SINGAPORE – When it was first known some years ago that Yusof Ishak Secondary School would be moving to a new campus in Punggol, the school’s leaders sprang into action.

The school, which was formerly in Bukit Batok, decided to ask its students, alumni, teachers and parents how they would reimagine the campus.

“Teachers hoped that students would continue to be excited to learn beyond the classroom... When classrooms or science labs are closed, learning should continue,” said principal Maureen Lee.

In 2022, the school moved into its new space, and their efforts to redesign the campus creatively were recognised on Tuesday as one of the six recipients of the Minister’s Innovation Award.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a media statement that Yusof Ishak Secondary School’s redevelopment shows how innovative design can support learning beyond the traditional classroom, and illustrates how schools and learning spaces will be designed in future.

Madam Lee said: “The campus was designed intentionally with the environment as the third teacher, to allow students to learn in a seamless way. Where possible, no place is for a single use.”

To that end, flexible modular types of furniture or equipment are used throughout the school, from its labs to the canteen and library, making them more conducive for students to gather and work together, she said.

The work benches in the biology and physics lab support learning at different stations, giving teachers the flexibility to facilitate lessons differently from frontal lecture-style teaching.

The new Minister’s Innovation Award, which was introduced by Education Minister Chan Chun Sing on Tuesday at the Teachers’ Conference and Excel Fest 2023 at Marina Bay Sands, recognises innovations with large-scale, system-level impact across MOE headquarters, schools and the ministry’s statutory boards.