One of the oldest girls’ schools in Singapore
About 18, 000 students and alumni and other invited guests at the Sports Hub on May 20 as CHIJ marked its 170th anniversary. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
When four Catholic nuns arrived in Singapore and established Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) in 1854, education for girls was still unheard of in many parts of the world. The four Sisters established the school at the junction of Bras Basah Road and Victoria Street, and accepted girls from all financial backgrounds, including those who were orphans.
The second-oldest girls’ school in Singapore, CHIJ has since grown to 11 schools around the island today, educating generations of women. CHIJ celebrated its 170th anniversary on May 20 at the Singapore Sports Hub, with around 16,000 staff and students and 1,600 former staff and alumni in attendance. Cardinal William Goh, who heads Singapore’s Catholic Church, conducted a special mass.
An album with 12 songs written by students, teachers and alumni from across the CHIJ family of schools was launched at the event. Ms Vivienne Lim, chairwoman of the IJ board, said in a speech: “170 years ago, the idea of female education was revolutionary.” The founders saw education not just as a right, but also as a “transformational force for good”, she added. It is estimated that more than 200,000 girls have been educated in CHIJ schools in Singapore, Ms Lim said.
CHIJ 170th Anniversary Celebration
The community of CHIJ Schools will be celebrating its 170th Anniversary this year and the theme is “Hold On To Our IJ Dream”. This event commemorates the 170 years of the IJ mission in Singapore.
As part of the 170th Anniversary Celebrations, all CHIJ Schools will have activities designed to commemorate this significant year. The highlight of our celebrations will be the gathering of the entire CHIJ community at the Singapore Sports Hub on Monday 20th May 2024 (9am – 12pm).
Here, we will come together to honour our unique IJ identity and legacy, offering our heartfelt gratitude to God for His enduring mercy and blessings. We are delighted to share that His Eminence, William Cardinal Goh, will grace us with his presence and will also be the main celebrant at the celebration.
CHIJ School History
The oldest Catholic girls’ school and the mother school of all the CHIJ schools in Singapore, the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) was established in 1854 by the Infant Jesus Sisters at the corner of Bras Basah Road and Victoria Street. Under the supervision of Mother St Mathilde, within ten days of their arrival, the Sisters were able to open the Convent and Baby House and started classes for both fee-paying students and under privileged girls.
Besides providing education, an important part of the Sisters’ work from the start was providing refuge for orphans and destitute children. The “baby gate”, now called “the gate of hope” was where orphans and disabled or unwanted baby girls were left. The Sisters welcomed them and cared for them, giving them the possibility of a new life. Education standards in the school, fondly remembered as Town Convent, had always been high. In its annual reports, CHIJ was classified as Grade 1 in the grading of schools system. In 1881, CHIJ became an “Aided School”, receiving grants from the British colonial government for its administration. The Junior Cambridge Examination was started in 1902 and Secondary-level education officially commenced in 1905.
As Singapore’s population grew steadily, so did the school’s enrolment. Its premises were enlarged over the years, with the purchase and building of several new structures adjacent to the original buildings of the Victoria Street compound. CHIJ also expanded from one to 11 schools, with the establishment of other CHIJ schools, guided by the common mission of education and charity. After being a full school for 110 years, CHIJ split into separate primary and secondary schools in 1964. Pre-university classes were phased out in 1975. December 1983 marked the relocation of both the primary and secondary schools from Victoria Street to Toa Payoh to make way for urban renewal of the city centre. Meanwhile, the original buildings on Victoria Street were converted to the CHIJMES commercial complex, whose name pays tribute to the original occupant of the premises. The schools were officially opened on 17 August 1985. In 1986, CHIJ became one of the few secondary schools offering the Art Elective Programme. The school achieved autonomous status in 1994. It was named the South Zone Centre of Excellence for Language and the Arts in 2007 and attained the School Distinction Award in 2008 and the Singapore Quality Class in 2009.
Key Milestones:
- 1854 Founding of CHIJ on Victoria Street.
- 1881 Became a Government-Aided School.
- 1905 Start of secondary education.
- 1920 Start of commercial classes with domestic science & needlework included in the curriculum.
- 1964 Separation of primary and secondary sections into two schools.
- 1983 Relocation from Victoria Street to Lorong 1 Toa Payoh.
- 1994 Became an autonomous school.
- 2002 Relocation to holding site on Thomson Road as original site undergoes PRIME upgrading.
- 2006 Returned to Toa Payoh campus.
- 2016 Attained School Distinction Award.
CHIJ (1854) - Convent turned school
Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, or CHIJ, is part of the network of oldest Catholic schools in Singapore. Going all the way back to 1854, they began as a convent and home for abandoned babies.
