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Early History of TKGS
Early History of TKGS
The School was opened in 1953 with an intake of 250 students and housed a block of 22 classrooms.
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Upon its establishment in 1953, Tanjong Katong Girls’ School (TKGS) had the distinction of being the first English secondary school for girls set up by the Singapore government after the Second World War. Its origins, though, went deeper, harking back to the Ten-Year Programme under the British colonial administration’s educational policy mooted in 1946.
The three general principles enunciated in the Ten-Year Programme Education Policy in the Colony of Singapore were: that education be aimed at fostering and extending the capacity for self-government, and the ideal of civil loyalty and responsibility; that equal education opportunity be afforded to children of both sexes and of all races; and that upon a basis of free primary education, all secondary, vocational and higher education should be developed to be best meet the needs of the country.
The three general principles enunciated in the Ten-Year Programme Education Policy in the Colony of Singapore were: that education be aimed at fostering and extending the capacity for self-government, and the ideal of civil loyalty and responsibility; that equal education opportunity be afforded to children of both sexes and of all races; and that upon a basis of free primary education, all secondary, vocational and higher education should be developed to be best meet the needs of the country.At the time, private schools mostly taught their students in Chinese and lacked supervision and racial diversity. To address this, the colonial government started to establish English schools offering English medium education in government schools to all who opted for it, and at lower fees.
The scale and rapidity of the expansion of new English medium schools was reflected in the estimated 109,000 extra school places made available within two years from 1952 to 1954 under the Education Policy. This initiative aimed to address the urgent issue of large numbers of children who were then not attending school. Hence, TKGS was set up in the midst of a school-building frenzy, in concert with a mass teacher recruitment exercise initiated by the government.
Arise, TKGS
“The school has been established, the seed sown and growth promoted. The future can be good. With renewed vigour, with willingness to sacrifice time and energy for a good cause, and in the spirit of cooperation and forbearance, TKGS presses on with this ideal: that the people of Singapore shall find the name TKGS synonymous with education in its widest sense and its finest level”
Mrs Maude Scott, Principal, 1953-1960
Mrs Maude Scott, a Eurasian who was promoted from the staff of Raffles Girls’ School, was posted to Tanjong Katong Girls’ School as its founding principal. In 1953, the school opened with an intake of 250 students and a staff of ten. It was housed in a block of 22 classrooms. As Mrs Scott observed, this was not the most auspicious of beginnings, with its first two intakes described as “very ragged” and “of very mixed quality”. Most of the girls were previously from Chinese schools of varying abilities, and so had little knowledge of the English Language.
Mrs Scott also noted, in the school’s first Speech Day and Prize-Giving in 1957, chief among the problems that bedevilled the students were “widespread poverty and undernourishment leading to physical disability”. Many were overaged and unable to finish the course because they had to work to alleviate their families’ financial woes.
History of the School Crest
Our School Crest consists of six symbols.
At the tip of the crest, a majestic LION stands on top of a TOWER.
Adorned with the colours of gold and maroon in four separate panels are the symbols of TURTLE , WHEEL , LAMP , and WINGED SHOE.
LION
The majestic Lion is a symbol of Singapore. It signifies courage and nobility.
TOWER
Beneath the Lion is a mighty Tower. The Tower symbolises our school, a citadel of learning.
TURTLE
The Turtle is a symbol of our "Katong" school.
It also represents wisdom and accumulation of knowledge, while providing an anchor by virtue of its steadfastness.
WHEEL
The Wheel guides us in our endeavours, giving us purpose, direction and the determination to succeed.
LAMP
The Lamp symbolises our continual quest for knowledge and learning.
WINGED SHOE
In Greek mythology, the Winged Shoe is the shoe of Hermes, son of the Greek God, Zeus.
It symbolises physical and mental agility, ingenuity and adaptability.
The First School Crest
Mrs Scott conceptualised the symbols of the first school crest. These marked the initial planting of the school vision and values that would take root through the years.
The Lamp was a symbol of knowledge and intelligence
The Wheel was a symbol of femininity; in olden times, women spun cloth with a spinning wheel.
The Turtle was meant to symbolise the school’s location in the Katong District – Tanjong Katong means “turtle point” in Malay. Katong was a species of sea turtle, which is now extinct.
The Winged Shoe symbolised “sportsmanship” and “rugged society”, the latter a common slogan in the early years of Singapore’s nationhood. It expressed an ideal that citizens should be rugged both physically and mentally, having the tenacity and mental strength to overcome daunting obstacles.