Education in Singapore BACA
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Education in Singapore
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Education in Singapore Ministry of Education
Minister Ng Eng Hen
National education budget (2006)
Budget: S$6.966 billion
General Details
Primary Languages: English
System Type: Curriculum
Total: 95.4
Enrollment
Total: 532225
Primary: 290261
Secondary: 213063
Post Secondary: 28901
v d e
Education in Singapore is managed by the Ministry of Education (MOE), whichcontrols the development and administration of state schools receiving
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government funding, but also has an advisory and supervisory role in respect of
private schools. For both private and state schools, there are variations in the
extent of autonomy in their curriculum, scope of government aid and funding,
tuition burden on the students, and admission policy.[1]
Children with disabilities attend special education (SPED) schools run by
Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs), which are partially funded by the
Ministry of Education. Education spending usually makes up about 20 per cent of
the annual national budget, which subsidises state education and government-
assisted private education for Singaporean citizens and funds the Edusave
programme, the costs for which are significantly higher for non-citizens.
In 2000 the Compulsory Education Act[2] codified compulsory education forchildren of primary school age, and made it a criminal offence for parents to fail
to enroll their children in school and ensure their regular attendance.[3]
Exemptions are allowed for homeschooling or full-time religious institutions, but
parents must apply for exemption from the Ministry of Education and meet a
minimum benchmark.[4]. Special needs children are automatically exempted
from compulsory education.
In Singapore, English is the first language learned by half the children by the
time they reach preschool age and becomes the primary medium of instructionby the time they reach primary school. English is the language of instruction for
most subjects, especially mathematics and the natural sciences; the official
Mother Tongue languages are generally not taught in English, although there is
provision for the use of English at the initial stages. Certain schools, such as
secondary schools under the Special Assistance Plan (SAP), which encourages a
richer use of the mother tongue, may teach occasionally in English and another
language. A few schools have been experimenting with curricula that integrate
language subjects with mathematics and the sciences, using both English and a
second language.
Singapore's education system has been described as "world-leading" and in 2010
was among those picked out for praised by the British education minister Michael
Gove.[5]
Nuvola Singaporean flag.svg
Singapore English
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Contents
[hide]
* 1 Kindergartens
* 2 Primary education
o 2.1 Foundation stage
o 2.2 Orientation stage
o 2.3 Primary School Leaving Examination
* 3 Secondary education
o 3.1 Grade and scoring systems
o 3.2 Co-Curricular activities
+ 3.2.1 Uniformed Groups
+ 3.2.2 Performing Arts
+ 3.2.3 Clubs and societies
o 3.3 Gifted Education Programme
o 3.4 Integrated Programme
o 3.5 Admission to post-secondary institutions
* 4 Pre-university
o 4.1 Junior college
o 4.2 Centralised Institute
* 5 Diploma and vocational education
o 5.1 Polytechnics
o 5.2 Institute of Technical Education
* 6 Universities
* 7 International and private schools
* 8 Home Tuition
* 9 Education policies
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o 9.1 Meritocracy
o 9.2 Bilingualism (Mother Tongue)
o 9.3 Financial assistance
+ 9.3.1 Financial Assistance Scheme
+ 9.3.2 Edusave Merit Bursary
* 10 Development and future plans
o 10.1 Student exchange programmes
* 11 Statistics
o 11.1 Key statistics
o 11.2 Education qualification of population
o 11.3 Schools and Enrollment
* 12 International comparisons
* 13 Criticisms
* 14 References
* 15 External links
[edit] Kindergartens
Kindergartens in Singapore provide up to three years of pre-school for children
ages three to six. The three years are commonly called Nursery, Kindergarten 1
(K1) and Kindergarten 2 (K2), respectively.
Kindergartens provide an environment for children to learn how to interact with
others, and to prepare them for formal education at primary school. Activities
include learning language and numbers, development of personal and social
skills, games, music, and outdoor play. Children learn two languages, English and
their official mother tongue (Chinese, Malay, or Tamil). Many private or church-
based kindergartens might not offer Malay or Tamil, so non-Chinese pupils might
also learn some Chinese in these kindergartens.