Formal classes only began in 1905, when more and more people expressed interest in the school’s needlework classes and started requesting tutelage in other areas as well. At the time, CHIJ sat right by streets like Victoria Road and Bras Basah Road, which made its location more central. This encouraged more students to join the school since the area was easily accessible. The church portion of the school was demolished to make way for new offices, and other buildings like the CHIJMES complex.
The latter has since become a popular hangout spot for both locals and tourists, with tons of places to dine, shop, and learn about Singapore’s history. The school has since expanded its branches, now with 11 CHIJ schools across primary and secondary levels. They’re also affiliated with Catholic Junior College, so if you’re planning to take the A-level route eventually, you know where to go to get a headstart.
CHIJ History
Four Sisters (three French and one Irish) arrive in Singapore on board the Hoogly. The four Sisters were Mother St Mathilde, Mother St Appollinaire, Mother St Gaetan and Sr St Gregory Connolly. CHIJ is established at the corner of Bras Basah Road and Victoria Street. Classes start for fee-paying students and orphans.
20 May 2004 CHIJ celebrates 150 years of its presence in Singapore.
CHIJ girls past and present gathered on 9 Nov 2014 (Sun) to celebrate the 160th anniversary of their alma mater. About 400 students, teachers and alumni formed a human chain around the original Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus building, along Victoria Street, now known as Chijmes, while singing the school song
Chijmes to set up gallery on CHIJ's history
The historic 160-year-old Chijmes will soon pay homage to its original occupant - the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ).
Since it was transformed into a lifestyle and entertainment complex housing pubs and restaurants and hosting nightlife events, Chijmes has drawn criticism for being neglectful and at times insensitive of its heritage as a Catholic convent.
But a gallery, to be located within the walls of the complex's former chapel on Victoria Street, will showcase the school's history from when it was first established in 1854 by an order of French Catholic nuns. It will feature exhibition panels, a short film and artefacts.
Campus of the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) and Saint Nicholas Girls' School at Victoria Street
The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus was established in 1854 at Victoria Street by a group of Catholic nuns with the support of Father Jean-Marie Beurel, a French priest who was active in Singapore in the mid 19th century. Originally an orphanage and later a school for European and Eurasian girls, the convent was able to gradually expand its facilities with Beurel’s aid in acquiring surrounding properties and parcels of land.
The first major structure built was a two-storey building completed in 1856 to serve as the orphanage. A Gothic-inspired chapel was constructed in 1903 and further extensions added in the early 1950s. The convent continued to operate until 1983 when it shifted out to enable the redevelopment of the site for commercial purposes. The chapel and some of the outlying buildings have been preserved, now known collectively as CHIJMES. The origins of the Saint Nicholas Girls’ School can be traced to the establishment of the Victoria Girls' School in 1933 by the Infant Jesus Sisters, a group of French Catholic nuns whose order was founded in 1666 by Father Nicolas Barré, to serve as the Chinese section of the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ).
CHIJ was a school and orphanage set up by the Sisters in 1854 to cater to Eurasian and European girls. The Victoria Girls’ School was housed inside the building of the former Hotel Van Dyke, which was located near to the CHIJ at Victoria Street. The school, then known as the Saint Nicholas Girls’ School, shifted to the premises of the CHIJ in 1949. Both schools had to move out of the Victoria Street campus in 1983 due to tunnelling works for the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system. Saint Nicholas Girls’ School eventually relocated to a permanent new campus at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 2, Street 13.
CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh)
CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) is a government-aided autonomous Catholic girls' secondary school in Toa Payoh, Singapore. Founded in 1854, the school is the oldest of the 11 Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) schools in Singapore. The school is currently recognised as a Centre of Excellence for Language and the Arts.
The school was established around 1854, as the Convent for the Holy Infant Jesus, and as of 1862, housed a school as well as an orphanage. In 1881, the school was declared an aided school. In 1929, the school opened a hostel for young women. In January 1942, the school was closed and remained so until 1945. In 1951, a new S$390,000 classroom block was constructed and three years later, the school celebrated its centenary
In 1972, it was announced that the government was taking over the Victoria Street site of the school, and as compensation, a new site in Toa Payoh would be given to it.[8] The school moved to its new location in Toa Payoh in December 1983, and as a result, its name was changed to Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus(Toa Payoh). The school became autonomous in 1994 and from 2003 to 2006, the school was moved to a holding site along Thomson Road as the Toa Payoh premises were renovated under the PRIME scheme.
9 Oldest Schools In SG Then & Now – How Our Iconic Schools Have Changed Over the Decades
Waking up late and rushing to school before the national anthem plays is pretty much a core memory for anyone who went to school in Singapore. Reminiscing about school days is nostalgic for sure, but you’ve probably never pondered how rich the history of your school is.
From having shophouse extensions as classrooms to convents turned schools, this is the evolution of the oldest schools in Singapore. See how it compares with your alma mater.
Evolution of the oldest schools in Singapore:
