Students having assembly in the hall of a Singapore secondary school.
The education system in Singapore is managed by Ministry of Education (MOE), which directs the formulation and implementation of education policies. It controls the development and administration of public education institutions which receive government funding, but also plays an advisory and supervisory role with respect to private schools.
Children with disabilities are educated in special education (SPED) schools run by Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWO) [1], and partially funded by MOE.
In January 2003 the legislature passed the Compulsory Education Act, which codified compulsory elementary or primary education for children of schooling age, and made it a criminal offence if parents fail to enrol their children in an elementary school and ensure their regular attendance.
In Singapore, English is not only the first language, but also the language of instruction in subjects such as Mathematics, the Sciences (namely Chemistry, Physics or Biology, the Humanities and wherever appropriate. Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew relates the idea that English is the language that connects Singaporeans of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds with a common bond, and has the dual purpose of linking Singapore to the rest of the business world. The native languages — Chinese for Chinese Singaporeans; Malay for the Malays; Tamil, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi or Urdu for the Indians, on the other hand is cultural and for a sense of identity, and no ethnic group is forced to learn the language of another.
The budget allocated to education in Singapore on average stands at about 20% or more, although this fluctuates on an annual basis. This allows for a wide implementation of many education programmes.
Kindergartens
Kindergartens in Singapore provide up to three years of pre-school programmes for children aged 3 to 6. The three-year programmes are commonly called Nursery, Kindergarten 1 (K1) and Kindergarten 2 (K2).
Kindergartens provide an environment for children to learn how to communicate, play, and interact with others, and to prepare them for the start of formal education in primary schools. Activities include learning of language and numbers, development of personal and social skills, games, music, outdoor play. Children learn two languages, English and their mother tongue language (Chinese, Malay or Tamil).
The kindergartens are run by the private sector, including community foundations, religious bodies, social organisations and business organisations. There are more than 200 kindergartens registered with the Ministry of Education. Kindergarten programmes are also offered by child care centres as well as international schools.
Primary education
Primary education consists of a four-year foundation stage from Primary 1 to 4 and a two-year orientation stage from Primary 5 to 6. Primary education is free, though there is a miscellaneous fee of up to S$13 monthly that goes to the respective school, to help cover the cost of equipment and special programmes for the benefit of the pupils.
Foundation stage
The foundation stage is the first stage of formal schooling. The four years, from primary 1 to 4, provide a firm foundation in the English language, the mother tongue (Chinese, Malay or Tamil) and Mathematics. Other subjects include Civics and Moral Education, Arts and Crafts, Music, Health Hducation, Social Studies and Physical Education, which are taught throughout Primary 1 to 6. Science is taught from Primary 3 to 6.
Orientation stage
At the end of Primary 4, students used to be classified into EM1 or EM3 language streams for their two-year orientation stage of Primary 5 and 6, the rationale being to cater to children of different academic capabilities, though it often results in the shunning of those in "lower" streams. The curriculum in each stream, with the difference being difficulty of the languages; English and Mother Tongue (or Higher Mother Tongue), gears a student towards a secondary education course most suited for him or her. Formerly, there was an EM2 stream, but the the EM1 and EM2 streams were merged in 2004 after critics highlighted that the distinction between the EM1 and EM2 streams was arbitrary. At the end of Primary 6, the national Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is held. The examination determines whether the student is ready to leave primary school by passing; however the primary purpose of the examination is to eventually allocate places in (secondary) schools based on score. The score is not absolute: being aggregate-based, it is partially determined by other students' performance in the examination.
Secondary education
Based on results of the PSLE, students undergo secondary education in either the "Special," "Express,", "Normal Academic" or "Normal Technical" course.
Both Special and Express are 4-year courses leading up to a Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education (GCE) "Ordinary"—"O" level examination. The difference between Special and Express is that the former's mother tongue language (English and mother tongue) are taught at a higher level (Higher Mother Tongue) and thus more difficult. A Third Foreign Language - namely French, German and Japanese - can be taken in addition to the mother tongue, or to replace it. This seems especially popular with students who are struggling with their mother tongues. Non-Chinese students may also study Chinese Language, while non-Malay students are given the opportunity to take up Malay Language as a Third Language.