The kindergartens are run by the private sector, including communityfoundations, religious bodies, and civic or business groups. There are more than
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200 kindergartens registered with the Ministry of Education. Kindergartens are
also run by child care centres as well as international schools.
[edit] Primary education
Primary education, normally starting at age seven, is a four-year foundation
stage (Primary 1 to 4) and a two-year orientation stage (Primary 5 to 6). Primary
education is compulsory and free, though there is a fee of up to SGD 13 monthly
per student to help cover miscellaneous costs.
[edit] Foundation stage
The foundation stage is the first stage of formal schooling. The four years, from
primary 1 to 4, provide a foundation in English, mother tongue (which includesChinese, Malay, Tamil or a Non-Tamil Indian Language (NTIL)) and Mathematics.
Other subjects include Civics and Moral Education, arts and crafts, music, health
education, social studies, and physical education, which are taught throughout
Primary 1 to 6. Science is taught from Primary 3 onwards.
[edit] Orientation stage
All pupils advance to the orientation stage after Primary 4, where English
Language, Mother Tongue and Mathematics are taught at the appropriate levelaccording to the pupil's ability. Schools are given the flexibility to develop their
own examinations to match pupils with the levels that suit them. The streaming
system has been adjusted: previously, pupils were divided at Primary 5 to the
EM1, EM2 and EM3 (English and Mother Tongue at 1st, 2nd and 3rd language
respectively) streams, but since 2008 they are streamed according to subject.
They can take their Mother Tongue at the higher, standard or foundation levels;
Science and Maths can be taken at the standard or foundation levels.
[edit] Primary School Leaving Examination
Main article: Primary School Leaving Examination
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; places in secondary schools are allocated according
to students' performance in the examination.
[edit] Secondary education
Students having assembly in the hall of Nan Hua High School.
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Raffles Institution (Secondary), the oldest school in Singapore.
The Ministry of Education Language Centre.
Based on results of the PSLE, students are placed in different secondary
education tracks or streams: "Special", "Express", "Normal (Academic)", or
"Normal (Technical)"
"Special" and Express are four-year courses leading up to the Singapore-
Cambridge GCE O' Level examination. The difference between these two courses
is that in the "Special" stream, students take 'Higher Mother Tongue' (available
for Chinese, Malay and Tamil only) instead of 'Mother Tongue'. A pass in the
Higher Mother Tongue 'O' Level Examination constitutes the fulfilment of the
Mother Tongue requirement in Singapore, whereas Normal Mother Tongue
Students will have to go through one more year of study in their Mother Tongue
after their 'O' Levels to take the 'AS' Level Mother Tongue Examinations and fulfil
the MOE's requirement. A foreign language, either French, German, or Japanese,
can be taken in addition to the mother tongue or can replace it. This is especially
popular with students who are struggling with their mother tongues, expatriates,
or students returning from abroad. Non-Chinese students may also study
Chinese and non-Malay students Malay as a third language. This programme is
known as CSP (Chinese Special Programme) and MSP (Malay Special
Programme). Mother Tongue teachers conduct these lessons in school after
usual hours. Students of Higher Mother Tongue languages are allowed to have
up to two points taken off their O-level scoring,[6] a scoring system discussed
below where a lower value is considered better, if they meet set benchmarks.
The Ministry of Education Language Centre (MOELC) provides free language
education for most additional languages that other schools may not cover, and
provides the bulk of such education, admitting several thousand students each
year.
Normal is a four-year course leading up to a Normal-level (N-level) exam, withthe possibility of a fifth year followed by an O-level. Normal is split into Normal
(Academic) and Normal (Technical). In Normal (Technical), students take
subjects of a more technical nature, such as Design and Technology, while in
Normal (Academic) students are prepared to take the O-level exam and normally
take subjects such as Principles of Accounting. In 2004, the Ministry of Education
announced that selected students in the Normal course would have an
opportunity to sit for the O-level exam directly without first taking the N-level
exam.
