Bowen Secondary School
Bowen Secondary School (BWSS) is a government school at Lorong Napiri, off Yio Chu Kang Road in Hougang, Singapore.
Bowen Secondary School 博文中学 Sekolah Menengah Bowen | |
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Address | |
2 Lorong Napiri, Singapore 547529 Singapore | |
Coordinates | 1°22′14.78″N 103°52′39.37″E |
Information | |
Type | Government co-educational |
Motto | "I Believe, Therefore I am” |
Established | 1982 |
Session | Single session |
School code | 3043 |
Principal | Loh Chih Hui (Mr) |
Enrolment | Approx. 1500 |
Colour(s) | Grey Blue Purple |
Vision | Every Bowenian a Passionate Learner, Leader and Champion. |
Mission | Nurturing Learning. Developing Character. Inspiring Service. |
Website | bowensec.moe.edu.sg |
History
Bowen Secondary School started in 1982 in the town of Ang Mo Kio.[1]
On 4 December 1999, Bowen moved to new premises along Lorong Napiri off Yio Chu Kang Road. In 2000, the school became a single session school with 1374 pupils.[1]
Principals
Since its establishment, the school has had a total of seven principals and twelve vice-principals.[2]
Principal | Years of service |
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T P Naidu | 1982–1985 |
Low Fook Yow | 1985–1996 |
Grace Lim Siew Meng | 1996–2003 |
Paul Chua Meng Huat | 2004–2007 |
Frederick Yeo | 2007–2011 |
Bernard Chew | 2011–2016 |
Liu Earnler | 2017–2021 |
Loh Chih Hui | 2021–Present |
Vice-Principal | Years of service |
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Dilbagh Singh | 1985–1989 |
Yap Weng Ha | 1989–1994 |
Ng Tiat Seng | 1994–1995 |
Soh Geok Kee | 1996–2004 |
Sharon Siew | 2004–2005 |
Tan Chai Hok | 2005–2012 |
Indra Venkatram | 2010–2012 |
Sarah Abdullah | 2012–2015 |
Clement Lim | 2014–2016 |
Inderjit Singh | 2015–2019 |
Lim Guihao | 2017–Present |
Melvin Tay | 2020–Present |
Identity and culture
Uniform and attire
Bowen Secondary School's formal uniform consists of a grey shirt with skirts for female students, shorts for male students in lower secondary levels, or long pants for boys in upper secondary levels. The shirt features a chest pocket. A blue tie is worn on Mondays and during important school activities. A red school tie is worn by Student Councillors. A smart casual attire can be worn on Tuesdays to Fridays, consisting of a blue polo shirt. The Bowen P.E. Attire consists of a dark blue shirt with light blue lining, together with black shorts.
Campus
Bowen Secondary School's campus has a dome-shaped entrance, and a green roof design. There is a second entrance with a roof consisting of long, narrow panels that are oriented from the gutter to the ridge. This roofing system is used for steep-sloped and low-sloped roofs, and is designed as a triangular roofed window. The school has a soccer field, a cafeteria, a garden, three sports hall, a library, two carparks and an arcade.[3]
Academic information
Being a government secondary school, Bowen Secondary School offers three academic streams, namely the four-year Express course, as well as the Normal Course, comprising Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) academic streams.
GCE O Level Express Course
The Express Course is a nationwide four-year programme that leads up to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examination.[4]
Academic subjects
The examinable academic subjects for Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level offered by Bowen Secondary School for upper secondary level (via. streaming in secondary 2 level), as of 2017, are listed below.[5]
Notes:
- Subjects indicated with ' * ' are mandatory subjects.
- All students in Singapore are required to undertake a Mother Tongue Language as an examinable subject, as indicated by ' ^ '.
- "SPA" in Pure Science subjects refers to the incorporation of School-based Science Practical Assessment, which 20% of the subject result in the national examination are determined by school-based practical examinations, supervised by the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board. The SPA Assessment has been replaced by one Practical Assessment in the 2018 O Levels.[6]
Sciences | Language & humanities | Arts & aesthetics |
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Subject-Based Banding
The school also offers Subject Based Banding.[7] Bowen Secondary is one of the 28 secondary schools selected by MOE to start piloting aspects of Full Subject-Based Banding (Full SBB) from 2020 onwards.[8]
Normal Course
The Normal Course is a nationwide four-year programme leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination, which runs either the Normal (Academic) curriculum or Normal (Technical) curriculum, abbreviated as N(A) and N(T) respectively.[9]
Normal (Academic) Course
In the Normal (Academic) course, students offer 5–8 subjects in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination. Compulsory subjects include:[10]
- English Language
- Mother Tongue Language
- Mathematics
- Combined Humanities
A 5th year leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examination is available to N(A) students who perform well in their Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination. Students can move from one course to another based on their performance and the assessment of the school principal and teachers.[9]
Normal (Technical) Course
The Normal (Technical) course prepares students for a technical-vocational education at the Institute of Technical Education.[10] Students will offer 5–7 subjects in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Normal Level examination.[10] The curriculum is tailored towards strengthening students' proficiency in English and mathematics.[10] Students take English Language, Mathematics, Basic Mother Tongue and Computer Applications as compulsory subjects.[10]
Notable alumni
- Michelle Chia: television presenter and actress, Mediacorp
References
- Bowen Secondary School Archived 21 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- "Our Heritage". Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- "Bowen Official Instagram post introducing their campus".
- "Express Course Curriculum". moe.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- "School Information Service". Ministry of Education, Singapore. Ministry of Education, Singapore. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- "GCE O-Level Syllabuses Examined in 2018". Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB). Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- "Full Subject-Based Banding (Full SBB)". www.moe.gov.sg. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- "28 secondary schools to pilot full subject-based banding from 2020". CNA. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- "Secondary School Courses". moe.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- "Normal Course Curriculum". moe.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.