By Dawin Ng (25A01D), Peh Zhi Ning (25A01B), Sophie Chong (25A01A)
Special thanks to Li Houzhe (25A01A) and Isaac Chan (25A01B) for the photographs.
This interview with Mr Aaron Loh had originally started off with no clear direction. There was an understanding that we were going to do it, but for what purpose, no one knew. “School issues” sounded vague. “Getting to know” felt uninspired.
Not that there wasn’t anything to talk about. Since his appointment as principal on 15 December 2023 — almost one and a half years ago — the school had experienced a wave of changes as intense and as sweeping as the metamorphosis of a butterfly. Toilets were fixed up. Double CCAs were removed. A big podium had been constructed at the front of the parade square; and the area between Block A and B was fenced up and cordoned off with blue-and-white construction tarpaulin.
But where things got foggy was the driving force behind these developments. Even if they did not intend for it, the top body of the school executive has always appeared to be a triumvirate: The principal was always seen walking around with the deputy principals, and vice versa.
Add on the board of governors whose contributions were more felt than apparent, and you got the impression that these changes were only a series of corporate actions meant to “enhance the RI experience”, rather than the personal ideology of an individual.
To many students, Mr Loh was just there, it seemed, a figurehead of authority who popped up once in a while to give a speech, or to shake hands with a couple of students. If you passed him along the corridor, then he was a person you bowed to — because he was your principal and that was what you did when you meet your principal.
This sense of distance between student and principal didn’t go unnoticed by Mr Loh. After all, that was the very first thing he touched on in a previous interview with Raffles Press regarding the finished construction of the morning assembly platform. He remarked about how strange it felt standing at the old Wishing Well — “far away from the students” — and how he had had the idea for the platform since the very first day of his tenure.
It was only fitting, then, that Mr Loh’s most conscious attempt to reach out to the students came from an address conducted on said platform, on the very first morning assembly of 2025 — “If you have any feedback or issues you want to raise, just email me directly,” he encouraged. “I’ll try to address them, as much as the situation allows it.”
And seated in a conference room on the third floor of the administrative block now, face to face with Mr Loh, this desire to connect with his students only becomes more apparent. Actually, not just the students — but the entire school, in fact.
“For me, personally, I like to have connections with people,” he shares. “But being principal of RI makes it a little more difficult. You can’t treat RI and RJC as two schools, but it’s also not one school, exactly… The number of staff and students is very big.”
Yet, despite this mounting challenge to connect with a vast group of individuals, it hasn’t taken away from Mr Loh’s motivations as a principal — which can, perhaps, be attributed to two things: his role as a father and that of a Rafflesian.
Being a father of four, his experience as a parent inevitably diffuses into his work as a principal. With his children ranging from ages 14 to 18 – interestingly spanning the age range of RI students – his experience with them allows him to recognise the difficulties students in RI similarly face and how he can best interact with them, both in Years 1- 4 and on the JC side.
“I very much enjoy being a dad to my kids, and it’s something that I bring to my role as a principal.”
In many ways, his goals as a principal also mirror his motivations as a parent, “The desire to want to provide a good environment for them, to make them healthy and happy, and to address anything that is upsetting them, or anything that they find is an impediment to what they want to do – it’s all very similar to being a dad.” As he recalled his conversations with the students, Mr Loh laughingly remarked, “Sometimes when I speak to students, it’s just like talking to my kids.”
Naturally, he recognises that “parenting” 2400 additional students is a far greater challenge than being a dad to four, but Mr Loh continues to see the value of building personal connections with as many students as he can. To facilitate this, Mr Loh began regular engagements with students, speaking with a class per level across the Y1-6 student body. While this only represents a small fraction of the population, he sees this as a first step towards making a positive impact on the 2400 students he ‘parents’.
Yet, this desire is amplified by his unique understanding of the expectations placed on the school, not in terms of success, but in terms of spirit. Graduating from the RJC Class of 1994, his experience in school is in many ways enriched with an element of joy and pride of being a Raffles alumnus – the thrill of watching the Rugby Finals was more than just his delight for the students, but his pride at the continued legacy of sportsmanship and hard work of Rafflesians.
Therefore, he recognises the importance of preserving the centuries of heritage and identity behind the school name. Indeed, his personal experience in RI brings a crucial perspective to his decision-making as principal, which he describes as “a kind of intuition” for him.
“That idea of fulfilment, fruitfulness and peace has to be expressed in a particular way in this school, it has to be the Rafflesian flavour of health and fulfilment.”
At the same time, as the world develops, Mr Loh understands that the essence of a “Rafflesian identity” should not always be tied to a slew of old customs but follow the positive development of students. By working with the long-serving staff and Raffles alumni teaching in the school, many of whom are coincidentally Mr Loh’s ex-teachers and schoolmates, he hopes for constant innovation to improve student experience. Hence, rather than being bogged down by traditions, he believes in moulding the Rafflesian identity around agility and adaptability.
An obvious example of this flexibility would be the notable absence of any statistics during the A-Level Results Release this year, both in RI and in any other JC in Singapore. Getting the principals of the other schools on board was, according to Mr Loh – who chuckled as he answered – easy, with absolutely no need to persuade any of the other school leaders.
“(There was) the shared understanding that this was better for our students, to send this signal of what’s important.”
And what was important? Instead of the usual green-black-white numbers, percentages and pie charts of distinction rates and full UAS scores, Mr Loh’s speech was filled instead with promises of support, assurances of good performance, and a reminder for the graduating Y7s to “have a heart of gratitude – for the people who have helped you.” Certainly, it stands to symbolise the new shift away from grades as the sole defining factor, focusing rather on the holistic education that Mr Loh wishes to provide every student.
Mr Loh explained that this RI-initiated change was implemented in order to benefit the students, a manifestation of the expectation, he feels, for RI “to break new ground and pioneer new things”, in order to keep adapting, adjusting and altering our education to prepare RI’s students for the rapidly changing future.
Now, most of us should be aware of RI’s changed motto – no longer are we Thinkers, Leaders and Pioneers. Rather, we are now Learners, Leaders and Pioneers. Mr Loh explained that this was entirely deliberate, to embody the qualities that the school wishes to inculcate in the students.
By changing our key motto to “Learners”, he added that the school hopes that we “continue to be curious and have a learning perspective”, long after graduation. In learning, we develop a humble perspective, where no one and nothing is below learning from. That is what RI ultimately hopes for its students to leave its corridors holding.
Mr Loh’s first year in RI has been truly eventful. Many changes have been made, with mixed responses from the student body. But, more than anything, we hope that this article has provided insight into the intentions, reasons and influences behind these changes, and a glimpse into the hopes of our new principal.
This article is originally featured in our School Matters 2025 Special Edition.
