Eunoia Junior College — Local services in Singapore

In 2016, the general public of Singapore were far from impressed, after the announcement about Singapore's newest junior college, Eunoia Junior College. Jokes and criticism surfaced online. "Pretentious" was among the kinder adjectives used in online reaction to the news, with many saying the name was hard to pronounce and lacked local heritage.

Explaining the naming process, Mrs Wong Mei Heng, principal of Eunoia Junior College, said parents had been invited to submit suggestions online, while students were asked for their input. There were brain-storming sessions to discuss each of the 200 proposed names, all of which were meticulously documented and systematically reviewed.

The Eunoia team met students later again to share their findings after six months of discussion. Only one name that "best captures the collective aspirations of our stakeholders" could be chosen, she said. While it could have been challenging to pronounce, "we were captivated by the enduring meaning the name presented us with".

Language experts have differing views on how the word should be pronounced, Mrs Wong said, adding that the college has decided that it should be "yoo-noh-iea".

"At Eunoia... our aim is not to be seen as high class, but to be known for delivering first-class education," she wrote in a letter, addressing claims that the name was pretentious.

Apparently, Eunoia Junior College (EJC) was set up because there was no suitable junior college at the time to partner three secondary schools, Catholic High, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ and Singapore Chinese Girls’ School, for the Integrated Programme ie: Integrated Programme students proceed to JC without taking the GCE ‘O’ Level exams and "have a broader curriculum". The 2010 decision was made even though the Government was aware that cohort sizes would fall, said Senior Minister of State for Education Janil Puthucheary on...

I went there for the open house in Jan 2020. The building was so brand new and it really looked stylish and modern. I think the library is the most iconic part of the building- it is located at level 9 and it has long, unbroken bench along its corridor overlooking the Bishan Park! So the students could sit there in groups (the bench is broad enough) to discuss work while enjoying the lush greenery. I wish I could go back to being student and study at this school. The students must...

It's 2:30am on a Sunday right now. I'm staying about 10 mins away from the school. The fire alarm has been blasting non-stop for the last 30 minutes. There goes my chance to have a good night's sleep after a long week of work. Again.

This happens almost everyday. Our neighborhood used to be peaceful until this nuisance of a...