The Ministry of Education said on July 25, 2014, that eight secondary schools will merge into four in 2016.

The real reason? There are not enough students to go around filling up vacancies.

Tanglin Secondary will combine with Clementi Woods Secondary and operate out of Tanglin's compound on West Coast Road.

First Toa Payoh Secondary will merge with Bartley Secondary and operate out of Bartley's campus.

Ping Yi Secondary in Chai Chee will absorb Bedok Town Secondary.

And Chestnut Drive Secondary will merge with Fajar Secondary.

In this case, Chestnut Drive will operate from January 2016 to December 2017, while Fajar Secondary's school compound is upgraded. The merged schools will move to Fajar's campus in 2018.

The names of the merged schools are still being considered.

The ministry said the mergers "ensure that each school will have a critical mass of students".

Not the first time

This will also be the second merger for Bedok Town and Clementi Woods.

In 2011, Bedok Town absorbed Chai Chee Secondary.

In 2007, Ghim Moh and Jin Tai secondary schools merged to form Clementi Woodsand is located on the old Jin Tai site.

Possible loss of icon

Tanglin Secondary School has had a long history in Singapore. The school just celebrated its 50th anniversary this year in June 2014.

Previously it was named Tanglin Integrated Secondary Technical School from 1965 to 1968 and renamed Tanglin Technical Secondary School in 1969.

In 1993, it became Tanglin Secondary School.

From 2001 to 2004, in Tanglin's heyday, it had about 1,500 students and 10 classes at each level. But the enrollment has fallen to the extent that there are only four Secondary 1 classes now.

It is the same situation at Clementi Woods. Each level has between just three and five classes with a student population of about 500.

Moreover, both Tanglin and Clementi Woods are located on West Coast Road, which is near Kent Ridge Secondary School.

The entry standard for all three schools is similar: Aggregate scores for the Express stream hover around 190.

Primary schools erased from national directory of schools

In March 2014, four primary schools -- Qiaonan, Bedok West, Griffiths and Hong Kah -- were declared to be no more by the Ministry of Education.

From 2015 onwards, Bedok West Primary and Hong Kah Primary will be absorbed by Damai Primary and Lianhua Primary, respectively.

Qiaonan Primary and Griffiths Primary will merge to form Angsana Primary.

The names of the four primary schools, Bedok West, Griffiths, Hong Kah and Qiaonan, will be erased from the national directory of schools.

These four schools are the less popular schools in Singapore’s mature estates as they do not even have enough students to fill a classroom, an issue which is partly due to Singapore’s declining fertility.

Related article:

Bye bye Qiaonan, Bedok West, Griffiths & Hong Kah primary schools

Top photo of Tanglin Secondary School from here

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