Education in Singapore
From Freepedia
The education system in Singapore is managed by the Ministry of Education [1] (MOE) which directs the formulation and implementation of education policies. It controls the development and administration of public education institutions which receive governmental funding, but also plays a advisory/supervisory role with respect to private schools.
Children with disabilities are educated in special education (SPED) schools run by Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWO) [2], 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 offense if parents fail to enroll 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 like mathematics, science (physics, chemistry, and biology), etc. wherever appropriate. As envisioned by former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, English is the language that connects Singaporeans of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds and that links Singapore to the rest of the 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.
Singapore's expenditure on education is about 4% of its GDP is not particularly high compared to most OECD countries.
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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, will provide a firm foundation in the English Language, the Mother Tongue (Chinese, Malay or Tamil) and Mathematics. Other subjects like Civics & Moral Education, Arts & Crafts, Music, Health Education, Social Studies and Physical Education lessons which will be taught throughout Primary 1 to 6. Science is taught from Primary 3 to 6.
Orientation Stage
- At the end of Primary 4, students will be classified into EM1, EM2 or EM3 language streams for their two-year orientation stage, Primary 5 and 6, the rationale being to cater to children of different academic capabilities (though it often results in the ostracising of those in "lower" streams.) The curriculum in each stream (the difference being difficulty of the languages; English and Mother Tongue) will gear a student towards secondary education in the course most suited for him. At the end of Primary 6, the national PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) will be held. However, the EM1 and EM2 streams have been merged in 2004.
Secondary Education
Based on results of the PSLE, students undergo secondary education in either the Special, Express or Normal 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 and thus more difficult. A third foreign language 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.
Normal is a 4-year course leading up to a Singapore-Cambridge GCE 'Normal' - 'N' level examination, with the possibility of a 5th 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.
After the second year of a secondary school course, students are typically steamed into a wide range of course combinations, making the total number of subject they have to sit for in O Level six to ten subjects. This includes science (Physics, Biology and Chemistry), humanities (Elective Geography/History, Pure Geography/History, Social Studies, Literature as examples) and additional mathematics subjects at a higher level, or "combined" subject modules.
At the end of four/five years of secondary education, students take the Singapore-Cambridge GCE 'O' level examination for at least 6 subjects. The level of achievement in each subject is indicated by the grade obtained - A1, A2, B3, B4, C5, C6, D7, E8 or F9, with A1 being the highest achievable grade. A student's overall academic performance is measured through a points scoring system. 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 higher the score, the fewer the points obtained. Admission to a Junior College after graduating secondary school is judged usually by the common standard which allows 20 points at worst for a student's six subjects. Junior Colleges with higher standards usually expect students to attain 6 points, in order to be admitted.
Co-Curricular Activities become compulsory at the Secondary level, where all pupils must participate in at least one core CCA, and participation is graded together with other things like Leadership throughout the four years of Secondary education, in a scoring system. Competitions are organised so that students can have an objective towards to work, and in the case of musical groups, showcase talents. [3]
The Integrated Programme or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme has become an increasingly popular alternative to normal secondary education. This moves 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. For more information, see below.
Gifted Education Programme
Main article: Gifted Education Programme (Singapore)
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, which might or might not be a good decision since the number of schools who end up having gifted programmes has ballooned to such a number that people can't help but wonder if the Singaporean soil is the best fit for geniuses. 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 (see below), most have inculcated the GEP skills 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.
Pupils enter the programme through a series of tests at Primary 3, which will identify the top 1% of the student population based on IQ. 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 this program are successful. Some are so distracted by the fast pace of study that they end up not doing well in the core subjects in their school. They thereafter choose if they want to continue the programme at the Secondary level.
Integrated Programme
The Integrated Programme, also known as 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 allocated to enrichment activities. That is, without the 'O'-level examinations, the students has more time and flexibility to immerse themselves in a more broad base education which will eventually lead to the 'A'-levels examination. In addition, the students enjoy more freedom in the combination of subjects. Generally, only the top performers 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 (vs. a 2-year O Level and 4-year A Level education).
As a result, these schools under this IP programme allows students to skip the 'O'-levels at Secondary 4 and go straight into Junior Colleges (JC). This is the case with Hwa Chong Institution in the Hwa Chong Affliate Programme. This is also the case for Raffles Junior College for the Raffles Programme', together with Raffles Institution and Raffles Girls' School (Secondary). Victoria Junior College, Temasek Junior College and Nanyang Girls' High School (from 2005) also followed suit.
