was reading the news online and guess what? RJC is gonna have its own diploma.
yes yes, OMG! OMG!
i know how you feel.
Just four years after introducing its six—year integrated programme for the Raffles family of schools, Raffles Junior College (RJC) is gearing up to take pre—tertiary education in Singapore to a new level.
In what is a first for an established junior college, it is introducing its own school—leaving certificate, the Raffles diploma. This will be awarded to students who undergo a new programme that will see them taking advanced—level modules and building up a portfolio of research projects, on top of their A—level subjects.
And in time to come, the diploma might even become an alternative to the A—level certificate. The junior college is considering offering the diploma, as well as the International Baccalaureate, as choices alongside the A levels. "We recognise that the students want more choices in terms of the types of programmes available to them," said RJC principal Mrs Lim Lai Cheng.
The plans come even as the idea of a merger between RJC and Raffles Institution (RI) both share a campus at Bishan is being discussed. For starters, both will have the same members on their respective boards of management, when the term of the existing RI board ends on May 31.
Beginning with a group of 80 to 100 students to be selected from this year’s JC 1 cohort, the
Raffles diploma programme still a "prototype" will be extended to include a wider pool of students next year, Mrs Lim told TODAY.
Until it gains more recognition and gets accredited, students will be awarded the Raffles diploma along with their A levels when they graduate, which they can use to apply for a university place. Currently, only the NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, which began in 2005, has developed its own educational certificate.
The aim is to give "highly able" and "gifted" students the chance to maximise their potential, said Raffles Academy dean Mrs Reavley Munn—Ye, who is spearheading the new programme.
It will include a community work aspect: In Academic Service Learning, students will take on research projects to develop solutions for socio—economic issues faced by the community.
They may also be attached to research institutes and universities to work on "real—world problems", said Mrs Reavley. "These students will excel at the A levels that’s not a question for them so what we want to do is stretch them beyond what the A levels can offer."
In the 2006 A—level exams, 912 of RJC’s students scored at least three As or more, the highest number among all the junior colleges.
Mrs Reavley pointed out that the new scheme is really an extension of the Raffles Academy programme, under which select secondary school students from the Raffles integrated programme take higher—level modules and project work beyond their curriculum.
"Basically, we’re introducing the Raffles Academy programme at the junior college level," she said.
Talks are also in progress to strengthen the link between the junior college, RI and Raffles Girls’ School (RGS). Merging RI and RJC would streamline the administrative processes between the programmes and allow them to pool resources, said Mrs Lim.
Asked if the merger would be similar to the one between Hwa Chong Junior College and The Chinese High, which became Hwa Chong Institution in 2005, Mrs Lim declined to make the comparison.
She added that details such as whether a chief executive officer would run both schools, or even the name of the school would be worked out over this year.
Some students say a merger would simply be a "formalisation" of the links between the Raffles schools.
"For us, it’s like we’re already part of one school," said JC2 student Ho Wen Jun, 18, who was from RI. "It could be even better in the sense that as students, we can consult a wider pool of teachers from both schools."
Raffles alumnus contacted by TODAY were optimistic, if cautious.
Said Mr Irvin Tan, 25, who studied at RI and RJC: "It’s a good idea... it will be a fledgling programme that’s ultimately a social experiment, so it will need to have proper performance indicators. And you need to ensure that the majority benefits from it."
yes yes, OMG! OMG!
i know how you feel.
Just four years after introducing its six—year integrated programme for the Raffles family of schools, Raffles Junior College (RJC) is gearing up to take pre—tertiary education in Singapore to a new level.
In what is a first for an established junior college, it is introducing its own school—leaving certificate, the Raffles diploma. This will be awarded to students who undergo a new programme that will see them taking advanced—level modules and building up a portfolio of research projects, on top of their A—level subjects.
And in time to come, the diploma might even become an alternative to the A—level certificate. The junior college is considering offering the diploma, as well as the International Baccalaureate, as choices alongside the A levels. "We recognise that the students want more choices in terms of the types of programmes available to them," said RJC principal Mrs Lim Lai Cheng.
The plans come even as the idea of a merger between RJC and Raffles Institution (RI) both share a campus at Bishan is being discussed. For starters, both will have the same members on their respective boards of management, when the term of the existing RI board ends on May 31.
Beginning with a group of 80 to 100 students to be selected from this year’s JC 1 cohort, the
Raffles diploma programme still a "prototype" will be extended to include a wider pool of students next year, Mrs Lim told TODAY.
Until it gains more recognition and gets accredited, students will be awarded the Raffles diploma along with their A levels when they graduate, which they can use to apply for a university place. Currently, only the NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, which began in 2005, has developed its own educational certificate.
The aim is to give "highly able" and "gifted" students the chance to maximise their potential, said Raffles Academy dean Mrs Reavley Munn—Ye, who is spearheading the new programme.
It will include a community work aspect: In Academic Service Learning, students will take on research projects to develop solutions for socio—economic issues faced by the community.
They may also be attached to research institutes and universities to work on "real—world problems", said Mrs Reavley. "These students will excel at the A levels that’s not a question for them so what we want to do is stretch them beyond what the A levels can offer."
In the 2006 A—level exams, 912 of RJC’s students scored at least three As or more, the highest number among all the junior colleges.
Mrs Reavley pointed out that the new scheme is really an extension of the Raffles Academy programme, under which select secondary school students from the Raffles integrated programme take higher—level modules and project work beyond their curriculum.
"Basically, we’re introducing the Raffles Academy programme at the junior college level," she said.
Talks are also in progress to strengthen the link between the junior college, RI and Raffles Girls’ School (RGS). Merging RI and RJC would streamline the administrative processes between the programmes and allow them to pool resources, said Mrs Lim.
Asked if the merger would be similar to the one between Hwa Chong Junior College and The Chinese High, which became Hwa Chong Institution in 2005, Mrs Lim declined to make the comparison.
She added that details such as whether a chief executive officer would run both schools, or even the name of the school would be worked out over this year.
Some students say a merger would simply be a "formalisation" of the links between the Raffles schools.
"For us, it’s like we’re already part of one school," said JC2 student Ho Wen Jun, 18, who was from RI. "It could be even better in the sense that as students, we can consult a wider pool of teachers from both schools."
Raffles alumnus contacted by TODAY were optimistic, if cautious.
Said Mr Irvin Tan, 25, who studied at RI and RJC: "It’s a good idea... it will be a fledgling programme that’s ultimately a social experiment, so it will need to have proper performance indicators. And you need to ensure that the majority benefits from it."
HAIL TO THE ALL NEW RAFFLES DIPLOMA!
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