Friday, August 26, 2005
Mr Foo is trying to change the school name to Nan Hua High School. Please help in signing the petition against it! http://www.petitiononline.com/savenh
To: The Ministry of Education, Singapore and the NHSS School Management Committee
We, the students of Nan Hua Secondary School, past and present, protest the change of the school's name. No prior information was given to us regarding such a historical change, nor were we given a chance to express our opinions. We beseech the school to reconsider the change because: 1) We believe in the preservation of 88 years of the Nan Hua tradition. The last change of name was due to a historic change in school policy in 1980, when Nan Hua went coed. The name change was hence unavoidable and important. In 2000, when Nan Hua became a Special Assistance Plan school, no name change was implemented. It is our belief that the school's new autonomous status should not warrant such a change, if the reason behind this is the fact that other Special Assistance Plan schools are also "high schools". We oppose the need to change a name. We believe fervently that it is not the name that determines the school, but the holistic and moral education Nan Hua has provided to its students for the past 88 years. There is no reason to change the name when the reason cited was valid years ago, when we first became a Special Assistance School. There is no reason for the delay. We believe that Nan Hua maintains its own unique cultural identity, and does not need a name change simply to define itself as a up and coming school. Our results both academically and in co-curricular activities speak of Nan Hua's excellence and development by themselves. Our identity as "Nan Hua Secondary School" has remained for the past twenty odd years. We have not merged with any school, nor reestablished our affiliation with Nan Hua Primary School. There is no true motivating reason behind this name change. 2) The students were not notified of this change beforehand, and alumni were not even given the chance to find out except through their juniors and teachers whom they still keep in contact with. We oppose this lack of information as we maintain our right to vote in such a crucial matter. Students in the Chinese High and Hwa Chong Junior College were given choices last year when the two schools merged. We believe that we should be given the same rights to speak up for our school, our memories and our tradition. We may not retain the rights to expressing our opinions on internal school affairs, but the name Nan Hua will remain with us throughout our lives, and it is also our right to convey our wishes to the school. The handling of the change of name has been irresponsible and inconsiderate to the alumni and the students, and we would like to request a chance to make our views known. We protest the autocratic way this issue has been handled and request for adequate information and the right to express our opinions on the name change. 3) We request that the school publish a clear statement of the school's rationale and objectives for the change of name and the change in uniform, which now requires students to wear ties. We believe that we have the right to knowledge of the school's activities as much as any current Nan Hua student. 4) The principal's rationale for the change of name, because Nan Hua was formerly Nan Hwa Girls' High School, is unjustified. Nan Hua is not returning to its former status as a single-sex school, and to change the name is disrespectful to the alumni of Nan Hua Secondary. The change of name was essential when Nan Hua began to admit both boys and girls. There has been no corresponding change and hence there is no need to change a perfectly functional name with twenty years of alumni behind it. This recognition of our roots as a girls' school founded in 1917 is unwarranted, as this has been published continuously in students' handbooks over the years. We hence request the the school reconsider its decision and application to the Ministry of Education and take into consideration the opinions of its students and alumni, rather than implementing such a drastic change.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
View Current Signatures
To: The Ministry of Education, Singapore and the NHSS School Management Committee
We, the students of Nan Hua Secondary School, past and present, protest the change of the school's name. No prior information was given to us regarding such a historical change, nor were we given a chance to express our opinions. We beseech the school to reconsider the change because: 1) We believe in the preservation of 88 years of the Nan Hua tradition. The last change of name was due to a historic change in school policy in 1980, when Nan Hua went coed. The name change was hence unavoidable and important. In 2000, when Nan Hua became a Special Assistance Plan school, no name change was implemented. It is our belief that the school's new autonomous status should not warrant such a change, if the reason behind this is the fact that other Special Assistance Plan schools are also "high schools". We oppose the need to change a name. We believe fervently that it is not the name that determines the school, but the holistic and moral education Nan Hua has provided to its students for the past 88 years. There is no reason to change the name when the reason cited was valid years ago, when we first became a Special Assistance School. There is no reason for the delay. We believe that Nan Hua maintains its own unique cultural identity, and does not need a name change simply to define itself as a up and coming school. Our results both academically and in co-curricular activities speak of Nan Hua's excellence and development by themselves. Our identity as "Nan Hua Secondary School" has remained for the past twenty odd years. We have not merged with any school, nor reestablished our affiliation with Nan Hua Primary School. There is no true motivating reason behind this name change. 2) The students were not notified of this change beforehand, and alumni were not even given the chance to find out except through their juniors and teachers whom they still keep in contact with. We oppose this lack of information as we maintain our right to vote in such a crucial matter. Students in the Chinese High and Hwa Chong Junior College were given choices last year when the two schools merged. We believe that we should be given the same rights to speak up for our school, our memories and our tradition. We may not retain the rights to expressing our opinions on internal school affairs, but the name Nan Hua will remain with us throughout our lives, and it is also our right to convey our wishes to the school. The handling of the change of name has been irresponsible and inconsiderate to the alumni and the students, and we would like to request a chance to make our views known. We protest the autocratic way this issue has been handled and request for adequate information and the right to express our opinions on the name change. 3) We request that the school publish a clear statement of the school's rationale and objectives for the change of name and the change in uniform, which now requires students to wear ties. We believe that we have the right to knowledge of the school's activities as much as any current Nan Hua student. 4) The principal's rationale for the change of name, because Nan Hua was formerly Nan Hwa Girls' High School, is unjustified. Nan Hua is not returning to its former status as a single-sex school, and to change the name is disrespectful to the alumni of Nan Hua Secondary. The change of name was essential when Nan Hua began to admit both boys and girls. There has been no corresponding change and hence there is no need to change a perfectly functional name with twenty years of alumni behind it. This recognition of our roots as a girls' school founded in 1917 is unwarranted, as this has been published continuously in students' handbooks over the years. We hence request the the school reconsider its decision and application to the Ministry of Education and take into consideration the opinions of its students and alumni, rather than implementing such a drastic change.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
View Current Signatures
gazed at e stars@11:30 PM
++ youknowwho ++
++ youknowwho ++
Profile
++ Ngee Ann ++
++ Ex PEPS ++
++ Ex NHHS ++
++ Ex NHDS ++
++ BBPC YF ++
++ Ex 4pe 9enes ++
++ Zaobao SPH ++
++ Mass Communications ++
Officially: Mesmerised
Status: 
Tagboard
Links