How some alumni associations at neighbourhood secondary schools are using community programmes to draw back ex-students
Some younger neighbourhood secondary schools are facing a challenge drawing back ex-students as they are at an age when they are busy with other aspects of their lives such as raising families.
by Loraine Lee · CNA · JoinMention alumni associations and it would likely bring to mind some of Singapore's long-established and most prestigious schools.
But neighbourhood secondary schools, some of which are quite young, are getting in on the act too and are finding new ways to build and expand these volunteer networks with the hope that it will improve educational resources and outcomes for their alma mater.
Some of them face challenges such as the fact that many ex-students of younger schools tend to be caught up with careers and raising families and may have limited time for giving back to their alma mater.
Still, a number of neighbourhood schools are pressing ahead with successful efforts to forge links with their alumni and the wider local community
Ask one such alumnus, Ms Janet Lo, what she credits her successes in life to, and the 47-year-old points to her formative years at Broadrick Secondary School in Dunman Road which imparted to her the value of charity among other virtues.
While she had been in touch with some of her classmates after she graduated in 1993, she did not realise that her alma mater had an alumni association until her son joined the school in 2022.
Wanting to give back, Ms Lo joined the parent support group and alumni association the following year. She joined the association's newly minted youth wing, which organises events and activities targeting younger members and recent graduates.
“After graduating, I was busy with my career and family but when I found my footing and had time, I connected back... It’s just the way I can give back to the school that contributed to my formative years,” said the accountant at an electronic distribution firm.
"(The alumni contributions) ensures the legacy of our school with its rich history and its warm community continues. We need to volunteer to give back so the younger ones can continue this legacy and pride after they graduate, and maybe their children, too," Ms Lo added.
Like Broadrick Secondary, three other neighbourhood alumni associations told CNA TODAY that they are looking at different ways to encourage their alumni to stay connected.
This includes organising more events targeting youths, organising mentorship sessions for alumni and creating volunteering opportunities such as helping rough sleepers and organising food drives for the needy, among other things.
“Over the past few years, our alumni association was mostly just those who had joined Broadrick Secondary School in its founding years,” said a committee member of Broadrick Secondary School’s alumni association.
“The average age of members slowly increased to about 60 years old. But with our new events (like organising a prom for secondary four and five students), we managed to drop it to 40-something.”
NEIGHBOURHOOD TAG SHUNNED
The role of alumni associations, whether formal or informal, has evolved over the years, from the days when meeting the basic necessities of newly-founded neighbourhood schools was high on the agenda.
Mr Lim Cheng Hwee, the Broadrick Secondary School Alumni Association's founding president, remembered the strong community spirit of decades past.
“Back then (when the alumni association founded in 1973), the kampong spirit was strong. After all, it took a village to raise everyone, and people had to pool money to raise funds so we could go to school,” he said.
“So even though we didn’t have much after we graduated, we found ways to raise funds for needy students like starting up a lion dance troupe to earn money during Chinese New Year... it was our way to give back.”
Over time, the association has seen the tides change — for example, it nearly shuttered when a principal stopped supporting the association.
“After all, alumni want to go back to see the school, see their teachers. But when the teachers leave or the alumni can’t go back onto the campus – why would they want to support (the school),” Mr Lim said.
The alumni association also has to find new ways to contribute to the school as government spending on education has risen over the years, meaning some initiatives were no longer necessary.
This included providing food for students staying late to study for national examinations on campus, said Mr Lim.
Meanwhile, some neighbourhood schools are relatively new so unlike the more storied elite schools, they don't have a large pool of established and successful graduates to tap on.
This was what Mr Vincent Chan, 34, a civil servant, noticed when he started up Canberra Secondary School’s alumni association in 2012 at the behest of a teacher there. The school was founded in 2000.
“The biggest challenge was our former students were young so their priority was very much inclined towards getting their career footing, or focused on their young family,” he said.
He added with social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, alumni were able to network and stay connected without needing to attend alumni events or volunteer their time.
