Tanjong Katong Primary School

Infobox Singapore School
name = Tanjong Katong Primary School
丹绒加东小学 (Dānróngjiādōng Xiǎoxué)
Sekolah Rendah Tanjong Katong


motto = Nothing but the best
established = 2001
type = Government
session = Single
principal = Cheong Ye Ling
city/town = Marine Parade
school code = 1773
enrollment = 1700 (as in 2007)cite news | author = Mavis Toh| title = United colours of Tanjong Katong Primary | publisher = "The Sunday Times" | date = 16 September 2007| page=]
colours = Green
homepage = http://schools.moe.edu.sg/tgkps/

Tanjong Katong Primary School is a government primary school, located on Seraya Road in Tanjong Katong, under Marine Parade Planning Area in the East Region of Singapore.

History

Establishment

Tanjong Katong Primary School was a new school which began operations on 2 January 2001.A total of ten new primary schools were opened in Singapore in 2001. Four of them were brand new schools, while the remainder six were formed from the amalgamation of 13 old schools: cite news | author = Yvonne Koh| title = Four primary schools to open | publisher = "The Straits Times" | date = 1 July 2000| page=H64] It was formed with the amalgamation of three schools — Fowlie Primary School, Haig Boys' School and Mountbatten Primary School — under the Ministry of Education's (MOE) Programme for Rebuilding and IMproving Existing schools (PRIME). PRIME is a programme that was initiated by MOE in 1999 to upgrade and rebuild existing school buildings in Singapore, providing a physical environment conducive to learning and creative thinking for students. Schools with small enrolment and which are near another would be merged to optimise the use of resources.cite web |url= http://www.moe.gov.sg/prime/prime.htm|title=PRIME: Programme For Rebuilding and IMproving Existing schools|date=2005-10-06|accessdate=2007-09-21 |format= |work= Ministry of Education (Singapore)] A new school building was built on Seraya Road for Tanjong Katong Primary School's merger in 2001.cite web |url= http://www.moe.gov.sg/prime/dgp/marine_parade/primary_sch/tanjong_katong_pr/tanjong_katong_pr.htm|title= Tanjong Katong Primary School|date=2005-10-06|accessdate=2007-09-21 |format= |work= Ministry of Education (Singapore)] cite web |url= http://www.tanjongkatongpri.moe.edu.sg/html/schoolbackground.htm|title=Tanjong Katong Primary School: School History|date=|accessdate=2007-09-21 |format= |work= Tanjong Katong Primary School]

The school was officially opened by then-Minister for Community Development Abdullah Tarmugi on 15 July 2004.

Foreign students

Tanjong Katong Primary School is a popular school with the expatriate community in Singapore. 40% of the school's enrolment are foreigners, with the school's 1,700 pupils coming from 39 different countries in 2007. As a result, Tanjong Katong Primary School has the most diverse student population among all government-operated schools in Singapore. First Toa Payoh Secondary School comes in at second place with students from 19 countries.cite web |author=Pearl Forss|url= http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/296502/1/.html|title=Queues form at Tanjong Katong Primary ahead of registration|date=2007-08-28|accessdate=2007-09-21 |format= |work= Channel NewsAsia]

When Tanjong Katong Primary School opened in January 2001, about 100 foreign children registered for places at the school. As the new school was then not relatively well-known among Singaporean parents, the local expatriate community gradually found out that the school had more available vacancies and so more proceeded to register their children at the school. Today, the school is well-established, resulting in high local demand and limited places for foreign students. As a result of its diverse student population, the school has earned the reputation of being the "local international school" and a "mini United Nations". Many of these expatriates preferred to enrol their children into a local government school as school fees are less expensive than those at an international school.cite news | author = Jane Ng | title = United Nations Primary: Foreign pupils are bringing a rich diversity to S'pore schools | publisher = "The Straits Times" | date = 12 May 2005| page=] cite news | author = Maria Almenoar | title = Fruitless queue for all but one parent | publisher = "The Straits Times" | date = 29 August 2007| page=] cite news | author = Maria Almenoar, Lin Xinyi | title = More than enough places for kids in final phase | publisher = "The Straits Times" | date = 31 August 2007| page=]

While South KoreanThere were less than 40 South Korean pupils in Tanjong Katong Primary School in 2003; this number increased to more than 100 in 2006: cite news | author = Vincent Leow| title = Korean study mamas | publisher = "The Sunday Times" | date = 31 December 2006| page=] , Chinese and Indonesian pupils outnumber the rest, there are also children from more distant countries such as Yemen, Norway and Israel. The foreign children enrolled have had to adjust to the Singapore school system due to different language abilities. Teachers also faced different parental expectations: Foreign parents usually ask that their children be given a lighter workload while local parents ask for the opposite.

