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Facebook | I was/am/will be from RI and/or RJC, not RI(S) and/or RI(JC)!

"It has been recently announced in the news at 13th October 2008 that Raffles Institution (RI) and Raffles Junior College (RJC) will merge to become a single institution. The merged institution will be called "Raffles Institution", with the current RI to be called "Raffles Institution (Secondary) (RI(S))" and the current RJC to be called "Raffles Institution (Junior College) (RI(JC))". Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) will retain its identity as a premier girls' school, while continuing to work closely with the merged institution.

While we acknowledge the benefits that can be reaped from the merger, we are opposing the merger of RI and RJC on several grounds:

1. Without proper consultation with the majority of the key stakeholders (especially students) of the two schools, the authorities of both schools went ahead with the decision for a merger with RI and RJC.

2. The change in names of the two schools after the merger erodes the rich heritage of the two schools, especially the name "Raffles Institution (Secondary)", which the current RI would adopt.

3. Lack of transparency. The details of the merger are not given in full to the key stakeholders of the school who were being asked during focus discussions, namely the staff, students, parents and alumni of the two schools, thus rendering them incapable of making honest, informed decisions about the merger. Moreover, the details of the merger are not clearly mentioned to the students even when the merger was announced.

4. If RGS can continue to work closely with the same degree of interconnectedness with the current RI and RJC without a merger, why is it the case that RI and RJC need a merger to take a step further in collaboration? If RGS can operate separately without merging with the two other Raffles schools, RI and RJC can also operate separately while having a greater degree of interconnectedness in various areas such as academic, non-academic and corporate areas. Although greater collaboration is desired, merger is not necessary in achieving these objectives.

5. Adolescent males should study in a homogeneous environment to maximize their potential, just like adolescent females. The current RI, an all-boys school, should remain separate from the current RJC, a heterogeneous school, in order to maintain the excellence RI has achieved in its 185 years of history.

6. The current RI and the current RJC have distinct and unique school cultures, thus a merger would cause the loss of the unique cultures the two schools have, and lead to a homogeneous culture, which is not desirable as people of different ages are suited to different school environments.

We appreciate the efforts the two school administrations have made to improve the collaboration between the two schools, and we acknowledge that the two schools have their reasons for the merger. However, we feel that a merger between the two schools is not a wise decision and we wish to be given more say in the running of the school."