Normal is a 4-year course leading up to a Singapore-Cambridge GCE "Normal"—"N" Level examination, with the possibility of a fifth year followed by a Singapore-Cambridge GCE "Ordinary"—"O" Level examination. "Normal" is split into "Normal (Academic)" and "Normal (Technical)"; in the latter students take more subjects that are technical in nature, such as Design and Technology, while in the former students are geared towards an eventual sitting of the GCE "O" Level examination and normally take subjects such as Principles of Accounting. In 2004, MOE announced that selected students in the Normal course would have flexibility to sit for the Singapore-Cambridge GCE "Ordinary"—"O" Level examination direct, without having to sit for the Singapore-Cambridge GCE "Normal"—"N" Level examination.
With exception of schools offering the Integrated Programme which leads up either to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or Singapore-Cambridge GCE "A" Levels examinations directly, most students in secondary schools are typically streamed into a wide range of course combinations at the end of their second year, making the total number of subject they have to sit for in "O" level ranging between six to ten subjects with English Language, Mother Tongue or Higher Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics, one Science and one Humanities Elective being compulsory and inclusive. The subject taken varies, and several new subjects such as Computing and Theatre Studies & Drama are being introduced in tandem with the MOE's revised curriculum and encouragement of broad-based and passion-driven learning. The subjects normally taken at GCE "O" Level are namely:
Languages Group:
1. English Language
2. Mother Tongue Languages (Chinese Language, Malay Language & Tamil Language)
3. Non-Tamil Indian Languages (Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu etc.)
4. Higher Mother Tongue Languages (Higher Chinese Language, Higher Malay Language & Higher Tamil Language)
5. Foreign Languages (French, German, Japanese)
6. Other Third Languages (Chinese Language & Malay Language)
Humanities Group:
1. Humanities Electives (History/Geography/Literature Electives & Social Studies)
2. History
3. Geography
4. Literature in English
5. Chinese Literature
6. Malay Literature
7. Higher Art (Art Elective Programme)
8. Higher Music (Music Elective Programme)
Mathematics & Science Group:
1. Mathematics
2. Additional Mathematics
3. Combined Sciences (Physics & Chemistry)
4. Combined Sciences (Chemistry & Biology)
5. Combined Sciences (Biology & Physics)
6. Physics
7. Chemistry
8. Biology
Others:
1. General Art
2. Design & Technology
3. Music
4. Food & Nutrition
6. Religious Studies (Confucian Ethics, Buddhist Studies, Islamic Religious Knowledge, Bible Studies, Sikh Studies etc.)
The list above is not exhaustive, and does not include new subjects such as Computing and Theatre Studies & Drama, or less taken subjects such as Integrated Sciences.
Grade and Scoring Systems
Most schools commonly follow the kind of grading system awarded at the Singapore-Cambridge GCE "O" level examination, for which a student sits for at the end of four or five years of secondary education, sitting for at least 6 subjects. The level of achievement in each subject is indicated by the grade obtained: A1 & A2 (Distinctions), B3 & B4 (Merit), C5 & C6 (Credit/Pass), D7 (Sub-Pass), E8 or F9, with A1 being the highest achievable grade and F9 the lowest.
A student's overall academic performance is measured through several points scoring system (such as the L1R5, L1B5 and L1R4 scoring system) depending on which type of post-secondary institution a student is intending to apply for. Each grade has a point value respective to it, for example, with grade A1 being 1 point, A2 being 2 points, and B3 being 3 points. Thus, the fewer the points obtained, the better the score. For example, in the L1R5 scoring system, the student's L1 or first language (either English or Higher Mother Tongue Language) and R5 or relevant 5 subjects (which must include at least one from the Science & Mathematics group, one from the Humanities group, and excluding subjects such as Religious Studies and CCA). Consequently, an L1R5 score of 6 points is considered to be the best score attainable for entrance to a Junior College.
For non-major examinations, several schools use a Mean Subject Grade (MSG) scoring system, while schools running the Integrated Programme (IP) normally use the Grade Point Assessment (GPA) scoring system.
Co-Curricular Activity
Co-curricular activities is compulsory at the secondary level, where all pupils must participate in at least one core CCA, and participation is graded together with other achievements, such as Leadership, throughout the four years of Secondary education in a scoring system known as LEAPS which stands for Leadership, Enrichment, Achievement, Participation and Service. There are numerous CCAs offered at the secondary level depending on the school, and each student is judged based in these areas within his or her CCA. Competitions are regularly organised so that students can have an objective to work towards, and in the case of musical and performing arts groups, to showcase talents. [2]
Gifted Education Programme
Main article: Gifted Education Programme
The Gifted Education Programme (GEP) was set up by the Ministry of Education in 1984 amid some public concern to cater to the intellectually gifted students. As of 2005, the schools participating consisted of 9 primary schools — Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), Catholic High School (Primary), Henry Park Primary School, Nanhua Primary School, Nanyang Primary School, Rosyth School, Tao Nan School, St. Hilda's Primary School, and Raffles Girls' Primary School. 7 secondary schools originally started the programme, but with the introduction of the Integrated Programme, most have included the GEP programmes into their IP curriculum. The two remaining secondary GEP schools are Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), an independent all-boys IP School, and Dunman High School, a mixed autonomous government school; the autonomous all-boys Victoria School had to suspend GEP classes due to low enrollment with GEP students preferring IP schools (similarly, Dunman High had their classes cut from two to one in 2004).
Pupils enter the programme through a series of tests at Primary 3, which will identify the top 1% of the student population. A second selection is conducted at Primary 6 for those who do well in the PSLE. In the programme, pupils are offered special enrichment programmes to cater to their needs. However, not all students in GEP are successful. Some are not accustomed to the fast pace of study which affected their performance in the core subjects and may choose not to continue the programme at the Secondary level.
Integrated Programme
The Chinese High School, founded in 1919, is one of the oldest schools in Singapore that is currently under the Integrated Programme.
- Main article: Integrated Programme
The Integrated Programme, also known as the "Through-Train Programme" (直通车), is a scheme which allows the cream of secondary schools in Singapore to bypass the "O" levels and take the "A" levels, International Baccalaureate or an equivalent examination directly at the age of 18 after six years of secondary education.
The programme allows for more time to be allocated to enrichment activities. By bypassing the GCE "O" level examinations, the students are supposedly given more time and flexibility to immerse themselves in a more broad base education which will eventually lead to the GCE "A" levels examination. In addition, the students enjoy more freedom in the combination of subjects between Year 1 - 4 as compared to their non-IP counterparts. Generally, only the top performers (usually from Special, and sometimes Express, stream) are eligible to be part of the IP programme. This will ensure that the main body of the students pursue their secondary education at their own pace by first completing a 4-year O Level before going on to a 2-year "A" level education (as opposed to a 2-year "O" level and 4-year "A" level education).
As a result, schools under this IP programme allow their students to skip the "O" levels at Secondary 4 and go straight into junior colleges (JCs) in Year5/JC1. The Integrated Programme or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme has become an increasingly popular alternative to normal secondary education as it is seen to have moved away from the emphasis on the mere sciences, a side effect from the post-independence need for quick and basic education, to more refined subjects such as philosophy or political science, as well as the fact that scientific concepts are more highly stressed than before, as it is judged on the work of the student, rather than through an examination.
The first batch of IP students will be sitting for the revised GCE "A" Level or International Baccalaureate Diploma examinations in 2007.
Admission to Post-Secondary Institutions
Admission to a two-year pre-university course at Junior Colleges after graduating secondary school is determined by the L1R5 scoring system which allows students scoring 20 points and below to be admitted for either a Science or Arts Course. In addition, a student must also achieve at least a C6 (Credit/Pass) grade in GCE 'O' Level English Language and Mathematics paper in order to qualify for junior college admission. Top junior colleges, however, usually expect students to attain points in the single digits, in order to be admitted. For admission to a three-year pre-university course at Centralised Institutes (such as Millenia Institute), the L1B5 scoring system is used and students are expected to score below 20 points being admitted. Students can opt for either the Science, Arts or Commerce stream when pursuing a three-year pre-university course in Centralised Institutes.
For students seeking admission to diploma courses in Polytechnics, the L1R4 scoring system is used. However, students will also be required to meet specific pre-requisites outlined by the different polytechnic schools they are applying for. Students applying for courses in the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Colleges will also have an independent scoring system dependent on the course they are applying for.
Bonus points can used to deduct points off from a student's raw score. These bonus points may come from either scoring an 'A' or 'B' grade in CCA, taking Higher Mother Tongue Language and obtaining a minimum of 'D7' or affiliation (for feeder schools). Bonus points are capped at 4, with exception for those applying to schools offering Chinese Language Elective Programme (CLEP) or Malay Language Elective Programme (MLEP).
