'Why break the ACS spirit?': Parents at school town hall raise concerns over affiliation

SINGAPORE: Affiliation to the two Anglo-Chinese primary schools was the main concern expressed by parents who attended a town hall held on Wednesday (Feb 22) night. 

About 250 to 300 parents and alumni were present, and responding to their questions were members of the ACS board of governors and the Old Boys’ Association. 

The Ministry of Education (MOE) announced earlier that ACS (Primary) will move to Tengah and become a co-ed school from 2030, 12km away from its current site at Barker Road. 

From 2030, the school at Barker Road will only accept male Primary 1 students who are siblings of students currently studying at the site. 

As cohort sizes fall, the school will consolidate with ACS (Junior) at Winstedt Road and operate under the latter’s name around 2033. The combined ACS (Junior) will continue to operate from both campuses before shifting to the Barker Road site around 2039. 

Parents who attended the town hall told CNA that many questions during the town hall revolved around affiliation. They declined to be named as they were told not to speak to journalists.

For example, an alumnus with a newborn son who had already moved near to the current campus asked if he would be able to send his child to the Barker Road campus instead. Children born this year will be in Primary 1 in 2030. 

With their future children or grandchildren in mind, other alumni asked whether their affiliation to ACS (Primary) could be extended to ACS (Junior), according to parents CNA spoke to.

A parent who has a son in ACS (Primary) said: “When it came to the open floor, I think some parents or old boys did bring up pretty pertinent questions.

“And they were greeted with rounds and rounds of applause. The board said what they wanted to say but I don’t think it was accepted.” 

She continued: “Our boys basically raised funds, did carnivals, all sorts of fundraising by the parents and the boys for the annex block and the current campus improvement programme, and after that, you tell them ‘okay, you’re no longer affiliated to this campus’. It’s quite disappointing.” 

Parents and alumni who spoke up wanted their children and future generations to benefit from the Barker Road campus, said another parent who attended the town hall. 

Other parents had concerns about how the move would affect school spirit, she added. 

“Another lady, her son is alumni … Her concern was why (would they) want to break the ACS spirit? Why not open a new school, and join the two primary schools together, or merge them, and give them (alumni) an option? That’s exactly what I felt,” said one parent. 

“The board of governors keep emphasising that they always wanted to have a special needs school, but the Government refused to open one, but recently they suggested, if we give you the offer, you have to move one of your primary schools,” she added. 

“They didn’t really give a good answer, why move ACS (Primary) (instead of ACS Junior)? They did say because it’s a smaller cohort ... all these are plain excuses.” 

Chairman of the ACS board of governors Richard Seow said the stakeholders at the session were “actually very positive”.

“There were a lot of actually good questions for special needs, and we’re only now just starting our dialogue with MOE in terms of how we start up, and where we’re going to start… but it was very helpful and I think it was a great session overall.”

Speaking to journalists after the town hall, the representatives acknowledged that a lot of the parents who spoke up had questions or concerns about affiliation.

“They were actually trying to figure out which schools and which affiliation they could go to. I think we will clarify all of those and give feedback to MOE,” said Mr Seow.

He also confirmed that there were parents who were worried for not just their children, but whether their grandchildren and future generations would benefit from alumni affiliation to both ACS (Primary) and ACS (Junior).

“Those concerns have come up. I think we have conveyed those concerns to MOE. I don’t think it is the ACS board that makes these decisions. But we will discuss with them and figure out what solutions to arrive at.” 

The representatives also noted that children of alumni generally do manage to get into ACS (Primary). 

Responding to a question about whether this is likely to continue, president of the ACS Old Boys’ Association Lock Wai Han stressed that these policies are controlled and required by MOE. 

“We’re not in a position to control these numbers. What we can do is continue to offer a good education in ACS so that parents, whether they’re alumni or not, will continue to send their children here,” he added. 

Responding to a question about whether affiliation for female students to secondary school would be introduced, Mr Seow noted that the issue was also brought up during the town hall. 

“Currently right now, the girls do not have any affiliation, there’s no secondary school there. Clearly we have a number of Methodist girls’ schools, I think we will also initiate discussions with those schools as well,” he added. 

“With this co-ed school, we should basically go back to the ministry and say, look, we’ve done a good job. We have basically good enrollment, good results, would they be open to looking at a co-ed school near or around Tengah,” said Mr Seow, although he added that this conversation is for the future. 

To continue the tradition of a single-sex school, someone suggested during the town hall that male and female students be put in separate classes in the new co-ed ACS (Primary), said a parent.

And the ACS representatives responded to the parents and alumni's concerns over affiliation with similar answers.

“It kind of became like everything was dictated to them by MOE, and they prayed and then came to terms with it,” she added.

“One parent said, ‘You keep telling us MOE said this, MOE said this. Why don’t you have the gumption to challenge it, to push back? Why don’t you tell us what you said?’” she added, while stressing that she appreciated the measures that would minimise the disruption to current students. 

“No boy (will) have to hop from here to Tengah, we get that. But there’s still so much more that I think can be fought for, including affiliation.”