The history of Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) could be traced back to 1963, when it started out as Ngee Ann College. Its founder, Ngee Ann Kongsi, had envisioned setting up a quality educational institution to link the Chinese-speaking community to its cultural roots during the colonial-rule era. The College had since morphed into a full-fledged polytechnic, a public institution overseen by an independent Council. Inaugurated in 1963 as Ngee Ann College with only 116 students, Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) has grown from its humble beginnings to establish itself as one of Singapore's leading institutions of higher learning. Today, the polytechnic has a full-time enrolment of more than 16,000 students.