FROM January next year, Raffles Institution (RI) and Raffles Junior College (RJC) will be merged as a single school called Raffles Institution.

Raffles Girls' School (RGS), however, will retain its own identity as a separate girls' school, and continue to coordinate and work with themerged Raffles Institution, said chairperson for the RGS board, Hon Justice Judith Prakash, at a media conference yesterday.

"We feel that it is important that the RGS girls are taught in their own institution. It would be difficult for them to build confidence to push forward if there are boys around," she said.

This makes RI the biggest school in Singapore, with 4,600 students. It will be headed by the present principal of RJC, Mrs Lim Lai Cheng.

"On the surface, things will look largely the same, but there will now be tighter planning at the top level with the merger," said Mr Bob Koh, the current principal of RI. He will be taking up a senior position at the Ministry of Education after the merger.

Mrs Julie Hoo, principal of RGS, added: "Since the Raffles Programme started in 2004, management from the three Raffles schools were already meeting regularly. With the merger, there will now be two schools instead of three, allowing for better coordination."

The Raffles Programme is a six-year integrated programme that begins in RI or RGS and leads on to RJC. The Raffles Programme, including admission, will continue to run as it is.

Mrs Lim told my paper that with the merger, students at the secondary and junior-college level can interact more, "which helps to create a sense of community and give the students a better grounding in the Rafflesian identity".

Former RJC student Aaron Chew, 22, does not think the merger is a step back - RI and RJC broke off into separate schools 27 years ago - as long as the school's mission to groom leaders, thinkers and pioneers remains the same.

"RI and RJC have a very similar school culture, so I'm personally supportive of the merger," added Mr Chew.

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