Monday, October 13, 2008

So that (points upward) is to be the new name of our junior college AND secondary school starting from 2009 onwards. I have no idea who was the first person who came up with this idea, just that the whole thing seems highly illogical and I do not understand why anyone would push for this, what more manage to make it come true.

I fail to see how the 'merger' will benefit the new students, especially if RGS is not part of it, and since we are already under the same board of directors and are already supposed to have a 'seamless progession' in the Raffles Programme. Whatever benefits there are supposed to be, I find that either these 'benefits' already exist now, or there is little to be gained from merging under one name.

The school website claims 'since early this year, we have been consulting groups of key stakeholders, including staff, students, parents and alumni of the three Raffles schools, to share the rationale and benefits for greater collaboration, and seek their views regarding the merger. Overall, the stakeholder groups were aligned and excited about the vision for the Raffles schools.' I wonder which students they consulted, for I was certainly not one of them.

So far, reactions from my friends vary from surprise to mute acceptance, but nobody seems to welcome it. The girls obviously do not like it, the guys do not like it, and yet it is going to happen. I remember not so long ago when I was laughing together with my HCI friends at the change in name of their school, only for the same thing to happen to us now.

The school website goes on to claim that 'the merger will also allow the Raffles family to draw pride and inspiration from a rich and common heritage, thus anchoring students to a bigger community and instilling in them a strong sense of social responsibility.' Perhaps, but then RI and RJC are not exactly the same, and thanks to the merger, I somehow feel that I have lost my own heritage from both institutions and now belong somewhere 'in between'. ):