Since 2012, Mr Frederick Yeo has been the principal of Crest Secondary School, a specialised school for Normal (Technical) students who do not do as well academically.

Next year, the 46-year-old will be at the helm of Raffles Institution (RI).

Mr Yeo, a former Public Service Commission teaching scholarship holder, said both schools serve students with different profiles, but they have the same goal of developing the young to be better people.

"At Crest, we want to enable students who are disadvantaged in terms of their studies or personal family situations to find confidence and rediscover an interest in learning," he said.

"In RI's case, students are high achievers, they have done very well.

"But we want them to not just excel in their own right, but be more community-oriented... to connect with people from all walks of life," said Mr Yeo, who has been in the education service for 20 years.

A priority in his new role will be to "expand the common space for interaction and understanding between RI students and people from more diverse backgrounds", he said.

He is not completely new to RI, having been its deputy headmaster (development) in 2006, before serving as principal of Bowen Secondary School from 2008 to 2011.

He first taught geography in Jurong Junior College in 1998, and also had a stint in the Ministry of Education, reviewing the A-level curriculum. He is an alumnus of Victoria School and Jurong Junior College.

In a statement yesterday, the RI board of governors said it is confident that "given Mr Yeo's disposition, wealth of experience, extensive networks and leadership in education, he will be able to build upon the legacies of his predecessors and lead RI to serve the needs of society and Singapore".

It also thanked the current RI principal, Mr Chan Poh Meng, who is retiring after 35 years in the education service. The 60-year-old is also an RI alumnus.

Amelia Teng