More schools to merge in 2019, including four pairs of JCs

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Reporter

Apr 20, 2017 12:35 pm

Hit by falling birth rates and a corresponding decline in overall demand for school places at the national level, four pairs of junior colleges will merge in 2019, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Thursday (April 20).

Seven pairs of primary schools and three pairs of secondary schools will also merge in the same year.

The affected pairs of JCs are: Anderson JC (AJC) and Serangoon JC (SRJC) in the north-eastern part of Singapore; Yishun JC (YJC) and Innova JC (IJC) in the north; Meridian JC (MJC) and Tampines JC (TPJC) in the east; and Pioneer JC (PJC) and Jurong JC (JJC) in the west.

"MOE has identified the pairs of schools to be merged based on careful considerations such as enrollment size, geographical proximity, suitability of merger partners and infrastructure capacity," said MOE.

For JCs, the overall geographical coverage across Singapore is an additional consideration, the ministry added.

On top of the mergers, a new primary school, Fern Green Primary, will open in Sengkang in 2018.
This is to meet the high demand for school places in the non-mature estate, said the ministry.