United World College of South East Asia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids United World College of South East Asia |
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| Location | |
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Dover: 1207 Dover Road
Singapore 139654 East: 1 Tampines Street 73 Singapore 528704 Singapore
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| Information | |
| Type |
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| Established | 1971 |
| College President | Nick Alchin |
| Teaching staff | 578 |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Enrolment | 5,561 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 10.7:1 |
| Education system | UWCSEA designed curriculum, IGCSE, IB Diploma |
| Campus type | Urban |
| Colour(s) | Light blue, Teal, Blue, and White |
| Mascot | Phoenix (Dover campus) Dragon (East campus) |
| Accreditation |
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| Affiliation |
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| Website | https://www.uwcsea.edu.sg/ |
The United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) is a special international school in Singapore. It is part of the United World College (UWC) group, which has 18 schools around the world. UWCSEA offers education from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
The school focuses on five main areas: academics (schoolwork), activities, outdoor education, personal and social growth, and community service. Students at UWCSEA follow a special program. In Grades 9 and 10, they work towards the UWC Program. In Grades 11 and 12, they study for the IB Diploma.
UWCSEA has two campuses. The Dover Campus has about 3,000 students. The East Campus in Tampines has around 2,500 students. Most students take part in the service program. This program helps the school, the Singapore community, and even communities in other countries.
UWCSEA is different from many other UWC schools. Most UWC schools are only for boarding students aged 16-19. They usually offer just a two-year IB Diploma program. UWCSEA accepts students from age 4. Most students are children of families who have moved to Singapore from other countries.
There are over 300 students who live at the school (boarders). They come from 76 different countries. More than 100 students in Grades 8-12 receive scholarships to help them attend. Singapore's rules mean that most local citizens cannot go to international schools in the country. Because of this, UWCSEA has very few local students. The school's teachers come from 30 different countries. Students at UWCSEA represent 114 different nationalities.
Contents
School History
The land where the Dover Campus is now used to be St John's School. This school was for families of British military members. When the British military left in 1971, the land was used for a new private school. The Singapore International School officially opened in 1971. Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, opened it.
The school joined the United World College movement in 1975. Its name then changed to the United World College of South East Asia. At first, UWCSEA Dover was only for older students. But since 1998, it has a primary section for children as young as 4. Today, the Dover Campus has over 3,000 students from Kindergarten 1 to Grade 12.
UWCSEA's East Campus opened on September 1, 2008. It started in a temporary location in Ang Mo Kio. The youngest students (Infant School) moved to the permanent Tampines campus in 2010. Other grades followed later. As of 2021, both campuses together have 5,609 students from 100 countries.
The Dover campus has some buildings made with bricks from the old Alexandra Brick Works. This brick factory used to be in Singapore. In 2013, during the demolition of an old building, bricks stamped with "Alexandra" were found. This confirmed their origin.
School Campuses
The UWCSEA Dover Campus is at 1207 Dover Road, Singapore 139654 (1°18′10.88″N 103°46′38.68″E / 1.3030222°N 103.7774111°E). It is close to Dover MRT station and One North MRT station. The UWCSEA East Campus is at 1 Tampines Street 73, Singapore 528704 (1°21′33″N 103°55′55″E / 1.359286°N 103.931864°E). The closest MRT station there is Tampines MRT station.
Both campuses have Wi-Fi everywhere. They also have a central IT help desk for students. All classrooms have interactive whiteboards. In Primary School, iPads and MacBooks are provided in classrooms. Students in Grades 6-12 use their own laptops.
What Students Learn
Students from Kindergarten 1 to Grade 10 follow a special UWCSEA-designed curriculum. Recently, the school changed its program for Grades 9 and 10. Instead of the IGCSE program, they now have a new UWCSEA-designed program. This program is made to prepare students for the IB Diploma.
Students in Grades 11 and 12 study to earn the IB Diploma.
Fun Activities
UWCSEA offers many after-school activities starting from Kindergarten 1. These activities include sports, arts (like music, drama, and visual art), leadership groups, clubs, and other special interests.
Some of the sports available are athletics, badminton, basketball, climbing, and football. Students can also play gymnastics, hockey, netball, rugby, sailing, and swimming. Other sports include tennis, touch rugby, and ultimate frisbee.
