Regional Studies Programme

Selamat pagi, sawadikha, magandang umaga (Good Morning)! The Southeast Asian region is currently at the centre of a profound and ongoing transformation that cannot be ignored if one wishes to understand the internationalisation and integration that is evident across the world.  At the initiative of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his National Day Rally 2007 speech and introduced by the Ministry of Education in 2008, RI is one of the 4 centres offering the Regional Studies Programme (RSP). This is a prestigious scholarship programme (for students who have taken RSP in the secondary schools) and is also opened also to all other students interested in knowing more about Southeast Asia.

The RSP is offered as an enrichment programme in view of the growing significance of the Southeast Asian region and ASEAN. The programme will enable interested students to gain a better appreciation of the nearby region, in view of the increased interaction with Singapore. It aims to equip students with an understanding of the historical, political and economic development of the nearby region. It hopes to nurture a segment of non-Malays in each generation who are comfortably conversant in the Malay Language and able to engage the nearby region effectively.

This programme hopes to ignite deeper and long-term interests in the region that are sustainable beyond graduation so don't miss this opportunity! Sign up now! Terima kasih banyak, cảm ơn rât nhiề (Thank you very much) and sampai jumpa lagi, makyaarhkain pyansone kyamaal (see you soon)!

To develop students’ interests and abilities in the programme, the RSP is conducted through weekly enrichment modules exposing students to regional music, food and languages like conversational Malay, Bahasa Indonesia and Thai.  There will also be opportunities to participate in seminars where students can engage with experts in the field (including from in-house teachers) on the rich diversity of Southeast Asia’s unique and evolving physical and cultural landscape, as well as its multiplicity and plurality of customs, traditions and beliefs. The RSP may also include local and overseas study to provide students with authentic learning and interactions in a real-world situation, and an avenue to apply and share knowledge is applied and shared. In 2020, in view of exceptional circumstances, like all other enrichment programmes, the RSP was conducted virtually on-line.

The RSP is helmed by RI (Y5-6) teacher-mentors, Mr. Edmund Kwok (History) and Mr. Kamal Rizal (Geography).

Mr. Edmund Kwok (History)
[email protected]
64199 839

Mr. Kamal Rizal (Geography)
[email protected]
64199 843

In the words of a participant, Ong Sing May (21A01C), “I attended four virtual RSP sessions and every one of them was enjoyable and informative, with quizzes, tight lesson plans and engaging teachers. RSP gave me a general understanding of the Southeast Asian region’s economy, culture and politics and bolstered my learning of History in JC. My interest for Southeast Asian culture has only grown since. Moreover, RSP has developed my ability to analyse action-reaction events in recent history.” 

According to Yean Lyn (21A13B), RSP allows for “the broadening of my world view through increased familiarity with other countries and their customs.”

Shylla (21S03E) enjoys RSP as “it provided me with an opportunity to learn more about the region, and the various countries within it. I enjoyed learning about various religions, cultures, and political systems in the region. I was better able to understand the significance of ASEAN, and its role in allowing various countries to coexist despite having different political ideologies or beliefs. I thought it was interesting that countries' unique geographic locations contributed to key historical events or economic developments within them. I also enjoyed learning about nuances in languages across the region.”