Catholic Junior College to Relocate to Punggol in the vicinity of Punggol Digital District

SINGAPORE, 16 January 2026 – Catholic Junior College (CJC) today announced its decision to relocate from its Whitley Road campus to a new site in Punggol, in the vicinity of the Punggol Digital District (PDD). The new campus is targeted for operation tentatively in 2034. The announcement was made at the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) between CJC and its key partners, held at PDD with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, and Grassroots Adviser for Punggol GRC Grassroots Organisations, Mr Gan Kim Yong, as Guest of Honour. Also present were Minister for Education Mr Desmond Lee, along with representatives from partner organisations, alumni, parents and students. 

(From left to right: Mrs Woo Soo Min, Principal, CJC, Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for Education, Mr Gan Kim Yong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Bernard Tan, Chairman, CJC School Mgmt Committee)

The move marks a significant new chapter for the College, positioning CJC to deepen and differentiate the pre-university experience through closer integration with higher education, industry, community and nature-based environments, while strengthening its long-standing tradition as a home for the Humanities and Arts, where critical inquiry, ethical reasoning and human discernment remain central to learning, alongside a broad and rigorous A-Level education. 

The relocation follows careful study over several years and was guided by three considerations: the ageing Whitley Road campus, which was completed in the 1970s, the availability of a site in Punggol to serve the community in the north-east region of Singapore, and the strategic educational opportunities presented by the neighbouring PDD. Taken together, these factors informed the decision to relocate, allowing CJC to build on its existing strengths in student learning, community engagement and holistic formation. 

To anchor this next phase, CJC today signed MOUs with a group of key partners to formalise programme collaborations and joint initiatives. These partners include Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), JTC Corporation, National Parks Board (NParks), National Youth Council (NYC), Pathlight School and Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). 

These partnerships reflect a shared commitment to creating authentic learning experiences beyond the classroom, spanning digital capability, sustainability, community engagement and inclusive education. CJC will begin collaborating with partners from this year, with programmes and student opportunities progressively developed and introduced over the next year. These collaborations will commence well ahead of the physical move, allowing students to benefit from educational synergies even before the new campus is completed. 

“This relocation represents a considered and forward-looking step in CJC’s journey. While our address will change, what defines us does not. Being close neighbours with the PDD allows us to build more intentionally on CJC’s existing strengths in academic rigour, character formation and community engagement, by situating our students within a rich ecosystem of learning, innovation and civic life. It is an opportunity to deepen what we already do well, while preparing our students for the realities of a rapidly evolving Singapore,” said Mr Bernard Tan, Chairman, School Management Committee, Catholic Junior College.

(Mr Bernard Tan, Chairman, CJC School Mgmt Committee)

A Unique Position Close to a National Digital District 

Masterplanned, built, and managed by JTC, PDD has been purpose-built as a national hub where education, innovation, industry and community life converge. The proximity of CJC’s new campus to PDD will allow the college to provide a uniquely integrated environment for learning and development. Industry, applied research, community facilities, residential neighbourhoods and green spaces come together, creating a living environment where learning, work and community life intersect. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, and Grassroots Adviser for Punggol GRC Grassroots Organisations Mr Gan Kim Yong, said, “The PDD is Singapore’s flagship innovation district, designed to integrate education, industry, community, and nature. The relocation of CJC to the vicinity of PDD will situate pre-university education within an ecosystem where knowledge is applied, skills are developed, and students can better connect what they learn to the world beyond school. This way, we can build a place where learning, work and community life come together, and where different generations can grow and thrive.”

(Mr Gan Kim Yong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry)

The 4 Pillars: CJC’s Future-Focused Educational Identity 

1) Being Digital: Innovation with Human Intelligence at the Centre 

Being located close to PDD will allow CJC to develop programmes that expose students to areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data-driven systems, while keeping human judgement, ethics and creativity at the centre of learning. Digital capability will cut across disciplines, including the Humanities and Arts. These programmes are designed to help students understand how technology shapes society, decision-making and human relationships, affirming the Humanities as essential to interpreting, questioning and guiding technological change, rather than merely adapting to it.

