Hwa Chong Institution (Chinese: 华侨中学)
File:Hwa Chong Institution Logo.png
Location
661, Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 269734 Singapore
Coordinates	1°19′36″N 103°48′13″E / 1.326540°N 103.803491°E / 1.326540; 103.803491
Information
Type	Independent Secondary School & Junior College Boys (Secondary 1– 4), Coed (JC 1– JC 2)
Motto	Zi Qiang Bu Xi (自强不息)
Established	1 January 2005 from the merger of The Chinese High School (est. 21 March 1919) & Hwa Chong Junior College (est. 1974)
Principal	Ang Wee Hiong
Colours	Red, Yellow
Affiliation	Hwa Chong Family of Schools: Hwa Chong International School, Hwa Chong Institution Boarding School
Guiding Principle	饮水思源
Mission	'With our blend of tradition and innovation, we nurture leaders in research, industry and government, who have the integrity, wisdom, passion and vision, to succeed in the global environment and serve our nation.'
Philosophy	Win-Win 己立立人　己达达人 Live with passion, Lead with Compassion
Website	www.hwachong.edu.sg

Hwa Chong Institution (simplified Chinese: 华侨中学; traditional Chinese: 華僑中學; pinyin: Húaqíao Zhōngxúe) is an independent school in Singapore offering education from Secondary (Junior High) to Pre-University (Senior High) level.

Previously two separate but affiliated schools, The Chinese High School and Hwa Chong Junior College, the Institution was the result of a merger which took place on 1 January 2005. However, the secondary section remains boys-only, while the pre-university (junior college) section is co-educational.

The main campus covers 72 acres (291,373.662 m²) shared between Hwa Chong International School, Hwa Chong Institution College and the High School section.

The high school section, previously known as The Chinese High School, was founded by philanthropist Tan Kah Kee in March 1919, being the first high school at that time in South-east Asia to cater to different Chinese dialect groups.

As early as May 1913, Tan Kah Kee proposed the setting-up of a secondary school for Chinese boys in Singapore. His proposal fell on deaf ears. However, he was supported by the Tung Teh Reading club and a dance troupe, claiming to have raised $20,000 as a building fund. The Singapore Nanyang Overseas Chinese Middle School was then opened in March 1919 at Niven Road, with an enrolment of 78 pupils. Six years and $600,000 later, the school moved to its Bukit Timah campus, with an area of 79 acres.

After the founding of the school, the school offered comprehensive secondary-level Chinese education. It remained funded and supported by Tan Kah Kee until shortly before World War II. The school was closed temporarily in February 1933 because of the resignation of all the teachers. In February 1934 it was reopened with a new principal and staff. In 1934, Lee Kong Chian, whose father-in-law was Tan Kah Kee, became the chairman of the school's board, a post he held until 1957. During his tenure the school attempted to close several times due to financial difficulties, but did not do so because of the backing of both Lee Kong Chian and Tan Kah Kee.

During the Battle of Singapore, the school clock tower with its height and vantage point first served as headquarters for the Allied defenders and then as headquarters for the Imperial Japanese Army. It also served as a temporary concentration camp to hold people for examination during the Sook Ching massacre.

After the war, with education resumed, the school continued its Chinese-dominated education, and in the 1950s and 1960s during periods of civil unrest many students, teachers and alumni took part or led anti-colonial riots.

The arrival of Tooh Fee San, the principal from 1979 to 1999, was a major turning point for the school. Steps were taken to improve the school's facilities. In 1987, The Chinese High School became an independent school. As such, it introduced many changes unprecedented in Singapore, such as the abolition of mid-year examinations in favour of camping trips for the entire school, and the introduction of enrichment programmes such as Projects' Day.

In the early 1990s the school underwent an extensive renovation, which saw the building of a new hall, now called Kah Kee Hall (嘉庚堂), a gymnasium, a renovated tower block and also new classrooms.

In the late 1990s, The Chinese High School embarked on a consortium scheme (a "school within a school" concept). iSpark was set up in 2000 for GEP students and exceptional students from the other consortia. In 2002 Quest and Radix merged to form Ortus.

