ALUMNI | LUMEN
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When Dr Koh first began his journey as principal , SJI was facing several problems , chief among them was its falling academic standard amongst schools in Singapore . He was tasked to take up the mantle of a Josephian leader and rectify this problem , but not at the cost of the Josephian spirit , and the determined and persevering leaders . As the first Josephian who returned to his alma mater to serve as principal , he had a daunting task ahead of him to not only lead SJI , but also make it relevant and a school of choice for students and their parents in an ever changing education landscape . Now we stand where we are now : seven years in the future still relevant but more importantly recognised for our holistic education that imparts both knowledge and values to Josephians through the years .
In all his days of leadership in SJI , Dr Koh has adhered strictly to the policy of putting people as his primary priority . From expanding subject combination choices to simply promoting the spirit of community that SJI holds dear , Dr Koh has always focused first and foremost on the welfare of Josephians . His tenure has seen the introduction of Camp TABA ( Together and By
... no matter how many times we fall , it is getting up again that defines who we are . The willingness to keep trying again and again is the key to success .
Association ) for Secondary 3 students and the formation of four houses : Fintan , Lawrence , Marcian and Michael that helped bring our community closer together .
But not all of his story is success . Dr Koh began his tenure as principal amidst a limited term ; he expected only to stay for two to three years . In that time , however , and amongst his accomplishments , he found himself staying for much longer - to the relief of the Senior School students , whose International Baccalaureate ( IB ) batch only existed because of Dr Koh ’ s efforts . The struggle to secure the permission to realise the IB vision was no easy one for him , either . It was only after much struggle and effort that SJI was given the approval to start the IB Diploma Programme concurrently with our Integrated Programme in 2013 .
Dr Koh has few regrets regarding his tenure as principal of SJI . While he wishes he could have achieved more , he knows , in his own words , that “ every leader sets a stone and leaves for the next leader to build upon .” Dr Koh has left a very large stone indeed . But among the few regrets he
does have , his greatest one is not spending enough time talking to students . A steadily growing schedule has , over time , depleted Dr Koh ’ s free time , and the period when he knew all his Senior School students personally gave way to one of increased administration and isolation in his office . Regardless , the care and concern he has always had for his students and teachers persists unabated , even though time ultimately kept him apart - though not for lack of trying , if the meetings with the Senior School students he insisted on arranging were of any indication .
As he leaves , Dr Koh has these words for us :
no matter how many times we fall , it is getting up again that defines who we are . The willingness to keep trying again and again is the key to success . And most of all , of course , it is better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond .
Facing page : Dr Koh Thiam Seng enjoying a lighter moment
This page ( bottom ): Addressing past and present students at the 160th Anniversary Dinner in 2012
This page ( top ): Friar Michael D ’ Cruz presenting a token to Dr Koh Thiam Seng
This page ( centre right ): Announcing the Lucky Draw Winner at the SJI Carnival - HOME in 2014