ST : Nan Chiau High to become SAP school

Nov 14, 2010

Nan Chiau High to become SAP school

By Leow Si Wan

From January 2012, Nan Chiau High School will become the 11th Special Assistance Plan (SAP) school.

The school in Sengkang will join the 10 current SAP secondary schools - which include Anglican High, Catholic High and Dunman High - in nurturing a conducive environment for the learning of the Chinese language and culture.

Yesterday, Education Minister Ng Eng Hen, the guest of honour at the Singapore Hokkien Festival held at the Singapore Conference Hall, said: 'The school will build on its good academic track record and strengths in Chinese language-related activities to enhance its SAP programme over the next few years.'

Dr Ng, who said the Education Ministry (MOE) had studied the need for another secondary SAP school, added that the percentage of O-level students taking Higher Chinese had gone up from 17 per cent in 2000 to 28 per cent this year.

'With the growing number of students taking Higher Chinese, it is timely for us to establish an additional SAP school to support these students to pursue Chinese to as high a level as they are able to attain,' he said.

Nan Chiau, a school under the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan, is the first school to join the SAP family in 10 years.

Nine of the present SAP schools were established in 1979, while Nan Hua High School became one in 2000.

Dr Ng cited Nan Chiau's good academic track record, strong Chinese culture and high proportion of students taking Chinese as Mother Tongue Language (MTL) as some reasons for its selection.

He added that the school - which is also a Centre of Learning for Chinese in the North zone - will provide an additional option for students in the north-east to further their interest in and aptitude for the Chinese language.

The school also offers a wide variety of co-curricular activities related to Chinese culture, including Chinese orchestra, calligraphy and Chinese dance.

MOE will work with the school to facilitate its transition into a SAP school.

Nan Chiau will continue admitting Normal course students and those taking non-Chinese MTLs for next year's Secondary 1 intake. From 2012, the school will accept only Express course students taking Chinese or Higher Chinese as MTL. The Normal course will be phased out over five years.

Dr Chin Chee Kuen, executive director of the Singapore Centre for Chinese Language, set up last June to fine-tune the way Chinese is taught in schools, said the establishment of another SAP school would be beneficial to the education scene.

He said: 'China's influence will continue to grow, and parents know that it is important for their children to master the language.

'With Nan Chiau, there will be more opportunities for our students to study the language in a conducive environment, so this is good news.'