San Yu Adventist School

San Yu Adventist School (SYAS) is a private Christian school in Singapore which caters to students from ages 7 (Primary 1) to 16/17 (Secondary 4, GCE 'O' Levels).[3][4] It follows the local education system and is fully owned and operated by the Singapore Adventist Conference. The current school was a result of the merger of two Adventist schools: the English-medium Seventh-day Adventist School previously located in Upper Serangoon Road and the Chinese-medium San Yu High School.

San Yu Adventist School
三育中小学
Sānyù Zhōngxiǎoxué
Address
299 Thomson Road

307652

Singapore
Information
School typePrivate
MottoThy Word is Truth
DenominationSeventh-day Adventist Church
Established1907 (Seventh-Day Adventist School)
1958 (San Yu High School)
PrincipalShee Soon Chiew, EdD
Faculty24 full-time
1 part-time
GradesP1-S4
GenderCoeducational
Age7 (P1) to 16/17 (S4/5)
Enrolment600+
CampusUrban
AccreditationAAA[1]
CPE (EduTrust)[2]
YearbookMorning Glory
Websitewww.syas.edu.sg
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It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian school system.[5][6][7][8]

History

The present-day San Yu Adventist School is the product of a merger of two schools: Seventh-day Adventist School and San Yu High School. The histories of both schools are intertwined with the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Singapore.

SYAS has a long history of welcoming students from other countries and continues to have a diverse student population. In the past students were mainly from ASEAN countries. Since the merger, non-ASEAN countries represented over the years include China, Japan, South Korea, India, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, Portugal and Australia.[9]

Seventh-day Adventist School

Seventh-day Adventist School (SDAS) traces its origins to the "Eastern Training School" founded in 1907 by the former Malaya Mission (which encompassed the former British Malaya). It was originally located on Mount Pleasant Road near Dhoby Ghaut. It moved to Serangoon and then renamed Singapore Training School not long after. In 1916, it moved to 273 Upper Serangoon Road not far from the current Woodleigh MRT station. During the Japanese Occupation the school was closed as were many other fellow Christian schools and institutions and reopened after the Japanese surrendered and left the island. After the war the primary and secondary section opened to its first students. In 1952 the school was renamed "Southeast Asia Union College" (SAUC). Due to government regulations, the primary and secondary section was split from the college and named "Seventh-day Adventist School"[10] but remained on the same campus as the college. SDAS mainly catered to local students or children of college faculty and staff as it used the local curriculum (English medium) while expatriate missionary children attended Far Eastern Academy (FEA). The compound along Upper Serangoon was a hub for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Singapore as the Southeast Asia Union Mission headquarters and neighboring Youngberg Adventist Hospital[11] were located there, in addition to SAUC and SDAS.

FEA was founded in 1926 in Shanghai before war and political instability forced it to relocate to various places, finally setting in Singapore when World War II ended.[10] Located at 800 Thomson Road, it used the North American curriculum and catered to the missionary community, most of whom were from North America, in Southeast Asia. It was closed in the 1980s and most of the land was sold to be developed into a condominium. The remaining land owned by the church was redesignated 798 Thomson Road and is home to the SAUM headquarters.

San Yu High School

San Yu High School (三育中学) was founded at the current Thomson Road premises by the West Malaysia-Singapore Mission in 1958.[10] It was a Chinese medium school founded with 167 students and seven teachers.[12] In 1962 the Seventh-day Adventist Chinese Church located next to the school took over operations. For a period it offered both "O" and "A" Levels. Pre-university courses (A Levels) were discontinued in 1995 in line with the government's policy of centralising A Level education at junior colleges.

Merger

In 1996, backed by the MOE, the church voted for a merger of SDAS and San Yu High. The government had notified the church that the area along Upper Serangoon Road near Potong Pasir, which includes the church-owned compound and Bidadari Cemetery across the road, was to be acquired for the building of the North East MRT Line and for redevelopment. In 1997 the schools were merged and renamed "San Yu Adventist School" and the former San Yu High's existing campus at Thomson Road was renovated to prepare for the increase in students, a result of the merger. While the Thomson Road campus was being renovated, staff and students from the former San Yu High moved to Upper Serangoon Road. By 1999 compound at Upper Serangoon closed for good as SAUC graduated its last batch of students, SYAS moved to its newly renovated campus and the SAUM headquarters moved to 798 Thomson Road.[13]

The former site at Upper Serangoon Road is now occupied by condominiums and Stamford American International School while SAUC's assets were transferred to Mission College (now Asia-Pacific International University) in Thailand and other remaining property was moved to Thomson Road campus.

Academics

SYAS is opened to students from Primary 1 to Secondary 4 and follows the national curriculum. All Primary 6 students take the PSLE near the end of the school year. Students entering secondary school who speak English but not fluent enough to enter the mainstream classes will join the Preparatory Secondary 1 Foundation class to assimilate them into the Singapore education system. Most students enter the regular four-year Express stream leading up the O Levels. After completing their secondary education nearly all students go on to polytechnics or junior college.

Students generally take a minimum of 5 O Level subjects. Bible Knowledge is required for all students.

Pastoral care

As a Christian school, students are required to attend chapel services. A full-time chaplain is available and attends to the spiritual aspects of school life. The school ceases all operations on Saturdays in conjunction with church practices.

See also

References
  1. "2019 Adventist Accrediting Association (AAA) — Record of Accredited and Authorized Secondary Schools" (PDF). Adventist Accrediting Association. October 2019.
  2. "Private Education Institution Profile: San Yu Adventist School". Council for Private Education. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
  3. "Private Education - Admission into Private Schools". MOE. Archived from the original on 2012-06-03.
  4. "Singapore Education System - Private Schools". MOE. Archived from the original on 2012-07-04.
  5. "For real education reform, take a cue from the Adventists". The Christian Science Monitor. November 15, 2010. the second largest Christian school system in the world has been steadily outperforming the national average – across all demographics.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-03-23. Retrieved 2016-03-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Department of Education, Seventh-day Adventist Church". Retrieved 2010-06-18.
  8. Rogers, Wendi; Kellner, Mark A. (April 1, 2003). "World Church: A Closer Look at Higher Education". Adventist News Network. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  9. "Edvantage - Going native for a good cause". AsiaOne. 11 August 2010.
  10. "Chronology of Seventh-day Adventist Education: Century of Adventist Education 1872 – 1972" (PDF). General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Department of Education.
  11. "Youngberg Wellness Centre: About Us". Youngberg Wellness Centre. Archived from the original on 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
  12. Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Volume 153, Part 1. Review and Herald. 1976. p. 308.
  13. History
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