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With the exception of schools offering the Integrated Programme, which leads to
either an International Baccalaureate Diploma or to an A-level exam, most
students are streamed into a wide range of course combinations at the end of
their second year, bringing the total number of subjects they have to sit at O-
level to between six to ten, with English, Mother Tongue or Higher Mother
Tongue Language, Mathematics, one Science and one Humanities Elective being
compulsory. Several new subjects such as Computing and Theatre Studies and
Drama are being introduced in tandem with the Ministry of Education's revised
curriculum. Subjects usually taken at O-Level are:
Languages group:
1. English Language
2. Mother Tongue Languages (Chinese Language, Malay Language and Tamil
Language)
3. Non-Tamil Indian Languages (Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu
languages)
4. Higher Mother Tongue Languages (Higher Chinese Language, Higher Malay
Language and Higher Tamil Language)
5. Foreign Languages (French, German, Japanese)
6. Asian Languages (Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia)
7. Other Third Languages [Chinese (Special Programme), Malay (Special
Programme)]
Humanities group:
1. Humanities electives (History/geography/literature electives and social
studies)
2. History
3. Geography
4. Literature in English
5. Chinese literature
6. Malay literature
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7. Tamil literature
8. Higher art (Art Elective Programme)
9. Higher music (Music Elective Programme)
10. Principles of Accounting
Mathematics & Science Group:
1. Mathematics
2. Additional mathematics
3. Physics
4. Chemistry
5. Biology
6. Combined Sciences (any two from Physics, Chemistry, Biology)
7. Integrated Sciences
Others:
1. General art
2. Design and technology
3. Music
4. Computer Applications
5. Elements of Office Administration (until 2008)
6. Elements of Business Skills (2009 onwards)
7. Food and nutrition
8. Religious studies (Confucian Ethics, Buddhist Studies, Islamic Religious
Knowledge, Bible Studies, Sikh Studies, etc.)
9. O-Level School-Initiated Electives [OSIEs] (Economics, Computer Studies,
etc.)
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The list above is not exhaustive, and does not include new subjects such as
Computing and Theatre Studies and Drama, or less common subjects, such as
Integrated Sciences.
Compulsory Subjects for a GCE 'O' Level candidate
1. English Language
2. Mother Tongue (Chinese, Tamil, Malay, Others)
3. Mathematics (Elementary)
4. Combined Humanities (SS+GEOGE/HISE/LITE/ECONSE)
5. Science (Either 1 combined science or 2 pure sciences)
6. One other subject (Art, POA, DnT, FnN etc.)
Candidates must take at least 6 subjects which must include the above core (EL,
MT, MA, HUM, SCI) subjects.
[edit] Grade and scoring systems
Most schools commonly follow the kind of grading system awarded at the
Singapore-Cambridge GCE "O" level examination, which a student sits at the end
of four or five years of secondary education, taking at least 6 subjects. The level
of achievement in each subject is indicated by the grade obtained, with A1 being
the highest achievable grade and F9 the lowest:
* A1/A2 (Distinction)
* B3/B4 (Merit)
* C5/C6 (Credit/Pass)
* D7 (Sub-Pass/fail, that is, passing at a lower standard in the exam or fail)
* E8/F9 (Fail)
A student's overall academic performance is measured through several points
scoring system (such as the L1R5, L1B5 and L1R4 scoring system) depending onwhich type of post-secondary institution a student is intending to apply for. Each
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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, Mother Tongue "B" and CCA). Consequently, an L1R5
score of 6 points is considered the best score attainable for entrance to a Junior
College. A student requires an L1R5 score of below 20 points to be eligible for
Junior College. On top of that, students must also pass English and Mother
Tongue.
For non-major examinations, several schools use a Mean Subject Grade (MSG)
scoring system, while schools running the Integrated Programme (IP) may also
use the Grade Point Average (GPA) scoring system.
[edit] Co-Curricular activities
"Co-Curricular Activities" (CCA) are compulsory at the secondary level, where all
pupils must participate in at least one core activity, and participation is graded
together with other achievements throughout the four years in a scoring system
known as LEAPS ("Leadership, Enrichment, Achievement, Participation, Service").
