Zhenghua Secondary School

Zhenghua Secondary School (Abbreviation: ZSS; Chinese: 正华中学; pinyin: ZhènghuáZhōngxué; Malay: Sekolah Menengah Zhenghua) is a government co-educational secondary school located in Bukit Panjang, Singapore. Established 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.

Not to be confused with Zhonghua Secondary School.
Zhenghua Secondary School
正华中学
Sekolah Menengah Zhenghua
Address
91 Senja Road, Singapore 677741

Bukit Panjang

Singapore
Coordinates1.3887°N 103.7652°E / 1.3887; 103.7652
Information
TypeGovernment
Co-educational
Motto"Engage and Create"
Established15 December 1999 (1999-12-15)
SessionSingle
School code3617
PrincipalMr Eugene Lin
Colour(s) Red   Black 
Websitezhenghuasec.moe.edu.sg

History

Zhenghua Secondary School's 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, Zhenghua Secondary School was temporarily housed in makeshift containers at Greenridge Secondary School. 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 campus with West Spring Secondary School for a year. It was during Goh's tenure that the school had its handover ceremony on 18 April 2001, and its official opening ceremony on 1 November 2002. The guest of honour was then-MP for Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC, Gan Kim Yong. In December 2002, Cynthia Goh retired from the education service.

Lim Kuan Min, the former principal of Bishan Park Secondary School, took over as the second principal of Zhenghua Secondary School on 15 December 2002. He transformed the school under the mantra of 'No Discipline, No Learning'. Lim established outdoor education as a core part of the Zhenghua experience through the construction of the many outdoor elements that are currently still in use at the school. Lim Kuan Min retired from the education service in December 2010, making him the longest serving principal of Zhenghua Secondary School.

Fiona Tan served the school as the third principal from 2011. She strengthened the school's 'Character, Leadership and Citizenship' programme, with the inclusion of the 'Moral Reasoning' module. Tan expanded the Normal Curriculum experiential learning programme, which led the school to achieve the Lee Hsien Loong Innovations in Normal Curriculum award. Under her term as principal, the sabbatical programme started, allowing students to develop themselves in various aesthetics and sporting pursuits. Fiona Tan left the school at the end of 2014 after being posted to the Ministry of Education Headquarters as a cluster superintendent.[1]

Eugene Lin became the school's fourth and current principal in January 2015. It was under his time when the school welcomed its latest addition to its campus, an Indoor Sports Hall, in 2016.

In late 2019, construction started for a new synthetic grass field with a running track, and a rebuilt podium and concrete parade square. The field was completed in 2020, while the new parade square was completed in 2021.

In 2021, the school started Full Subject-Based Banding. For the first time, the school organised classes that included secondary one students from all three courses, Express, Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical). They will all take a set of subjects at a common level together and for other subjects, they will be grouped in classes according to the level at which they offer each subject. Full Subject-Based Banding will also allow secondary two students taking both Normal courses to take up Humanities subjects at a more demanding level. This helps better recognise each student's strengths and nurture their intrinsic motivation to learn.

Principals

Principals
PrincipalYears Served
Cynthia Goh Swee Tee1999-2002
Lim Kuan Min2003-2010
Fiona Tan2011-2014
Eugene Lin2014-present

Vice-Principals
Vice-PrincipalYears Served
Shawal B Hussin2002-2005
Yap Swee Beng Dennis2005-2009
Lee Seck Yeong2006-2014
Kalvindar Singh2009-2016
Fiona Tan 2010-2010
Hartati Bte Osman2014-2020
Phor Hoay Guan2017-present
Elaine Tan Pei Lee 2021-present

Culture

Uniform

In the school, all male students are required to wear a red short-sleeved shirt with black long trousers, and white or black socks with black shoes. Female students are required to wear a red tucked out short-sleeved blouse, a 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 school uniform.

Students are also allowed to be attired in 'half-uniform', which is a combination of the formal bottom and a tucked in PE t-shirt, only after recess, after PE lessons, and after school hours, or during non-school days such as the school holidays.

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.

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.[2]

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.[3]

Notes:

  1. Subjects indicated with ' * ' are mandatory subjects.
  2. All students in Singapore are required to undertake a Mother Tongue Language as an examinable subject, as indicated by ' ^ '.
  3. "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.[4]
Sciences Language & Humanities Arts & Aesthetics
  • Additional Mathematics
  • Mathematics*
  • Physics (SPA)
  • Chemistry (SPA)*
  • Biology (SPA)
  • Science (Combined)
  • English Language*
  • English Literature
  • Mother Tongue Language* ^
  • Higher Mother Tongue Language
  • Geography
  • Combined Humanities (Social Studies & another Humanities subject at elective level)*
  • Art
  • Design & Technology
  • Food & Nutrition

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.[5]

Normal (Academic) Course

In the Normal (Academic) course, students offer 5-8 subjects in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination. Compulsory subjects include:[6]

  • 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.[5]

Normal (Technical) Course

The Normal (Technical) course prepares students for a technical-vocational education at the Institute of Technical Education.[6] Students will offer 5-7 subjects in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination.[6] The curriculum is tailored towards strengthening students’ proficiency in English and Mathematics.[6] Students take English Language, Mathematics, Basic Mother Tongue and Computer Applications as compulsory subjects.[6]

Co-curricular activities (CCAs)

Zhenghua Secondary School offers a total of 20 co-curricular activities (CCAs). They are categorised into four main groups; Uniformed Groups, Clubs and Societies, Sports and Performing Arts.[7]

Uniformed Groups Clubs & Societies Sports Performing Arts
  • Scouts
  • NCC (Air)
  • NPCC
  • Red Cross
  • Art Club
  • AVA Club
  • Infocomm
  • Library
  • Netball
  • Soccer
  • Volleyball
  • Sports Club
  • Basketball
  • Outdoor Activities Club (ODAC)
  • Band
  • Choir
  • Dance
  • Drums Ensemble
  • Handbells
  • Drama

Notable alumni

References
  1. "School History – ZHENGHUA". Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  2. "Express Course Curriculum". www.moe.gov.sg. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  3. "School Information Service". Ministry of Education, Singapore. Ministry of Education, Singapore. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  4. "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.
  5. "Secondary School Courses". www.moe.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 2017-07-04. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  6. "Normal Course Curriculum". www.moe.gov.sg. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  7. Zhenghua Secondary School Website (CCA List)
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