TANGLIN SECONDARY SCHOOL 
Leaders of the Future, Pride of the Community

Tanglin Integrated Secondary Technical School was officially declared open by Mr Ong Pang Boon, Minister of Education, on 16th October 1964. It was situated in the first satellite housing estate of Queenstown at Commonwealth Avenue. It was Singapore’s first technical school where the medium of instruction was in Chinese. It was also the first to admit female students to its technical courses. It was renamed Tanglin Technical Secondary School in 1969.

Pre-merger TSS new school logo

Pre-merger TSS old school logo

The school’s crest was updated towards the end of the eighties. The pentagon symbolises the core values of character, knowledge, physical well-being, team spirit, and aesthetics. A book and four horizontal ascending bands were added to signify the new emphasis towards a knowledge-based and character-building education.

The school celebrated its Silver Jubilee (25th Anniversary) Celebrations in 1989, with Dr Tay Eng Soon, Senior Minister of State for Education as the Guest of Honour. He said: “Tanglin Technical can take pride in being one of the pioneer technical schools which helped prepare young Singaporeans for industrialisation. In that sense, Tanglin Technical is part of Singapore’s history.”

Tanglin Technical Secondary School was moved to West Coast Road (our current location) in 1993, and was renamed Tanglin Secondary School. In that year, we also adopted ‘Strive for Success’ as our motto. Programmes focusing on the holistic development of the students were introduced, including BASIC (character education) programme, Student Leadership Development Programme, Aesthetic Education Programme, Interdisciplinary Project Work, Innovation & Enterprise, and Sports Education Programme. Partnership with the various Polytechnics led to the introduction of the Applied Subject on ‘Fundamentals of Electronics’ and Advanced Elective Modules.

In 2016, Tanglin Secondary School merged with Clementi Woods Secondary School and started a new chapter of its journey, driven with the strengths from each of the schools in its fold. The school motto was updated to ‘Leaders of the Future, Pride of the Community’ to reflect its new mission to prepare its students for an ever-changing world.

List of distinguished Principals of Tanglin Secondary School:

Mr Wu Tsung Kan (1964 – 1968)

Mr Chee Keng Long (1969 – 1970)

Mr Lim Nai Yan (1971 – 1973)

Mr Su Wei Cher (1974 – 1989)

Mr Lee Kah Chuen (1989 – 1992)

Mr Yang Che Kay (1993 – 1995)

Mrs Tan-Chan Yueh Tarn (1995 – 1998)

Ms Priscilla Ng Chey Keng (1999 – 2002)

Mrs Karen Oei (2003 – 2009)

Mdm Aini bte Ma’arof (2010 – 2015)

Ms Ng Ngoing Keng (2016 – present)

 

 

CLEMENTI WOODS SECONDARY SCHOOL (2007 – 2016)
A place to learn, A space to grow, The quest for Excellence

Clementi Woods Secondary School was formed on 1 January 2007 as a merger of Ghim Moh Secondary and Jin Tai Secondary. It was officially opened on 27 March 2009 by Mr S Iswaran, then Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry. It occupies the former premises of Jin Tai Secondary School. The school vision then was – A place to learn, A space to grow. To unite the school, a pioneers’ pledge was instituted, which students and staff had to recite at morning assembly. In 2013, the vision was refined to move the school into its next phase of development by adding ‘The quest for excellence’ as the desired outcome.

Despite its short history, Clementi Woods Secondary School performed well academically, inheriting both the academic rigour and the student leadership development programmes from the previous schools. It annually garnered value-added awards in the GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations. The school also placed equal emphasis on developing moral and social values in students and for its efforts, was awarded two Development Awards from MOE for Character Development and National Education in 2011.

In 2016, Clementi Woods Secondary merged with Tanglin Secondary School and students from the school marched over to the Tanglin Secondary School campus to begin a new chapter.

Principal who helmed Clementi Woods Secondary School: Miss Low Chee Moon (2007 – 2016)

 

New school logo

Old school logo

 

GHIM MOH SECONDARY SCHOOL (1976 to 2006)
Strive and Persevere

Ghim Moh Secondary was established in January 1976. It was located at Portsdown Road with an enrolment of 200 students in 8 secondary one classes and 12 teachers. Its motto was Strive and Persevere. With an increase in enrolment, it moved to Ghim Moh Estate in 1977. By 1979, it’s first batch of 1511 students sat for the GCE ‘O’ Level Examination. It achieved the top 20 value-added results in 1994 and 1995 for both the Express and Normal streams. It continued to perform well academically yearly. Between 1980 and 1992, the school served as a Pre-University Centre.

In 2005, it was announced that Ghim Moh Secondary School would be merged with Jin Tai Secondary School. Its new name would be Clementi Woods Secondary School. Before the school closed its doors, it celebrated its 30^th Anniversary with a public performance entitled ‘ARTStravaganza’. In the words of the last principal, Miss Low Chee Moon who helped oversee the merger of the two schools, “School is not about a building, not even about a name or identity. It is about a community of people.”

List of distinguished Principals who helmed the school:

Mr Ng Fook Kah (1976 – 1981)

Mrs Chan Jee Kun (1981 – 1985)

Mr Yong Kuck Choon (1986 – 1992)

Miss Tay Siew Lian (1993 – 1995)

Miss Lam Ai-Leen (1996 – 1999)

Mr Kwok Kah Kuoy (2000 – 2005)

Miss Low Chee Moon (2006)

 

New school logo

Old school logo

 

JIN TAI SECONDARY SCHOOL (1982 to 2006)

From Each His Best

Jin Tai Secondary School began its history in 1982 at 147 West Coast Road. It’s pioneering principal, Mr Ling Ling laid the foundation stone for the school. Its guiding philosophy is best expressed in, A Learning and Caring Community that seeks to bring out the best in everyone. Hence, its school motto came to be: From Each His Best. The school was officially opened on 31 August 1985 by Dr Wan Soon Bee, Minister of State (PMO) and MP for West Coast.

In 2000, the school moved to its new premises at 170 West Coast Road. It was officially opened by Mr Lim Hng Kiang, then Minister for Health and Second Minister for Finance and Member of Parliament for West Coast GRC on 14 July 2001.

With the merger of the two schools, Jin Tai with Ghim Moh in 2007, the last principal, Mr Teoh Teik Hoe handed the campus over to the newly-merged school – Clementi Woods Secondary School.

List of distinguished Principals who helmed the school:

Mr Ling Ling (1982 – 1983)

Mr Ling Chin Chee (1984 – mid 1994)

Mr Tang Swee Chay (mid 1994 – 1999)

Mr Teoh Teik Hoe (2000 – 2006)