{{EngvarB|date=May 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}} {{Promotional|date=October 2025}}{{Infobox school | name = Ai Tong School (ATS)<br>爱同学校 | logo = Ai Tong School logo.png | image = | motto = Sincerity and Perseverance | established = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1912|10|12}} | principal = Mr Wong Jia Wang<ref name="our-people">{{cite web |title=Key Personnel |url=https://www.aitong.moe.edu.sg/our-people/key-personnel/ |website=aitong.moe.edu.sg |access-date=13 May 2024 |language=en}}</ref> | type = Government-aided, mixed, SAP | session = Single | colours = Red🟥, blue🟦, white⬜ | enrolment = | location = 100 Bright Hill Drive, Singapore 579646 | school_code = 5625 | coordinates = {{Coord|1|21|38|N|103|49|58|E|scale:5000|display=inline,title}} | website = [http://www.aitong.moe.edu.sg/ http://www.aitong.moe.edu.sg/] }}
'''Ai Tong School''' ({{zh|s=爱同学校|p=Àitóng xuéxiào|c=|t=愛同學校}}) is a primary school located in Bishan, Singapore. It is one of the five affiliated primary schools under the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan. As a Chinese-medium school, Ai Tong emphasises strongly on the learning of Chinese culture, language and values. Ai Tong School is considered to be one of the most popular primary schools in Singapore, with places in the primary 1 intake frequently being oversubscribed.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.edvantage.com.sg/edvantage/photos/1206380/P1_registration_11_of_Singapore_s_most_popular_primary.html | title= P1 registration: 11 of Singapore's most popular primary schools almost full |access-date= 18 January 2013|work=Asiaone |publisher= Edvantage}}</ref>
The name Ai Tong ({{Lang|zh|爱同}}) is derived from the Chinese values of "Bo Ai" ({{Lang|zh|博爱}}) and "Da Tong" (大同) which means 'Love for all humanity' and 'Equality/Harmony' respectively.<ref name="straitstimes20120818">{{cite news| title = 1,200 alumni celebrate Ai Tong's 100th year | author = Chia, Stacey | newspaper = The Straits Times | location = Singapore | date = 18 August 2012 | page = B2}}</ref> This name was given by Pastor Ong Kah Mok, one of the founders of this school.<ref name="straitstimes20120818" />
Notable alumni include Chantalle Ng class of 2007, Singaporean actress and also daughter of Singaporean actress Lin Meijiao and Singapore actor Huang Yiliang and the 2 sons of Singaporean Actress Pan Lingling and her husband Huang Shinan.
==History== Ai Tong School was first established in a Methodist church on Boon Tat Street when it took over the running of a school by missionaries.<ref name="aitonghistory2">{{cite web |url= http://www.ai-tong-alumni.org.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=4&lang=en | title= Ai Tong School Alumni: About Us |access-date= 17 January 2013|work=Ai Tong School Alumni Association}}</ref> Although it had an initial intake of 30 pupils,<ref name="aitonghistory" /> this soon increased to 120 pupils in 1960.<ref name="aitonghistory2" /> In 1917, the school was moved into its own campus, located at 209, Telok Ayer Street,<ref name="aitonghistory">{{cite web |url= http://www.aitong.moe.edu.sg/cos/o.x?c=/wbn/pagetree&func=view&rid=4820 |title= Ai Tong School: Our History |access-date= 17 January 2013 |work= Ai Tong School |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073522/http://www.aitong.moe.edu.sg/cos/o.x?c=%2Fwbn%2Fpagetree&func=view&rid=4820 |archive-date= 4 March 2016 |url-status= dead |df= dmy-all }}</ref> to cope with the larger enrolment.<ref name="aitonghistory2" />
However, soon after its move, Ai Tong School faced financial difficulties that almost forced the school to sell away its campus.<ref name="aitonghistory2" /> It was rescued financially by Chinese businessman and philanthropist Tan Kah Kee, who provided financial assistance to the school.<ref name="aitonghistory2" /> In 1923, the school faced another financial crisis, and Tan Kah Kee decided to provide funding for the school on a permanent basis. The Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan subsequently took over the responsibility for running the school in 1929.<ref name="shhkaitong">{{cite web |url= http://shhk.com.sg/content/ai-tong-school |title= Our affiliated schools: Ai Tong School |access-date= 17 January 2013 |work= Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140305164633/http://www.shhk.com.sg/content/ai-tong-school |archive-date= 5 March 2014 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
After the Japanese occupation of Singapore ended, a branch school located on the old premises of Gan Eng Seng School was started.<ref name="aitonghistory" /> During this time, there were a huge backlog of students who wanted an education, since many students in Singapore dropped out of school during the occupation.<ref name="nlb1945">{{cite news|title=Singapore's Education System: 1945 – 1959 |url=http://libguides.nl.sg/content.php?pid=57257&sid=460807 |access-date=17 January 2013 |publisher=National Library Board Singapore |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002211933/http://libguides.nl.sg/content.php?pid=57257&sid=460807 |archive-date=2 October 2013 }}</ref> As a result, the enrolment of the school increased to more than 1,600 students.<ref name="aitonghistory" /> This campus soon proved to be inadequate.<ref name="aitonghistory2" />