2) Being Sustainable: Learning with, and for, Our Community and Nation 

Drawing on Punggol’s coastal environment, waterways and proximity to nature, CJC will integrate sustainability into authentic student learning. Programmes will connect classroom knowledge with real-world environmental challenges, allowing students to engage in conservation, circularity and eco-stewardship initiatives that build habits of care for the environment. Sustainability education at CJC will be experiential and action-oriented, helping students see the relationship between science, policy, community and long-term national resilience. 

3) Being Singaporean: A Community-Connected Campus Built on Social Friendship 

CJC’s new campus will be open and deeply connected to the community, building not just proximity with the heartlands, but the spirit of social friendship. Programmes will foster a strong sense of citizenship, empathy and shared responsibility, helping students appreciate the duties and obligations of living in a diverse society. By engaging meaningfully with the community, students will develop a grounded understanding of what it means to contribute to Singapore’s social fabric, drawing on perspectives from history, literature, philosophy and the social sciences to better understand identity, diversity and shared responsibility in a complex society. 

(Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for Education, takes a wefie with CJC and MOU partners)

4) Being Values-Driven: A Foundation for Character and Purpose

Amidst these changes, CJC will continue to be guided by its long-standing Catholic values and ethos, with an emphasis on character, ethics and service. The College remains welcoming to students of all backgrounds, and its mission will continue to focus on forming young people of conscience, compassion and courage. 

“The purpose of education is not merely to prepare students to make a living. It is about forming young people to live lives of dignity and respect. As CJC moves forward, its commitment to the broad Catholic principles of Truth and Love remains a steady foundation, guiding how young people are formed regardless of changes in place or circumstance,” said Monsignor Stephen Yim, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Singapore. 

The Cornerstone Differentiator: Collaborative Learning Synergies between CJC and SIT

Within this setting, CJC will be close neighbours with SIT. CJC’s proximity to SIT opens up opportunities for earlier exposure to university learning and applied education, helping students make more informed post-A-Level choices. 

Through collaborative programmes, CJC students will gain early exposure to selected areas of university studies by working alongside SIT’s academic staff and students to explore issues and prototype solutions to real-world challenges, including those that make a positive social impact in the Punggol community. 

CJC students will also be able to tap on the university’s talent pool as resource persons to enrich their learning through academic exposure and research-oriented conversations. The impact of the partnership will also go beyond the two institutions, as they collaborate on outreach activities for secondary schools in Punggol and beyond. Both institutions will also explore shared infrastructure and optimised use of facilities to expand access for students and the wider community. These initiatives span diverse fields such as engineering, IT and digital media, sustainability, and healthcare, and aim to nurture character formation and foster early talent cultivation. 

(From left to right: Mr Bernard Tan, Chairman, CJC School Mgmt Committee, Mrs Woo Soo Min, Principal, CJC, Professor Foo Yong Lim - Associate Provost, SIT, Professor Chua Kee Chaing – President, SIT)

Professor Chua Kee Chaing, President, Singapore Institute of Technology, said: “CJC’s proximity to SIT creates powerful synergy. For CJC students interested in applied learning at the University level, they gain exposure to SIT’s modules and applied research projects. For SIT students, this partnership creates the platform for joint initiatives that reinforce their technical mastery while honing leadership, mentorship and problem-solving skills.”

About Catholic Junior College 

Singapore’s third-oldest junior college, Catholic Junior College is a pre-university educational institution that develops students holistically. We are motivated by the broad Catholic principles of Truth and Love to create a values-centred environment that balances academic, character and spiritual development. 

Our promise is that every CJC student will become a Thinker with a Mission, Leader with a Heart - a key to success in a globalised, fast-changing world.

In Veritate et Caritate