Old site of RI at Raffles City Shopping Centre
Upon this site, on June 5 1823, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles laid the foundation Stone of a building which he named ‘The Institution’. The Scheme was to provide for a total education system, beginning at the very elementary, and eventually, leading to the level of scholarship and reseach into the languages and cultures of the region.
When the Institution first started functioning in 1835, it only provided elementary education. To accommodate expanding needs, extensions were added to the building. In time, the Institution evolved into an exclusive high school, after shedding its elementary component in 1886.
Renamed Raffles Institution, in memory of its founder, it went on to serve as a beacon for educational development across the nation, and provided a school system after which emerging schools modeled themselves.
Over decades, it evolved a tradition of educational excellence. This Rafflesian Heritage has fulfilled the hopes and dreams of the Founder, that from it would rise great men who would guide the destiny of the nation. It counts among its scholar three Presidents of the Republic of Singapore and two prime Ministers, besides scores of others who have made their mark in public life.
To this day, Raffles Institution continues to sustain its tradition and contribute to the well-being of society and the nation.