected to the Yusof Ishak Block.

Marshall Block (Former Senior Block)

The Marshall Block, named after Singapore's first Chief Minister David Marshall, houses classrooms for Year 1 students, since year 2013. In the past, the block was solely reserved for Year 4 seniors of Raffles, later the Year 1 students.

Humanities Hub

The Humanities Hub comprises history, geography and literature rooms as well as two circular theatres on the ground floor, and an open-air experimental area. It was in use by Term 3 in 2009. It is connected to the Yusof Ishak Block. {{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}

Sheares Block

The four-storey Sheares Block was built in 1997. It was named after Benjamin Sheares and used to be called the Junior Block. It houses the Year 2 classrooms, computer laboratories, an English Studio used by the Raffles Players, one Chinese language room used by Chinese Cultural Club and a class room used by the Tamil class. It is four storeys high and is designed as a closed building with the classrooms surrounding a central, covered atrium, which is sometimes used for gatherings and activities. In 2012, several seminar rooms were renovated and converted into the Raffles Discovery Studio, which houses recording, video-editing and other related facilities managed by the Education Technology Department. The Raffles Discovery Studio aims to be a model futuristic classroom facility that encompasses smart technology into lesson plans and design, and is in the early stages of development. {{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}

ARTSpace

Formerly known as the Design Centre, the first floor of the ARTSpace houses the art galleries, classrooms, and art and music studios. The second floor has a Gymnasium, which has a roof 2.5 floors tall, and bathrooms. The third floor of the ARTSpace houses the CCA rooms of RI's Uniformed Groups and Guitar Room. The roof of the ARTSpace houses the school's mini-weather station.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}

S. Rajaratnam Block

The 7-storey Rajaratnam Block was completed in 2006 beside the Sheares Block, nicknamed by students and staff as the "Raja" Block. Year 3 and 4 classes occupy the new block, named in memory of the late Mr S. Rajaratnam. The first floor, called the Rajaratnam Block Foyer, has many tables and is used by students to study and Uniformed Groups for training. The second to seventh floor houses 40 classrooms. There are also vending machines in the foyer that sell sandwiches and drinks. Next to the Rajaratnam Block is the Raffles Green, a grass patch used for activities and sports.

CCA Block

The CCA block houses the canteen, CCA rooms and the Albert Hong Hall (AHH), as well as an auditorium which also serves as a drama theatre and performing arts centre. Two squash courts are below the stage in AHH. There is also a gym on the second floor.

Hullett Memorial Library / Shaw Foundation Dining Hall

The Hullett Memorial Library (HML) stands between the Sheares Block and ArtSpace. Co-founded by Dr Lim Boon Keng and Sir Song Ong Siang, it was named after Raffles Institution's longest-serving Headmaster, Richmond William Hullett, in 1923. The Library's official founding (even though a library and museum, from which the National Museum originated, had existed for decades prior to 1923) also marked the centenary of the founding of the institution.^[50] The Library traces its roots to the founding of the Institution, making it the oldest library in Singapore.^[15][51] The origins of Singapore's National Library lie in the HML.^[52]

The library possesses around 50,000 books in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil, also including books written in other none- core languages such as Germanic, and around 40 computers with wireless internet access. It employs full-time staff for administrative purposes, and other tasks are performed by the members of the Hullett Memorial Library Club as well as parent volunteers.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

The library is below the Shaw Foundation Dining Hall, which is where boarders eat. During camps, campers eat here occasionally.

Sports facilities

Raffles Institution offers sports facilities, including an Olympic-size swimming pool. The former 400-metre track and field was replaced by a rugby union field and a softball diamond during the school's upgrading works in 2006.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

The school's gymnasium underwent renovation in 2010, and was used as a training venue for gymnastics in 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, together with that in the Year 5-6 campus.^[53] The school also has two tennis courts, two basketball courts, two squash courts, and two cricket nets.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

There is an artificial soccer turf known as the Astroturf. It used to serve as the Parade Square; the artificial turf was installed around 1995. It was used for school assembly in the morning, and later in the day for hockey training and for individual sports and games, until upgrading works in 2006. Since upgrading works in 2006 were completed, morning assemblies are held at a new area called the Raffles Square, which had been a carpark.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

Following the re-integration with Raffles Junior College from 2009, more sports facilities are available. Floorball, table tennis, judo and gymnastics are RI sports now able to use the Year 5-6 Campus facilities.^[54]

IT facilities

The school has six general-purpose computer labs, one music studio with Prodikeys, and one X-lab, short for Experimental Lab for research in computer studies. Connectivity is supplied to all buildings by the campus LAN, with additional wireless access covering most areas such as the Administrative Block, the Hullett Memorial Library (HML) and the S. Rajaratnam Block. Tablet PCs are supplied by the IT department to facilitate the use of eLearning in a classroom setting.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

The first week of the second term of the academic year used to be dedicated to eLearning. During this week, lessons and materials would be disseminated online for students to study at their own pace, and students were not required to attend school. The programme was initiated in 1999 but scrapped in 2006. Since then, e-learning has been integrated into the school calendar. It is often used by teachers during holidays during term time, for instance on Staff Training Days during term time when students are not required to attend lessons; instead, teachers attend courses held in the campus.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

