College History

In March 1986, nine teachers met for the first time at Tampines Primary School to coordinate operations for the opening of a new junior college. A mere two weeks later, the registration of the pioneer batch of Tampines Junior College students was held, and on 11th April 1986, Tampines Junior College commenced operations – but without an actual college! As the College was still under construction, the pioneering cohort of 698 students and 33 teachers were housed in what is now Tampines Secondary School.

Another eight months passed before our present College premises were handed over to the students and staff during a special ceremony held on the 20th December 1986. Yet, it was well worth the wait. Designed by P&T architects, occupying 6 hectares of land and costing approximately 18.2 million dollars, our College received the Best Designed College Building Award for 1988.

The official opening Ceremony of the College was held eighteen months later on 1st July 1988. Our guest of honour for the occasion, then Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Defence) and Member of Parliament for Tampines, Mr Phua Bah Lee, in his address stated that the official opening of Tampines Junior College was both a significant milestone in the development of Tampines from a rural backwater to a modern new town and a symbol of hope for the continued education of the children of the constituency.

Close collaboration and synergy between pioneer students, staff and College management laid the foundation of the TPJCian identity. Everyone, at every level, took pride in contributing to the formation and development of the fledgling college. Our College uniform design was the product of the combined efforts of students and staff, the College Crest was designed by a pioneer student and the lyrics of our College anthem were composed by our pioneer teacher, Miss Lilian Chia, to music by Antony Albuquerque.

Under the leadership of our founding Principal, Mr Yahya Aljaru, the students and staff formulated a college vision and mission focused on academic excellence and character development, and launched the development of programmes to achieve these two goals. Each succeeding Principal has furthered and enriched this process of development: Mr Lee Kah Chuen from 1992- 97, Mrs Susan Chan Yoke Kate from 1997-2002, Mrs Goh Hwee Choo from 2003-2006 and Ms Helen Choo from 2007 to 2014. In 2015, Ms Pamela Yoong took over leadership of TPJC.

Since its founding in 1986, the College, driven by the desire to continually aim higher and achieve more, has grown immeasurably. Our College mission, “to inculcate excellence of achievement, a passion for learning and a zest for life”, captures the essence of our nation’s Desired Outcomes of Education. Our vision encapsulates the ideal of holistic development through a fully rounded education. As the educational landscape has become more diversified, the College has provided our students with choice, flexibility and a wider variety of pathways to achieve success in their chosen careers.

We believe every student has the potential to excel in his or her unique way. Upon joining our College, our students embark on a two-year journey that seeks to develop within them a zest for innovation, a passion for enterprise, and the imagination to be truly creative. Our key core values of Responsibility, Integrity, Courage and Humility underpin these qualities with fundamental moral and communal values. It is upon this foundation that the College sets its aspirations and direction.

Since its introduction in 1997, the various departments of the College have implemented numerous strategies to steer TPJC towards the realisation of our vision. Our current challenge is to build upon this work and to further develop and diversify our strategies and programmes so as to fully realise the ideals encapsulated in the Student-Centric, Values Driven Education. The College is now working towards the creation of an even more challenging environment of intellectual exchange that will provide greater opportunities for our students to broaden their worldview, grow socially and develop as leaders in preparation for the realities of the globalised economy. As always, the College continues to rise to the demands of the present and future guided by the unchanging ideal of our motto, ‘Aim & Achieve’.