There are many co-curricular activities offered at the secondary level, and each
student is judged based in these areas. Competitions and performances are
regularly organized. Co-curricular activities are often categorized under the
following: Uniformed Groups, Performing Arts, Clubs & Societies and Sports &
Games. Students may also participate in more than 1 CCA.
[edit] Uniformed Groups
The main uniform groups are NCC (National Cadet Corps), NPCC (National Police
Cadet Corps), NCDCC (National Civil Defence Cadet Corps), St John Ambulance
Brigade, Red Cross Youth, Singapore Scout Association, Girl Guides, the Boys
Brigade and the Girls Brigade. Students are expected to learn drills and must
wear the respective uniforms.
This is to prepare male students for National Service (NS) when they reach the
age of 18. Besides military drills, they also learn skills such as team-bonding and
first-aid.
[edit] Performing Arts
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Performing Arts CCAs vary from school to school, although most will include the
Choir, Military/Concert/Symphonic Band, Chinese Orchestra, Dance groups for
different ethnic cultures, Drama and Debate. Most are oriented towards
performing and the musical arts.
[edit] Clubs and societies
There is a broad range of clubs and societies, ranging from Singapore Youth
Flying Club to Robotics, Media and Infocomm Clubs and martial arts.
[edit] 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.
As of 2005, the schools participating consisted of 9 primary schools Anglo-
Chinese School (Primary), Catholic High School (Primary), Henry Park Primary
School, Nan Hua Primary School, Nanyang Primary School, Rosyth School, Tao
Nan School, St. Hilda's Primary School, and Raffles Girls' Primary School. Seven
secondary schools originally started the programme, but with the introduction of
the Integrated Programme, most have folded the GEP programmes into their IP
curriculum. The two remaining secondary GEP schools are Anglo-Chinese School
(Independent), an independent all-boys IB School, and Dunman High School, amixed autonomous government school; the autonomous all-boys Victoria School
had to suspend GEP classes due to low enrolment, with GEP students preferring
IP schools.
Pupils enter the programme through a series of tests at Primary 3, which will
identify the top 1 per cent of the student population. A second selection used to
be conducted at Primary 6 for those who do well in the PSLE, but this was
discontinued after it was found to be too difficult for these students to catch up
with the programme. In the programme, pupils are offered special enrichmentprogrammes to cater for their needs. However, not all students in GEP are
successful. Some are not accustomed to the fast pace of study which affects
their performance in the core subjects and may choose not to continue the
programme at the secondary level.
The Secondary School Gifted Education Programme was discontinued at the end
of 2008 as more students take the Integrated Programme (IP).[7]
[edit] Integrated Programme
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Main article: Integrated Programme
Hwa Chong Institution was the first school in Singapore to offer the Integrated
Programme.
The Integrated Programme, also known as the "Through-Train Programme" (
), is a scheme which allows the most able secondary students in Singapore to
bypass "O" levels and take "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 broadly-based
education. 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 course 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 operating the 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 heavily emphasised than
before, as it is judged on the work of the student, rather than through an
examination. The programme is more project-based and students are expectedto be independent learners.
The first batch of IP students sat for the revised GCE "A" Level or International
Baccalaureate Diploma examinations in 2007.
Some of the schools which offer the IP / IB programmes in Singapore are:
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* Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (IP - IB)
* Dunman High School (IP + Bicultural Studies Programme)
* National Junior College (IP)
* NUS High School of Mathematics and Science (IP - NUS High School Diploma)
* Nanyang Girls' High School (IP + Bicultural Studies Programme)
* River Valley High School (IP + Bicultural Studies Programme)
* Temasek Junior College (IP + Chinese Language elective Programme)
* Hwa Chong Institution (IP + Bicultural Studies Programme)
* Raffles Institution (Junior College) (IP)
* Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
* Raffles Institution (Secondary)
* Victoria Junior College (IP)
[edit] Admission to post-secondary institutions
Upon completion of the 4- or 5-year secondary school education, students(excluding IP students) will participate in the annual Singaporean GCE 'O' Level,
the results of which determine which pre-universities or post-secondary
institutions they may apply for. Pre-university centres include junior colleges for
a two-year course leading up to GCE 'A' Level, or the Millennia Institute for a
three-year course leading up to GCE 'A' Level. Both junior colleges and the
Millennia Institute accept students on merit, with a greater emphasis on
academics than professional technical education. Students who wishes to pursue
for a professional-centred diploma education go on instead to post-secondary
institutions such as the polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education
(ITE).
