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History
Year |
Our History |
1905 | Yeung
Ching School started as a private school for only the Cantonese boys. Its
medium of instruction was in Cantonese. The syllabi were mainly recitation,
writing and the dictation of the classics for children such as the Red Books
which was in line with the teaching laid by the Qing Dynasty. There was no
learning of art and music, or any provision for sports. |
1906 | Mr Lu
Dun Kui from China was appointed the first Principal of Yeung Ching School. Mr
Song Mulin, who was recruited by Mr Lu, came to Singapore with him. |
1908 | Yeung
Ching held her opening ceremony on 20 January with a population of over 100
pupils. 6 March 1907 was determined as the School Foundation anniversary date.
The first Principal, Mr Lu Dun Kai, addressed the school on that occasion. Mr
Song Mulin became the second Principal in
1908, after Mr Lu had left for Sydney to take up a teaching post in a Chinese school. |
1912 | In
1912, the school adopted the new syllabi used by schools in China, after the
Qing Dynasty ended its reign and the Republic of China was formed. Mandarin
became the language of instruction from 1912 onwards. Since then, English Language
was introduced as a teaching subject by the second Principal. Mr Song Mulin
also set up classes for females despite facing strong objections from the
community. The traditional belief then was that girls did not need to attend
schools. Overaged adolescents and those who had to work in the day were accepted for the night class provided by the school. |
1916 | Mr
Song Mulin left Yeung Ching School to take up the Principalship of a High School
in Kuala Lumpur. Mr Liang Xiangwu became the successor of Mr Song and became
the 3rd Principal of Yeung Ching School. |
1917 | The school
had financial difficulty and was unable to sustain the running of the girls’
department. The girls from Yeung Ching School left to join Nan Hua Girls’
School. The chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr Jian Ying Fu, resigned and
Mr Ng Seng Pang J P took over as Board Chairman for 15 years. Yeung Ching
School had a close relationship with Ling Nan University Guangzhou. Many of her
graduates were recruited to teach in the school.
Mr Liang Xiangwu left for China after one year. He was remembered for
disallowing corporal punishment in school. |
1918 | Mr Lin
Yaoxiang from Ling Nan University Guangzhou was appointed the 4th Principal
at the age of 29. He held the post for 3 years 4 months. A new building was
required to meet the increase in the enrolment and improve the facilities of
Yeung Ching School. A mansion known as ‘Cuilan Ting’ which was built by a
wealthy businessman Khoo Hun Yeang, was purchased with a big bank loan. The
building, which was converted to a school compound, was situated on a small
hill at Club Street. Living quarters were provided for some of the teachers of
the school. A plot of land which was owned by a rich Fujian businessman, Lim
Chwee Chian, was purchased as the school playground so that physical activities
could take place there. |
1921 | Mr Liu
Lifu became the 5th Principal but he left for Ling Nan after a year. |
1923 | Mr He
Jianwu, the former Director of Education of Guangzhou, became the 6th Principal.
He emphasised the importance teaching English and providing education for the
girls. As a result, the Female Education Department, as well as the
establishment of a full-day teachers’ training department, was set up. |
1927 | The economy
was facing a down turn in all parts of the world, including Singapore. In
addition, the colonial government announced that girls over the age of 12 were
asked to leave a boys’ school. The classes for girls had to discontinue. Some
board directors then founded the Jing Fang Girls’ School at Neil Road in 1928
to accommodate the Yeung Ching School girls. Principal He donated a large sum
to help establish the girls’ school. Jing Fang Girls’ School ceased to exist
after the school compound was destroyed by a bomb during the Japanese invasion
in 1942. Most of the staff from Jing Fong Girls’ School joined Nan Hua Girls’
School after the war. |
1928 | Principal,
Mr He Jianwu took up the appointment as the Principal of a Chinese High School
in Jakarta. He recommended his student, Mr Zhou Dongqing, a University of
Columbia USA graduate, to fill the post. Unfortunately, Mr Zhou had to leave the
post for medical treatment after a few months and he died in his thirties. |
1929 | Another
new Principal, Mr Kuang Weizhou, was appointed. However, he left in less than 3
years as his father was seriously ill. |
1932 | Mr Lu
Weijue, a Ling Nan graduate, joined the School as the School’s 9th Principal.
The economy of Singapore did not improve and the Secondary School section had
to stop operating. |
1935 -1936 | The
period witnessed the appointment of two Principals. Mr Luo Hanchang, the 10th Principal (1935 - 1936). He was in Yeung Ching School for less than a year. Mr Zhang Mianzhi was the 11th Principal from 1936-1937. In 1942, Mr Zhang Mianzhi was arrested and killed by the Japanese during the Sook Ching Operation. It was a tragedy. |
1941 | The
pupil population increased to more than 900 pupils. Yeung Ching School became
the only Chinese school in Singapore to have such a high enrolment. |
1941 |
The
Japanese invaded Singapore. The school had to close temporarily. However, she was
allowed to start classes again during the Japanese Occupation. The Principal
and the teachers had to study Japanese Language and teach the pupils the
language. |
1945 | Soon
after the Japanese had surrendered in 1945, Yeung Ching School reopened during the
British colonial government. Books which were hidden away during the Japanese
Occupation were brought back and displayed in the school's main library.
