Zhenghua Secondary School
Zhenghua Secondary School (Abbreviation: ZSS; simplified Chinese: 正华中学; traditional Chinese: 正華中學; pinyin: ZhènghuáZhōngxué; Malay: Sekolah Menengah Zhenghua) is a government co-educational secondary school located at Bukit Panjang, Singapore. Founded on 15 December 1999, the school offers secondary education leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examination or the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination.
| Zhenghua Secondary School 正华中学 Sekolah Menengah Zhenghua | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
91 Senja Road, Singapore 677741 | |
| Coordinates | 1.3887°N 103.7652°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Government Co-educational |
| Motto | "Engage and Create" |
| Established | 15 December 1999 |
| Session | Single |
| School code | 3617 |
| Principal | Mr Eugene Lin |
| Enrollment | approx. 1500 |
| Colour(s) | Red Black White |
| Website | zhenghuasec |
History
Zhenghua Secondary School was established on 15 December 1999. The founding Principal was Cynthia Goh. She served as the school's Principal for 3 years, from December 1999 to December 2002. It was under her guidance that the pioneer batch of Head Of Departments and teachers, crafted the school's crest, song, its motto, creed, mission and vision.
Initially, ZSS was temporarily housed in Greenridge Secondary. The school only moved to its own premises at 91 Senja Road in December 2000. In 2001, it was the school's turn to be hosts, sharing its premises with West Spring Secondary for a year. During Goh's tenure that The school had the Handover Ceremony on 18 April 2001 and the Official Opening Ceremony on 1 November 2002. The Guest of Honour was former MP, Mr Gan Kim Yong who is now the Minister of Manpower.
In December 2002, Goh retired from the education service. Lim Kuan Min, former Principal of Bishan Park Secondary, took over as the second Principal of Zhenghua Secondary School with effect from 15 December 2002.
The first Vice Principal was Shawal Hussein who served from June 2002 to July 2005. He was succeeded by Dennise Yap who was posted to Zhenghua Secondary School in July 2005 and served until September 2009. Lee Seck Yeong joined the school on 15 December 2006 and served until 2014. Kalvindar Singh was posted in on 15 December 2009 and served until 2017.[1] Currently, there are two Vice-Principals; Hartati Bte Osman and Phor Hoay Guan, who started serving the school from 2014 and 2017 respectively.[2]
Principals
| Principal Name | Years Served |
|---|---|
| Cynthia Goh | 1999–2002 |
| Lim Kuan Min | 2002–2010 |
| Fiona Tan | 2010-2014 |
| Eugene Lin | 2014–present |
Vice Principals
| Vice-principal Name | Years Served |
|---|---|
| Shawal B Hussin | 2002–2004 |
| Dennis Yap | 2005–2008 |
| Lee Seck Yeong | 2006-2014 |
| Kalvindar Singh | 2009–2017 |
| Hartati Bte Osman | 2014–Present |
| Phor Hoay Guan | 2017–Present |
Culture
Uniform
In the school, male students in Secondary 1 to Secondary 5 are required to wear a red short-sleeved shirt with black long trousers, and white or black socks with black shoes. Female students in Secondary 1 to Secondary 5 are required to wear a red tucked out short-sleeved shirt, black skirt which must cover the knees, and white or black socks with black shoes. Female students may opt to wear shorts underneath the skirt at their own discretion. Students are also given the choice to wear a ‘polo t-shirt’. It is made out of a more comfortable material than the ‘formal’ uniform.
Discipline
The school implemented a strict set of rules and regulations. Students in the school if found out to have committed any offences will be punished. Punishment includes detention and suspension. Discipline matters are usually handled by the Discipline Committee, who are based in the Blue Room, which also serves as a detention area.
Academic information
Being a government secondary school, Zhenghua Secondary School offers three academic streams, namely the four-year Express course, as well as the Normal Course, comprising Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) academic tracks.
O Level Express Course
The Express Course is a nationwide four-year programme that leads up to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examination.[3] In year 2009, 75% students in Sec 4 Express course have at least 5 O levels passes, and 92.5% of the Sec 4 Express course students have at least 3 O levels passes. As for the students in Sec 5 Normal Academic course, 41.3% have at least 5 O levels passes and 80.4% have at least 3 O levels passes.[4]
Academic subjects
The examinable academic subjects for Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level offered by the school for upper secondary level (via. streaming in secondary 2 level), as of 2017, are listed below.[5]
Notes:
- Subjects indicated with ' * ' are mandatory subjects.
- All students in Singapore are required to undertake a Mother Tongue Language as an examinable subject, as indicated by ' ^ '.
- "SPA" in Pure Science subjects refers to the incorporation of School-based Science Practical Assessment, which 20% of the subject result in the national examination are determined by school-based practical examinations, supervised by the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board. The SPA Assessment has been replaced by one Practical Assessment in the 2018 O Levels.[6]
| Sciences | Language & Hunanities | Arts & Aesthetics |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Normal Course
The Normal Course is a nationwide 4-year programme leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination, which runs either the Normal (Academic) curriculum or Normal (Technical) curriculum, abbreviated as N(A) and N(T) respectively.[7]
Normal (Academic) Course
In the Normal (Academic) course, students offer 5-8 subjects in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination. Compulsory subjects include:[8]
- English Language
- Mother Tongue Language
- Mathematics
- Combined Humanities
A 5th year leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examination is available to N(A) students who perform well in their Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination. Students can move from one course to another based on their performance and the assessment of the school principal and teachers.[7]
Normal (Technical) Course
The Normal (Technical) course prepares students for a technical-vocational education at the Institute of Technical Education.[8] Students will offer 5-7 subjects in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination.[8] The curriculum is tailored towards strengthening students’ proficiency in English and Mathematics.[8] Students take English Language, Mathematics, Basic Mother Tongue and Computer Applications as compulsory subjects.[8]
Co-curricular activities (CCAs)
Zhenghua Secondary School offers a total of 21 co-curricular activities (CCAs), 20 of which are joinable. They are categorised into four main groups; Uniformed Groups, Clubs and Societies, Sports and Performing Arts.[9] List of Co-Curricular Activities in Zhenghua Secondary School is featured below.
| Uniformed groups | Clubs & societies | Sports & athletics | Performing arts |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Notable alumni
- Aliff Aziz: Singer/Actor based in Malaysia
External links
References
- Zhenghua Secondary School Web Archived September 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- "Zhenghua Staff – ZHENGHUA". Retrieved 2020-02-27.
- "Express Course Curriculum". www.moe.gov.sg. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
- Zhenghua Secondary School Web Archived November 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- "School Information Service". Ministry of Education, Singapore. Ministry of Education, Singapore. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- "GCE O-Level Syllabuses Examined in 2018". Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB). Archived from the original on 2017-04-28. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
- "Secondary School Courses". www.moe.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 2017-07-04. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
- "Normal Course Curriculum". www.moe.gov.sg. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
- Zhenghua Secondary School Website (CCA List)