CHAPTER ONE
Celebrating 30 years at Malcolm Road
2018 marked the 30th year SJI is at our Malcolm Road campus . We celebrate by remembering ...
Two Firsts : as an Independent School and New Malcolm Road Campus
In January 1988 , SJI saw two “ firsts ”: SJI began functioning as an Independent School with Secondary 1 classes and SJI moved to Malcolm Road after being at Bras Basah Road since 1852 . Bro Kevin Byrne was the Principal . There were 82 staff that year . The first batch of 360 students under the Independent School model entered Secondary 1 that year ; they were put into classes of 30 students instead of 44 students per class at Bras Basah Road . Independent school fees in 1988 was $ 25 per month . In 1988 , SJI only offered the O Levels and functioned in the morning ( upper secondary classes ) and in the afternoon ( lower secondary classes ).
Bro Kevin Byrne summed up his thoughts on SJI going independent :
“ As the new SJI buildings took shape we concerned ourselves with the renewal of the spirit and thrust of SJI . With the government ’ s search for excellence in education and the promotion of innovation and creativity in secondary schools , the independent school proposal was put to us just in time for us to consider it and put up our own proposal for independence of operation of our school . We saw this as a means to achieve our own form of excellence with stress on character formation and academic performance . Thus when we moved into our new premises on 1 January 1988 , we also moved into the Independent SJI . We have come full circle , back to the independence of 1852 .”
Mr Alfred Wong was the architect who designed the SJI campus at Malcolm Road . He was approached to do this by Mr Goh Sin Tub , who became the first Chairman of the SJI Board of Governors . The old boys wanted SJI at Malcolm Road to be a copy of SJI at Bras Basah Road . Mr Wong resisted their demands because he sensed the invitation to create a campus for the promise of what the ‘ new ’ SJI could become . His original design was for classroom blocks , an Administration block , the Brothers ’ House and a Chapel . Later he designed the two classroom extensions and the library block .
In “ Recollection of Life in an Accidental Nation ”, he shared his vision of the ‘ new ’ SJI campus : “ I wanted to provide a design environment for the students that was more than a place of learning . I hope the shapes and the volumes would indicate that this is a special place and not just another school .”
08 ST JOSEPH ’ S INSTITUTION