Classes started officially on 1 October. There were 40 classes in both the
morning and afternoon sessions, with a total of more than 1800 pupils. |
1945-1953 | Due to
space constraint in the school, the Board of Directors resolved to rebuild the
school to erect a modern four-storey building on the same site. |
1953 | The
School Project Committee was formed. The new proposal was considered a major
task and it was planned to complete in 3 phases. |
1956 | The
government passed a law to have greater control over the school and new wage
level were recommended and approved. The wage proposal was accepted. |
1957 | The
school building was demolished section by section to make way for the
construction of the new buildings. Throughout the year, the school continued to
function without interruption. |
1958 | On 18
August, Phase I of the project was completed. The right wing, comprising 4
storeys and 24 classrooms, was ready for use. |
1959 | The school
hostel ceased to operate. Mr Lin Yao Xiang retired in December 1959. |
1960 | An
alumnus, Mr Long Xuefan (1960 - 1966) was appointed as the 13th Principal.
He was the first alumnus to become the Principal |
1961 | The
ground breaking ceremony for the second phase of the building project took
place in 5 March. The second phase of the building was completed in December. |
1963-1965 | The
third phase of the building project was to build a hall and a canteen. The new school
building was finally completed in 1965 at a cost of more than $600 000. The
building consisted of 5 storeys with 48 classrooms, including a science
laboratory, a library, a hall, conference rooms, a staff room, a room for
senior staff, a Principal's office and a canteen. |
1965 | The
school celebrated her 60th anniversary and held the opening ceremony
in 1965. The, then, Minister of Education, Mr Ong Pang Boon, was the
guest-of-honour. |
1966 | In
December, Principal Long retired. |
1967 | The
Vice-Principal, Mr Huang Litong (1967-1972) became the 14th Principal. |
1970 | The
school became a co-educational school. She accepted pupils taking both Chinese
and English Languages. During this year, the pupils were given the option to
take either Chinese or English as their first language. |
1972 | The
Principal, Mr Huang Litong retired. |
1973 | The
school appointed her first lady Principal, Mdm Xu Jieling (1973-1987) to be the
15th Principal. |
1974 | The 7th
and 8th classrooms of the second floor were renovated and a
conference room was constructed at a cost of $20 000. The money was donated by
the members of the 57th School Board of Directors. |
1977 | The
open space around the school was used to construct a basketball court, running
tracks and a field. |
1985-1987 | Yeung
Ching School was merged with Telok Ayer and Peck Seah Primary Schools. However,
the school was able to retain her original name and her government-aided
status. |
1988 | The
school moved to a new building with a totally new pupil enrolment at Serangoon
Avenue 3. She became a government school and adopted the Hanyu Pinyin
name, Yangzheng Primary School, under a new Principal, Mrs Dorothy Francis. |
1990 | Yangzheng
Primary School held her official opening on 22 October at the new campus. |
1992 -1998 | Mrs
Germaine Kong, was appointed the Principal of the school. |
1999 -2000 | Mr Sam
Wong Poo Mun was appointed as the Principal. However, he resigned from service
on 15 Nov 2000. |
2000 | Mrs
Lim Kian Huat was appointed as the Principal on 16 Nov 2000. |
2001 | The
school PRIME commenced in 2001. |
2002 |
A second trip to Guangzhou was organised (10 to 15 June). The Chinese Immersion Programme was a learning journey for pupils to be immersed in the culture. |
2003 | The
Yangzheng (Yeung Ching) Alumni was established. |
2005 | The school
celebrated her 100th anniversary with a year-long centennial
celebration. Minister for Education, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam was the Guest of
Honour.
|
2006 | The
year-long centenary celebrations came to a close with the dotting of two baby
lions signifying the beginning of a new era for Yangzheng's glory by Prof Phua
Kok Khoo (Alumni President) and Mr Lo Hock Ling (SAC Chairman) on 24 March
2006. |
2007 |
SAC Vice Chairman, Mr Wan Shung Ming received the Service to Education award. |
2008 | The 1st
Twinning Programme with Zhongde School in Beijing was established. Memorandum
of Agreement (MOA) was signed on 11 November 2008. |
2009 | The school organised her
first TLLM DAY on Friday, 13 March 2009, as part of the school’s effort to
integrate the spirit of TLLM (Teach Less Learn More) into the school’s
curriculum with the main objectives of engaging the pupils through
experiential learning and learning beyond the classroom boundaries.
