Our History

In June 1974, the Singapore Buddhist Federation decided to set up a Buddhist secondary school on a piece of land at Sims Drive offered by the Ministry of Education. 'Manjusri' - the Bodhisattva of Great Wisdom, was chosen to be the name for the school.

In February 1976, a committee was set up to raise funds for the new school. Construction work began on 11 March 1978. The school was furnished and ready for use at the end of 1981.

The year 1982 saw the admission of our first batch of students. On 11 March 1984, the school building was officially opened by Mr Ong Pang Boon, the then Minister for the Environment.

The school embarked on the Extension and Alteration Project in December 1996 and the project was completed in March 1999.

In 2005, the school was awarded PRIME - P rogramme for R ebuilding and IM proving E xisting schools at a new site in Ubi Avenue 1. The relocation next to its affiliated Maha Bohi School was intended to bring the two schools closer for greater synergy and collaboration.  Manjusri Secondary School shifted and began operating at the new campus on 11 November 2008.   The campus was subsequently opened officially by Dr Ng Eng Hen, then Minister for Education and Second Minister for Finance, on 22 April 2010. 

The school celebrated its 30th Anniversary with a public concert at LASALLE, College of the Arts on 5 April 2012.  A Homecoming Dinner for alumni was held on 23 November and attended by Mr Heng Swee Keat, then Minister for Education. 

In 2022, a series of four bronze sculptures “The Manjusrian Virtues” was commissioned by the School Management Committee; and unveiled on 18 November during the school’s 40th Anniversary commemorative event.  The artworks were situated in the central garden and depict each of the virtues enshrined in the school motto i.e., Wisdom, Conduct, Benevolence and Aspiration.  The newly renovated school library was officially opened on the same occasion by Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore.