UWC of South East Asia, Singapore

 

The UWC of South East Asia was founded in 1971 in Singapore. It was a synthesis of the visions of Lord Mountbatten, who was seeking to replicate Atlantic College in South East Asia, and Lee Kwan Yew, the Singapore Prime Minister, who needed to educate the children of expatriates in his developing city state. The outcome, over 30 years later, is a College of 2,800 boys and girls from over 60 nationalities, aged between four and nineteen years.

 
"The younger students meet and interact with disabled and disadvantaged people in the social programme. They learn about cooperation through the various shows and dramas they produce throughout the year. They also have the chance to travel to neighbouring countries without their families which helps to bond the children and give them a different perspective. My children are now more engaged with and aware of world events and get us involved with their projects. For parents, UWCSEA is not just a school, it is a lifestyle.”
Judith Jamieson, parent of UWCSEA student

Almost 200 students reside in the boarding houses, while the remainder live with their families. Most students receive scholarships from the companies for whom their parents work, while more than 40 students are selected through UWC National Committees, mainly from the developing world.  

 

The College’s music, drama and sports programmes are outstanding and are supported by a wide range of specialist teachers and facilities. UWCSEA's Global Concerns Programme engages students in leadership activities, project management, fundraising, and visiting and directly serving communities across the developing world. For example, UWCSEA students of all ages are involved in the Tabitha Global Concerns Project, which supports the poorest of Cambodian society by providing skills training and a place in a cottage industry that manufactures products from locally available materials. The project also makes small loans for families to set up businesses and for preventative health care schemes. The students help with general fundraising and selling the cottage industry products in Singapore. They also make annual visits to Cambodia to build houses or to support Tabitha in other ways. In this type of activity and in others, older students introduce UWC ideals and practices to students as young as four years old.

 

UWCSEA provides experiential education programmes across the age ranges that are models for other schools, including an ambitious outdoor education programme. Another recent initiative brought young Indians and Pakistanis to Singapore for a conference on Kashmir and a week of shared experiences and reflection. All aspects of this week were organised by a team of students with staff advisers.

 

UWCSEA's modern and well-equipped campus covers nearly 20 hectares. Among its facilities are a large sports hall, swimming pool, fitness centre, floodlit tennis courts and two theatres seating over 200 people each. The College also has an outdoor centre on a small island off the Singapore coast and access to a centre on a Malaysian island with facilities for camping, sailing, canoeing, windsurfing, mountain biking and orienteering.

 

While Singapore is an urban environment, located in the middle of a culturally rich and diverse region, its society is in many ways a model of intercultural understanding. It provides a fascinating context for the oldest UWCSEA students to support younger students in realising their vision of a peaceful world where all people have similar opportunities.