On 30 September 2009, Yangzheng Primary School celebrated the official opening of the 200-metre 3-lane running track with Mr Wan Shung Ming (Vice Chairman of SAC). Yangzheng Primary School is identified as the first Singapore primary school to partner with a Sichuan school. The Dayi Caichang Sino-Singapore Friendship Primary School was officially opened by our Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Lim Swee Say, on 17 October 2009. Mrs Jacinta Lim, Principal of Yangzheng Primary and Mr Wan Shung Ming, the Vice-Chairperson of SAC were present in Dayi county to witness the official opening of the school. |
2010 | The school
celebrated her 105th anniversary with the theme ‘RICH HERITAGE,
VIBRANT PRESENT, PROMISING FUTURE’ to portray the school’s journey towards
achieving excellence. The school held an
anniversary dinner on 23 July. The 105th anniversary
commemorative book was also launched during the anniversary celebrations. On 21 July, the school commemorated Racial Harmony Day by producing an animated video, ‘Son of an Immigrant’. This video was launched by Dr Cheah Horn Mun, Director of Educational Technology and it was used as a teaching and learning resource for Primary 5 Social Studies lessons. The school attained the Character Development Award Level 1 and the Championing Efforts Resulting in Improved School Health (CHERISH) Silver Award. The school was also conferred the Work Life Achievement Award (WLAA) by Ministry of Manpower for the implementation of work-life strategies to maximize staff productivity and help staff enhance their work performance and quality of life. |
2011 | The
school achieved the following awards:
|
2012 | Yangzheng
Primary School was one of the 9 primary schools to be awarded the Programme for
School-Based Excellence (PSE): Uniformed Groups (UG) Scouts and Brownies. The
PSE (UG) gallery was officially opened on 8 August 2012 by Mr Wan Shung Ming,
Chairman of SAC. The gallery showcases the history and achievements of our
Scouts and Brownies. The Community in Bloom (Gold Award) was conferred to the school in recognition of its efforts for cultivating its gardens by pupils, teachers and parent volunteers on green spaces within the school premises. The school attained the 2nd consecutive Work-Life Achiever Award for its efforts in applying work- life strategies. In line with the school’s Multi-Cultural programme, the Chinese, Malay and Indian Heritage Hubs were set-up at the school’s concourse. Pupils will be able to learn and appreciate the traditions and culture of the various races through the exploration of the various activities at the Heritage Hubs. |
2013 | Mrs
Christine Lam took over as Principal of Yangzheng Primary School with effect
from 15 December 2013. Yangzheng Primary School was awarded the following awards:
|
2014 | The
school celebrated her anniversary with the theme ‘OUR FUTURE ASPIRATION, THE
PEOPLE AND THE PLACES’. The school received the Singapore Productivity Award (SPA) In-house IQC Assessment, Bronze Award for her continuous improvements and productivity in striving towards excellence. The school also won the Work-Life Achiever Award 2014 for the 3rd consecutive time, a testament to our culture of care shown to staff.
For its efforts in inculcating courteous and kind behaviour amongst pupils, the school was awarded the Friend of Singa Merit Award.
|
2015 | The
school celebrated her 110th anniversary with a year-long celebration
events and the theme ‘OUR YANGZHENG. OUR CELEBRATION. OUR FUTURE.’ which highlighted
the school’s rich history and successes as well as its next step towards
excellence. The series of anniversary celebration events included a Yangzheng
SG50 Trail, an Alumni Brunch held on 27 June and a concert in collaboration with
the Singapore Chinese Orchestra on 11 November. A school publication to commemorate our 110th Anniversary was published. The school achieved the Best Practice Awards for ‘Staff Well-Being and Development’ as well as ‘Partnership’ after the External Validation Exercise in 2015. The school continued to achieve awards for our environmental efforts:
|
2016 | The
school celebrated her anniversary with the theme ‘BIG-HEARTED YANGZHENGNITES’
in alignment to the school’s vision of every Yangzhengnite being a caring
friend. Mr Hoong Kong Fatt (treasurer of SAC) and Mr Ng Yok Kuan (SAC member) were conferred the Service to Education award by Ministry of Education. For her environmental efforts, the school received the following awards:
The school completed the General Repair and Repainting project to enhance the facade of the existing school building.
|
2017 | The
school celebrated her anniversary with the theme ‘a PEEK INTO THE FUTURE’ with
activities that focused on how pupils perceived what the future of the school
would be like. The pupils also used the virtual reality cardboard cameras to
view the past and present of the school, a project in collaboration with RICOH. Mr Ng Siew Quan (Chairman of SAC) was conferred the Service to Education (10-19 years) award by Ministry of Education. For her environmental efforts, the school received the following awards:
|
2018 | The school celebrated her anniversary with the theme 'REMEMBERING OUR PAST'. For her environmental efforts, the school received the following awards:
The school begins the 2-year- PERI upgrading project n Oct 2018 to enhance the teaching and learning facilities in the school.
|
The school would like to
acknowledge Dr Ho Nai Kiong (Vice Chairman of the Yangzheng Alumni, Paediatric
Specialist, member of Ethics Committee and Medifund Committee of KK Women’s
& Children’s Hospital, Editor and Writer) for his inputs to the school
history in the period of 1905 to 1987.