Junior College (Pre-University)
Main article: List of junior colleges in Singapore
There are 17 Junior Colleges (JCs) in Singapore, with National Junior College (NJC) being the oldest Junior College (established 1969) and Innova Junior College (IJC) the latest to date with it beginning operations in 2005. In general, junior colleges are tailored for capable students (approximately the top 25% of the cohort) who wish to directly pursue a University degree after a 2-year pre-university education rather than a diploma education at polytechnics which takes 3 years. Students in non-independent junior colleges pay subsidised school fees of S$6 and up to S$22 in miscellaneous fees each month to the school for cost of equipment, special programmes, and other costs for the student. However, certain junior colleges which have become independent, such as Raffles Junior College and Hwa Chong Institution will require new students who enter the first level of Junior College in 2006 to pay much higher school fees S$300 per month.
Scholarships and bursaries, are provided for students whose score was within the 95th percentile from the O-levels when drawing from a pool of their peers, and students who require financial assistance respectively. Such scholars are only required to pay an amount equivalent to the school fees of an non-independent junior college, while bursary holders are required to pay a fraction of the full fees. The fraction for a bursary is inversely proportional to the average household income of Singapore. A student whose household income is S$2000 per month is required to pay 75% of the full school fees, while another whose household income is less than S$1000 per month only has to pay 25%.
Junior colleges (JCs) accept students based on their GCE "O" level results; an L1R5 score of less than 20 points must be attained in the GCE "O" level examinations for a student to gain admission to a JC. The JCs provide a 2-year course leading up to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE "Advanced" Level ("A" level) examination.
Students who are able to qualify for a junior college in Singapore are generally considered the select of the cohort. From amongst the 17 JCs, they are further classified into top-tier and second-tier junior colleges, with the top-tier JCs being the "elite" top 5 or 6 JCs (usually encompassing ACJC, NJC, HCI, RJC, VJC and sometimes TJC) based on the quality of GCE "A" Level results and school curriculum framework, despite all students who qualify for junior colleges being the top 25% of each cohort.[citation needed] Consequently, students who are not in these "top" junior colleges are largely seen as those with a reasonably good provision or satisfactory to achieve, but often less preferred than the purported "elite" junior colleges.
Singapore-Cambridge GCE "Advanced" Level Curriculum & Examinations
From January 2006, the two-year pre-university curriculum framework in junior colleges will be replaced with a new and revised curriculum with the first batch of students sitting for the GCE "A" Level examinations in 2007. In this newly enforced curriculum, the system of categorising subjects according to "Alternative Ordinary (AO)", "Advanced (A)" and "Special (S)" papers or levels has been scrapped and is replaced with the Higher One (H1), Higher 2 (H2) and Higher 3 (H3) categories. H1 subjects are worth 1 credit, H2 subjects 2 credits, H3 subjects 1 credit and students are expected to take a minimum of 10 units (viz. 3H2+1H1) and a maximum of 12 units (viz. 4H2) inclusive of Mother Tongue Language (MTL), Project Work and General Paper or Knowledge & Inquiry. Students who have taken Higher Mother Tongue language paper at the GCE "O" Level and have obtained a minimum grade of 'D7' are exempted from taking formal MTL lessons and examinations, albeit still having to attend MTL-related enrichment and not being allowed to replace the MTL unit with another subject as MTL is still regarded as an integral component of the curriculum.
In tandem with the MOE's aim of achieving more depth rather than mere breadth, the H1 and H2 categories complement each other; in general, a subject taken at H1 is half the breadth of that taken at H2, but is of the same depth and difficulty. For example, students studying Mathematics at H1 will study lesser Pure Mathematics topics (which are largely Physics-related) than those studying Mathematics at H2, but will still face the same depth and difficulty in similar topics (such as Statistics). As such, a H1 paper can theoratically be said to be half of the content of a H2 paper albeit being at equal depth and difficulty (as opposed to how "AO" level subjects were merely easier papers than the "A" level subjects previously). Subsequently, for certain subjects such as History, students taking the subject at H1 level will only sit for Paper 1 (International History from 1945-2000), while students taking the subject at H2 level will sit for the same Paper 1 (International History from 1945-2000) in addition to having to sit for Paper 2 (Southeast Asian History from 1900-1997) as well. Students taking Science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry or Biology at H1 will only sit for the Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQ) and one written paper, and are not required to take the SPA or Practical examination as those taking the subjects at H2. Consequently, this new grouping system bears some semblance to the International Baccalaureate Diploma A1/A2/SL/HL grouping system.