Admission to a two-year pre-university course at junior colleges after graduating
from secondary school is determined by the L1R5 (first language + 5 relevant
subjects) scoring system. This scoring system is based on the 'O' Level subject
grades, which range from A1 (best) to F9 (worst). The candidate adds the
numerical grades for six different subjects: English (or another language taken at
the 'first language' level), a Humanities subject, a Science/Mathematics subject,
a Humanities/Science/Mathematics subject, and two other subjects of any kind.
The best L1R5 unmodified score is therefore 6, for a student with A1 grades in
six subjects which meet the criteria.
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Students scoring 20 points and below may be admitted for either a Science or
Arts Course. In addition, a student must also achieve at least a C6 grade, which
is 50% or higher, in the GCE 'O' Level English Language and Mathematics papers
in order to qualify for junior college admission. Pre-university centres that areparticularly associated with academic excellence, however, usually expect
students to attain points in the single digits, in order to be admitted. This is
because the system is merit-driven, with places given to those with lower scores
first.
For admission to a three-year pre-university course at the Millennia Institute, the
L1R4 (first language + 4 relevant subjects) scoring system is used, and students
are expected to score below 20 points to be admitted. Students may opt for any
of the science, arts or commerce streams when pursuing a three-year pre-university course.
For students seeking admission to diploma courses in polytechnics, the L1R2B2
(first language + 2 relevant subjects + 2 best subjects of any kind) scoring
system is used. However, students will also be required to meet specific
prerequisites 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, depending on the course
they are applying for.
Bonus points can be deducted from a student's raw score, thus lowering it. 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 through
affiliation (for feeder schools). Bonus points are capped at 4, except for those
applying to schools offering Chinese Language Elective Programme (CLEP) or
Malay Language Elective Programme (MLEP).
[edit] Pre-university
The pre-university centres of Singapore are designed for upper-stream students
(roughly about 20%-25% of the cohort) who wish to pursue a university degree
after two to three years of pre-university education, rather than stopping after
polytechnic post-secondary education.
There are 18 Junior Colleges (JCs) and a Centralised Institute (CI), the MillenniaInstitute (MI, established 2004), with the National Junior College (NJC, established
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1969) being the oldest and Innova Junior College (IJC, established 2005) the
newest.
[edit] Junior college
Main article: Junior college (Singapore)
Junior colleges in Singapore were designed to offer an accelerated alternative to
the traditional three-year programme, but the two-year programme they offer
has become the norm for students pursuing university education. JCs have also
become synonymous with prestigious education. The Public Service Commission
and other coveted scholarships (such as the FireFly, A*STAR and the President's
Scholarship) are largely or exclusively reserved for these students.
JCs accept students based on their GCE "O" Level results; an L1R5 score of 20
points or less must be attained for a student to gain admission. JCs provide a 2-
year course leading up to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level ("A"
level) examination. The CI accepts students based on their GCE "O" Level results;
an L1R4 score of 20 points or less must be attained for a student to gain
admission. The MI provides a 3-year course leading up to the Singapore-
Cambridge GCE Advanced Level ("A" level) examination.
[edit] Centralised Institute
The Centralised Institutes accept students based on their GCE "O" level results
and their L1R4 score (which must be 20 points or below). A Centralised Institute
provides a three-year course leading up to a GCE "A" level examination. There
were originally four Centralized Institutes: Outram Institute, Townsville Institute,
Jurong Institute and Seletar Institute. Townsville Institute and Seletar Institute
stopped accepting new students after the 1995 school year and closed down
after the last batch of students graduated in 1997.
