华文名：克明小学

History

Keming Primary School has a legacy that is rich in values.

Established in 1935 as the Chinese-medium Keok Ming Public School, Keming was funded by philanthropic pioneers who believed in bringing education to the villagers. In Chinese, keok (克) means “to overcome difficulties” and ming (明) means “brightness”. Thus the name Keok Ming refers to one’s ability to overcome adversity for a promising future.

True to its name, the school demonstrated its fighting spirit by overcoming many challenges, especially in its early years. With its first batch of 20 students, the school shared a wayang (opera) stage in Holland Village with the wayang performers because it did not have its own building. Eventually, the school found a home at Chip Bee Gardens. Later, with the arrival of the Second World War in Singapore, lessons were suspended, resuming only in August 1945.

To recognise the contribution of the school towards educating the children, the government accorded it the status of a government-aided school in 1957, thus supporting the school with funds and grants. In 1962, the school faced another crisis: It had to relocate as the owner wanted the land back. Fortunately, with the assistance of then Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the school relocated to Buona Vista by the Ministry of Education. Mr Lee officially opened the school at its new premises in 1966.

In 1974, to meet the increasing needs of a growing school, hawkers in the Holland Road area raised funds for the school. The camaraderie of the community came across strongly during the fundraising campaign, as the public, private organisations and staff came forward in unity to make donations.

After attaining full government status in 1982, the school was renamed Keok Ming Primary, and in 1983, became an English-medium school. In 1987, the school moved to Bukit Batok and has since been known as Keming Primary School.