Syllabus wise, the new curriculum framework gives students more choice of subjects to choose from and enables more permutations of subject combinations. However, unlike in the old curriculum which was criticised for being too specialised and unholisitc, students are now required to take up at least one contrasting subject - i.e. Science students have to take up at least one Arts/Humanities subject, while Arts/Humanities students must take up at least one Science-based subject. For example, subjects previously not available to Arts/Humanities students such as Physics, Chemistry and Biology are now made possible at both H1 and H2 levels, while Science students now have more choice of doing an Arts/Humanities subject (such as Literature) at either H1 or H2 level. Alternatively, students can choose to take up a new subject, Knowledge & Inquiry, in lieu of the General Paper (GP) as a contrasting subject, as Knowledge & Inquiry (KI) is designed to expose students to Epistemology as well as to the construction and nature of knowledge, thus calling for the need to learn across disciplines such as Mathematics, the Sciences and the Humanities. KI is said to be similar to the IB Diploma's Theory of Knowledge paper, albeit being more difficult, as students have to sit for both an examination paper and do a 2500-3000 word Independent Study research paper. Due to its intensive nature, KI is classified as a H2 subject instead of a H1 subject like the General Paper (GP).
The "highest" level subjects, the H3 subjects, are meant to be more pragmatic and promote critical thinking unlike the previous "S" Papers. Under the revised curriculum, H3 subjects are examined either in the form of Research Papers (be it by Cambridge, or by local Universities), Research work (such as the HSSRP and A*Star Research Programmes) or (advanced) University Modules offered by the various local Universities which are approved by the MOE. Consequently, students are able to gain extra credits and skip several modules in the University with the H3 paper done with their other GCE "A" Level subjects. However, in order to do a H3 subject, students must offering the corresponding subject at H2 level.
In general, the subjects offered under the new Singapore-Cambridge GCE "A" Level Examinations are (although not exhaustive):
Science & Mathematics Group:
Offered at both H1 & H2 level: Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Offered only at H2 Level: Computing
Languages Group:
Offered only at H1 Level: Chinese Language, Malay Language, Tamil Language, General Studies in Chinese (GSC)
Offered at both H1 & H2 Level: French Language, German Language, Japanese Language
Offered only at H2 Level: Chinese Language & Literature, Malay Language & Literature, Tamil Language & Literature
Note: Language Subjects, with exception of General Studies in Chinese, taken at H1 do not qualify as contrasting subject(s) for Science students. Only Language Elective Programme (LEP) students are offered to study French, German or Japanese at H2 level.
Humanities and the Arts Group:
Offered at both H1 & H2 level: Economics, Geography, History, Literature in English, History in Chinese
Offered only at H2 Level: Theatre Studies & Drama, Management of Business, Principles of Accounting, Art, Music (Higher Art and Higher Music is offered to Art Elective (AEP) and Music Elective Programme (MEP) students respectively)
Others:
H3 Subjects:
1.Research Papers: Papers are offered by Cambridge for all core subjects including new "hybrid" subjects such as Proteomics, Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Essentials of Modern Physics
2.Research Programmes: Humanities and Social Sciences Research Programme (HSSP) by National University of Singapore, A*Star Research Programme by DSTA
3.University Modules: Modules such as "Geopolitics: Geographies of War and Peace" for Geography and History students and "Managerial Economics" for Economics students are offered and examined by the National University of Singapore.
Other Compulsory Subjects:
Offered only at H1 level: Project Work, General Paper (for those who do not take KI)
Offered only at H2 Level: Knowledge & Inquiry
Previously, students take two subjects at "Alternative Ordinary" level ("AO" level), namely their General Paper (GP) and Mother Tongue, and three or four subjects at "A" level. "A" level subjects include Economics, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English Literature, History, Geography, Art, Art with Higher Art ("A" level) taken by students in the Art Elective Programme, Theatre Studies and Drama, Computing, Higher Chinese, Chinese ("A" level) Language Elective Programme, Music ("A" level), Music with Higher Music ("A" Level) taken by students in the Music Elective Programme, General Studies in Chinese, French, German, Japanese ("A" level), Malay ("A' level), Tamil ("A" level). Project Work was also made compulsory from 2003.
