PUBLISHED ONMay 26, 2026 5:28 AMBYSean LerFrom Jan 1, 2027, the names of two Catholic girls' schools in Toa Payoh will revert to their original names from 1854.
The move was announced in a joint statement by the principals of CHIJ Primary (Toa Payoh) Judina Cheong and CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) Genevieve Chye on Tuesday (May 26).
This will allow the two schools, as the mother schools of the CHIJ family of schools, to "return to their historical identity and heritage", they explained.
Following the reinstatement, which has been approved by the Ministry of Education, CHIJ Primary (Toa Payoh) will be named "Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (Primary)" and "Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (Secondary)" respectively.
The name change will not affect the schools' mission, the principals said.
"As the oldest girls’ Catholic schools in Singapore, we have nurtured generations of young women who are anchored on the CHIJ values of truth, justice, freedom and love.
"We remain committed to our mission to develop IJ girls who live out our school motto, 'Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty'."
Sister Elizabeth Moey, provincial of the Infant Jesus Sisters Singapore, stated that the names carry heritage and meaning.
"We are deeply grateful and heartened by the reinstatement of the names of our mother schools.
"These names carry the rich heritage and mission entrusted to us since 1854, when the Sisters first came to Singapore dedicated to the education and formation of girls and young women," Sister Moey said.
The Sisters of the Congregation of the Holy Infant Jesus founded the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus at Victoria Street in 1854. At that time, the school served all levels of education.
It was separated into distinct primary and secondary schools in 1964.
Following their relocation to Lorong 1 Toa Payoh in 1983, the schools were renamed Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Primary (Toa Payoh) and Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Secondary (Toa Payoh).
In 1992, all 11 of the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus schools in Singapore were prefixed with the acronym CHIJ to establish a unified identity.
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