Alumni

Notable alumni

Politics

• Heads of State
  • Yusof bin Ishak, first President of Singapore.
  • Benjamin Henry Sheares, second President of Singapore.
  • Wee Kim Wee, fourth President of Singapore.
• Heads of Government
  • Lee Kuan Yew, first Prime Minister of Singapore and former Minister Mentor.^[32]
  • Goh Chok Tong, second Prime Minister of Singapore and former Senior Minister.
  • David Marshall, first Chief Minister of Singapore.
  • Haji Omar Lim Yew Hock, second Chief Minister of Singapore.
  • Abdul Razak Hussein second Prime Minister of Malaysia
• Active Singaporean politicians
  • Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade & Industry and Member of Parliament of Tanjong Pagar GRC.
  • Desmond Lee Ti-Seng, Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC.
  • Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Finance and Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC
  • Lim Hng Kiang, Special Adviser to Ministry Of Trade and Industry and Member of Parliament for West Coast GRC
  • K. Shanmugam, Minister for Law and Minister for Home Affairs and Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC
  • Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Education and Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC
  • Png Eng Huat, Member of Parliament for Hougang SMC
  • Saktiandi Supaat, Member of Parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC
  • Zaqy Mohamad, Member of Parliament for Chua Chu Kang GRC.
• Retired Singaporean politicians
  • Howe Yoon Chong, former Minister for Health
  • S. Jayakumar, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Law.
  • Lee Yock Suan, former Minister in multiple portfolios
  • S. Rajaratnam, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs.
  • Balaji Sadasivan, neurosurgeon and former Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
  • Tan Cheng Bock, physician and former Member of Parliament.
  • Viswa Sadasivan, former Nominated Member of Parliament.
  • Othman Wok, former Minister for Social Affairs
• Non-Singaporean politicians
  • Aziz Ishak, Malayan freedom fighter and former Malaysian cabinet minister.
  • Michael Chan, Singaporean-born British physician and politician. He was the second person of Chinese descent to serve in the House of Lords.
  • Sardon Haji Jubir, former Malaysian cabinet minister and Penang state governor.
  • Tan Cheng Lock, founder of the Malaysian Chinese Association, co-founder of independent Malaysia.
  • Tony Pua, Malaysian politician and Member of Parliament.
  • Dr Ong Kian Ming, Malaysian politician and Member of Parliament.
  • Dr Emil Elestianto Dardak, Indonesian politician, Vice Governor of East Java, Indonesia.
• Speakers of Parliament
  • Edmund W. Barker, second Speaker of the Singapore Parliament and former Minister.
  • Abdullah Tarmugi, seventh Speaker of the Singapore Parliament and former Minister.
  • Raymond Lim, former Minister for Transport and former Member of Parliament for East Coast GRC

Public service

• Education
  • Ong Teck Chin, educator and former principal of Anglo-Chinese School (Independent).
  • T. A. Sinnathuray, eminent professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
  • Walter Woon, law academic, writer and fifth Attorney-General of Singapore.
  • Leaena Tambyah, social worker and founder of the first school for children with multiple disabilities in Singapore
  • Wong Siew Hoong, Director-General of the Ministry of Education, and former headmaster of Raffles Institution ^[56]
• Foreign service
  • Albert Chua, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations
  • Tommy Koh, diplomat, lawyer and academic.
• Legal service
  • Ahmad Mohamed Ibrahim, first Attorney-General of Singapore
  • Choor Singh, judge in the Supreme Court.
  • T. S. Sinnathuray, High Court judge
• Military service
  • Lim Bo Seng, World War II resistance fighter based in Malaya and Singapore. He set up Force 136 in Singapore and is regarded as a war hero in Singapore.
  • Lim Chuan Poh, fourth Chief of Defence Force
  • Perry Lim, ninth Chief of Defence Force
• Police
  • Tee Tua Ba, diplomat and former Chief Commissioner of the Singapore Police Force.

Business

• Andy Ong, entrepreneur, writer and property investor.
• Lim Boon Keng, philanthropist and co-founder of OCBC Bank and Singapore Chinese Girls' School.
• Peter Lim, billionaire.
• Robert Kuok, Malaysian billionaire and the richest man in Southeast Asia as of February 2012.

Religion

• Kong Hee, Christian pastor, founder of City Harvest Church, recently arrested in connection with misuse of $50 million in church funds
• Shi Ming Yi (born Goh Kah Heng), Buddhist monk and former Chief Executive Officer of Ren Ci Hospital and Medicare Centre, convicted of misuse of funds
• Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore.

Others

• Andrew Ng, Chinese American computer scientist, former chief scientist at Baidu
• Abdul Ghani Abdul Hamid, writer, poet and artist.
• Alfian Sa'at, writer, poet and playwright.
• Prince Azim, second-born prince of the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah.
• Chandran Nair, writer, poet and artist.
• Choo Seng Quee, famed national football coach in the 1970s
• Quah Kim Song, former national footballer

In popular culture

Raffles Institution was featured in an episode of the Australian version of The World's Strictest Parents. In this episode, teenagers Zaine and Memphis attend the school, only to truant class midway through the day and attempt to take a taxi towards Orchard Road without being caught.^[57]

See also

• Education in Singapore

Notes