Tampines Meridian Junior College

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Tampines Meridian Junior College (TMJC) is a junior college in Singapore, founded in 2018, offering two-year pre-university courses leading up to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level examination.

In April 2017, ongoing reductions in student numbers throughout the city-state prompted the Singapore Ministry of Education to announce that eight Junior Colleges would be involved in two-for one mergers, leaving four renamed schools; Tampines Junior College (founded 1986) and Meridian Junior College (founded 2003) were confirmed as two of the eight, resulting in the creation of TMJC in 2018, with classes first starting in January 2019.

Tampines Meridian Junior College 淡滨尼美廉初级学院 Maktab Rendah Tampines Meridian தெம்பனிஸ் மெரிடியன் தொடக்கக் கல்லூரி
Location
21 Pasir Ris Street 71, Singapore 518799
Information
Former name	Tampines Junior College Meridian Junior College
School type	Government, Co-Educational
Motto	Integrity, Courage, Resilience, Compassion
Established	15 November 2018
Session	Single
School code	0717
Principal	Ms Pamela Yoong
Song	Hearts and Minds Inspired
Website	https://tmjc.moe.edu.sg

History[]

In 2017, Singapore's Ministry of Education (MOE) announced a merging exercise of various schools in view of the declining birth rate in Singapore.^[1] Enrolments were predicted to fall to as low as 200 to 300 students at some junior colleges within a few years.^[2] Also included in this exercise were seven pairs of primary schools and three pairs of secondary schools.^[1] Tampines Junior College (founded 1986) and Meridian Junior College (founded 2003) were among the eight junior colleges selected for the merging exercise.

The new names of the four new junior colleges were formally made known in January 2018. They adopted a combination of the full names of both colleges, with the name of the older college coming first.^[3] The college thus received the name Tampines Meridian Junior College (TMJC), with its campus taking over the facilities at the Meridian Junior College campus.

TMJC started work on the merger in 2018, and formally started operations on 7 January 2019, with the lowering of the flags of its predecessors and the raising of the TMJC flag. Bonding activities for students and teachers were conducted the same day.^[4]

The college anthem, which was composed by Tampines Junior College alumni Joel Nah, was composed over the course of 2019 and presented to the students and staff on two occasions towards the end of the academic year.^[5]

Since January 2021, TMJC held its first virtual open house in place of a regular one due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[6]

Principal[]

The first and current principal of TMJC is Ms Pamela Yoong, who was also the sixth and final principal of TPJC prior to the merger.^[7]

Identity[]

Students of TMJC are usually referred to as "TMJCians" or "Tampines Meridians".

Crest[]

The circular shape represents TMJC's commitment to provide an all-rounded, holistic and rich education. Red represents courage, resilience and care, while silver represents integrity. The bold letters spelling the college’s initials represent the college’s clarity of purpose and steadfast determination to always strive to be better.^[8]

Uniform[]

The uniform was selected from four proposed colour schemes, with a neutral design of white and khaki being selected.^[9]

Male students wear a white shirt with khaki long pants, while female students wear a white blouse with a khaki skirt. Student Councillors wear a tie and name tag along with the respective white tops. This full uniform must be worn every Monday.

There is also a polo shirt that is mainly dark blue with shades of red and white. It should not be confused with the PE attire, which consists of a red, white and blue t-shirt along with black running shorts. The polo shirt may be worn on every day except Monday, although on Tuesday and Thursday, it is the only allowed alternative to the formal white tops.

On Wednesday and Friday only, students may wear any college-related shirt, including CCA t-shirts and college event t-shirt.

The PE attire may only be worn during PE lessons. However, on Wednesday and Friday, students may wear the PE t-shirt for the whole day as it is considered a college-related shirt.

House System[]

During internal sports competitions in the college, the college's sports houses would be ranked against each other, with prizes for the top house. The house crests were unveiled on 12 July 2019 as part of a college celebratory event.^[10] The five houses of TMJC are as follows:

• Aquila (Red, Eagle)
• Corvus (Blue, Raven)
• Cygnus (White, Swan)
• Draco (Grey, Dragon)
• Pavo (Khaki, Peacock)

Campus[]

TMJC's campus is located at the former MJC campus at Pasir Ris Street 71, retaining the original colour scheme of white, blue and orange. A glass facade is installed at the main entrance.

The campus is in a rectangular layout, with most of the academic buildings, including the classrooms, laboratories, staff rooms and library, being located towards the west of the campus. Numerous study benches are located throughout the campus to allow students to engage in self-study and consultations with their teachers. The library, which has two floors, is also used for self-study and also serves as a space for mass lectures. There is a cafe located outside the library. A main corridor connects all the main academic buildings.

At the centre of the campus is the general office which overlooks the plaza; adjacent to it is a block of seminar rooms with a distinctive grey facade bearing the college's name and crest.

