Mr. William and Mrs. Daisy Yiu wished to provide the best education for their own children without having to send them away from home. They believed there was no reason why they could not offer a unique holistic education experience similar to that found at Cambridge and Harvard Business School that would prepare and develop the whole potential of their children.
In their worldwide search and research into the ideal school in US, UK and Australia they were introduced to The Chinese High School in Singapore (now Hwa Chong Institution) and met like-minded educationalists. It was with The Chinese High School that they found an education philosophy that combined the best practices of East and West and a traditional values-centered yet futurist curriculum.
They approached The Chinese High School to help establish the school in Jakarta where they lived. This proposal was however turned down, but the school offered to help establish a school in Singapore as part of their effort to become a ‘global schoolhouse’ attracting the best and brightest from the region in alignment with Singapore’s effort then to develop the country as an international education hub and capital. Together they approached the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) for advice and support. EDB supported in principle an education site for the school within 4 years.
P.I.A.G.E.T Academy Pte Ltd was thus registered and established by Mr. Yiu’s family. It subsequently secured a premise and renovated the disused primary schools at Cambridge Road as the intended campus.
While ready for the new school year in January 2002, it was learnt in December 2001 that the application for a Privately Funded School was not granted by the MOE because the Privately Funded School Bill was yet to be approved by the Parliament (which was subsequently approved). The initiative was simply ahead of its time. The establishment of the Privately Funded School in Singapore was therefore aborted with substantial financial loss.
Given the circumstances, they decided to move the initiative back to Jakarta with support from The Chinese High School. The NationalHigh Jakarta School started enrolling its first batch of students, including Mr. Yiu’s children, in a temporary campus in July 2002.
The adoption and adaptation of the Singapore education curriculum attracted very positive response from discerning Indonesian parents and those from the international communities as well. The success of NationalHigh in Jakarta also attracted many like-minded parents in other Indonesian cities and some requested Mr. Yiu to enter into joint ventures with them to set up similar schools in their respective cities.
Mr. Yiu successfully applied to the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) for the schools in Indonesia to be the authorised centres for the implementation of the International PSLE (Primary School Examination). The eager acceptance of the examination from the Indonesian community and the schools is testimony to the international recognition and branding of Singapore education.
To enlarge and enhance the bandwidth and exchange of professional ideas and advice, Mr. Yiu successfully invited several international education practitioners, including representatives from Singapore and Australia to form an independent Board of Governors (BOG) of the schools.
Under Mr. Yiu’s stewardship and the schools’ leadership, they have prospered, consistently contributing to the ASEAN Scholarship and Singapore’s school-based scholarship programmes, trans-national experiences and fostering a close and very positive relationship between Indonesia and Singapore.