Bukit Panjang Government High School

Bukit Panjang Government High School (BPGHS) (simplified Chinese: 武吉班让政府中学; traditional Chinese: 武吉班讓政府中學; pinyin: Wǔjí Bānràng Zhèngfǔ Zhōngxué) is a co-educational secondary school in Choa Chu Kang, Singapore.

Bukit Panjang Government High School
武吉班让政府中学
Sekolah Tinggi Pemerintah Bukit Panjang
Address
7 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4, Singapore 689809

Choa Chu Kang, Singapore
Information
TypeGovernment-aided
Co-educational
Autonomous
MottoDiligent in study and practice
Established11 January 1960 (1960-01-11)
SessionSingle Session
School code3204
PrincipalMr Chua Lek Hong
Colour(s) Red   Green 
Websitebpghs.moe.edu.sg/

History

Bukit Panjang Government High School was formed in 1960 with the merging of Bukit Panjang Secondary School and Chua Chu Kang Government Chinese Middle School into one single school building at Jalan Teck Whye. It was the first 'integrated' government school in Singapore. The spirit of the school's beginning is described on the cover of the first school magazine: "Dominating the Bukit Panjang horizon are the twin peaks of Bukit Panjang—two peaks but one hill—symbolic of the integrated Chinese and English streams of education which work and play together as one in the valley below."

The school, the first secondary school to be opened in the rural West Zone, was officially opened by the Minister of Education, Mr Yong Nyuk Lin on 11 January 1960. Mr Sun Y-Chern was the first principal of the school. The first annual school sports meet was organised in 1960 and in the same year, the first batch of English Stream students sat for their Cambridge School Certificate Examinations. The Chinese Stream Higher School Certificate classes were started in 1963 and the first batch of Chinese Stream candidates sat for the Government Higher School Certificate and Government Secondary Four School Certificate Examinations in 1964.

In 1967, the School Advisory Committee was formed. The school continued to make great strides in the academic field. In 1970 the school obtained 93.6 per cent passes in the Chinese School Certificate Exams—the highest among all integrated schools. The Chinese Higher School Certificate results were second only to that of National Junior College.

The ECA block was completed in June 1976 and was officially opened by Mr. Chai Chong Yi, Senior Minister of State for Education. In 1979, the school started an audio-corner and SELP classes to help students improve their English Language proficiency. The school band also won the prestigious gold medal award and the Mace of Honour at the 1979 and 1983 Inter-School Band Competitions.

In the 1980s, English Language medium language streams were adopted nationwide. Bukit Panjang Government High worked on improving the standard of English language in the school, which seen by the percentage of 'O' level passes in English Language increasing from below 50% to 98% in 1995.[1] Mr Lee Yock Suan, Minister of Education in 1993, announced that the school was one of the six schools to be granted autonomous status in 1994 and that it would be offering Higher Chinese and Higher Malay from 1995.[2]

In 1993, the school moved from its old premises at Jalan Teck Whye to its present site at 7 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4. The new school building was officially opened on 15 July 1995 by Assoc Prof Low Seow Chay, the member of parliament for Choa Chu Kang SMC. The school moved to a holding site between November 2006 and 2 January 2009 located at 38 Teck Whye Crescent as the campus at Choa Chu Kang was being upgraded under the government's Programme for Rebuilding and Improving Existing schools (PRIME).

Principal
Name of PrincipalYears Served
Mr. Sun Y-Chern1960–1961
Mr. Yao Kwok Wah1962–1966
Mr. Wee Teck Yam1966–1974
Mr. Loo Pui Wah1975–1978
Mr. Chan Tung Fong1979–1981
Mr. Yar Yee Har1981–1995
Mr. Lim Yam Meng1996–1998
Ms. Tan Lay Choo1998–2002
Mrs. Shirleen Ong2002–2007
Mr. Lee Seng Hai2007–2011
Ms Chan Wan Siong2012–2017
Mr Chua Lek Hong2018–present

Notable alumni

References
  1. "18 July 1995". moe.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  2. "LIST OF AUTONOMOUS SCHOOLS" (PDF). Ministry of Education, Singapore. gov.sg. 1 May 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  3. Singapore, Prime Minister‘s Office (5 August 2016). "Mr MASAGOS Zulkifli". Prime Minister‘s Office Singapore. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
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