There currently remains only one Centralised Institute in Singapore, the Millennia
Institute, which was formed following the merger of Jurong and Outram
Institutes. Additionally, only Centralised Institutes offer the Commerce Stream
offering subjects such as Principles of Accounting and Management of Business.
The standard of teaching and curriculum is identical to that of the Junior
Colleges.
[edit] Diploma and vocational education
[edit] Polytechnics
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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, tourism and hospitality
management, mass communications, digital media 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
Secondary 4 cohort would enrol in Polytechnics.[8]
There are five polytechnics in Singapore, namely:
* Singapore Polytechnic
* Ngee Ann Polytechnic
* Republic Polytechnic
* Nanyang Polytechnic
* Temasek Polytechnic
Graduates of polytechnics with good grades can continue to pursue further
tertiary education at the universities, and many overseas universities, notably
those in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, give exemptions for
modules completed in Polytechnic.
Polytechnics have also been actively working with many foreign universities to
provide their graduates a chance to study niche University Courses locally. For
example, Ngee Ann Polytechnic has engaged with Chapman University in the
U.S. to provide a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Producing for graduates of the
School's Film and Media Studies department. Nanyang Polytechnic, likewise, has
tied up with the University of Stirling in Scotland to provide a course in Retail
Marketing.
[edit] Institute of Technical Education
The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) accepts students based on their GCE
"O" level or GCE "N" level results and they provide 2-year courses leading to a
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locally recognised "National ITE Certificate." There are 10 ITE Colleges in
Singapore. A few ITE graduates continue their education at polytechnics and
universities. ITE students are sometimes seen as being less capable and possibly
less successful than polytechnic or JC students. Recent speeches by Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister of Education Tharman Shanmugaratnam
have pointed out that there can be different definitions and types of success, in a
bid to work towards a more inclusive society. However, this has mostly been lip
service, with little concrete action being taken to give ITE students greater
recognition or address the stigmatisation that exists.[citation needed] This is
admittedly a difficult job as such views have been ingrained in society for many
years.
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 courses
conducted jointly by ITE and industrial companies.
[edit] Universities
See also: List of universities and colleges in Singapore
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants
academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both
undergraduate education and postgraduate education.
Singapore currently has two full-fledged public universities (National University
of Singapore & Nanyang Technological University), and two full-fledged private
universities (SMU & UniSIM). However, UniSIM accepts only adult learners in
general, so A-level and Diploma students may apply only to SMU, NUS, NTU,
several foreign university offshore campuses, and more than ten other private
tertiary institutions offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
The Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore eachhave more than 20,000 students and provide a wide range of undergraduate and
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postgraduate degree programmes including doctoral degrees. Both are also
established research universities with thousands of research staff and graduate
students.
A third university, Singapore Management University (SMU), opened in 2000,
focusing on business and management courses. The fourth university, privately-
run SIM University (UniSIM), opened in 2005. Both private universities are funded
by the government.
The University of New Brunswick, Queen Margaret University, The City University
of New York, Baruch College, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Aventis School of
Management, Curtin University of Technology & University of Wales Institute,
Cardiff have established offshore campuses in Singapore to provide local andforeign (in particular, Asian) students the opportunity to obtain a Western
university education at a fraction of the cost it would take to study in Canada,
the UK, the U.S.A. or Australia. University of New Brunswick College, Singapore,
Queen Margaret University, Asia Campus, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Asia
began operations in Singapore between 2007 and 2008, with the Curtin
University of Technology Singapore Campus & University of Wales Institute,
Cardiff: Asia Campus due to join them in December 2008.
The government has planned the fourth public university, Singapore University ofTechnology and Design (SUTD), to meet the rising demand for university
education. It will start its operations at Changi in 2011.[9]
A fifth public university Singapore Institute of Technology to be started in 2011
was announced in 2010. The university is intended as a university for polytechnic
graduates[10].
[edit] International and private schools
Building of ACS (International), one of the newest international 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
permission from the Ministry of Education.
