SINGAPORE \u2013 From 2028, the all-boys Montfort Junior School (MJS) will open its doors to accept girls.<\/p>\n
The first cohort of girls will be eligible to apply during the 2027 Primary 1 registration exercise.<\/p>\n
The school leadership informed parents and alumni of this development during a townhall meeting held at the school in Hougang on March 4.<\/p>\n
The plan is for the secondary school section \u2013 Montfort Secondary School (MSS) \u2013 to also become co-educational by 2034 or earlier. <\/p>\n
In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said on March 5 that it has been informed of\u00a0St Gabriel\u2019s Foundation\u2019s plans for\u00a0MJS and is discussing the details of implementation. <\/p>\n
The foundation oversees six schools including the Montfort institutions. <\/p>\n
MJS, in response to queries, confirmed it has informed MOE on its plans to turn co-ed. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are in discussion with MOE on the implementation details and have been engaging stakeholders on this,\u201d it said. <\/p>\n
MOE and the school said more details will be available when ready. Both did not respond to queries on intake numbers or the reasons behind this transition. <\/p>\n
The Montfort schools join the list of single-sex schools in Singapore that have opened their doors to both sexes.<\/p>\n
Canossa Convent Primary became co-ed in 2019, while the primary section of <\/p>\n Maris Stella High School<\/p>\n <\/a> is set to admit girls from 2027. Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) announced in 2023 that it <\/p>\n will turn co-ed<\/p>\n <\/a> when it relocates to Tengah in 2030.<\/p>\n Both MJS and MSS are government-aided Catholic all-boys schools in Hougang. The junior school has about\u00a0150 to 280 Primary 1 places annually.\u00a0<\/p>\n MJS was established as Holy Innocents\u2019 English School in 1916 and renamed Montfort School in 1959. <\/p>\n In 1961, the school opened its doors to female students in its pre-university classes, and the last batch of them graduated in 1975. <\/p>\n In 1974, Montfort School split to become MJS and MSS before moving to their current premises in Hougang Avenue 8. <\/p>\n 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\u2019s Foundation had convened a committee to explore how its schools could better integrate and align with evolving educational needs, he said.<\/p>\n Audience members asked how the school plans to help the boys with the transition, whether teaching methods will change and if teachers are prepared. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In a co-ed environment, students would develop the emotional intelligence, communication skills and mutual respect necessary for a diverse society, he said. <\/p>\n The change would allow students to \u201clearn to see beyond their own experiences\u201d, he added. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n Parents who attended the townhall said they were not surprised by the announcement. <\/p>\n