In yet another move to uphold elitism and reduce competition from non-elite students, the Ministry of Education (MOE) removed 4 neighbourhood Junior Colleges (JCs) – namely Tampines TPJC, Serangoon SRJC, Jurong JJC and Innova IJC. The neighbourhood JCs marked for demolishment are situated in one of the most populous HDB areas in Singapore like Tampines, Jurong, Yishun and Serangoon.
None of the elite JCs concentrated in the affluent precincts were touched, despite having Temasek TJC and Victoria VJC in close proximity. Eunoia JC was newly-built last year to cater for elites’ children studying in the prestigious girls’ schools – CHIJ and SCGS.
The move’s hidden agenda is also to reduce competition for children of elite schools, and giving them priority placings in local universities enrollment. JC students are given higher priority over polytechnic diploma students. The Singapore government is also reducing access to university degrees for Singaporeans, as more degree holders are emigrating overseas.
MOE’s official response for the demolishment of the 4 neighbourhood JCs blamed falling birth rate for the reduction in the number of JCs. The MOE clarified that teachers will not be retrenched and published a propaganda claiming that this is just a “merger to improve quality”.
Read: MOE to remove 11 neighbourhood secondary schools
Read: Neighbourhood school students given hands-down building to study
Despite having doubled Singapore’s population from 2000, the new immigrants in Singapore are not giving birth either and hence further worsening the ageing population issue.
Update: A leaked document online revealed that MOE has also removed 3 secondary schools and 7 primary schools. MOE has confirmed the list as true.
All schools are neighbourhood schools, the list are as follow:
Photo from Reddit