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However, on 29 April 2004 the Ministry of Education permitted two new
international schools to be set up without permission being needed to admit
Singapore students. These schools must follow the compulsory policies set by
the Ministry such as playing the national anthem and taking the pledge every
morning, as well as following the nation's policies on bilingualism. Both of these
schools are private school arms of two renowned schools -- Anglo-Chinese School
(International) and Hwa Chong International. The school fees are around 15 to 20
percent lower than those of foreign international schools. Their intake is mainly
Singaporeans, with nationalities from various countries including Malaysia, India,
People's Republic of China, Taiwan, South Korea, Philippines, Vietnam,
Netherlands, Indonesia and the United Kingdom.
The Council for Private Education (CPE)
Established under the Private Education Act, the Council for Private Education is
a statutory board empowered with the legislative power to regulate the private
education sector. In addition to its role as the sectoral regulator of private
education institutions, the Council facilitates capability development efforts to
uplift standards in the local private education industry.
On 20 May 2010,The Council for Private Education (CPE) has registered the first
batch of private education institutions (PEIs) under the Enhanced RegistrationFramework (ERF). Following the launch of the new private education regulatory
regime on 21 Dec 2009, all PEIs within the regulatory scope of the Private
Education Act are required to register with the CPE under the ERF. Under the
Enhanced Registration Framework, private institutions must meet requirements
relating to their managers, teachers, courses and examination boards. Out of
308 which applied, less than a third were given the stamp of approval and
students are relieved that their school has made the mark. Only 63 ERF
applications have been evaluated by the CPE, of which 36 PEIs have been
registered for a period of four years, and 26 PEIs have been registered for one
year. The registration period awarded to a PEI is dependent on its degree ofcompliance with the Private Education Regulations.
The following PEIs have been awarded four-year registration period under the
ERF
* Bulleted list item
* Academies Australasia College
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Academy Of Human Development Advent Links-Sauc Education Centre Ascensia
Academy Asia Institute Of Management At-Sunrice Academy Aventis School Of
Management BMC International College City College CSM Academy International
Curtin Education Centre East Asia Institute Of Management ERC InstituteInformatics Academy Insworld School International School Of Design &
Technology Ivy Education Centre Kaplan Higher Education Academy Kaplan
Learning Institute Learning Capital College Management Development Institute
Of Singapore Marketing Institute Of Singapore Training Centre MDIS College
Parkway College Of Nursing & Allied Health PSB Academy SAA Global Education
Centre SGP International Management Academy Shelton College International
Singapore Chinese Chamber Institute Of Business Singapore Institute Of
Management Singapore Institute Of Materials Management SSTC School For
Further Education STET Institute TMC Academy Tourism Management Institute Of
Singapore Yuvabharathi International School
[edit] Home Tuition
Parents are seeking additional help at home to improve their children's grade
and to empower them with the latest practical education strategies to achieve
their full potential academically.
[edit] Education policies
[edit] Meritocracy
Meritocracy is a basic political ideology in Singapore and a fundamental principle
in the education system which aims to identify and groom bright young students
for positions of leadership. The system places a great emphasis on academic
performance in grading students and granting their admission to special
programmes and universities, though this has raised concerns about breeding
elitism.[11] Academic grades are considered as objective measures of the
students' ability and effort, irrespective of their social background.[12] Having
good academic credentials is seen as the most important factor for the students'
career prospects in the job market, and their future economic status.[13]
Curricula are therefore closely tied to examinable topics, and the
competitiveness of the system led to a proliferation of ten year series, which are
compilation books of past examination papers that students use to prepare for
examinations.