There are also other activities like the Radical Math Club and Model UN. The Model UN program at UWC East is the biggest in South East Asia. They organize two Model UN conferences each year. Students from other countries fly in to attend. Other important programs include SEASAC, a yearly competition for high school students in South East Asia. There are also Project 0 and the Student Council.
Outdoor Adventures
The outdoor education program helps students from Grade 1 to Grade 12. It gives them chances to become more independent, work better in teams, and become stronger.
There is a required annual trip for students from Grade 1 to Grade 10. In Grade 11, students design their own 'Project Week'. Small groups of students travel to a place they choose.
Personal and Social Growth
The personal and social education program helps students learn and grow. It also helps them develop their social skills. Students learn about how they connect with their learning, friends, family, technology, and the world around them.
This program covers three main ideas:
- How students feel about themselves (individual well-being).
- How students get along with others and their community (relationships and community well-being).
- How students can understand and help with big world issues (global well-being).
Community Service
Students in all grades take part in service projects. There are three types of service:
- College Service: This is within the school community. Examples include helping other students, being ambassadors, or coaching sports. Students also work on green campus projects.
- Local Service: This helps the Singapore community. Students work with groups like the elderly, sick people, or children who need help.
- Global Service: This involves projects outside Singapore.
- Global Concerns is a program run by students. They work with small organizations in other countries. Students, parents, and staff help these projects and visit them.
- Initiative for Peace started in 2001 by UWCSEA students and teachers. It helps students promote understanding and peace in areas of conflict, like Timor Leste.
- Gap Year programs are also part of global service.
School Foundation
The UWCSEA Foundation is the part of the college that raises money. It was started in 2008. By 2015, it had raised $12.4 million. This money has helped with scholarships for students. It also supports teacher training, new ways of teaching, and programs for the environment.
Famous Alumni
Over 25,000 people have graduated from UWCSEA. They are now all over the world.
Some well-known former students include:
- Wan Hisham (born 1956) – a politician from Malaysia.
- Kenneth Jeyaretnam (born 1959) – a politician from Singapore.
- Robert Milton (born 1960) – former chairman of Air Canada.
- Philip Jeyaretnam (born 1964) – a writer and lawyer from Singapore.
- Eric Khoo (born 1965) – a film director from Singapore.
- Tim Jarvis – an environmental scientist, adventurer, and author.
- Anya Major (born 1966) – a model and actress.
- Akihiko Hoshide (born 1968) – an astronaut from Japan.
- Wong Chen (born 1968) – a politician from Malaysia.
- Princess Anita of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven-van Eijk (born 1969) – a Dutch princess.
- Kevin Stea (born 1969) – a dancer and choreographer in Hollywood.
- Sean Ghazi (born 1969) – an actor and music artist from Malaysia.
- Paula Malai Ali (born 1974) – a television presenter from Brunei.
- Jason Lo (born 1975) – a music artist and media personality from Malaysia.
- Patrick Grove (born 1975) – an entrepreneur and television personality from Australia.
- Khairy Jamaluddin (born 1976) – a politician from Malaysia.
- Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra (born 1978) – a Crown Prince from Kelantan.
- Daniel Bennett (born 1978) – a professional soccer player for the Singapore national football team.
- Sarah Tan (born 1980) – a veejay on Channel V.
- Blair McDonough (born 1981) – an actor from Australia.
- James Wong (born 1981) – a botanist and BBC television presenter.
- Zak Whitbread (born 1984) – a professional soccer player for the US national team.
- Nadiem Makarim (born 1984) – founder of Go-jek Indonesia and Minister of Education.
- Sonam Kapoor (born 1985) – a Bollywood actress.
- Jawar Mohammed (born 1986) – a politician from Ethiopia.
- Eric Po-Ju Huang (born 1990) – an actor from Taiwan.
- Mayumi Raheem (born 1991) – a national swimmer from Sri Lanka.
- Fiona Fussi (born 1996) – a model.
- Nysa Devgan (born 2003) – daughter of famous actors Kajol and Ajay Devgan.
School Mascots
The mascots for the United World College of South East Asia are the Dragon and the Phoenix. These creatures represent the Yin and Yang in Asian stories. The East Campus (Tampines) has the Dragon as its mascot. The Dover Campus has the Phoenix as its mascot.
