Area of
focus: Social Need for Female Education
SCGS’
Past:
Singapore Chinese Girls’ School (SCGS) was the first girls’ school founded and run by Peranakan Chinese (also known as Straits-born Chinese) and provided bilingual education in English and Chinese to Peranakan Chinese girls, at a time when education for females in Singapore was dominated by foreign missionaries and catered mainly to English and Eurasian children.
The
school owes its establishment to a small group of British-educated Peranakan
Chinese men such as Sir Song Ong Siang and Dr Lim Boon Keng. The school, was
founded 1899 by Dr Lim Boon Keng and Sir Song Ong Siang. The school came about
because the founders of the school saw the significant value of education,
especially for females. Hence, these two prominent and elite members of
the Peranakan community championed the importance of educating Peranakan girls.
Dr Lim, in particular, greatly emphasised the need for an all-round
education for girls in order for China to progress. However, traditional
parents remained unconvinced of the need to educate their daughters, and
objected to Dr Lim’s proposal to run the school like an English one.
Nevertheless, the Singapore Chinese Girls’ School was opened on 3 July 1899 at
Deveronside, No. 32 Hill Street, with only seven students and Mary Geary as its
first principal.
The
first two decades of the school’s history were fraught with difficulties. Amid
strong opposition from conservatives, sedans had to be arranged for the girls
to be ferried between the school and their homes in order to avoid public
scrutiny. The
school also faced financial difficulties and a high turnover rate among the
teachers who were often underpaid and under qualified. High rental rates and
the dilapidated state of the school building forced the school to relocate to
new premises along Hill Street in 1906. The situation remained unsatisfactory
as the new premises failed to accommodate the rising enrolment. On 13 July
1908, the school moved again, this time to a new site offered by the colonial
government on the corner of Hill Street and Armenian Street that is now
occupied by the Central Fire Station.
Singapore’s
Past:
Year
|
Event
|
1300
|
The port of Temasek is founded by Sang Nila Utama, a prince
of Srivijaya
|
1819
|
Stamford Raffles arrives in Singapore on the 29th of
January with William Farquhar to establish a trading post for the British
East India Company.
|
1819
|
The treaty is signed between Sultan Hussein of Johor on the
8th of February, Temenggong Abdul Rahman and Stamford Raffles. Farquhar is
installed as the first Resident of the settlement.
|
1823
|
Dr John Crawfurd takes over as Resident.
|
1877
|
The Chinese Protectorate is set up, and William Pickering
becomes the head of it.
|
1899
|
Singapore Chinese Girls' School established.
|
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Extra
information from our research that may be useful to other groups:
School
Experience In The Past:
The structure of education was very different in the past. Firstly, school hours were notably shorter as compared to present times; lessons took place from 10am to 2.30pm. Secondly, the subjects that were offered to students were also less diversified. With the aim of providing the girls an all-rounded education, pupils were taught Romanised Malay, Chinese, Arithmetic, Music, Geography and Sewing in school.
There were several special occasions that took place in the past that holds special significance to the school’s history. One of which would be in 1949 when the school celebrated its 50th anniversary, there was a uniform pageant. Girls wore samfoo uniforms after the war. Lower primary students wore pink, upper primary students wore green while the secondary girls wore blue. From this, came to birth of the present blue school uniform.
Another extraordinary event that took place in the course of our school’s history would be in 1949. In 1949, the school received photos from Queen Mary who sent her best wishes.
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~ Qingru, Laura, Jie Min, Agana and Ruth
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