10 Really Old Schools That Shaped Singapore’s History

7. Methodist Girls’ School

The school was founded when Indian fathers shared with a Reverend Oldham that they wished their daughters could be educated.

Methodist Girls’ School (MGS) was founded by Sophia Blackmore, an Australian missionary, in 1887. The founder, Sophie Blackmore, had come to Singapore after receiving a request by Reverend Oldham, to help set up a school for these daughters.

Initially, the school was named Tamil Girls’ School.

By 1891, enrolment to the school increased, and girls from other ethnicities started joining the school.

After a merger with another English-speaking girls school, the school became known as Methodist Girls’ School.

8. Outram Secondary School

This school was first opened in 1906, by then Governor John Anderson.

Until 1939, the school was called Outram Road School, but the “road” was eventually dropped.

Outram Secondary School (OSS) is one of the first schools built by the colonial government prior to Singapore’s independence. OSS was set up to accommodate the rising need for English education in schools.

Sadly, because of Japanese bomb attacks during WWII, many of the school’s records between 1906 to 1942 were lost.

While the school started out as a primary school, and was only converted into a secondary school in 1954. A short four years later, in 1958, girls were admitted to the school for the first time.

And in 1977, OSS became the first school in Singapore’s history to have a short-course swimming pool.