Our History

Raja's Commercial College was established by the late Mr K G N Raja when he noticed a lack of private school's in Singapore when he first arrived in 1948. Hence began our long and colourful history which will show that we have been the pioneer of many of the courses being taught in private schools today.

1949

Mr Raja started a commercial school in Sembawang (West Hill Road) teaching commercial subjects and English language. It was a golden opportunity for workers of Naval Base Shipyard to learn English. Due to a lack of teachers, he closed the school in Sembawang and moved towards town.

1950

Started City Commercial College in Katong (Haig Road). Mr Raja rented a Chinese Primary School (Seng Hua Public School) for three years. Academic classes (from Primary to Secondary IV), Commercial and Technical subjects were taught. It benefited a large population of over-age students who could not gain admission into Government schools, especially the Malay youths, who were among the majority of his students. As the lease of the premises was for only three years, he ceased operations in 1954.

1955

Opened under the style of Raja's Tutorial & Stenography in Asia Building. By this time, the name Raja's became synonymous with private education in Singapore and enrolment increased rapidly. This led to a search for larger premises.

1957

With the search for bigger premises, Raja's Commercial College was born. Enrolment was overwhelming. All the classes were full and on many occasions, students had to wait two to three months to gain admission. Our highly demanded courses were Shorthand, Typewriting, Book-keeping, Correspondence and Report Writing. In the short span of a few years, our enrolment hit the 3000 mark. Private secretarial course was not known to anyone in Singapore at that time. When suggested to conduct Private Secretarial examinations, the MOE refused as there was no one with any experience in it. After lengthy correspondence with the MOE and LCCI, MOE finally agreed to conduct the examination as a trial, only if Raja's Commercial College presents a minimum of 10 students. We did so and due to the success during the trial, the number of students registering for Private Secretarial course increased tremendously over the next few years. Viewing the success of Raja's Commercial College, many other schools followed suit and conducted the same course.

1965

Opened a branch at UMNO house in Changi Road (now known at PKMS Building). Again, a large number of young Malay youths who had a thirst for knowledge joined. Within eight months, the enrolment at this new branch exceeded our main school at Raffles Place.

1972

Moved to Clifford Centre. The building was centrally located but was unable to accommodate such a massive number of students. With the building management's and the authorities' approval, the entire floor of Clifford Centre's multi-storey car park was converted into office space and classrooms. The school boasted wall-to-wall carpeting, piped in music for the reception area, state-of-the-art cold and hot drinks vending machines for students as well as a huge typing pool. This was a first for any private commercial school in Singapore during that time.

1978

Started another branch at President's Shopping Centre in Serangoon Road (now known as Serangoon Plaza). With the establishment of this new branch, we had a total of almost 6000 part-time and full-time students. Students craved knowledge for self-improvement and Raja's delivered beyond expectations. Raja's Commercial College's reputation as an institution for higher learning spread throughout the world and before long, we started enrolling our first foreign student.

1979 - Present

In line with the College's plan to consolidate and providing students the best possible private education in Singapore, a few other locations were tried out. Finally in 1982, Raja's Commercial College found its home at Singapore's only book centre along North Bridge Road. Bras Basah Complex, flanked by The National Library, was not only conveniently located right in the heart of Singapore but also made it extremely easy for students to buy books, stationery and other educational materials. Being synonymous with education, it was only befitting for Raja's Commercial College to reside there.

2007

Raja's Commercial College celebrates 50 years of success in the field of commercial education in Singapore. As part of the celebrations, the College underwent a massive facelift. Students were impressed with the new look and new classroom furniture and facilities.

2008

Raja's Commercial College welcomes its first International batch of Diploma In Hospitality Management students. This deviates from commercial subjects that the College is well-known for. The move into the Hospitality training arena shows our commitment towards the increasing need for manpower in the Hospitality industry as well as our aim to re-invent ourselves for our current and potential students.