Victoria Junior College

Victoria Junior College (also known as Victoria or VJC) is a highly selective, coeducational junior college in Singapore offering pre-university education to boarding and day-students. The school was founded in 1984, although its predecessor and affiliated institution, Victoria School, was founded in 1876.[1] It stands on Marine Vista, less than one kilometre from the affiliated Victoria School.

Victoria Junior College
維多利亞初級學院
Maktab Rendah Victoria
விக்டோரியா தொடக்கக் கல்லூரி
Address
20 Marine Vista, 449035

Marine Parade

Singapore
Coordinates1.30656°N 103.92061°E / 1.30656; 103.92061
Information
TypeGovernment
MottoNil Sine Labore
(Nothing Without Labour)
Established1984 - Victoria Junior College
1876 - Victoria School
Sister schoolVictoria School
Cedar Girls' Secondary School
SessionSingle-session
School code0706
PrincipalMs Ek Soo Ben
GenderCo-educational
EnrolmentApprox. 1700
Colour(s) Red   Yellow 
SongVictorian Anthem
Websitewww.victoriajc.moe.edu.sg

VJC is part of the Victoria-Cedar alliance, and is one of Singapore's top Junior Colleges.[2] The school's programmes and activities are advised by the Victoria Advisory Committee,[3] while day-to-day operations of the school is run by the School Principal. Tutors and faculty members are responsible for the governance of student-life.

History

Victoria Junior College was established in 1984 to replace the Pre-University classes in Victoria School (VS). The pioneer batch of 776 students was received with 51 teachers and 16 supporting staff. The outstanding results of the pioneer batch of students in the GCE 'A' Level examinations was to set the academic standard for succeeding generations of Victorians.[4]

Over the years, VJC has widely been recognised, based on MOE rankings and entry scores, as one of the top three junior colleges in Singapore that offer the 'A' Levels. VJC was also ranked the top junior college in the Ministry of Education's (MOE) ST ranking of junior colleges in 1995 and 2001, based on academic results.[2] More recently in 2019, it had the 4th toughest entry score amongst junior colleges offering the 'A' Levels.[5]

In 1989, VJC was the first and, until 2005, the only junior college in Singapore to offer Theatre Studies and Drama as an 'A' Level subject.[6] It also offered a university-level French curriculum as part of the Language Elective Programme until it was discontinued in 2006.[7]

Since 2005, VJC has offered the Integrated Programme, allowing students from the affiliated Victoria School to skip O Levels and proceed to junior college.[8] The Victoria Integrated Programme (VIP) was implemented as a four-year programme starting from Secondary 3. In 2012 it was replaced by the six-year Victoria-Cedar Alliance Integrated Programme (VCA IP), in partnership with Cedar Girls' Secondary School.[9][10]

VJC was awarded the School Excellence Award in 2007, the top award in the MOE Masterplan of Awards framework.[11]

Principal

The college saw its first leadership change in 2001, when founding principal Mrs Lee Phui Mun stepped down after 18 years of service. She was succeeded by Ms Low Khah Gek, who was a former chemistry teacher in the school. In 2006, Mr Chan Poh Meng, formerly a Superintendent at the Schools Division, took over the reins from Low. In December 2013, Ms Ek Soo Ben, Deputy Director at the Standards and Research Academy of Singapore Teachers and a former Economics teacher at VJC, succeeded Chan.[12]

Name of PrincipalYears Served
Lee Phui Mun1984–2001
Chan Khah Gek2001–2006
Chan Poh Meng2006–2013
Ek Soo Ben2013–Present

Academics

Victoria Junior College's two-year curriculum culminates in the Singapore GCE Advanced Level examinations. Students take up to four Higher 2 subjects and read two compulsory Higher 1 subjects - General Paper and Project Work - in their first year, and may elect to read additional Higher 3 subjects in the second year. Home to the East Zone Science and Technology Centre, the college also sent first Singapore school team to participate in the International Science and Engineering Fair in 2004.[13][14]

VJC is one of the three schools in Singapore that holds the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT).[15]

Achievements

Sports

In 2019, VJC won the A-division championship title for girls' football, girls' floorball, girls' wushu and girls' rockclimbing.