To gain admittance to local universities, students must pass the General Paper (GP) or Knowledge & Inquiry (KI) and obtain a minimum grade of D7 for the "AO" or "H1" level Mother Tongue Language paper. The grade obtained for the Higher Mother Tongue paper taken at "O" level may be used in lieu of an "AO" or "H1" level Mother Tongue Language grade. From 2008 onwards, the scores of a student's three H2 and one H1 subject will be computed inclusive of Project Work (PW) and either GP or KI for admittance into local universities (namely NUS, NTU, SMU and UniSIM).
Elective Programmes offered in Junior Colleges
Art, Music & Language Elective Programmes. Humanities Programme.
Centralised Institutes
The Centralised Institutes accept students based on their GCE "O" level results and their L1B5 score (which must be 20 points or below). A centralised Institute provides a three-year course leading up to a GCE "A" level examination and hence allows a slower pace of graduation. There is only one Centralised Institute in Singapore currently, the Millennia Institute, which was formed following the merger of Jurong and Outram Institutes. Additionally, only Centralised Institutes offer Commerce Streams or commercial studies for subjects such as Principles of Accounting and Management of Business.
Diploma and Vocational education
Polytechnics
Polytechnics in Singapore provide 3-year diploma courses and, they accept students based on their GCE "O" level, GCE "A" level or Institute of Technical Education (ITE) results.
Polytechnics offer a wide range of courses in various fields, including engineering, business studies, accountancy, mass communications, and biotechnology. There are also specialised courses such as marine engineering, nautical studies, nursing, and optometry. They provide a more industry-oriented education as an alternative to junior colleges for post-secondary studies. About 40% of each Primary 1 cohort would enrol in Polytechnics. [1]
There are five polytechnics in Singapore, namely:
Graduates of polytechnics with good grades can continue to pursue further tertiary education at the universities.
Institute of Technical Education
The Institute of Technical Educations (ITEs) accepts students based on their GCE "O" level or GCE "N" level results and they provide 2-year courses leading to a locally recognised "National ITE Certificate." There are 10 ITEs in Singapore. A number of ITE graduates are doing considerably well in the workforce as they are equipped with essential skills in their various fields of study and are proficient at their jobs. Some ITE graduates continue their education at polytechnics and universities.
ITE provides three main levels of certification:
- Master National ITE Certificate (Master Nitec)
- Higher National ITE Certificate (Higher Nitec)
- National ITE Certificate (Nitec)
There are also other skills certification through part-time apprenticeship course conducted jointly by ITE and industrial companies.
Universities
There are currently four universities in Singapore. The two public universities National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University each has more than 20,000 students and they provide a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes including doctoral degrees. Both are also established research universities with thousands of research staff and graduate students.
The third university Singapore Management University (SMU) opened in 2000. A private university but funded by government, SMU focuses on management and business courses. The fourth university, SIM University, opens in 2006. In addition, there are more than ten other private tertiary institutions offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
International and private schools
Due to its large expatriate community Singapore is host to many international schools, one of which, the Singapore American School has one of the largest intakes of international students in the world. Most employers in Singapore pay part or all of their employees children's school fees. International and private schools in Singapore generally do not admit Singapore students without the permission from the Ministry of Education.
However, on 29 April 2004, The Ministry of Education permitted two new international schools to be set up and no permission is required of admitting Singapore students. These school must follow the compulsory policies set by the Ministry such as playing the national anthem every morning, take the pledge and follow the nation's bilingual policies. Both of these schools are private school arms of two renowned schools, they are Anglo-Chinese School (International) and Hwa Chong International. The school fees are around 15 to 20 percent lower than foreign international schools. Their intake is mainly Singaporeans, with nationalities from various countries including Malaysia, People's Republic of China, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, Netherlands, Indonesia and the United Kingdom.
