Why Temasek JC is doing so badly


TJC used to be among the top 5 until a few years back. So the general rankings were RI, HCI, VJC, NJC and TJC. TJC is one of the older JCs. It is the oldest institution in the east at least. Temasek Junior College is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.


Anyways, in short, VJC came in and kick TJC in the nuts; so TJC ended up being ranked 5th. Not too shabby. But then in 2011 or 2012, ACJC beat TJC in terms of 'O' Level entry cutoff points. Now in terms of cutoffs TJC isn't even featuring in the top 5. Next came NYJC which had been improving all this time and now NYJC has stricter cutoff entry requirements than TJC.


TJC is currently tied with AJC which was never even seen as a close competitor previously.


People have many theories for TJC’s downfall. The most common one is regarding the new principal who joined TJC, Susan Leong. She was the ex-principal of AJC and apparently they celebrated her leaving if rumours are to be trusted. However before AJC, Susan Leong was the principal of Cedar Girls' and she was loved there and had worked a lot to bring up Cedar to where it is today. So now she came to TJC and started messing up the administration. Even teachers used to make fun of her sometimes. Well but imo I don’t think one person is capable of bringing an entire school down although she might have played a part (Sorry Ms Leong).


Another reason is that the birth rate in the east is declining. So the number of applicants to JCs in the east is low. Everyone’s first choice is always VJC so the demand for TJC has dropped tremendously recently. The entry cutoff points are more likely based on demand and supply these days. Obviously you get students of higher academic caliber, generally the better the results. In honesty, TJC has been faring poorly for its 'A' Level batches in recent years.


I don’t think it’s vastly different from NYJC’s performance but NYJC has seen a tremendous spike in L1R5 cutoffs. TJC has a new principal now, who is, if we believe the rumours, no better than Susan Leong.


So, TJC’s future re somewhat bleak right now. Yet TJC has a long history and although is unable to boast any stellar achievements of late , the achievement boards in the school will still likely tell you otherwise.


This post was first published over at TR Emeritus on 24 April 2017. It is reproduced with permission.


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