In the Hwa Chong Affliate Programme, Hwa Chong Institution (college) also picks students from other schools apart from the two already mentioned, judged by their performance. These students are assured of a place in the Junior College section of the Hwa Chong Institution, regardless of their 'O' level results, but they must still take their 'O'-levels in their respective schools.
Another top secondary school in Singapore, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), has allowed some students to abandon the British system and go Swiss by dropping the GCE exams all together and adopting the International Baccalaureate (IB), having been fully authorized as an IB World School in 2005. The IB is perceived by many as a more holistic program than the Cambridge examinations, making students take both arts and science subjects as well as philosophy courses and extensice research papers. The diploma is regarded more highly than the GCE 'A' Levels by many British and American univeristies.
Victoria Junior College (VJC) has also put out its own programme, the Victoria Integrated Programme (VIP) where Secondary Two students in various schools are selected to join their programme. These students further their Secondary Three and Four education in the JC itself, followed by the JC course. National Junior College (NJC) and Temasek Junior College (TJC) have also taken a similar approach.
Other tertiary educational institutes are also considering their own integrated programmes, like the National University of Singapore (NUS) via its NUS High School. These programmes are expected to be executed in the NJC style of picking students at Secondary Two. Dunman High School, a secondary school, is still planning its own programme, and the outcome of the proposal is expected in 2005.
The 5 independent secondary schools which currently offers IP have organized School-Based Gifted Education (SBGE), instead of GEP, to meet the needs of the intellectually gifted. The five schools are Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Hwa Chong Institution, Nanyang Girls' High School, Raffles Girls' School (Secondary), and Raffles Institution.
National Junior College, Victoria Junior College, and Temasek Junior College offer IP, but these are not equivalent to SBGE.
Junior College
List of junior colleges in Singapore
- Junior Colleges (JCs) accept students based on their GCE 'O' level results. A score of less than 20 points must be attained in the GCE 'O' level examinations for a student to gain admission to a JC.
- JCs provide a 2-year course leading up to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE 'Advanced' level ('A' level) examination.
- Students take two subjects at 'Alternative Ordinary' level ('AO' level), namely General Paper 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), Music ('A' level), Music with Higher Music ('A' Level) taken by students in the Music Elective Programme, General Studies in Chinese, French ('A' level), Malay ('A' level), Tamil ('A' level). Project Work was made a compulsory subject in 2003 and is a requirement for admission to local universities.
- To gain admittance to local universities, students must pass General Paper and obtain a minimum grade of D7 for the 'AO' level Mother Tongue paper. The grade obtained for the Higher Mother Tongue paper taken at 'O' level may be used in lieu of an 'AO' level Mother Tongue grade.
- There are 17 junior colleges in Singapore.
- Students in non-independent JCs 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, etc).
Centralised Institute
- The Centralised Institute accepts students based on their GCE 'O' level results.
- Centralised Institute provides a 3-year course leading up to a GCE 'A' level examination.
- There is only 1 Centralised Institute in Singapore, the Millennia Institute
Polytechnics
- Polytechnics accept students based on their GCE 'O' level, GCE 'A' level or ITE (see below) results.
- Polytechnics in Singapore provide 3-year diploma courses.
- There are 5 polytechnics in Singapore, namely :
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.
Education programmes
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. [4]
Criticisms
- Image:Stop hand.png The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please view the article's talk page.
Critics of the education system say that the education system is too specialized, too elitist and too stressful, and does not place emphasis on creative thinking, unlike the education systems in other societies, including many in the West. On the other hand, Singaporean students have topped international science and mathematics quizzes regularly, along with South Korean students, although detractors say that this is more an indication of students' memorisation skills than their ability to think critically.
Also, the recently established Singapore Sports School has aimed to recruit 12-year olds based on the excellency of their PSLE results and sports ability. Students with sports talents are simply not accepted without excellent academic results. This further indicates that Singaporean education is a system of elitism, those who are not academically or sports inclined are likely to end up in the bottom of the social ladder as a heartlander for the rest of their lives.
However, as many people have realized the weakness of the education system, recently there have been significant changes such as cuts in curriculum, greater flexibility in streaming system, more focus on creative and critical thinking etc. In September 2005, Minister for Education, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnum, released a presson changes in education system. In addition, TLLM (Teach Less, Learn More)project also has more role on Singapore's education system. This project, according to the minister, will focus more on learning for life-long skills than on learning just for good grades on examinations. Therefore, schools have had big changes in ways of teaching and the old stressful system has been disappearing gradually.
