Kong Chow School

Image Gallery

Kong Chow Wui Koon at New Bridge Road, between 1924 and 1984.

The polling station at Tanjong Pagar in the 1955 election near Kong Chow School (1955).

Kong Chow Wui Koon at New Bridge Road, between 1924 and 1984.

School History

Kong Chow Wui Koon Free School was established in 1929 by Kong Chow Wui Koon, a clan association (Cantonese) set up in 1840 at Upper Chin Chew Street. In 1924, the clan moved to New Bridge Road in 1924. The school occupied the upper storey of the shophouse building.

Started with two teachers and 80 students from Primary One to Four, combined instructions were used to educate the students where Mandarin was used as medium of instruction and dialect to explain in classes. The schools catered to students living in Chinatown who had missed schooling due to poverty. Students enjoyed free schooling.

From 1932 to 1939, Kong Chow Wui Koon Free School strengthened the quality of teaching and moral education amongst the students, moving towards holistic education with more academic and extra-curricular activities over the years.

After WWII, the school quickly resumed operations from 1945, adding classes to enrol overage students. The overage student’s population increased and the total student population grew to 320 at one point in time. To facilitate this growing demand, the second storey of the building was also used for teaching and learning purposes.

By 1949, Kong Chow Wui Koon Free School was renamed to Kong Chow School. In the same year, the school added classes for Primary Five and Six classes and became a full school.  The student population was approximately 400 students with eight teaching staff. 

In the 1950s, the school continued its mission to educate more than 500 students in 9 classes allocated in morning and afternoon sessions. Night classes for young adults conducted in English and Chinese were carried out for more than 100 overage students who had missed their education due to war years.

By the 1960s, Kong Chow School had reached a steady state. However, after the mid-1960s, the student enrolment began to reduce as families began to relocate to the new towns. 

In 1968, Kong Chow School was closed.

Principals:
- Mr Li Yi Ming
- Mr Hu Ai Feng
- Mr Luo Xiu Feng
- Mr Qu Feng Quan
- Mr Liang Bao An
- Mr Zhou Pei Guang
- Ms Huang Feng Mei (Acting)
- Mr Guo Jing Hong

Key Milestones