By Les Tan
We are a nation of efficiency when it comes to getting processes and infrastructure in place. But we sure don’t know how to name things on this island.
First, the military. The Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute (SAFTI) was set up a year after independence in 1966 to train officers and non-commissioned officers. Over the years and decades, it became known simply as SAFTI, which is all well and good until they decided to name the new training setup in 1995 as SAFTI Military Institute. Over time, Singaporeans have referred to it as SAFTI MI. We can only shudder at the thought of what the next generation will want to name it in 50 years.
Then there was Chinese High School, a name full of heritage that was lost when it merged with Hwa Chong Junior College to form ‘Hwa Chong Institution’. Hwa Chong Institution is an elegant enough name until the administrators decided to append extra words to the end of the name. They are officially known as ‘Hwa Chong Institution (High School)’ and ‘Hwa Chong Institution (College)’. Both are clumsy and awkward.
The Singapore Institute of Management are similarly afflicted with the same disease with their SIM University. A university is an institute. Having both words is redundant.
But you know for sure Singaporeans will never win any branding awards when this inelegant streak has afflicted one of the more well-known schools in Singapore – Raffles Institution.
Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College are merging and will go through this exercise in tautological redundancy. RI and RJC, simple and straightforward names, will now have an unwanted appendage, like a sixth toe: Raffles Institution (Secondary) and Raffles Institution (Junior College).
A Raffles boy, Mitchell, who found out about the new names said as much in a facebook posting: I have NO complaints about the merger… until I found out about Raffles Institution (Secondary), Raffles Institution (Junior College). These are the most horrible names ever.”
The Raffles Girls’ School have saved themselves from this hideous name change by refusing to merge with the new entity. Good thing for them. Given the track record of the person coming up with the names, they might have become ‘Raffles Institution (Female)’.
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well MW… I always thought the separation of RI into RJC and RI was a good idea. Its like an additional streaming process for the students and a chance for talented(be it in academics or the sporting arena) students from other schools to enrol in RJC. Ever since the merger..there has been in place..a measley quota for students accepted from other secondary schools.
Affiliation shouldn’t be that overpowering of a merit with regards to getting into a school!(In my opinion at least!)
it is quite sad to see the name I am used to hearing (RJC) disappear though. Well the students will get used to it in time (Not like they have a choice ><)Oh well irregardless of the name.. Raffles is ultimately a place to study…a place to build memories with friends.
As an old boy in the days of RI seventies, the Rafflesian spirit was united as a single entity both for the Secondary and the Pre-University. There was no segregation of the two when both functioning together in Bras Basah Road and Grange Road. Only when there was a split in two different localities, then RJC was born.
Now, the two has re-joined, it may appropriate to be known as RI maintaining the Greyphen tradition.
the board of governers already did their best to retain the heritage; note they didn’t completely mutiliate the name, merely added the “appendages”. we’ll still be known as raffles institution
shi kai, who are YOU to judge that the change of names do not imply a loss in heritage? you may not think so, but apparently a lot of past AND present Rafflesians think so.
I wouldn’t name my son, Alfred Boy, or Jennifer Girl. So weird
Shi Kai, it seriously does not take a rocket scientist to see that these names are just redundant pleonasms.
You make a good point, mr b.
I just have a fondness for elegant names.
And Shi Kai, I’m in no position to judge. Mine is an observation.
The real judges are the RI administrators because they chose the name and they have judged it to be fine.
I think Raffles Institution is a fine name and can work for a merged institution. Adding the bracketed qualification makes it look like a science experiment.
The same goes for Hwa Chong Institution.
hey les, thanks for bringing up this issue of singaporean branding. im a full ip student and HCI and do feel certain elements of our heritage is lost in the name. but as far as branding goes, i believe its the actions of the institution that greatly influence its reputation and the degree of awkwardness of the name would be secondary. i believe there is more insight to this, but just my two cents worth. thanks again
Being an old boy of both RI and RJC, I think the new names sound really clumsy. Why not just Raffles Institution, just like the good old days? Anyways, looks like we have come full circle from the past. Makes me wonder why RI separated into RI and RJC in the first place?
Hi author, who are you to judge whether heritage is lost in the names or whether Raffles’ new name has unwanted appendage?