Hwa Chong Institution Boarding School

Hwa Chong Institution Boarding School is a boarding school in Singapore.

The boarding school began its operations in 2002, and was officially opened in 2003 by then deputy prime minister Mr. Lee Hsien Loong. The boarding school hosts a multitude of students from different countries, mainly scholars from The People's Republic of China, and other ASEAN nations. There are also local Singaporean boarders, who are mainly students from Hwa Chong Institution.

Each 18-24 boarders will be assigned with a cluster mentor, who provides a link between boarding school and parents and who is concerned with all aspects of his/her education, personal development and welfare.

Vision and mission

To become a world-class boarding school of distinction and to develop leaders of tomorrow for the global community

Desired outcomes

The boarding school is committed to the holistic development of its boarders in a stimulating and caring environment so that they :
* Develop a sense of responsibility for self, others and the environment
* Become independent and life-long learners
* Relate well and confidently with others in a culturally-diverse community
* Care and contribute to others within and beyond the boarding community
* Develop qualities of leadership and teamwork

Boarding complex and facilities

Designed by renowned architect Kenzo Tange, the state-of-the-art complex consists of seven 6-storey blocks (Hall A - Hall G) providing accommodation for up to 1,000 boarders. Each hall has 5 residential levels (6 for Hall E, F and G), in which each level is separated into left and right clusters, each supervised by a cluster mentor.

Boarders' Council

The Boarders' Council is a student committee elected by the boarding school population. It acts as a bridge between boarders and the boarding school staff. The Boarders' Council is also responsible for the organization and planning of major events such as Investiture Dinner, National Day Celebrations, Year-End Dinner and Chinese New Year. The first Boarders' Council was formed in year 2001. The president of the 8th Boarders' Council is Gu Bingze.

General boarding rules

Study time

Study time is fixed at 2000 to 2130 hrs. Students from Secondary One to Secondary Three are required to go to the multi-purpose hall during this period of time for supervised self-study. Dinner time is from 1745 to 1945 hrs.

Curfew

The general curfew of HCIBS during weekdays is 8:00pm for all students. The curfew during weekends (Friday night, Saturday night) and eves of public holidays is 2330h.

If students are to be late, they will be required to produce a short leave permission upon entry to the boarding school. The short leave permission is to be signed by legal guardian, cluster master or teacher in charge of activities.

However, if students are back to the hostel after 10:30pm on weekdays, or after 11:30pm on weekends (Friday night, Saturday night) and eves of public holidays, an overnight leave will be required. Otherwise, demerit points will be issued to the students with regardless of the reasons for the late return.

Criticism

The boarding school has been criticised by several of its boarders. This is mainly due to the high cost of boarding, which can range from SGD $8000 to SGD $16000 for a room annually. This has resulted in only relatively wealthy students staying in the boarding school. Also, the poor quality of general amenities such as laundry and computer equipment has caused discontent among the boarders. Finally, the boarding school has been said to be overly strict, owing to the study time where no discussion is allowed even for group work and other projects.

Affiliations

* Hwa Chong Institution Boarding School is a subsidiary boarding school of Hwa Chong Institution
* It holds professional memberships in
** The Boarding Schools' Association, United Kingdom (BSA, UK)
** The Australian Boarding Staff Association (ABSA, Aust)

External links

* http://www.hcibs.edu.sg/