CHIJ Primary (Toa Payoh) and CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) will revert to their original names of Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (Primary) and Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (Secondary) starting January 1, 2027 [1, 2, 3, 4]. The change drops the "Toa Payoh" suffix and reflects the original full names used when the schools were founded.
The name change is approved by the schools’ founders, management board, and the Ministry of Education [1, 2]. Sister Elizabeth Moey, Provincial at the Infant Jesus Sisters Singapore, said the board is "deeply grateful and heartened by the reinstatement" and sees the names as carrying "the rich heritage and mission since 1854" [1, 2, 3, 4]. She added, "We hope that this renewed recognition of our shared history will continue to inspire future generations to live with courage, integrity, and a spirit of love for others" [1].
The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus was founded by four Catholic nuns in Singapore in 1854, making it the oldest girls’ Catholic school in the country [1, 2, 3, 4]. Originally located on Victoria Street, the school operated under a single name before separating into distinct primary and secondary schools in 1964 [1, 2, 3, 4].
In December 1983, both schools relocated to Lorong 1 Toa Payoh and incorporated "Toa Payoh" into their names as Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Primary (Toa Payoh) and Secondary (Toa Payoh) [1, 2, 3, 4]. Later, in 1992, the Infant Jesus Board of Management added the acronym "CHIJ" to the start of all 11 CHIJ schools' names, ending official use of the full original names at that time [1, 2, 3, 4].
Discussions about reinstating the full original names began during the school’s 170th anniversary celebrations in 2024 [3, 4]. Ms Genevieve Chye, principal of CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh), said, "Different stakeholders realised that our full name was no longer used officially, and that was when it was raised... to see whether we should go back to our original full name" [3]. The schools formally approached the Ministry of Education in 2025 with the renaming request and received approval in May 2026 [3, 4].
The other nine CHIJ schools will keep their existing names without change [3, 4]. The official reinstatement of the full original names for CHIJ Primary and Secondary (Toa Payoh) will take effect on January 1, 2027 [1, 2, 3, 4].
