Character & Citizenship Education
Find out more about Character & Citizenship Education Department
Character and Citizenship Education
Education at Hai Sing is about more than preparing students for examinations. We want our HAIsians to grow into young people who know themselves, care for others, make thoughtful choices and recognise the part they can play in building a better community.
Grounded in our school values and Catholic teachings, Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) gives students opportunities to encounter real issues, make decisions and put their values into action. From responding to simulated national disruptions and serving the community to exploring future education and career pathways, students learn that character is developed not simply through what we know, but through the choices we make and the way we respond to the world around us.
When the Unexpected Happens
What would you do if the power, and your connectivity, suddenly disappeared?
During Exercise SG Ready, students experienced simulated disruptions such as power and connectivity cuts before working through scenarios that challenged them to consider how individuals and communities can respond in times of crisis. Through role-play and problem-solving, Total Defence became something students experience rather than simply read about.
Other National Education experiences invite students to grapple with issues that extend beyond Singapore. During International Friendship Day, classes work through cross-border scenarios such as the transnational haze crisis, considering the competing interests of different countries and the importance of regional cooperation.
Through Racial Harmony Day dialogues, the NRIC Presentation Ceremony and National Day community outreach, students also explore what it means to live alongside others in a diverse society and to take their place as citizens of Singapore.
“Experiencing the sudden blackout and Wi-Fi outage during Exercise SG Ready made national resilience tangible. Role-playing real community challenges showed me that Total Defense is about practical solidarity and looking out for our vulnerable neighbours.”— Secondary 2 student
Putting Care into Action
Our school motto, Ad Veritatem per Caritatem — To Truth through Charity, reminds students that knowing what is right must ultimately lead us towards caring for and serving others.
Through Values in Action (VIA), students put this into practice. Guided by different cohort themes as they progress through the school, students contribute within Hai Sing and to the community and the environment.
Their projects range from advocating for mental well-being and caring for the environment to direct community outreach. Students do not simply participate in an activity; they are encouraged to recognise genuine needs, work with others and consider how their actions can make a meaningful difference.
For some, this becomes an opportunity to take what they have experienced and lead others. One Secondary 5 cohort, for example, took part in a waterways clean-up before leading sustainability efforts back in school.
“Serving our neighborhood and leading environmental initiatives helped us put values into action. It proved that consistent, small acts of care build a more compassionate and sustainable community.”— Secondary 5 student
Discovering Pathways and Possibilities
As students begin thinking about life beyond Hai Sing, we help them answer questions that matter: What am I good at? What matters to me? What possibilities are open to me, and where might I thrive?
Education and Career Guidance (ECG) begins with helping students understand themselves. Through Purpose Conversations, RIASEC profiling and MySkillsFuture, students explore their strengths, interests and possible education and career pathways.
But discovering a future cannot happen only through a screen or questionnaire. Students encounter possibilities first-hand through industry learning journeys, ECG counselling, target-setting workshops and the school's ECG Fair. They can also experience learning in post-secondary settings through Applied Learning Modules (ApLMs), gaining a taste of courses and fields they may one day pursue.
These experiences help students make increasingly informed choices as they progress through secondary school—not simply asking “What course can I get into?” but also “What might suit my strengths and the person I hope to become?”
“Visiting industry workplaces and taking part in the polytechnic ApLM helped me see how my personal strengths connect to real societal needs. MySkillsFuture and ECG mentoring gave me the clarity to set purposeful pathway targets.”— Secondary 3 student
Growing with Purpose
Across these experiences, students encounter situations that ask something of them: to make a decision, consider another person's perspective, respond to a need, take responsibility or think seriously about their future.
In doing so, they develop the resilience to navigate challenges, the empathy to recognise the dignity of others and the confidence to make thoughtful choices for themselves.
Ultimately, CCE at Hai Sing is about helping each Haisian discover not only where they want to go, but also who they want to become - young people guided by truth, moved by charity and ready to contribute to the common good.