In 2018, VJC won the A-division championship title for both the boys' and girls' football, hockey girls and wushu boys.[16][17] This is VJC's 16th consecutive year winning the A-division girls' hockey.[18]

In 2017, VJC won the A-division championship title for girls' football,[19] boys' floorball,[20] boys' wushu and hockey girls.[18] This was the fifth straight title for the girls' football team, and their ninth in the last ten years.[21][19]

Performing Arts

Choir

The VJC Choir was the first school choir from Singapore to win an international choir competition. It beat 30 top choirs from other parts of the world in the 800-year-old Cardigan Eisteddfod Competition in Wales in 1990,[22] and for its outstanding contribution to music in Singapore, the VJC Choir was presented with the 1990 Guinness Stout Effort Award.[23][24]

In 2004, Victoria Junior College Choir represented Singapore in the World Choir Games held in Bremen, Germany and won Gold Medals in all three contested categories, namely Musica Sacra, Contemporary Music and Open Mixed. It emerged as the Olympic Champion of the Open Mixed Category, and second placing in the Musica Sacra and Contemporary Music categories.[25]

In 2006, VJC choir won the esteemed Audience Prize and Grand Prix Award in the 9th Concorso Corale Internazionale (International Choir Competition) held in Riva Del Garda, Italy. The VJC Choir won Gold for both the categories they competed in - Musica Sacra and Mixed Youth, and emerged as Category Winner for the latter. It is the first time an Asian Choir has won the grand prize and one of a few choirs in the world to win both the Audience Prize and Grand Prix Award together.[26][27]

As of August 2017, it was ranked 6th in the world in the mixed choirs category of the INTERKULTUR World Rankings.[28]

Dance

VJC Dance Ensemble achieved overall grand champion in the 2010 Lecco Danza, an international dance competition held in Italy.[29] They were awarded first prize in the contemporary senior dance group category and first runners-up in the hip-hop group category.[30]

In 2012, VJC dancers were champions in the Jazz Dance Small Group category at the 9th World Dance Olympiad in Moscow, Russia.[31]

In the 2014 Crown International Dance Festival in Melbourne, Australia, the dance ensemble placed first in all the three categories that it participated in, namely Contemporary,[32] Modern Expression[33] and Hip Hop.[34]

Affiliations

VJC is affiliated to Victoria School, an all-boys school founded in 1876.

VJC provided VS students an option to continue a two-year junior college education within the Victorian family after the completion of their secondary education. VS students choosing to enter VJC get two bonus points off their GCE 'O'-Level L1R5 academic aggregate.

Since the 2012 school year, VS and Cedar Girls' Secondary School have offered the Victoria-Cedar Alliance Integrated Programme (VCA IP) option. After finishing Secondary 4, 160 students from each school continue on to VJC automatically.[10]

Alumni

Old Victorians' Association

The alumni body, Old Victorians' Association (OVA), was established in 1941. It serves as a channel for former students of Victoria School and Victoria Junior College to continue to associate with their alma mater.[35]

The OVA supports the activities undertaken by the schools, assists needy students, and promotes sports, social and cultural activities among members.[36]

In 2009, OVA organised the inaugural combined VS and VJC gala concert, with a 260-strong cast comprising both students and celebrity alumni, at the Esplanade Concert Hall.[37][38]

In 2011, OVA organised the Victoria School 135th Anniversary Celebration Dinner at the former VS campus at Tyrwhitt Road.[39]

Notable alumni

Politics and Government

Arts

Others

Trivia
  • Former England football captain, David Beckham, conducted a 2-hour coaching clinic for the school football team at VJC in 2001. David Beckham later had his footprints cast in blocks of cement in the school.[41]

References
  1. Singapore, National Library Board. "Victoria School | Infopedia". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  2. The rank game, Today, 21 September 2001
  3. "Victoria Advisory Committee (VAC) | Victoria Junior College". victoriajc.moe.edu.sg. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  4. (18 April 1982). "NEW $20 m JC AT MARINE PARADE NAMED VICTORIA" Archived 25 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. The Straits Times (Singapore).
  5. Teng, Amelia (29 January 2016). "Little change in junior college entry scores this year". The Straits Times. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  6. "Curtain rises for drama as an 'A' level option". Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  7. "SPEECH BY DR TONY TAN KENG YAM, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, AT THE VICTORIA JUNIOR COLLEGE'S SEVENTH COLLEGE DAY 1991 HELD AT THE VICTORIA JUNIOR COLLEGE ON SATURDAY, 13 JULY 1991 AT 4.30 PM" (PDF). National Archives of Singapore. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  8. "Temasek and Victoria JCs to adopt IP from 2005". Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  9. "Integrated Programmes (IP)". www.moe.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  10. "Seven more IP schools and a new junior college". Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  11. "From Katong with pride". Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  12. "Sixty schools to get new heads next year; experienced principals for heartland schools". The Straits Times. 11 October 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  13. "Partner Listing | Singapore Memory". www.singaporememory.sg. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  14. "A level Curriculum | Victoria Junior College". victoriajc.moe.edu.sg. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  15. "News roundup". enewsletter.ntu.edu.sg. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  16. "National A Div Football: VJC dethrone four-time champions MJC with stoppage time goal – RED SPORTS". www.redsports.sg. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  17. hermes (17 May 2018). "School sports: Victoria Junior College clinch dramatic A Division girls' football title". The Straits Times. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  18. De Silva, Nicholas. "School Sports: Golden goal sees VJC lift A Div girls' hockey title after 1-0 victory over Millenia Institute". The Straits Times. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  19. Ho, Cai Jun (10 May 2017). "Hannah saves the day for VJC in A Division final". The Straits Times. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  20. Ho, Cai Jun (17 May 2017). "School sports: VJC shock defending champs RI in A Div boys' floorball finals, River Valley are girls' winners". The Straits Times. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  21. "A Div Football (Girls): Rachael Fujisawa masterclass helps VJC clinch 8th title in 9 years with 4-1 win over RI". RED SPORTS. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  22. "VJC choir sings its way to the top in Wales". The Straits Times. 10 July 1990. p. 2.
  23. "Award for college choir". The Straits Times. 30 August 1990. p. 25.
  24. The VJC experience : to cherish and to build upon. p. 27.
  25. "3rd Choir Olympics - Bremen 2004 - Competition Results" (PDF). Interkultur. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  26. "Competition Results: INTERKULTUR - Concorso Corale (I) 2006" (PDF). Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  27. "Scyf 2017 programme booklet". issuu. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  28. "INTERKULTUR World Rankings: INTERKULTUR". 30 October 2017. Archived from the original on 30 October 2017. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  29. Durai, Jennani (5 April 2010). "S'pore schools score 'soft skills' wins" (PDF). The Straits Times. p. B4.
  30. Yip, Vinna (19 March 2010). "He pops and locks to victory". The New Paper. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  31. "IDO - 9th World dance OLYMPIAD, Russian Federation - gallery". www.ido-dance.com. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  32. "18. Contemporary Troupes Open Age - Final". results.crowndanceevents.com.au. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  33. "79. Modern Exp Small Groups 16 & Over - Final". results.crowndanceevents.com.au. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  34. "82. Hip Hop Crews Combined 16 & Over - Final". results.crowndanceevents.com.au. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  35. Nurul Asyikin Mohd Nasir (10 September 2009). "Victoria school alumni: Boys only, please". The New Paper (Singapore).
  36. Patricia Yap (28 February 2005). "Victorians' Day to kick off on March 5". Today (Singapore).
  37. Kenny Chee (2 June 2009). "Victorians labour to celebrate artistic talents". The New Paper (Singapore).
  38. Christopher Toh (4 June 2009). "Two upcoming local gigs to look forward to". Today (Singapore).
  39. Huang Lijie (19 September 2011). "Victoria School celebrates 135 years with 1,500 alumni, ex-teachers". The Straits Times (Singapore).
  40. "Seeing invisible worlds", The Straits Times, 30 July 2007
  41. "The New Paper, 27 July 2001". The New Paper. pp. 77–79. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
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