School Information
Introduction
Hwa Chong Institution is the culmination of the watershed merger between the former Chinese High School (founded 1919) and Hwa Chong Junior College (founded 1974) in 2005. Following the merger, the mega-school pioneered a range of ground-breaking initiatives and attained the Singapore Quality Award (SQA) status in 2010 and the SQA with Special Commendation in 2016, which mark the school as a world-class institution.
Offering a seamless and broad-based six-year Integrated Programme (IP), Hwa Chong caters to the needs of top students from Singapore and the region. The strength of Hwa Chong’s education is in our ability to combine academic excellence with a range of learning opportunities beyond the classroom.
Hwa Chong is more than a school that produces scholars and world champions. We strive to empower our high ability students to achieve their potential and live their aspirations, while embracing the values of passion, innovation, integrity, empathy and responsibility.
Rich History & Distinguished Heritage
Founded in 1919 by Mr. Tan Kah Kee, the Chinese High School was established to cater to the needs of overseas Chinese primary school leavers in Southeast Asia. Today, it is one of the finest educational institutions for high-achievers and the gifted in the region. Its reputation as a premier school is based not only on academic excellence but more importantly, character and leadership development.
The Chinese High School was among the first three schools to turn independent in 1988. With its new-found autonomy, the school launched a series of innovations and set new trends in education. Meanwhile, the former Hwa Chong Junior College (HCJC) was established as Singapore’s first government-aided junior college (JC) in 1974. In 2004, HCJC became the country’s first independent Junior College.
The joint efforts of the Chinese High School (新加坡南洋华侨中学) and Hwa Chong Junior College (华中初级学院) in offering the Integrated Programme heralded another major change in Singapore’s education landscape. In 2005, the two premier schools merged to become Hwa Chong Institution (华侨中学) – the first mega-school in Singapore – and were subsequently designated the High School Section and the College Section respectively. After the merger, the Institution is committed to offering students an unrivalled holistic education.
In 2019, HCI also celebrated her 100th Anniversary since its inception as The Chinese High School in 1919. A series of celebratory events including a gala dinner, heritage trail as well as keynote lectures and forum discussions by thought leaders from various fields were held over the course of the year. The Centennial Celebrations centred around the theme 砥砺自强，厚德载物, meaning “To strive ceaselessly for self-improvement; to serve virtuously for communal growth”.
School Campus & Facilities
Built on a 29-hectare (72 acres) landscaped site, the school campus boasts a top-class sporting complex, Olympic-sized swimming pool, gymnasium, shooting range and outdoor courts. The school is the first institution to provide world-class educational facilities like the Science Research Centre (SRC) and the Ong Teng Cheong Student Activities and Leadership Training (SALT) Centre.
The multi-storey SRC has 10 research laboratories and special culture rooms for biotechnology projects, while the SALT Centre enables students to develop their passion and leadership in various Co-Curricular Activities. In addition, the campus houses a modern boarding school designed by the world-renowned Kenzo Tange and can accommodate up to 1,000 students.
In 2016, the Holistic Education Centre was completed. It houses a student services wing, Guidance Centre and Learning Spaces. A three-storey high Indoor Sports Hall was also operational in 2017. With the Tan Kah Kee MRT Station right at the school’s doorstep, HCI is easily accessible via the Downtown Line.
In 2019, the Jing Xian library underwent a major revamp and extensive renovation. It now boasts amongst its splendid facilities a dedicated performance space, a cozy corner with a wide selection of board games, exhibition spaces and multimedia areas for ICT-based lessons. Our Jing Xian library is now a library of the future – a space of creative possibilities combined with integrated classrooms that support greater learning and research styles.
On the school’s 101st Founders’ Day in 2020, the Kuo Chuan Centennial Art Gallery (KCCAG) was officially opened. The Gallery now houses the works of Singapore’s pioneer artists such as Liu Kang, Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Wen Hsi and Chen Chong Swee, who were former Hwa Chong teachers. Other featured pieces by established alumni artists include Lim Tze Peng, Tan Soo Kuan, Chia Yu Chian, Ho Ho Ying, Mak Kum Siew, Choey Kwok Kay and Tan Teo Kwang; showcasing Hwa Chong’s distinctive artistic heritage.
In 2021, the High School Kong Chian Library was reopened after an extensive revamp. As a learning hub that brings together the best of the physical and digital, the Library promises rich print and virtual repositories, modern spaces for collaboration, creation, performance, and learning, as well as exciting programmes that ignite the passion for reading in its iconic neoclassical interiors with a contemporary touch.
The campus is constantly refreshed with new facilities to create a conducive and enriching environment. The school looks forward to the completion of new projects, such as the installation of lifts at both the College and High School, an upgraded Tech Centre as an Innovation Hub, housing new facilities such as the AI Lab, and various technology-enabled learning spaces. Moreover, as part of the celebrations of our 105th anniversary this year, the Heritage Gallery, housed in our Kuo Chuan Museum, will be officially opened. All these bring us closer to our vision of creating a Smart and Green Campus, which delivers a future-ready and robust curriculum for our staff and students.
Innovative Curriculum & Pedagogy
The school has achieved eminence as one of the top institutions offering wide-ranging school-based special programmes that develop talents in every area of strength. Some of these innovative programmes are the Science and Mathematics Talent Programme (SMTP) and Integrated Boarding Programme (IBP), which have nurtured budding scientists, entrepreneurs, and most of all, well-rounded leaders with global awareness who are strongly anchored in moral ethics.
The recently introduced Computing Talent Programme (CTP) aims to nurture future architects and leaders with global literacy, morals and values in the computing profession. Students in the programme will not only experience the latest developments in various fields of technology, but also attend learning journeys and immersion trips to learn about the ecosystem locally and abroad.
In addition, HCI is also the talent centre for MOE special programmes and national initiatives. These include the Humanities Programme, Chinese Language Elective Programme, Bicultural Studies Programme (BSP) and Art Elective Programme (AEP). The school was also selected as part of the FutureSchools@Singapore initiative, which uses innovative technology to design teaching pedagogy and enhance our students’ learning experiences.