Which polytechnic is older than Singapore?

Posted by noelbynature under Buildings and Monuments
(1) Comment • (1975) Reads • Permalink

A polytechnic older than than Singapore? How can this be? It can, if it was founded in 1954, which makes it technically older than independent Singapore. Which polytechnic could this be? Here’s a hint: it used to be housed in this building:

The answer is Singapore Polytechnic, and this is the old building at Prince Edward Road, a quiet corner of the Central Business District. Jerome writes:

Prince Edward Road then, was also home to the premises of Singapore’s first Polytechnic, the unimaginatively named Singapore Polytechnic. The Polytechnic was established in 1954 with the passing of the Singapore Polytechnic Ordinance and classes began with an initial enrollment of 2800 students when the building was completed in late 1958 (it was officially opened in early 1959). The Polytechnic initially offered 58 different courses to train a pool of technicians for the developing economy of the island and remained at Prince Edward Road until the mid 1970s when it moved in stages to its present campus at Dover Road.

The old Singapore Polytechnic, the Bestway Building and Prince Edward Road are all covered in Jerome’s post, The “bright” lights of Prince Edward Road and the Polytechnic by the sea. Check it out here.

*Okay, technically, Ngee Ann Polytechnic can also be counted as older than Singapore, since it was founded in 1963 as Ngee Ann College in Tank Road. But it was renamed Ngee Ann Technical College in 1968, and then to Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 1982.

Rating: 0