Montfort Junior School to take in girls from 2028, secondary school to also become co-ed

when it relocates to Tengah in 2030.

Both MJS and MSS are government-aided Catholic all-boys schools in Hougang. The junior school has about 150 to 280 Primary 1 places annually. 

MJS was established as Holy Innocents’ English School in 1916 and renamed Montfort School in 1959.

In 1961, the school opened its doors to female students in its pre-university classes, and the last batch of them graduated in 1975.

In 1974, Montfort School split to become MJS and MSS before moving to their current premises in Hougang Avenue 8.

Discussions about going co-ed had started in 2019, according to Mr Dennis Ho, a member of the MSS management committee who spoke at the townhall. The St Gabriel’s Foundation had convened a committee to explore how its schools could better integrate and align with evolving educational needs, he said.

Audience members asked how the school plans to help the boys with the transition, whether teaching methods will change and if teachers are prepared.

Other questions they raised were about how discipline standards will be affected, how infrastructure like uniforms and toilets will change and how the school will manage alumni concerns.

In response, the school leadership said there will be stronger pastoral support and checkpoints, pedagogy adjustments and infrastructure upgrades, among other reassurances to parents and alumni.

Mr Mark Tay, chairman of the MSS management committee, said at the townhall that going co-ed will better reflect diversity at the workplaces and universities.

In a co-ed environment, students would develop the emotional intelligence, communication skills and mutual respect necessary for a diverse society, he said.

The change would allow students to “learn to see beyond their own experiences”, he added.

Mr Tay said the school is committed to discipline and high standards, even in this shift, and will ensure classrooms remained focused, respectful and safe for all students.

Parents who attended the townhall said they were not surprised by the announcement.

One parent of an upper secondary boy, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he was expecting the change, given the trend of other schools becoming co-ed and the

.

The parent said the all-boys environment, however, was a key reason for choosing Montfort for his son.

“My expectation of an all-boys school and its boy-centric education with exposure to ruggedness was something I hoped for my son to experience, as I did in my schooling years,” he said, adding that he hopes in this transition the schools keeps its history and some of its key programmes like Montfort’s sports excellence programme.

Alumni Ross Gomes, 29, who heard about the news on March 5 through friends, said the decision was “inevitable.”

Mr Gomes, who spent 10 years at Montfort and now works in sales operations for a cybersecurity firm, added: “It is a natural step forward to make the school more inclusive and collaborative.”

While he supports the move, Mr Gomes spoke fondly of the “brotherhood” that defined his decade at Montfort, where he spent much of his time playing softball.

“I have very good memories of growing up in an all-boys school,” he said. “That camaraderie and brotherhood at that stage of life is important; I’m still close friends with many of my schoolmates today.”

“Some traditions might change,” he added. “But while I’d be happy if it stayed all-boys, I don’t see any real issues with going co-ed.”