Press Releases
Four Primary Schools to be upgraded under next phase of PRIME
As part of the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) continuing efforts to renew and support our schools, four primary schools will be upgraded from 2011 to 2013 under the eleventh phase of the Programme for Rebuilding and IMproving Existing Schools (PRIME). The list of schools under PRIME Phase 11 is available in the Annex.
The selection of schools takes into account our goal of providing up-to-date facilities to enhance the learning environment of our students, while ensuring financial prudence. The four primary schools identified for PRIME will be upgraded to the latest standard so as to enable them to provide a conducive learning environment for our students, as well as enable these four schools to transit to single-session as part of the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) Committee’s recommendation.
Another 20 primary and secondary schools will be planned for upgrading over the next few years. Under PRIME, schools will have more classrooms and be fitted with new or upgraded facilities including media resource libraries, IT learning resource rooms and pastoral care rooms. Schools undergoing PRIME will also benefit from the Flexible School Infrastructure (FlexSI) framework and the provision of an indoor sports hall as part of the upgrading plan.
Background
PRIME was launched in May 1999 to upgrade all schools to the latest standards so as to provide a conducive learning environment for our students. Estimated to cost $4.5 billion, this programme is implemented in phases. To date, 251 schools have been included in the earlier ten phases of PRIME. Of these, 227 schools have completed their upgrading.
Single Session Primary Schools
In April 2009, MOE had accepted the PERI Committee’s recommendation to move all government primary schools to a single-session model by 2016. Government-aided schools will be given more flexibility in their transition timeline, as they have to take into account stakeholders’ concerns. An estimated 18 new primary schools will be built. About 80 existing schools will also be upgraded separately under the Single Session Primary School Programme. These schools are in addition to schools upgraded under PRIME as they have either completed PRIME or are completed after 1997 and hence do not qualify for PRIME.
FlexSI
Under the FlexSI framework introduced in 2005, school infrastructure is made more flexible to support teaching approaches that better engage students, thus giving schools more room to innovate in teaching and learning. For example, the schools could have modular classrooms that can be opened up for larger group lectures, or partitioned for smaller group discussions; special-purpose rooms could be designed to allow multiple use of such rooms; common areas such as corridors and study areas could be designed such that they can be expanded learning spaces.
Indoor Sports Hall
Starting from early 2007, all schools would be provided with an indoor sports hall in phases. An indoor sports hall will provide schools with greater flexibility to conduct Co-Curricular Activities and Physical Education lessons, which are integral to the holistic education that our schools provide. Students will have more opportunities to participate in sports and games at any time of the school day without having to worry about the weather.
The public may obtain more information on PRIME on the MOE website or through the MOE Customer Service Hotline at tel. 6872 2220 during office hours.
Schools to be upgraded under PRIME Phase 11
| School | Town | Plans During PRIME |
|---|---|---|
| Canossa Convent Primary School | Geylang | Temporary relocation to former Macpherson Secondary site at Circuit Road from Jan 2012 to Dec 2013. |
| De La Salle School | Choa Chu Kang | Temporary relocation to former Teck Whye Primary/Secondary site at Jalan Teck Whye from Jan 2011 to Dec 2012. |
| Seng Kang Primary School | Sengkang | Upgrading on existing site from Jan 2011 to Dec 2012. |
| Woodlands Ring Primary School | Woodlands | Upgrading on existing site from Jan 2011 to Dec 2013. |