Opposite of Margaret Drive, at the junction of Queensway and Commonwealth Avenue (previously was a roundabout called Queen’s Circus), lies the former campus of New Town Secondary School.
Established in 1965, the same year as Singapore’s independence, the school was initially made up of only a multi-purpose hall building, a four-storey block of classrooms and open-air basketball courts. At the start, it was known as Queensway’s Third Secondary School (the other two being Queensway and Queenstown Secondary Schools), aimed in providing english-medium education to the children of the Queenstown’s residents.
The school was officially named New Town Secondary School in mid-1965, referencing to the relatively new satellite housing estate of Queenstown. The school’s motto was “to forge a better life”, reflecting the goals and objectives of a new state emerged during late fifties and early sixties, hoping that the school and education could forge a better future for its students and, in turn, they could contribute to the nation’s progress and development.
The first year of New Town Secondary School had 45 classes, made up of 73 teachers and 1,819 students. It was one of the first schools in Singapore to provide bilingual education to the students. Many of its upper secondary classes had students from Hua Yi Secondary School, Queensway Secondary School and Tanglin Integrated Secondary School (renamed Tanglin Technical Secondary School in 1969 and Tanglin Secondary School in 1993).
After well-established for almost 20 months, New Town Secondary School was officially opened on 17 September 1966 by Jek Yeun Thong, Minister for Labour and Member of Parliament (MP) for Queenstown.
The importance of Singapore’s secondary education after independence was demonstrated by the school’s distinguished guests of honour. Former Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew and former Singapore President Benjamin Sheares had visited the school in 1967 and 1971 respectively.
In 1969, New Town Secondary School merged with the neigbouring Baharuddin Vocational School, doubling the size of its school compound and increasing its students intake to more than 3,000. By the mid-seventies, New Town Secondary School was the largest secondary school in Singapore.
To accommodate the increased number of students, many of the school amenities were upgraded or expanded. In the seventies and eighties, a running track, grandstand, fitness corner and tennis courts were constructed. Also, long benches and tables were added around the school compound for the students to study and rest. An overhead projector was installed in each classroom. In 1988, New Town Secondary School set up its first computer laboratory.
New Town Secondary School in the seventies was a keen participant in many national campaigns such as “Better Food for Better Health” and “Use Your Hands”, where many of its students competed in inter-school cookery contests, while the rest were involved in the spring cleaning and repair works of their classrooms.
New Town Secondary School achieved a major milestone in the nineties, when it decided to be relocated to a newer and larger premises at Dover Road. The construction of the new campus kicked off in 1996. Two years later, in November 1998, the staff and students of New Town Secondary School gathered one last time at the old campus to bid farewell to their beloved and familiar school. A tree was removed and shifted to the new Dover Road campus as part of the symbolic move.
Since then, for more than two decades, the old premises of New Town Secondary School had been left vacant or leased as temporary campuses to other educational institutes, such as Clementi Town Secondary School, Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) Saint Theresa’s Convent School and Assumption English School.
There are no concrete plans for its redevelopment yet, but the piece of land that the old premises of New Town Secondary School is sitting on will likely not be left vacant for too long.
Published: 23 December 2019
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Interestingly enough, a quick search on land use plans and URA master plan indicate subject to detailed planning for the New Town secondary school plot. One would think such prime location (Queenstown/Commonwealth district and beside an mrt station) would definitely mean the demolition of the building and development into a private estate like it’s neighbour a station further down.
2 former schools next to Commonwealth MRT station to make way for housing
28 January 2024
The Straits Times
Two former schools that pre-date Singapore’s independence are set to be demolished, paving the way for a plum site next to Commonwealth MRT station to be developed for housing.
The roughly 7.6ha site – equivalent in size to more than 10 football fields – houses the former New Town Primary School at 402 Commonwealth Drive, the former New Town Secondary School at 121 Queensway, as well as a track and field the two schools shared.
Property analysts said the site is suited for both public and private homes or a mix, and at about 7.6ha is large enough to house more than one project. But given current property developments in the area, they said there is no urgency to roll out new homes.
Based on the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) 2019 masterplan, the site is zoned for housing. It has yet to be assigned a gross plot ratio that determines how much development is permitted.
Responding to queries, the Housing Board (HDB) said agencies are studying plans and will announce details when ready.
It added that site preparation is under way and contractors have been appointed for the demolition of structures that will take place “over the next few years”.
When The Straits Times visited the site on Jan 25, notices to residents of nearby HDB blocks in Commonwealth Close, which abuts the site, indicated that demolition works for 402 Commonwealth Drive began on Oct 3, 2023.
A project title board at the site states that works are expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2025.
While contractors were seen in 121 Queensway, a project title board has yet to be put up, and it is unknown when demolition works will formally start and end.
New Town Primary School was officially opened on July 26, 1965 by then Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee. It was located alongside Permaisura Primary School, which opened on June 7 that year.
Mrs Margaret Anderson, 74, a teacher at New Town Primary for more than 35 years from 1967, said the two schools were originally known as Queenstown North and Queenstown South, before getting their respective names – Permaisura and New Town – as postmen would confuse the schools with Queenstown Primary School in Margaret Drive.
Sports matches among pupils, and even teachers, of New Town and Permaisura primary schools were common, she added, noting that there was no fence between their two compounds.
In 1992, New Town took over Permaisura’s campus when the latter closed down. The school relocated to 300 Tanglin Halt Road in January 2009, ending its stay of more than four decades in Commonwealth Drive.
The campus was then used as the Ministry of Education’s Heritage Centre, which opened in 2011 and closed in September 2019, before reopening in Balestier in August 2022.
New Town Secondary School was founded on Jan 2, 1965, a few months prior to the opening of its neighbour, Baharuddin Vocational School, by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on June 19 that year.
In 1969, the vocational and secondary schools were merged, with New Town taking over Baharuddin’s campus.
Mrs Anderson said the two New Town schools decided to build a sports track. She took part in several rounds of fundraising, which eventually led to the track being completed between the two schools in 1975. Plans to build a swimming pool did not materialise due to a lack of funds, she added.
New Town Secondary School eventually outgrew its Queensway campus, and at end-1998 moved to its current Dover Road site.
The compound was then used as an interim campus for seven schools over two decades – Queensway Secondary School (2000-2001), Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) (2002-2003), River Valley High (2005-2006), Clementi Town Secondary School (2007-2008), CHIJ Theresa’s Convent (2010-2011), Assumption English School (2013-2015) and CHIJ Kellock (2017-2018).
Mr Daniel Lim, 60, who attended New Town Primary School from 1971 to 1976, said it is a pity to see the school go.
The semi-retired piano teacher fondly recalled times spent with friends, and that the canteen’s mee siam was “very good and cheap”, costing 10 cents per serving.
Also etched in his memory was a visit to the school’s ground-floor dental clinic, where he had a decayed tooth extracted in his lower primary years.
“The syringes were frighteningly large in those days,” he added.
2 former schools next to Commonwealth MRT station to make way for housing | The Straits Times