A cartoon blue shark named Meredith the Merhaj wearing a white shirt stands at a whiteboard in a classroom, pointing with a stick at mathematical equations. The whiteboard displays "2x+3y=34" and "3x² - 7x + 4 = 0" along with a coordinate system diagram. Three empty student desks are in the foreground. The classroom features a wall clock showing around 1:40, a Singapore flag in the corner, and a world map with data visualisations.

Going to school

Navigating Singapore’s education system as a transgender or gender-diverse student can be very difficult, especially for younger students and those whose parents are not supportive of their transition. In general, Ministry of Education (MOE) policy does not affirm the identity of trans students. Individual public schools and tertiary institutions have the autonomy to decide how they will manage transgender students. However, their approaches are usually conservative and involve the bare minimum of accommodations. These are also usually restricted to students with an official psychiatric diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria. Transgender students in polytechnics and universities have much more freedom in how they dress, but may still face challenges with school authorities regarding their names, honourifics or pronouns. Private schools tend to be the most affirming but are not accessible to most students. In this piece, we’ll explore school policies and how you can gain or obtain support in school.

School uniforms and dress codes

Schools, including primary schools, secondary schools, Institutes of Technical Education and junior colleges do not have a fixed policy with regards to when they will allow students to wear the school uniform consistent with the gender they identify with.

Even with supportive parents, some schools have not allowed this accommodation. This poses significant issues for older trans youth who have visibly transitioned but are unable to change their legal sex.

While it is possible to obtain a doctor’s memo explicitly allowing a student to socially transition, this can be very difficult to get (vs. a memo on medical transition).

You can read the Ministry of Education’s position here.

If you have queries on socially transitioning in school, send us an email:

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Social transition in school

Schools vary in how they accept trans and gender-diverse students. Some schools (typically polytechnics and universities) allow students to use their chosen name or pronouns without a legal change.

Name change

Legal name changes are relatively easy to obtain for Singaporean Citizens above 21 or those below 21 who have supportive parents.

Doing so will help if teachers or school administration refuse to address you by a non-legal chosen name.

You will need to get a deed poll in order to change your name.

Find out how you can obtain a deed poll here.

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At the pre-university or secondary school level, your name will be automatically updated once you collect your new NRIC or when your SingPass updates. However, you will still have to send your deed poll and NRIC to a teacher-in-charge for other administrative updates, such as updating the name used to register you for examinations.

Retroactive name changes are not possible for Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board exams that you have already sat for, or certificates that you have already obtained.

If you have done a legal name change, some polytechnics may allow you to change the name on your polytechnic diploma even after graduation. Be sure to contact your school administration to ask about the procedure to reprint your diploma or academic transcript.

Some university systems may have a preferred name option, which you can edit without any supporting documentation. Procedures to change the name you are registered under can vary between institutions, and it is best to inquire with an LGBTQ+ group in your university.

In most tertiary institutions in Singapore, you will not be allowed to change your name in your academic transcript or university degree after you graduate.

It is recommended that you get through a legal name change before you graduate from university. Find out how you can do so here.

Nanyang Technological University
To change your name before you graduate, you’ll need to submit your deed poll and new IC to OneStop. Wait for the system (NTULearn and Outlook) to update to your new name, and apply for a new matriculation card. Collect your new matric card at OneStop. We do not have relevant information of whether you could change your legal gender (they should be able to reflect the update, and your legal gender isn’t reflected on your transcript anyway) You are not allowed to change your name in your academic transcript or university degree after graduation. You will be able to change your name in correspondence if you email the officer in charge of alumni in your school, but until your legal gender is updated you cannot update your honorific in physical correspondence (even if you’re employed with them). To unsubscribe from the HEY! alumni magazine, send your previous name and address to hey@ntu.edu.sg.
National University of Singapore
NUS has a new option for preferred name, which you can simply just change from myEdurec. The preferred name will update automatically in most major systems, like your Outlook or Canvas account. This however doesn’t update your legal name — and hence, the name that will be displayed on your academic transcript, official correspondence or degree. To do so, you’ll have to go to myEduRec, where there is a user guide. NUS requires that your name should be the same as your NRIC or passport. You are not allowed to change your name in your academic transcript or university degree after graduation.
Singapore Management University
After you have your deed poll and new IC, contact the Office of Registrar at registrar@smu.edu.sg for updates to your name. If you have done your deed poll before matriculation, update your new name via the Applicant’s Self Service portal. Email your new official documents - like new NRIC/Passport and deed poll to the registrar together with a selfie of you holding your new official documents. Apply for a new student card via this link (to the SMU Oasis portal), collect your card and have the card encoded at the Security Command Center. You are not allowed to change your name in your academic transcript or university degree after graduation.

For more information and procedures about changing your name at a university, do reach out to your local queer student group:

For NUS, SMU and others: qUNI, Inter-University LGBT Network For NTU: Kaleidoscope

Psychological health

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School counsellors provide varying degrees of support.

There have been many cases where confidentiality has been breached by counsellors and teachers working in MOE schools.

If you are in a pre-tertiary institution and wish to come out to a school counsellor, do understand that this may mean that the school administration will learn about you and your transgender identity, and may inform your parents.

If you are a minor under 18 and wish to seek therapy or counselling outside of school, you will need to obtain parental consent. We have a number of resources for parents that you can send to your parents; additionally, they may wish to join a support group for parents of transgender youths.

If you are above 18 and wish to seek psychological help, you can find a list of trans-friendly places to do so here.