What Is a Junior College in Singapore

In Singapore, the education system allows graduates from high school to study in junior college for two years before entering university or entering polytechnic school to obtain a diploma.We also look at Junior College in chinese , the names behind the schools.

Junior colleges are a pre-university institution that offers two-year courses that prepares you for the International Baccalaureate Diploma or the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level.

Often, students choose junior colleges to study because it is a different environment where they are treated as an adult and given more freedom. It is considered as the last stage before they begin studying in the stricter path of education in Singapore.

The History of Junior College in Singapore

The junior college educational system was first introduced in the late 1960s as standardization for all pre-university courses offered by high schools in Singapore. It aims to provide a challenging educational environment to help students develop their talents academically and non-academically.

Over the years, the government has provided more funding to help teachers and laboratory facilities to provide more education opportunities for pre-university students. Nowadays they have a single intake system using the O-level exam to minimize overhead and excessive administration work.

Junior colleges use an aggregate grading system called L1R5 that refers to the grades that the student gets from a first language and five relevant content subjects.

An L1R5 score of 20 points or less is needed for a student to gain admission to a junior college. This can be done through Joint Admission Exercise (JAE) or Direct School Admission (DSA)

The Junior College Curriculum

Junior colleges follow a curriculum that is categorized through Higher 1 (H1), Higher 2 (H2), and Higher 3 (H3).

H1 Subjects are worth 1 Academic Unit. H2 subjects are worth 2 units. H3 subjects are “Alternative Ordinary” units.

Students are required to take a minimum of 10 Academic Units (3 H2 + 1 H1) and a maximum of 12 Academic Units (4 H2 + 1 H3) throughout.

The curriculum framework provides students more freedom to choose the subjects that they want, instead of being forced in a specific pathway.

Here are the subjects offered under the current Singapore Cambridge GCE Examination:

Science & Mathematics

• Offered in both H1 & H2 level: Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics
• Offered only in H2 Level: Computing, Further Mathematics

Languages

• Offered only in H1 Level: Chinese Language, Malay Language, Tamil Language
• Offered in both H1 & H2 Level: French, German, Japanese

Humanities and Art

• Offered in H1 level only: General Studies in Chinese (GSC)
• Offered in both H1 & H2 level: History, Literature in English, History in Chinese, China Studies in English, Economics, Geography, China Studies in Chinese
• Offered only in H2 Level: English Language & Linguistics (ELL), Tamil Language & Literature, Translation (Chinese), Chinese Language & Literature, Malay Language & Literature, Theatre Studies & Drama, Art, Music

Commerce

• Offered in H2 level: Principles of Accounting, Management of Business
• Offered in H1 and H2 level: Economics

H3 Subjects

H3 Subjects are more focused on critical thinking. These subjects are in the form of a research paper, research work, or advanced university modules that are approved by the Ministry of Education. Students are able to gain extra credits and skip modules in the University with an H3 paper completed with their other GCE subjects.

1. Research Programmes: NUS Science Research Programme (NUS H3 SRP), H3-STaR Science Research Programme (only offered to students of NJC), Humanities and Social Sciences Research Programme (HSSRP) by National University of Singapore (NUS), H3 NAV Science Research Programme (only offered to students of VJC).
2. University Modules: Modules such as “Managerial Economics” for Economics students and “Geopolitics: Geographies of War and Peace” for Geography and History students are offered and examined by the National University of Singapore.

8 Junior College Merge in 2019

From 2019, eight junior colleges in Singapore will be merged into four. This is due to the decline in birth rates, bringing down the number of junior colleges to 19 schools.

The merged schools and junior college in chinese are:
Anderson JC 安德逊初级学院, Serangoon JC 实龙岗初级学院 – Anderson Serangoon JC 安德逊实龙岗初级学院
Yishun JC 义顺初级学院 , Innova JC 星烁初級學院 – Yishun Innova JC 义顺星烁初级学院
Tampines JC 淡滨尼初级学院 , Meridian JC 美廉初級學院 – Tampines Meridian JC 淡滨尼美廉初级学院 
Jurong JC 裕廊初级学院 , Pioneer JC 先驱初级学院 – Jurong Pioneer JC 裕廊先驱初级学院

Some of the current principals will continue to be the principal-designates of the merged JC’s and the others will be redeployed to the Ministry of Education (MOE) headquarters or other schools.

Most of the teachers have been deployed to other primary schools, secondary schools, JC’s, or MOE’s headquarters.

Junior College in Chinese: Junior College IP Program

Junior College IP Program in Singapore

The Integrated Programme (IP) is a method that allows high-performing students in high schools in Singapore to skip the GCE Ordinary Level Examination) to sit for the GCE Advanced Level exam or International Baccalaureate (IB). These exams are typically taken by junior college students at the end of their second or third year.

Usually, these students are at the top of The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). This provides students with more time allocated for classes that they are interested in. Providing the time and flexibility to be immersed in a combination of different subjects that eventually leads to A-level examination.

Currently, the IP program is offered in 17 schools across Singapore.

How does the IP Program Benefit My Child

Apart from your child not needing to participate in the ‘O’ Level Examinations, IP schools provide the freedom for both academic and non-academic domains. The fast track program keeps your child ahead of their peers by learning higher-level topics. They can learn enrichment programs, including public speaking, leadership, psychology, and problem-solving, that will build life skills beyond the classroom.

If your child becomes more involved in school events, IP students are given opportunities to plan activities for their communities and schools, teaching them values, including empathy, leadership, and responsibility.

If your child is involved in sports, IP provides more time to participate in school competitions to build on their athletic talents.

Is My Child Suitable for the Integrated Programme

While IP is a program that accelerates the growth of your children, both academically, socially, and athletically, understands that it may not be suitable for every child. Over 6% of students drop out before they complete the full six years.

This is all dependent on your child’s ability to manage or adapt to the IP’s curriculum style. As it is more of a flexible curriculum that allows teachers to expose your child to more advanced subjects, it also puts more responsibility for the child to keep track and be disciplined of their progress in school.

The lack of structure means more independence and management of their learning journey. Most schools still conduct aptitude assessment tests to measure your child’s progress to ensure they are ready.

List of Junior College in Chinese and The Entry Grades  in Singapore

These schools are the cut-off for the junior college programs in Singapore.

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