by Liew Hanqing

VICTORIA Junior College's (VJC) proposal to introduce a six-year Integrated Programme to the A-levels has been put on hold - at least for the time being.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has rejected its proposal and requested that the junior college study it further.

It has also asked VJC to explore more options with all of its stakeholders.

The proposal, when first discussed and later when sent to the MOE, had met with strong objections from the Old Victorians' Association (OVA).

It fears it will vie with Victoria School (VS) for the same post-primary cohort and hence "split up the family".

The OVA wrote to the Ministry of Education, started online petitions, a Facebook group and even called a press conference to voice the members' disapproval.

Now, it seems the old boys' efforts have paid off.

Mr Chan Poh Meng, principal of VJC, however, remains optimistic. He said he was heartened by MOE's reply that the school's proposal to introduce the IP had some merits.

He said he is not disappointed by the decision, and added that he will submit another proposal in due time after further consultation with the school's stakeholders.

These include the staff of VS (both the teachers and principals), OVA members, Victoria Executive and Advisory Committee (VAC/VEC) members, VJC's ex-students and parents of currently-enrolled students, he explained.

Said Mr Chan: "I don't think the door is completely shut. It will encourage me to engage the stakeholders more.

"I think I will need to explore alternatives. Perhaps a fine-tuning of the IP is required. I will work with VS more closely."

Mr Chan explained that he needs to have a clearer understanding about the concerns of the stakeholders. And the new proposal could perhaps address some of these concerns, such as competition with VS for the secondary one cohort.

He added: "It's too early now to talk about that because I will need to discuss with VS more and find out their concerns.

"We will then come up with a mutually acceptable solution without compromising the six-year IP objective, which is supposed to be holistic."

He said that he had actively engaged the stakeholders in various discussions since 2007 before the proposal was submitted to MOE in August this year.

But the proposal had earlier sparked a row between the school and the OVA.

Online protest

A Facebook group, which was set up to protest the proposal, had drawn 2,390 members.

Wrote one group member: "You cannot buy more than 130 years of history. You protect and treasure it.

"MOE should step in and put a stop to this, and send the right message. Education is more than just academic success."

Another wrote that VJC's endeavour has caused much grief and disagreement among Victorians.

He said: "While it is heartening to see Victorians rallying on this issue, it is also equally painful for matters to come to this state."

When contacted yesterday, an OVA spokesman said the association has noted the latest development, and that it would continue to work closely with all stakeholders and the schools.

He said: "Our aim is to facilitate the stakeholders' discussions with the hope of finding the best strategy with the interest of VS and VJC at heart."