The east part consists of the main hall, canteen, sports gallery and a field with a synthetic running track and turf. A student lounge and most CCA rooms are located at the sports gallery. There are also sheltered basketball courts for students' use during PE lessons and their own free time. TMJC's field and running track would be open for public use on weekends.^[11] TMJC's canteen, which also serves as a multi-purpose hall, is the only air-conditioned junior college canteen in Singapore.^[12]

Next to the field, on the wall of the block next to the lecture theatres, is a rock-climbing wall. An art room is located within this block, which also connects to a side gate leading to Pasir Ris Drive 1.

A sheltered walkway connects the canteen to the five lecture theatres of different sizes, numbered LT1 through LT5. LT4, the largest, can accommodate an audience of around 600. In 2018, one of the smaller lecture theatres, LT3, was converted into a performance theatre to facilitate the Theatre Studies and Drama Elective Programme. In 2016, a lecture recording system was installed in all the lecture theatres and seminar rooms in MJC (and continues to function in TMJC) to record live lectures for students to catch up on lectures at their own pace and experience continual and self-directed learning.

Outside the lecture theatres is a heritage gallery opened in 2018 to commemorate the histories of TPJC and MJC in light of the merger.^[13]

Under the JC Rejuvenation Programme as planned by the MOE, TMJC's campus would be upgraded in its second phase, most likely by 2030.^[14]

Academic Information[]

The list of content-based subjects offered by TMJC for the GCE A-Levels is as follows:

Content-based H2 Subjects	Content-based H1 Subjects
Art	Art
Biology	Biology
Chemistry	Chemistry
Physics	Physics
Economics	Economics
English Literature	English Literature
Geography	Geography
History	History
Mathematics	Mathematics
Further Mathematics[15]	China Studies in English
Chinese Language and Literature (CLL)	General Studies in Chinese[16]
Malay Language and Literature
Tamil Language and Literature
Theatre Studies & Drama

Students applying to take Arts, Further Mathematics and Theatre Studies and Drama must sit for a diagnostic assessment to assess their suitability to take the respective subject.

Each student usually takes three H2 subjects along with one H1 subject. General Paper, Project Work and Mother Tongue are compulsory H1 subjects for all students, although Project Work and Mother Tongue would only be examined at the end of JC1. Students can be exempted from H1 Mother Tongue if they have:

• Obtained a D7 or better for the relevant Higher Mother Tongue at the O-Levels
• Chosen to take any of the Mother Tongue Language and Literature subjects, i.e CLL, MLL and TLL
• Been exempted from Mother Tongue by MOE

Students with a raw L1R5 of 11 and below are eligible to take 4 H2 subjects.

Malay Language Elective Programme (MLEP)[]

TMJC is one of five junior colleges offering the MLEP. It is for students who show a high level of proficiency and interest in the Malay language, and also aims to enhance these students' understandings of Malay literature and culture. All students who enrol in this programme in TMJC are required to take H2 MLL at the A-Levels.^[17]

Theatre Studies and Drama Elective Programme[]

TMJC offers the Theatre Studies and Drama Elective Programme, which was originally offered in TPJC from 2007 to before the merger. It aims to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of, and critical thinking about, theatre and drama in a variety of historical and cultural contexts; as well as to foster students’ interest and enjoyment in theatre and drama both as participants and as informed members of an audience. All students who enrol in this programme in TMJC are required to take H2 TSD at the A-Levels.^[18]

Co-Curricular Activities[]

Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) provide a platform for a rich learning experience for building character and enhancing interpersonal, social, mental and leadership skills. A total of 30 CCAs including Students' Council are offered in TMJC.^[19] Students normally take part in only one CCA. The list of CCAs offered at TMJC is as follows:

Sports and Games	Performing Arts	Clubs and Societies
Archery	Chinese Orchestra	Culture Promotion Club
Badminton	Choir	Debating and Public Speaking
Basketball	English Drama	Interact Club
Floorball	Guitar Ensemble	Interactive Games Club
Football	Modern Dance	Makers' Club
Health and Fitness	Symphonic Band	Media Resource Club
Netball		Photography Club
Outdoor Activities Club (ODAC)		Students' Council
Paddlers
Rockwall Climbing
Shooting
Squash
Table Tennis
Taekwondo
Volleyball
Wushu

The Students' Council differs from the other CCAs. Students must have good conduct and leadership skills to apply to be a part of it. Students who have applied to the Students' Council must undergo several rounds of trainings and interviews before being allowed to stand for election to determine whether they will make it into the council. Therefore, these students must take part in another CCA during this period in case of them losing their election. After all the nominees have been elected into the council, another election would be held to determine the next president of this batch of the council. JC1 students form the voting body for both elections.

References[]

Coordinates: 1°22′35″N 103°56′15″E / 1.3764°N 103.9375°E / 1.3764; 103.9375