On 19 March 1999 the school's clock tower was gazetted as a national monument, to mark the significance of the institution as the first Chinese-medium secondary school to be built in Southeast Asia catering to the Overseas Chinese. During the school's 80th anniversary celebrations, renowned artist and old-boy Tan Swie Hian presented the school with a giant sculpture of a heavenly horse (天下之马). The school's heritage centre was formally opened by alumnus and former President of Singapore, Ong Teng Cheong.

The college section, previously known as Hwa Chong Junior College, was established in 1974 at the Bukit Timah Road campus of The Chinese High School as a separate pre-university school, but under the same management board.

Hwa Chong Junior College was given independent status in 2004.

Hwa Chong Junior College was founded in 1974. On 8 May 1987 the school was forced to move out of its premises in Bukit Timah due to structural problems with the building. It held lessons temporarily at Ngee Ann Polytechnic from May to December 1987. It shifted to Bukit Batok Street 34 (Current Swiss Cottage Secondary and St Anthony's Primary School site) until the college premises were rebuilt in 1992.

Three new facilities have been built: the Kong Chian Administration Centre, the Science and Technology Research Centre (SRC) and the Student Activities and Leadership Training (SALT) Centre.

The SALT Centre houses a moot parliament (mock actual parliamentary setting to facilitate student debates and oral articulation). Some CCAs and uniformed groups conduct their activities there.

The new Science and Technology Research Centre houses new research facilities and specialist laboratories. They include a virtual reality cove (a theatre that facilitates the learning and teaching of virtual-reality-related technology), and laboratories for chemical processing, fibre optics and biotechnology (with microbiological rooms). It also houses media art and 3-D animation studios, and an Art Elective centre that focuses on media art, digital videography, animation, digital audio, and traditional arts disciplines such as sculpture and drawing.

The school offers a 6-year Integrated Programme from Secondary 1 to JC 2. Students skip the GCE 'O' Levels typically taken by secondary four students in Singapore. They take the GCE 'A' Levels at the end of the six years, typically taken by junior college students in their second year.

Hwa Chong Institution is also affiliated with Hwa Chong International School and Hwa Chong Institution Boarding School. Both affiliated schools stand on the same campus as the main school.

HCI is one of only a handful of schools in Singapore where boys must not wear long trousers until secondary 4 (the year in which students typically turn 16).

• High School Section (boys' school)
  • Sec 1-3 - White short sleeved cotton shirt with four brass buttons (2 on the shoulders and 1 on each breast pocket); Khaki short trousers
  • Sec 4 - Beige short sleeved shirt; Beige long trousers

• College Section (co-ed school)
  • Male students - Beige short sleeved shirt; Beige long pants
  • Female students - Beige short sleeved blouse; Beige skirt

When wearing the official school uniform, students are required to wear the collar pin, in the form of the school logo, on their left collar. The PE attire, worn by both students from high school and college during PE lessons or other school activities, consists of a white T-shirt (yellow and red sides) with the school's name printed on the front (in English) and back (in Traditional Chinese), and black shorts. College students have their own faculty T-shirts worn during faculty activities. Some CCA groups also have their own custom attire, such as a common T-shirt with a special logo printed on it, worn by members during activities.

Weekly assemblies are held in the high school. The Principal's Dialogue Session is a key highlight of the assembly. Student panelists will select a certain topic of interest for discussion with the school cohort and the principal. Topics for discussion range from school issues to current affairs.

The discipline system in the high school section differs slightly from that of the college section.

In the high school section, male students who break school rules are liable for penalties such as detention, suspension or corporal punishment. In the latter case, strokes of the cane are delivered to the seat of the offending student's shorts or trousers as he bends over a desk or chair. In serious cases, caning may be administered in a ceremony held in front of other students. This is typical of most secondary schools in Singapore.

In the college section, where corporal punishment is not used, students who commit offences are awarded demerit points. Permanent demerit points, given for serious offences, may affect the student's university admission or even his/her future career. The student may lose his/her scholarship if he/she is on one, as well as his/her chance to represent the school in competitions permanently if he/she is in the school team. Temporary demerit points are awarded for minor offences. For every 4 demerit points the student receives, he/she is required to attend a corrective session (CS) similar to detention.

The High School section consists of 4 consortiums - Aphelion^[1], Ortus^[2], ProEd^[3] and iSpark^[4]. The consortiums work closely with one another and each has its own council of students.

The college section consist of 4 faculties: Apollo^[5], Ares^[6], Athena^[7] and Artemis^[8]. Each faculty is named after a Greek deity.

In 2006, the Social and Relations committee of the college's 32nd Students' Council launched the inaugural Faculty Shield. The Faculty Shield is a competition among the 4 faculties in which the faculty with the highest number of points at the end of the year wins the challenge Shield. Points are gained from events that allow each faculty to show their strong faculty spirit, such as the Chinese New Year Faculty Dance competition, the Combined Schools Sports Meet and also the Cheering competition on the final day of CSM.

Inter-faculty competitions, such as Dramafeste and Hwa Chong Idol and other inter-CT CCA competitions also allow each faculty to earn points towards winning the faculty shield. The champion faculties for 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 are Apollo, Artemis, Apollo and Apollo respectively.

On top of the Faculty Shield, faculty life in Hwa Chong is further supplemented by the various faculty events, the most prominent one being the Faculty Outings organised by the Faculty Committees.

Evolving from the former Chinese High Students Union, the current Students' Council is divided into 2 councils, the College Council and the High School Council.

The High School Council (HSC) organises several events for the school. It is made up of 20 Secondary 4 students, together with the Executive Committee (ExCo) of the four consortium councils. The council is divided into 5 different committees, namely Public Relations, Quartermasters (Logistics) (Gao ChuanYu and Jeff Tan), Welfare, Projects and Administration. The HSC also manages a consortium council for each consortium.

The 4 Consortium Councils; Aphelion, ProEd, Ortus and iCouncil, are representatives of the student body and also co-operate with the High School Council in organising welfare initiatives for the students.

The College Council organises 7 major events for the school, namely Orientation (O1), Chinese New Year (CNY), Council Elections, Teachers' Day (TD), Mid-Autumn Festival (MAF), Open House (OH) and the Seniors' Promenade. Besides these 7 major working events, other ad-hoc activities are also organised. These include: SCREAM (Halloween celebrations), Friendship Day celebrations, and H3 (Happy Half hour).

The College Council consists of 4 committees, namely the Co-Curricular Activities Committee (ECACO), the Publications Committee (PUBCO), the Social and Relations committee (SnR) and the Welfare Committee (WELCO).

In 2005, Hwa Chong embarked on a special programme scheme, whereby integrated programme students would be allowed to select a preferred special programme at the end of Sec 2, which he would then take for the next two years. Their eligibility for these programmes is also determined by their year-end results.

The Student Leaders Convention (SLC) is an annual leadership convention and is a flagship event organised by Hwa Chong Institution, organised by students, for students. A convention is held each year, with a few elite schools participating. So far, 15 conventions have been held.

The Singapore Mathematical Olympiad for Primary Schools (SMOPS) is an annual event organised by the Aphelion Consortium of the High School section. It draws 2,000 to 3,000 participants annually. The top scorers for SMOPS will then be invited to the Asia Pacific Mathematical Olympiad for Primary Schools (AMOPS), where competitors from different countries gather to compete.

Hwa Chong Institution's Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) programme embraces a variety of sports, uniformed groups, musical groups, clubs and societies to cater to students' interests. The term EP3 (Enhanced Pupil Performance Programme) has been coined to represent CCA in the high school section to reflect the enlarged scope of the CCA system.

• The Chinese High School
• Hwa Chong Junior College
• List of notable staff and alumni from Hwa Chong Institution

• Hwa Chong Institution school website
• School Information Service - Hwa Chong Institution