In Singapore, the education system works such that after a student completes primary and secondary education, they can either proceed to junior college for two years before they enter a university, or to enter a polytechnic to obtain a diploma, and optionally enter university after that.

As such, junior college education basically involves being introduced to the lecture/tutorial system which universities employ, and the preparation for the GCE A Level examination.

A typical JC student would enter the college at age 17, right after they have taken their O Levels. For this reason, as well as due to the change in teaching methods, many find JC life very different from secondary school. They are given a lot more freedom, treated as adults, and are not spoonfed information as much as they were back in secondary school. A lot of people find their JC life memorable and wish there was longer than just a measly two years to spend with good friends.

JC can also be considered the last stage a teenager will go through before he or she is released from the rather strict path of education in Singapore. For the males, JC is followed by two years of compulsory national service (aka serving in the army). While most of the girls will be furthering their studies in university, some will venture abroad on the wings of a scholarship, and the others will spread themselves out among the many faculties available in the three local universities here.

There are 15 junior colleges in Singapore (not arranged in any particular order):

It must be noted that a 16th Junior College has opened in the far eastern region of Singapore called Pasir Ris named Meridian Junior College. The pioneer batch of students entered in 2003.

It is widely believed that this Junior College was built in to cater for the expected increase in students seeking tertiary education, due to the baby boom in 1988, the "auspicious" year of the Dragon (in the Chinese Zodiac).

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.