In 1950, Ai Tong School took in female students from the defunct Ai Hwa school and became a co-ed school; it had existed as a boys' school ever since its founding.<ref name="aitonghistory2" /> In 1955, the main school moved to the new Hokkien Huay Kuan Building together with Chong Hock Girls School (the now Chongfu Primary School).<ref name="aitonghistory" /> This building had facilities like a science laboratory and a geography/history room, a rarity at that time.<ref name="aitonghistory" /> Two years later, the private school became a government-aided school.<ref name="aitonghistory" /><ref name="shhkaitong" />
In the 1960s and 1970s, due to the bilingual policy by the Singapore government, enrolment in Chinese-medium schools like Ai Tong School drastically decreased.<ref name="nlbbilingual">{{cite news|title=Bilingual Education |url=http://libguides.nl.sg/content.php?pid=57257&sid=551371 |access-date=17 January 2013 |publisher=National Library Board Singapore |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002211453/http://libguides.nl.sg/content.php?pid=57257&sid=551371 |archive-date=2 October 2013 }}</ref> Initially, this caused the closure of smaller Chinese schools, and by taking in students from some of these schools, Ai Tong's enrolment soon increased to 2360 students.<ref name="aitonghistory2" /> However, after that, Ai Tong suffered the same problem and its enrolment soon fell below 800 students.<ref name="aitonghistory2" /> The problem became worse when, in 1979, only two students registered to join the school in 1980, though one later dropped out.<ref name="aitonghistory2" /> More students were later transferred into the school because the neighbouring English-medium schools were at their full capacity.<ref name="aitonghistory2" />
Against this backdrop, the school's management decided to move the school to Ang Mo Kio to address the problem of declining enrolment.<ref name="shhkaitong" /> The construction work for a new school building began at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 in 1978.<ref name="shhkaitong" /> Classes at the new Ai Tong School campus started in 1980, and the school was officially declared open in 1981.<ref name="aitonghistory" /><ref name="straitstimes19850722">{{cite news| title = Move to HDB estates improves Ai Tong, Tao Nan's enrolment | newspaper = The Straits Times | location = Singapore | date = 22 July 1985 | page = 5}}</ref> The move from its old campus, in addition to the hard work of the principal and staff of the school, helped the school to increase its enrolment from less than 100 before 1981 to 2357 in 1987.<ref name="straitstimes19850722" /> Following guidelines from the Ministry of Education, English language was taught as the first language and Chinese as the second language from 1984 onwards.<ref name="aitonghistory2" /><ref name="aitonghistory" />
In 1990, Ai Tong became one of the first primary schools to be granted the status of a Special Assistance Plan school by the Ministry of Education.<ref name="shhkaitong" /> Schools under this plan have a special focus on teaching Chinese values, and they run special programmes related to the learning of Chinese culture and language.<ref name="moe20080211">{{cite web|url=http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2008/02/enhanced-programmes-by-special.php |title=Enhanced Programmes by Special Assistance Plan Schools to Enrich Students' Learning of Chinese Language and Values |date=11 February 2008 |access-date=17 January 2013 |work=Ministry of Education, Singapore |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102105332/http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2008/02/enhanced-programmes-by-special.php |archive-date=2 January 2013 }}</ref>
On 9 July 1992, Ai Tong School moved to 100, Bright Hill Drive,<ref name="shhkaitong" /> located within Sin Ming estate,<ref name="asiaone20071008">{{cite web|url=http://business.asiaone.com/Business/My%2BMoney/Property/Story/A1Story20071024-31982.html|title=Not another funeral home, please|date=8 October 2007|access-date=15 January 2013|work=The Straits Times|publisher=Asiaone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100828105433/http://business.asiaone.com/Business/My%2BMoney/Property/Story/A1Story20071024-31982.html|archive-date=28 August 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> to cope with rising enrolment numbers.<ref name="shhkaitong" /> This campus was officially opened on 9 July 1993 by the then-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Wong Kan Seng,<ref name="aitonghistory" /> who was also the Member of Parliament for Thomson GRC (of which Sin Ming is a part).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.parliament.gov.sg/mp/wong-kan-seng?viewcv=Wong |title= Wong Kang Seng profile on Singapore Parliament website |access-date= 17 January 2013 |work= Government of Singapore |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120524001920/http://www.parliament.gov.sg/mp/wong-kan-seng?viewcv=Wong |archive-date= 24 May 2012 |url-status= dead }}</ref> An extension block to the school was later added in 1998 to increase the number of special rooms that the school had.<ref name="aitonghistory" /> The school undergone further refurbishment between November 2002 and 2004 under the Programme for Rebuilding and Improving Existing schools.<ref name="aitonghistory" />
On 31 December 2013, Ai Tong School moved to 4300 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, Singapore 569869 while renovation works at the previous campus started. The new campus was completed in 2015, and Ai Tong School has since moved back to its original location from 2016 onwards.
