Baey Yam Keng shares photo of father’s school-leaving certificate, netizens amused by spelling of ‘Tampenis’
A family keepsake has sparked both laughter and a mini history lesson online after Minister of State for Culture, Community, and Youth Baey Yam Keng shared a photograph of his father’s old school-leaving certificate on Facebook.
Posted on Sunday (11 Jan), the image showed a document more than 70 years old, issued by a school called “Tampenis Primary School”, located along “Tampenis Road”.
Source: Baey Yam Keng on Facebook
Mr Baey shared that he had been going through his father’s old documents when he came across the certificate, which revealed that his father had studied at the school for three years.
“I didn’t know that’s how the school and road names were spelt during that time . . . I didn’t know this part of my father’s life history. What a coincidence!” he wrote, referring to his role as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Tampines GRC.
According to the certificate, his father studied at the school from 1952 to 1954.
Netizens react with disbelief & humour
The post drew plenty of amused reactions online, with many expressing surprise at learning about the town’s former spelling.
Some joked that it was a good thing the name was eventually changed, pointing out its unintended sexual connotations.
Source: Facebook
Another user admitted they initially thought Mr Baey had misspelt “Tampines”, until they saw the photograph of the certificate.
Source: Facebook
One commenter also pointed out that Mr Baey himself appeared to be a ‘victim’ of the same phenomenon, noting that his father’s surname was spelt “Bay” while his own is “Baey”, suggesting it may have been “lost in translation” over time.
Source: Facebook
How ‘Tampenis’ became ‘Tampines’
Some may be wondering if the unusual spelling was simply an error, or even the result of AI manipulation. In reality, its origins can be traced back to Singapore’s early history, long before independence.
One of the earliest references appears in Captain James Franklin and Lieutenant Philip Jackson’s 1828 Plan of the British Settlement of Singapore, which identified a waterway known as the Tampenus River.
Source: National Archives Singapore
The name is believed to have been derived from “Tempinis”, a tree species that once grew abundantly in the area.
While far less common today, two Tempinis trees are currently listed as Heritage Trees, one on St John’s Island and another in Changi.
Efforts to standardise the spelling began in 1939, when the Singapore Rural Board, after consulting the Malay Union, started putting up new street signs using “Tampines”.
Despite this, spelling variations continued to circulate, with versions such as “Tampenis” still appearing in books and newspapers, including a 1951 article.
Source: NewspaperSG
The older spelling remained in casual use until the early 1980s, before the development of Tampines New Town.
Some historians suggest this was due to concerns that the newer spelling might confuse newly arrived Europeans, who could pronounce it as “tam-pynes”.
Over time, however, it became clear that the older name was ill-suited for a modern housing estate. This eventually led to the widespread adoption of the spelling used today: Tampines.
Also read: Baey Yam Keng ‘bumped’ into bicycle while running, injured knee & cracked phone
Baey Yam Keng ‘bumped’ into bicycle while running, injured knee & cracked phone
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Featured image adapted from Baey Yam Keng on Facebook and Facebook.