Primary One registration in 2007

Due to the popularity of Tanjong Katong Primary School with expatriate parents, parents anxious to get their children into the school started queueing for Phase 3 of the Primary One registrations from 8 p.m. on 27 August 2007. This was despite the registration starting only in the morning of 30 August. Phase 3 registration is meant for foreigners who do not have Singapore permanent residency, though citizens and permanent residents who have yet to secure a place could also apply. Places are usually given out on a first come, first served basis.cite news | author = | title = Queues form 3 days early | publisher = "The Straits Times" | date = 28 August 2007| page=] cite web |url= http://www.moe.gov.sg/esp/schadm/p1/phases.htm|title= Phases of Primary 1 Registration Exercise|date=2007-05-23|accessdate=2007-09-21 |format= |work= Ministry of Education (Singapore)]

When Phase 3 registrations started on 30 August, there were still 6,000 available places across all primary schools in Singapore. Principals had advised parents against homing in on certain schools since all schools provide quality education. In spite of this, camping tents were set up at Tanjong Katong Primary School, maids were asked to queue, and parents came prepared with packets of food and blankets. On 29 August, MOE had informed the parents that the school had only one place left, and that place would go to the first person in the queue as balloting would not be carried out unlike in the earlier phases. Despite this, four of the original 11 parents continued to remain in the queue.cite news | author = Maria Almenoar | title = More than 6,000 places left | publisher = "The Straits Times" | date = 29 August 2007| page=] cite web |author=Pearl Forss|url= http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/296751/1/.html|title=Queue continues outside Tanjong Katong Primary School|date=2007-08-29|accessdate=2007-09-21 |format= |work= Channel NewsAsia] Unlike Tanjong Katong Primary School, where maids dominated the queue, the queue at Yangzheng Primary School consisted entirely of parents — mothers during the day and fathers at night: cite news | author = Yeh Wei Xuan | title = Mums take day shift... dads take night duty | publisher = "The New Paper" | date = 30 August 2007| page=14] cite news | author = Sheralyn Tay | title = Expats want the right school, too | publisher = "Today" | date = 31 August 2007| page=]

In view of the school's popularity, parents, both locals and foreigners, have already signed up to do volunteer work so that they can enjoy priority in enrolling their children for the 2009 intake. MOE has assured that while parents may not obtain a place at the school of their choice, there are enough places in schools for all eligible Primary One children to receive a quality education.cite news | author = Tan Tow Koon | title = Pri 1 places available for all eligible children | publisher = "The Straits Times" | date = 1 September 2007| page=]

Highlights and achievements

*Tanjong Katong Primary School offers unusual co-curricular activities such as golf, cricket, bowling and pottery.cite news | author = Maria Almenoar | title = Unusual CCAs aplenty so pupils spoilt for choice | publisher = "The Straits Times" | date = 1 November 2004| page=]
*Tanjong Katong Primary School is one of the schools under the Retired & Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP), which is a charity under the auspices of Singapore's National Council of Social Service. RSVP champions volunteerism by senior citizens, who helps to mentor latchkey children from the school.Retired doctors, managers and other senior citizens are helping to brighten the future of under-privileged latchkey children in Singapore: cite news | author = Cheong Suk Wai | title = RSVP: You're invited | publisher = "The Straits Times" | date = 4 June 2002| page=] cite web |url= http://www.rsvp.org.sg/mentoring.htm|title=RSVP Singapore: Mentoring Programme|date=2004|accessdate=2007-09-21 |format= |work= RSVP Singapore]
*In 2001, Tanjong Katong Primary School collected 1,326 bottle caps to raise funds for the Society for the Physically Disabled. The school collected the most number of caps among the nine schools which took part in the charity drive. The metal from the caps were donated to the Prosthesis Foundation in Thailand to make artificial legs.cite news | author = Margaret Perry | title = Bottle caps net $45,000 for disabled | publisher = "The Straits Times" | date = 28 August 2001| page=H5]
*In 2007, Tanjong Katong Primary School was awarded a Bronze for the National Arts Education Award by Singapore's National Arts Council.cite web |url= http://www.nac.gov.sg/new/new02a.asp?id=327&y=2007|title=National Arts Education Award 2007 - Primary School Receives First Gold|date=2007-08-14|accessdate=2007-09-21 |format= |work= National Arts Council Singapore]
*In 2008, The Tanjong Katong Primary Netball Team came out as champions in the East-Zone Netball Championship for both Senior & Junior Team. This is the 2nd year in a row they have achieved that.Fact|date=July 2008
*Manchester United Under-14 star Emmanuel Lee played for Tanjong Katong Primary School and guided the team to a runners-up spot in the East-Zone Championships in 2006.

Notes and references

Further reading

*cite news | author = Melissa Sim | title = Good schools boost value of property: With MOE's 1km rule, condos and HDB flats near top schools sell well | publisher = "The Sunday Times" | date = 10 July 2005| page= Private condominiums such as Spring @ Katong, The Carpmaelina, The Shelford and Glentrees were selling well, despite the oversupply of condominiums in 2005. The report attributed this to their location within 1 kilometre of popular schools like Tao Nan School, Tanjong Katong Primary, Nanyang Primary School and Henry Park Primary School.

External links

* [http://schools.moe.edu.sg/tgkps/ School website]
* [http://app.sis.moe.gov.sg/schinfo/index.asp Ministry of Education: School Information Service]