Principal's Message
Read the principal's message to learn how Bukit Merah Secondary nurtures students through character, care, and tailored programmes to grow into resilient, values-driven contributors to the community.
Principal's Message 2026
In BM, our vision is to nurture our Merahans to be Resilient, Caring and Self-directed Learners, anchored in our school values -- Respect, Integrity, Self-discipline and Empathy (RISE), so they can contribute and make a difference in the community we are in.
An enduring strength of our school is our caring and enabling environment. The concerted effort of our Merahans, staff and stakeholders grow that strength has made it possible for the school to develop customised school programmes and contributed to the sustained achievements in terms of academic progression and character development. This culminated in the school being a proud recipient of the Lee Hsien Loong Award for Innovations in Uplifting Students (opens in new tab) last year.
While we may be small in population size, we are a school big in our character development, hearts and opportunities for growth.
1) Character Development: Academic progression is important for Merahans but it alone does not define their past, present and future. What is equally important is to anchor our Merahans in good values so they can make informed and responsible decisions. In BM, we endeavour to develop Merahans to RISE up to every occasion and to consider not just themselves but the others around them. We are grateful to the parents, partners and members of the public who affirmed Merahans for their public spiritedness and conduct within and outside of the school. We certainly hope our Merahans can continue to do what is right for years to come.
2) Hearts: A trademark of our school is our strong and positive culture of care among students, staff and between students and staff. Regular opportunities are established to grow and deepen the relationships that perpetuate the culture. The commitment and dedication of our mission-driven staff, many of whom have served in the school for decades, is a strong anchor to sustain the culture to create a supportive environment for learning. This enables Merahans, both present and past, to thrive and form lifelong friendships and contribute to the community around us.
3) Opportunities for growth: Our school has a range of customised programmes (see corporate video (opens in new tab)) to develop and nurture Merahans to be Resilient, Caring and Self-directed. A key feature of our instructional programme is the use of feedback to help our students develop their thinking and communication skills and take action to address their learning gaps. As part of their BM student development experiences, activities from camping activities, cross-cultural engagement and immersions to aesthetic appreciation are organised to develop desired competencies such as adaptive thinking, collaboration and civic and global literacies.
As we embark on new adventures in the new year, I would like to encourage all Merahans, colleagues, parents and partners to stay committed not just to our vision and values but to demonstrate and role model these consistently through what we say and what we do. Each of us can make a difference in making BM a school for the community. Small is beautiful.
Mr Darren Chong
School Principal