Ministry of Education Appoints 65 Principals in 2007

Home > Media Centre > Press Releases

1. The Ministry of Education (MOE) will be appointing 65 Principals at the 10th Appointment Ceremony for Principals to be held on 28 Dec 07. They comprise 36 newly-appointed Principals and 29 serving Principals/HQ officers who will take up appointments in other schools (please refer to Annex A for the details).

2. This year, 23 of the 36 newly-appointed Principals are aged 40 and below, which is the largest number of young newly-appointed Principals in the last ten years. Among them, the youngest are Mdm Eugenia Tan and Mrs Clara Lim-Tan at age 35. They will be heading Crescent Girls' School and CHIJ (Kellock) respectively.

3. Principals are key to shaping and strengthening the traditions and ethos of our schools. They lead and inspire teachers, and work with parents and the community to prepare our young for the future. As we move towards a quality-focused education system, Principals play a critical role in providing our students with the opportunities to discover their strengths and follow their passions. With schools driving the initiatives to achieve this, we need Principals to steer our schools towards peaks of excellence.

4. For the 36 newly appointed Principals, the appointment is an important milestone in their professional career as they assume major responsibilities as leaders in education. For the 29 serving Principals/HQ officers who are assuming new appointments, it is an affirmation of MOE’s confidence and trust in their abilities to continue guiding our teachers and our young, and to infuse new ideas in our search for excellence. The process of systematically appointing and rotating Principals not only enables schools to benefit from the infusion of fresh perspectives, but also gives Principals the opportunity to take on different challenges as part of their career development.

5. Ms Seah Jiak Choo, Director-General of Education, will present the Certificates of Appointment to all 65 Principals at the 10th Appointment Ceremony for Principals on 28 Dec. Minister for Education, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, will grace the ceremony as Guest-of-Honour. The ceremony is organised by MOE to recognise the important role our Principals play in education.