• Special presentation by Mr Daryl Chong from CIE elaborated on prospects of the IGCSE curriculum
• SG50-themed event saw enthusiastic participation from students and parents
• ‘University Talks’ by Singapore’s top universities drew supreme response
• GIIS supported ‘Safer Internet Day’ to promote responsible use of online technology among students

One of the most important academic event of the year, the GIIS Open Day 2015 took place on 7th February 2015 at the GIIS Queenstown Campus in Singapore. The event drew over 1200 people who visited the campus and interacted with students to learn more about GIIS’ curricula offerings. More than 12 information booths were set up by faculty, students, course-coordinators and university representatives. In addition, students’ projects and artworks were put on display and a team of student volunteers interacted with parents and visitors.

This year@aps@s Open Day saw varied activities catering to a multi-faceted audience. A special talk by Mr Daryl Khong, Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) representative, on IGCSE and its prospects impacted the perspective of many parents present at the session. Supporting activities like art competition themed on SG50 celebrations, exhibition of extra-curricular activities by students and promoting ‘Safer Internet Day’ to create awareness among students on safe practices of using online technology, earned absolute appreciation by the parent community. Students under the age of 13, participated overwhelmingly in this competition and depicted their idea of SG50 in most creative manner.

Ms Madhu Khanna, Principal, GIIS Queenstown Campus, said, “Through this Open Day, we’ve tried to showcase the holistic approach that a child’s education needs. This provides a great opportunity for students and parents to know more about what GIIS offers. Having the top six Singapore-based universities on campus, an SG50 themed art competition, exhibition of our extra co-curricular activities (ECA) and various curricula presentations, we complete the whole lifecycle of child’s education. For students looking to pursue further education, the GIIS Open Day is a great platform to explore about different courses and their career prospects.”

The ‘University Talks’ that saw massive participation from parents and students hosted some of Singapore’s top universities. Six universities viz. SP Jain, Yale NUS College, Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), Singapore University of Technology & Design, SIM University and Singapore Management University (SMU) held interactive sessions. Attendees could meet the presenters personally and engage to learn more about further studies and career prospects.

Austin Shiner, Senior Admission Counsellor, Yale NUS College, said, “It is a great platform to address questions that parents and students usually have while applying at the university level. Most of them asked us if CBSE, IB and IGCSE background is accepted at our college and we told them they are all recognized accepted courses and we do accept students with these programmes in our college. We also provide flexibility in choosing the course. Most students are interested in a particular course with different combination of modules, which helps in pursuing their interest and passion in education.”

Mr Deval Shah, parent of a student Pratik Shah, who is seeking admission into IB Year 1 said, “What I like about this event was that it had a welcoming and open approach. Students spoke to us frankly and gave us information about the courses and style of teaching, which is very impressive. Even the universities present here, shared useful information about various programmes they offer. As a parent, you have to be well informed to take the right decision and guide your child on his/her higher education”

To promote ‘Safer Internet Day’, representatives from ‘Geckolife’ - a safe social media app for families & children, interacted with GIIS students. Watch the video below to see what our students had to say about being socially responsible on the internet.

Link to pictures:
https://plus.google.com/photos/116634596047916343952/albums/6116279451670673233

Here’s a round-up of the event that was at the GIIS through our Social Media channels: