In June of 1996, CSSD started to build SSIS with a total investment of 3.5 million US dollars. The campus covered an area of 2 hectares.
OVER 25 YEARS OF
Growth and Learning
Suzhou is an ancient city, but in recent years it has become a regional center of commerce and industry, with beautiful ancient buildings juxtaposed to glittering skyscrapers. In the 1990’s development of Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), a smaller area outside of Suzhou’s downtown area, commenced under the partnership of the Chinese and Singapore governments. The creation of SIP was carefully planned, managed and curated to create a zone in China that would attract both multinationals and large Chinese businesses to the area. The intent was to modernize, digitalize and internationalize Suzhou. At the same time the two countries saw it as a way for two great and sovereign nations to join together. The partnership, which still exists today, allowed China to learn Singaporean management practices while giving Singapore the opportunity to become a closer partner with China, a growing super power. The partnership was the first of its kind in China and cities like Chongqing and Tianjin later followed suit. During the development process the team recognized there would be a strong need for an international school to educate the children of the incoming expats and the Suzhou Singapore International School was established.
Today we are more fondly known as SSIS, Suzhou Singapore International School and although we no longer teach a Singaporean curriculum, we still keep Singapore in our official name as a reminder of our historical tie to the China-Singapore collaboration that created the Suzhou Industrial Park.
Begins
Our Journey
In 1996, with the continuous development of Suzhou Singapore Industrial Park (SIP), the excellent investment environment attracted many overseas investment projects, and the foreign population was increasing.
In order to provide quality education to the children of expatriate families, Mr. Philip Yeo, the Chairman of the Economic Development Board of Singapore, decided on April 1st, 1996, that we should have an international school up and functioning by the beginning of the new school year in September, 1996.