Seletar Institute

Seletar Institute (Abbreviation: SI; Chinese: 立德高级中学) was one of the four original centralised institutes (CI) in Singapore and one of the pre-university centres in Singapore that offers a three-year curriculum leading to the Singapore Cambridge (UCLES) General Certificate of Education Advanced Level examination.

History

SI was established as Singapore's third centralised institute in 1988 and began operations with 17 members of staff and 186 students in January 1989, embarking on the three-year ‘A’ level commerce course, functioning at the holding site in then vacant Upper Thomson Secondary School ex-campus. SI moved to her final venue at 14.5 miles Upper Thomson Road (Upper Thomson Road is designated with the mile marking, an exclusive feature for this stretch of motorway) in 1990, opposite Springleaf Road.

The institute receives extensive funding from the Ministry of Education (MOE), which allowed the annual increment of facilities and refurbishing of most of the buildings, until when in 16 August 1995, when MOE announced that Seletar Institute will not be expecting any intake of prospective ‘A’ level students in the coming year of 1996.

In 1990, SI was relocated to 14.5 miles Upper Thomson Road with a new campus. The new site consists of eight classrooms, a multi-purpose hall, an AVA room, computer room, two lecture theatres (LT) and a language laboratory. The institute modernises routinely throughout her seven years of existence, open a library, the third LT and four more classrooms in 1991; fourth LT, gymnasium, weights room, fitness stations, art studio and students’ locker room in 1992.

Air-conditioners were installed extensively throughout campus, A conference room, printing room, counselling room, resource rooms and staff lounges added in 1993; repainting, renovations and upgrades throughout campus in 1994; volleyball court added, walkway to Block B from the canteen constructed and Internet introduced in 1995; when at last in 1996 a student’s computer corner was added to facilitate students without internet access or computer.

Seletar Institute was a relatively advanced and sufficiently modernised pre-university centre compared to other JCs and CIs. However these innovations and efforts would all go into waste when in 1998, the campus would be abandoned.

Closure

On 16 August 1995, the Ministry of Education announced that Seletar Institute will not be enrolling new ‘A’ level students as of the academic year of 1996. In December 1997, SI closed down when her final batch of students graduated. The closure comes at a time when the government policy on after secondary education was moving towards self-sufficiency and in favour of training young professionals without going to university in post-secondary education institutes.

By 2004, all the four original centralised institutes in Singapore have closed. Jurong Institute (JI) and Outram Institute (OI) merged to become Millennia Institute as of January 2004.

In her final two years of 1996 and 1997, more students left SI after their three-year course and when finally, left with a sole final batch that would graduate in 1997. This resulted in extra spaces for activities, more vacant classrooms and more resources concentrated on the welfare of each student. SI went on to create and design a nurturing environment for the final batch students, introducing programmes such as Special small-group tuition, renovating classrooms into Special Subject Rooms where all students are entitled space for decoration and their expression of artistic talents.

Paradoxically, when the institute was in her final academic semester, morale among the students were at an all-time high, most teaching staff from 1995 remained and that there was no imminent sign of closure throughout the campus, as all gardens, pathways, corridors, classrooms and venues were well-maintained.

In December 1997, SI closed down and the campus would only open again briefly for the returning alumnus in early-1998 to collect their 1997 GCE ‘A’ Level Examination results. The last principal of SI, Mrs Lysia Kee, was strongly worded throughout the final phase of the institute’s existence, citing repeatedly in morning assembly speeches that there will be no retention as a transfer for JC/CI was not feasible, and that the institute must cease all academic operations by November 1997.

ee also

*Education in Singapore
*List of schools in Singapore
*Millennia Institute
*Townsville Institute