Education policies
Financial assistance
Financial Assistance Scheme
The Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) is a MOE programme to provide financial assistance for education to low income families with monthly household income of less than S$1,500 or S$1,800 depending on the number of children in the household. [2]
Students eligible for FAS receive full waiver of miscellaneous fees and partial subsidy on national examination fees. They may also enjoy full or partial fee subsidy if they are in Independent Schools. In 2005, there were 15,000 recipients of FAS; MOE is expecting this number to increase to 33,500 following an enhencement of the FAS in 2006. [2]
Edusave Merit Bursary
Each year, the Edusave Merit Bursary (EMB) is given out to about 40,000 students, who are from lower-middle and low-income families and have good academic performance in their schools.[2]
Development and future plans
Student exchange programmes
About 120 of the 353 primary and secondary schools in Singapore have some form of exchange programmes which allow students to visit overseas schools. In 2005, the Ministry of Education set up a SGD$4.5 million School Twinning Fund to facilitate 9,000 primary and secondary school students to participate in these exchange programmes, particularly in ASEAN countries, China and India. [3]
Statistics
Key statistics
Sources:
- Yearbook of Statistics Singapore, 2004 [3]
- Singapore Budget 2006 [4]
| Government budget for education |
S$5.2b (2005) [4]
at 19.3% of total budget, 3.9% of GDP |
| Pupils per teacher, Primary |
24 pupils (2004)[3] |
| Pupils per teacher, Secondary |
19 pupils (2004)[3] |
| Enrolment ratio, aged 6-20 years |
87.4% (2004)[3] |
| Literacy rate (aged 15 years and above) |
94.6% (2004)[3] |
| Mean years of schooling (aged 25 years and above) |
8.8 years (2004)[3] |
Education qualification of population
Source: Census 2000. [5]
| Resident non-students aged 15 years and over by highest qualification attained |
| Highest qualification attained |
Population (2000) [5] |
Percent (2000) [5] |
| Total |
2,277,401 |
100.0% |
| No qualification |
445,444 |
19.6% |
| Primary |
276,542 |
12.1% |
| Lower secondary |
248,598 |
10.9% |
| Secondary |
560,570 |
24.6% |
| Upper secondary |
226,275 |
9.9% |
| Polytechnic |
140,970 |
6.2% |
| Other Diploma |
112,371 |
4.9% |
| University |
266,631 |
11.7% |
Schools and enrolment
Source: Singapore Education Statistics Digest[6]
| Type of School |
Number of schools (2004)[6] |
| Kindergarten |
200+ |
| Primary |
Government |
131 |
| Government-aided |
41 |
| Secondary |
Government |
110 |
| Government-aided |
20 |
| Autonomous |
21 |
| Independent |
7 |
| Full school |
Autonomous |
3 |
| Independent |
2 |
| Junior College |
Government |
11 |
| Government-aided |
4 |
| Independent |
1 |
| Centralised Institute |
Government |
1 |
| Polytechnics |
5 |
| Institute of Technical Education |
10 |
| Universities |
4 |
| Specialised tertiary schools |
10 |
| International schools |
22 |
| Special education schools |
5 |
| Type of School |
Enrolment (2004) [6] |
Number of teachers (2004) [6] |
| Primary |
296,419 |
12,209 |
| Secondary |
213,534 |
11,240 |
| Junior College |
23,712 |
2,157 |
| Centralised Institute |
969 |
110 |
| Institute of Technical Education |
11,885 |
not available |
| Polytechnics |
56,048 |
not available |
| Universities |
41,628 |
not available |
Criticisms
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Critics of the education system, including many parents, state that the education system is too specialised, rigid, and elitist. Often, these criticisms state that there is little emphasis on creative thinking, unlike education systems in other societies, such as those in the United States. Those defending the current education system cite that Singaporean students have regularly ranked top when competing in international science and mathematics competitions and assessments, along with South Korean students. Detractors to the education system would state that this is more an indication of students' skills of using rote to prepare for a certain style of competition or examination, than their ability to think critically.
Recently, pressure to reform the education system in some way have spurred significant changes implemented by the government and the Ministry of Education, such as cuts in the curriculum, greater flexibility in streaming system, and reforms of the system such that it gives more focus on creative and critical thinking. In September 2005, Minister for Education Tharman Shanmugaratnum issued a press release[4] on changes in the education system. In addition, the Teach Less Learn More (TTLM) project (http://www.moe.gov.sg/bluesky TLLM) also is given a larger role in Singapore's education system. This project, according to the minister, will focus more on learning for life-long skills than on simply learning to excel in examinations.
References
- ↑ The Desired Outcomes of Education, speech by Education Minister Teo Chee Hean, 14 February 1998
- ↑ a b c More Financial Help for Children, Press Release, 22 February 2006, Ministry of Education, Singapore.
- ↑ a b c d e f Yearbook of Statistics Singapore, 2004
- ↑ a b Singapore Budget 2006, Ministry of Finance.
- ↑ a b c Singapore Census 2000
- ↑ a b c d Education Statistics Digest 2004 Ministry of Education, Singapore.
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