School History
Qifa Primary School, previously known as Khee Fatt Study Institution 启发学堂 was set up in 1906 by the Char Yong (Dabu) Association. After the Second World War, Khee Fatt School was officially opened by Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore, on 13 October 1966. Over time, English medium schools became more popular therefore the Association handed the school over to the Ministry of Education in 1984. As a government school, Qifa continues to enjoy a good and unique relationship with its founding organisation.
Khee Fatt School was renamed Qifa Primary School when it moved to its present site at West Coast Avenue on 2nd January 1985, with Mr Yap Kiu Loo as the Principal. Having served the school for 7 years, Mr Yap retired on 5 December 1991. He was succeeded by Mr Lee Kam Chiew, who retired in 2000. Thereafter, Mr Leong Chee Kong took over the helm and retired in 2007.
Jin Tai Primary merged with Qifa Primary in 2008. With the merger of Qifa Primary School and Jin Tai Primary School in 2008, Ms Debra Saw Hoo Yong was appointed as Principal of the merged school. In December 2012, Mrs May Wong assumed principalship of the school. She led the school in its next phase with the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) upgrading to enhance the physical environment to better support the pupils’ learning.
Mrs Catherine Chiang was appointed as Principal in December 2018 to lead the school into its next phase of growth.
Qifa Today
Qifa continues to be a popular school in the Clementi/West Coast neighbourhood, with the school conducting balloting in the P1 Registration Exercise since 2010. It is recognised by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and its stakeholders for its rigorous academic programmes, stellar Aesthetics and Co-curricular achievements as well as numerous other programmes that cater to the all-round development of its pupils.
In April 2014, the school was selected by MOE to offer Effective Communication as its Applied Learning Programme (ALP). The school aims to develop every Qifa pupil into a confident person who communicates effectively, in line with MOE’s 21st Century skills and student outcomes. Volleyball has always been a prominent sport with a strong tradition in Qifa. The school rides on its niche in Volleyball to broaden its impact by introducing the CHAracter Moulding Programme through Sports: CHAMPS @Qifa. In April 2016, CHAMPS @Qifa was recognised by MOE as a Learning for Life Programme (LLP).