Principal's Message

Principal’s Message 2024

Recently, the Singapore education system made headlines when our 15-year-old students outperformed their counterparts in 80 other participating system in Reading, Mathematics and Science to emerge top for the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). While such achievements affirm the efforts of our system, they do not detract each school from the continuous efforts to develop our students holistically, beyond academic outcomes. In BM, our vision is to nurture our Merahans to be Resilient, Caring and Self-directed Learners, anchored in our school values – Respect, Integrity, Self-discipline and Empathy (RISE), so they can contribute and make a difference in the community we are in.

Having led the school for a year, an invariable question that I was asked was what BM was like. If I were to sum up BM in three phrases, it will be as follows:

1)School of Character. Academic progression is important for Merahans but it alone does not define their past, present and future. What is equally important is the anchor our Merahans in good values and dispositions to inform their decision-making. In BM, we endeavour to develop Merahans, beyond our vision and RISE, to be consistent in word and deed. In the past year, we received a fair share of accolades from parents, partners and members of the public who affirmed Merahans for their public spiritedness and conduct within and outside of the school. We certainly hope our Merahans can continue to rise up to the occasion to do what is right in years to come.

2)School of Hearts. A trademark of our school is our strong and positive culture among students, staff and between students and staff. Regular opportunities are established to grow and deepen the relationships that perpetuate the culture. A sizeable proportion of our teachers has been with the school for decades, forming a strong anchor to grow and sustain the culture to create a supportive environment for learning. This enables Merahans, both present and past, to thrive and form lifelong friendships and contribute to the community.

3)School of Opportunities. The school has a range of level and customised programmes (see corporate video and Open House video) to develop and nurture Merahans to be Resilient, Caring and Self-directed. For example, the school plans to continue with the level camps and overseas cultural exchange programmes that have resumed. These curated opportunities culminated in a special invitation for Merahans to the opening of the swan pond at the Istana last April.

As we embark on new adventures in 2024, I would like to encourage all Merahans, colleagues, parents and partners to stay committed not just to our vision and values but to demonstrate and role model these consistently through what we say and what we do. Small is beautiful. Each of us can make a difference in making BM a school for the community.

Mr Darren Chong
School Principal