As for 17-year-old Krystal Sandar Swe, deputy chairperson of Bedok View Secondary School Alumni (Youth Wing), she noted that unfounded stereotypes against neighbourhood secondary school students make some feel embarrassed by their alma mater.
“Sometimes we hear things like how neighbourhood school students are ‘gangsters’. But that isn’t true — we have so many seniors that do well in society and are recognised,” said the first-year Tampines Meridian Junior College student.
"That's why we started our alumni youth wing: So our juniors know that we can be successful and can be proud of our school."
STAYING TRUE TO SCHOOL VALUES
In response to queries from CNA TODAY, the ACS Old Boys’ Association said: “Every school is capable of developing solid alumni bases and networks but understandably, schools which offer a 10- or 12-year education will develop a more solid alumni base by virtue of time spent in school.”
The association has more than 11,000 alumni from the Anglo-Chinese Schools (ACS) in Singapore, and provides support through school activities, among other things.
While larger-sized alumni associations have the capacity to host more activities, the spokesperson added that all alumni associations need to continuously stay relevant to their alumni community.
But why is it so important for secondary schools to have alumni associations?
Mr Clarence Ching, founder and executive director at Access Singapore, a social mobility charity, said that it is because alumni groups provide a range of resources and opportunities such as mentorship programmes and financial benefits.
"Alumni groups can have a significant impact on making some schools better resourced than others, especially in Singapore. Schools with established and affluent alumni networks often benefit from additional funding and scholarships that can enhance students’ overall learning experiences... which can give these schools a competitive edge," he said.
"This, however, creates a disparity between schools with well-connected alumni networks and those without, particularly neighbourhood schools or those with less affluent alumni."
Mr Ching added that Access Singapore is developing its own alumni network, allowing students from less-resourced schools to receive the same benefits that established alumni programmes can provide.
In response to queries from CNA TODAY, the Ministry of Education said: "Our schools welcome alumni to remain connected to the school and to contribute back to the school after graduation, be it as individuals or in groups. Alumni need not be organised as alumni associations to contribute back to their alma mater.
"MOE recognises the strong contributions of school alumni in supporting our schools. They help to preserve the schools’ heritage and ethos, as well as serve as a platform for former students to reconnect and network."
In an interview with newspaper The Straits Times in 2022, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said that alumni groups do not just benefit students, but also teachers.
This can be through career talks and mental health talks, said Mr Chan, adding that many alumni groups from established schools have the capabilities to help teachers.
The alumni at Bedok View Secondary School are doing that as well, having held talks on different education pathways and providing opportunities for mentorships and networking, said 20-year-old Kee Zhen Xian, the alumni youth wing's founder and chairperson.
"This is also an opportunity for students of heartland schools to know more about their alumni who have become successful in their various fields, and motivates them to work hard," said Mr Kee.
At Broadrick Secondary School, the newly minted youth wing organised the school's first prom for graduating students last year which attracted hundreds of young alumni to join the association.
Now, they are looking to start a mentorship programme as well so that alumni can benefit from the association when they step into adulthood.
As for Ang Mo Kio Secondary School’s (AMKSS) alumni association, several alumni have formed their own social movement to give back to both the school and their wider neighbourhood.
“We’re embracing our neighbourhood label,” said Mr Michael Sim, who founded the association and AMKSS Social Move. “We give back not just to the school, but also the neighbourhood that we’re named after.”
More than 100 alumni serve their neighbourhood thrice a week by cleaning homes where people hoard, going on night walks to befriend rough sleepers and running food donation drives. They are usually in Ang Mo Kio neighbourhood, but they expanded their outreach efforts to other nearby estates last year.
“Our school has emphasised the spirit of giving back through our civic education classes,” he said in Chinese.
“People see the work we do, and they think that our school teaches students well. We have alumni who encourage their children to study in AMKSS. And the cycle repeats and we ensure future generations give back while building up pride for the school.”
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