Upgrading, relocation of secondary schools and JCs delayed
Infrastructure projects for two secondary schools and four junior colleges (JCs) will be deferred by a year, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a statement on Wednesday (July 1).
This is because precautionary measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus have affected the production and delivery of construction materials, design plans, availability of workers, as well as on-site construction works, the ministry added.
Woodlands Ring Secondary School, which was slated for upgrading between January 2021 and December 2022, will only start a year later due to delays in sprucing works at its holding site, the former campus of North View Secondary School.
The school will move to its holding site during upgrading works from January 2022 to December 2023, MOE said.
Yusof Ishak Secondary School’s planned relocation to its new Punggol campus in January 2021 will also be delayed by a year.
Construction work for its new campus was halted during the circuit breaker and the school, currently located in Bukit Batok, will now make the move in January 2022 instead.
It will also not be admitting new Secondary 1 cohorts for an additional year. The school had stopped admitting Secondary 1 cohorts in the last two years to minimise disruptions to students’ learning when it moves to Punggol.
MOE assured that the delay will not impact the current students of the school.
Upgrading or rebuilding works for four JCs under the JC Rejuvenation Programme will also be deferred by a year, as more time is needed to establish the type of sprucing and construction works needed for both their permanent and holding sites.
Construction works under the first phase of the programme, which were initially scheduled to start in 2022, will start in 2023 instead and are tentatively set to be complete by end-2025.
Anderson Serangoon JC and Temasek JC will move to their holding sites while their current campuses, at Ang Mo Kio and Bedok respectively, are rebuilt.
Yishun Innova JC and Junior Pioneer JC will remain at their existing campuses in Yishun and Teck Whye, when the former Innova JC site is upgraded, and the former Jurong JC site is rebuilt.
Said MOE: “The two secondary schools and four JCs affected by the delays will make the necessary arrangements to ensure that all students continue to have a conducive learning environment.
“MOE will also continue to monitor the situation closely and assess the impact of the Covid-19 situation on ongoing construction works.”
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