Fajar Secondary School is a newly merged co-educational secondary school in Bukit Panjang, Singapore. It is formed with the merger of Chestnut Drive Secondary School and Fajar Secondary School.
History
Chestnut Drive Secondary School (CDSS) 1968-2015
Chestnut Drive Secondary School received its first cohort of students on 4 January 1968. It started as a Chinese Integrated School with an enrolment figure of 787. The school was officially opened by then Member of Parliament, Mr. P. Selvadurai on 12 June 1969. The School Advisory Committee and Pupil Welfare Fund were set up in the 1970s during the tenure of the first principal, Mdm. Lo Pui Yu. The school song was composed in 1976 by the third Principal, Mr. Lee Thiam Lock. The school is situated in a private residential district in Upper Bukit Timah. It was built to serve a vast area, with students coming from Woodlands, Jurong, Bukit Batok, Choa Chu Kang and even Yishun. The school conducted classes for both the English and Chinese streams in the early years until 1988 when the Chinese Stream was phased out due to the implementation of the national curriculum. Under the stewardship of the seventh Principal, Ms. Chan Mee Leen, the school underwent a phased reconstruction which was completed in 2005. On 9 July 2005, the new campus was declared officially opened by Dr. Teo Ho Pin, Mayor of North-West District and Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC. In 2011, the school celebrated its 45th anniversary with an original musical. On 15 December 2012, Mdm Tan Miao Ling was appointed the ninth Principal of CDSS, taking the mantle from Mr. Teoh Teik Hoe. In late 2014, the school started preparations for a merger with Fajar Secondary School to become Fajar Secondary School, 励进中学, from 1 January 2016. On 21 November 2015, the school finally closed its doors with a fitting function “Celebrations 2015” where CDSS ex School Leaders, Pioneer Teachers, Senior Educators, ex-staff and ex-students attended. The function was attended by Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Finance and MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.
Fajar Secondary School (FSS) 1994-2015
In January 1994, with an enrolment of 307 students and a teaching strength of 17 teachers, Fajar Secondary School, 法嘉中学 started its functioning at Greenridge Secondary School with Mr Law Ngee Seng as the 1st Principal before it was shifted to its current premises at 31 Gangsa Road in 1996. The campus was officially opened on 11 July 1998 with Mr Saminathan Gopal as the 2nd Principal. Mdm Goh Mee Mee became the 3rd Principal from 2001 to 2007. Mdm Ng Shok Yan was its 4th Principal with Mrs Sng Siew Hong being the 5th and last Principal from Jan 2014 to Dec 2015 before the merger of Fajar Secondary and Chestnut Drive Secondary to form Fajar Secondary School, 励进中学 from Jan 2016.