==Academics== Ai Tong School's curriculum has a strong Chinese influence, and also offers lessons on the Chinese culture and history.<ref name="moe20071012">{{cite web|url=http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2007/sp20071012_print.htm|title=Speech BY Lui Tuck Yew, Minister of State, Ministry of Education, at Ai Tong School's 95th Anniversary Celebration Dinner|date=12 October 2007|access-date=18 January 2013|work=Ministry of Education, Singapore|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125210233/http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2007/sp20071012_print.htm|archive-date=25 November 2015|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> It is a designated SAP school, and thus it teaches both the English language and Chinese Language as a first language.<ref name="straitstimes20120818" /> Ai Tong has consistently produced top scorers at the national Primary School Leaving Examinations, and is widely regarded as a "top school" in Singapore.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.edvantage.com.sg/edvantage/features/hottopics/opinion/827268/Neighbourhood_schools_as_good_as_brand_name_ones.html | title= Neighbourhood schools as good as brand name ones |date=25 November 2011|access-date= 18 January 2013|work=Asiaone |publisher= Edvantage}}</ref>
Ai Tong has a twinning programme with a school in Suzhou, China, and it conducts student exchanges between the two schools.<ref name="moe20071012" /> In addition, students at the Primary 5 level also get the opportunity to attend cultural exchange programmes to other places in China.<ref name="moe20071012" />
==Affiliations== Ai Tong School is affiliated to the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (SHHK) since 1929.<ref name="shhkaitong" /> It is the second oldest school amongst the five schools that are affiliated to the SHHK, the oldest being Tao Nan School.<ref name="straitstimes20120818" /> Other schools that are affiliated to the SHHK includes: Chongfu Primary School, Nan Chiau Primary School, Nan Chiau High School and Kong Hwa School.<ref name="straitstimes20120818" /> These schools share a common motto and mission,<ref name="straitstimes20120818" /> as well as having joint programmes like the Bi-Cultural Chinese Elective Programme (BICEP).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shhk.com.sg/content/our-affiliated-schools |title=Affiliated Schools |access-date=18 January 2013 |work=Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221021320/http://www.shhk.com.sg/content/our-affiliated-schools |archive-date=21 February 2013 }}</ref>
==Notable alumni== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20151128152334/http://www.parliament.gov.sg/mp/ong-teng-koon Ong Teng Koon], Member of Parliament (Class of 1989) * Peh Chin Hua, Former Member of Parliament.<ref name="straitstimes20120818" /> * Yip Pin Xiu, Singaporean paralympian, medalist at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.aitong.moe.edu.sg/wbn/slot/u1150/Newsletter%20Oct%2008.pdf |title= Ai Tong School Newsletter |date= October 2008 |access-date= 18 January 2013 |work= Ai Tong School |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031219/http://www.aitong.moe.edu.sg/wbn/slot/u1150/Newsletter%20Oct%2008.pdf |archive-date= 4 March 2016 }}</ref> * Miko and Yumi Peh, twin sisters, who formed musical band By2, Mandarin pop artists.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.crunchyroll.com/group/BY2 | title= BY2 Group on Crunchyroll |access-date= 18 January 2013|work=Crunchyroll}}</ref> *Chantalle Ng, actress *Sun Xueling, Minister of State, MP of Punggol GRC *Desmond Choo, MP of Tampines Changkat SMC, Mayor of Northeast CDC
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official website| http://www.aitong.moe.edu.sg/}} * [http://app.sis.moe.gov.sg/schinfo/SIS_SearchDtls.asp?strCode=5625 School Information Service]{{Dead link|date=September 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20140305113752/http://thomson3condo-sg.com/blog/about-ai-tong-school A Brief History of Ai Tong School]
{{Authority control}}
Category:Educational institutions established in 1912 Category:Primary schools in Singapore Category:Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan schools Category:Schools in Bishan, Singapore Category:1912 establishments in Singapore