Kong Hwa School

Kong Hwa School

光華學校
Motto	Sincerity and Perseverance
Type	Government-aided
Established	4 May 1953
Principal	Mr Raymond Poon Siow Leng
Students	Approx. 1,600
Location	350, Guillemard Road, Mountbatten, Singapore
Colours	Yellow   White
Website	http://konghwa.moe.edu.sg/

Kong Hwa School (abbreviation: KHS; Chinese: traditional Chinese: 光華學校; simplified Chinese: 光华学校; pinyin: Guānghuá Xuéxiào) is a co-educational and Special Assistance Plan (SAP) primary school located along Guillemard Road, Mountbatten, Singapore. It is one of the six Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan schools, along with Tao Nan School, Ai Tong School, Chongfu Primary School, Nan Chiau Primary School, and Nan Chiau High School.

Kong Hwa School established the Bi-Cultural Enrichment Programme (BiCEP) in 2007, encouraging students to learn another language and become bilingual.^[1]

The two traditional Chinese characters of 光華 form the torch in the middle of the school crest. The torch is red and symbolizes the "Flame of Knowledge". The yellow background represents the radiance of the burning torch, reflecting the school's pursuit of academic excellence.^[2]

Kong Hwa School was founded by the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (SHHK) in 1953.^[3] This was immediately after the Japanese Occupation when the committee members of the SHHK realized the urgent need for education and a severe shortage of schools in Singapore. The school currently stands at its original location on Guillemard Road, land donated by Tan Lark Sye.

Initially, Kong Hwa School was named ‘Kong Chian School’ after Lee Kong Chian made a personal donation of $300,000.^[4] Further reasoning and support for the name included the Chinese proverb “光前裕後” (guāng qián yù hòu), which means "defend the honor of your ancestors and benefit the future generations."

However, Lee, who was in London back then, sent a letter to the chairman of the SHHK, Tan Lark Sye. He expressed that times were changing and that philanthropy should be a common occurrence and not something so rare that it needed to be celebrated. Thus, Lee requested that the SHHK rename the school. In response to his repeated pleas, the SHHK officially changed the school's name to Kong Hwa School on 1 May 1953.

In April 1957, the school accepted the government’s full grants-in-aid and became a government-aided school.

At the end of 1960, Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan bought an adjacent 5,574-square-meter piece of land for $90,000 to construct a secondary school wing. When Nan Chiau Girls’ High was reconstructed, the school's students were housed in the newly built Kong Hwa Wing. After Nan Chiau Girls’ High School was rebuilt, Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan council members and Chung Cheng High School (Branch) Management Committee came to an agreement for the newly built Kong Hwa Wing building to be exchanged for the Kim Yam Road campus of Chung Cheng High School (Branch).

With the increase in enrollment and the demand for more and better facilities, the school embarked on its first upgrading project. To facilitate the on-site construction of the new school building, it was temporarily relocated to a holding site at Aljunied Road—the former campus of Aljunied Primary School. The holding site was at Aljunied Road, which is the former Aljunied Primary School campus. Kong Hwa School operated there from 1992 to 1996.

Kong Hwa School underwent its second major school upgrading project in 2010 to provide students with better school facilities and a conducive learning environment. During this period, the school relocated to its holding site at the former MacPherson Secondary School campus on Circuit Road, where it remained until June 2012.

Boys wear a white shirt and khaki shorts. Girls wear a white sleeveless blouse and a knee-length accordion-pleated skirt. Both uniforms have the school crest emblazoned on the left. While school shoes and socks can be purchased, any white-based shoes or socks (except ankle socks) are allowed.^[5]

Every year, there is a sports day event held by the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan. All affiliated primary schools (Tao Nan School, Ai Tong School, Chongfu Primary School, and Nan Chiau Primary School) and Kong Hwa School participate.

The concept of the Kong Hwa School building is based on the “I Ching”, or Classic of Changes, an ancient Chinese classical text. This text is more than three thousand years old, and speaks of the five aspects of balanced development, “德（de）、智(zhi)、體(ti)、群(qun)、美(mei)” or morality, wit, health, society, and beauty. It encompasses concepts that regulate a spectrum of disciplines from human nature to algebra.

The sixty-four hexagrams of the “I Ching” are inscribed in the tiling patterns. The square has two walls which bear the school motto, sincerity and perseverance. The school assembly is conducted in this setting.

The amphitheater was designed to provide an environment for promoting Western culture in performing arts and public skills.

It has also made provision for creativity in teaching and learning with the construction of the “Kong Hwa Garden” (Chinese: 光华苑), which is an artistic replica of a typical Jiangnan-styled Chinese garden design. This place, which serves as an area for students to rest and relax, is also meant to be a source of inspiration and promotion of Chinese culture.

The design of the Kong Hwa School building was based on the Chinese concept of Yin and Yang– balance. As such, many aspects of society were taken into account. The premise of the Chinese cultural architectural features was to act as a balance to the internal components of the school, being influenced by Western science and technological advancements and cultural norms such as performing at the amphitheatre. The Kong Hwa School building was designed with the spirit of collaboration, with the belief that the environment is essential to the integration of Eastern and Western cultures in the school.

One example would be that the school places equal emphasis on the arts and sports. There are dedicated facilities for sports training (especially in table tennis and badminton) as well as a small wing for musical training, such as the Chinese Orchestra or band.

• Official website
• Kong Hwa VSP Official Website

1°18′40″N 103°53′18″E / 1.311095°N 103.888218°E / 1.311095; 103.888218