[edit] Bilingualism (Mother Tongue)
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Bilingualism, or mother tongue policy, is a cornerstone of the Singapore
education system. While English is the first language and the medium of
instruction in schools, most students are required to take a "Mother Tongue"
subject, which could be one of the three official languages: Chinese, Malay or
Tamil. A non-Tamil Indian may choose to offer Tamil or a non-official language
such as Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi or Urdu. Mother Tongue is a compulsory
examinable subject at the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) and the
GCE "N", "O" and "A" level examinations. Students are required to achieve a
certain level of proficiency in their mother tongue as a pre-requisite for
admission to local universities. Students returning from overseas may be
exempted from this policy.[14]
The bilingual policy was first adopted in 1966.[15] One of its primary objectives
is to promote English as the common (and neutral) language among the diverse
ethnic groups in Singapore. The designation of English as the first language is
also intended to facilitate Singapore's integration into the world economy.[16]
In recognition of Singapore's linguistic and cultural pluralism, another stated
objective of the bilingual policy is to educate students with their "mother
tongues" so that they can learn about their culture, identify with their ethnic
roots, and to preserve cultural traits and Asian values.[15] Within the Chinese
population, Mandarin is promoted as a common language and other Chinese
dialects are discouraged,[clarification needed] to better integrate[clarificationneeded] the community. In 1979, the Speak Mandarin Campaign was launched
to further advance this goal.[17]
[edit] Financial assistance
Education policy in Singapore is designed to ensure that no child is left behind in
education even if they do not have the financial capacity to pay school fees.
Therefore, school fees in public schools are heavily subsidized, so that students
pay as little as SGD 13 for fees.[18] In addition, there are many possibleassistance schemes from either the government or welfare organisations to help
students cope with finances during their studies. Some of these are listed below.
[edit] Financial Assistance Scheme
The Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) is an MOE programme to provide
financial assistance for education to low income families with monthly household
income of less than SGD 1,500 or SGD 1,800, depending on the number of
children in the household.[19]
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Students eligible for FAS receive a 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
enhancement of the FAS in 2006.[19]
[edit] Edusave Merit Bursary
Main article: Edusave
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.[19]
[edit] Development and future plans
[edit] 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.[20]
[edit] Statistics
[edit] Key statistics
Sources:
* Yearbook of Statistics Singapore, 2004[21]
* Singapore Budget 2006[22]
* Education Statistics Digest 2009[23]
Government budget for education SGD 5.2bn (2005)[22]
at 19.3% of total budget, 3.1000053453467 of GDP
Ratio of students to teaching staffs (Primary) 21.4 pupils (2009)[23]
Ratio of students to teaching staffs (Secondary) 17.9 pupils (2009)[23]
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Enrolment ratio, aged 620 years 87.4% (2004)[21]
Literacy rate (aged 15 years and above) 94.6% (2004)[21]
Mean years of schooling (aged 25 years and above) 8.8 years (2004)[21]
[edit] Education qualification of population
Source: Census 2000.[24]
Resident non-students aged 15 years and over by highest qualification attained
Highest qualification attained Population (2000)[24] Percentage (2000)[24]
Angle Sector (2000)[24]
Total 2,277,401 100.0% 360.0
No qualification 445,444 19.6% 70.6
Primary - PSLE 276,542 12.1% 43.6
Lower secondary - Sec 1-3 248,598 10.9% 39.2
Secondary - 'N' & 'O' levels 560,570 24.6% 88.6
Upper secondary - 'A' level, Nitec & Higher Nitec 226,275 9.9% 35.6
Polytechnic - Diploma 140,970 6.2% 22.3
Other Diploma 112,371 4.9% 17.6
University - Degree, Masters & Ph. D 266,631 11.7% 42.1
[edit] Schools and Enrollment
Source: Singapore Education Statistics Digest 2008[23]
Type of School Number of schools (2008)[23]
Kindergarten 200+ (2004)
Primary Government 133
Government-aided 41
Secondary Government 120
Government-aided 28
Independent 5
Specialised 1
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Mixed Level1 Government 5
Autonomous 3
Independent 6
Junior College
Centralised Institute Government 9
Government-Aided 4
Independent 1
1. This category includes Full School, 6th Form School and JC Plus.
Type of School Enrollment (2008)[23] Number of teachers (2008)[23]
Primary 272,097 12,723
Secondary 201,531 10,454
Mixed Level1 30,981 2,112
Junior College
Centralised Institute 24,232 1,997
1. This Category include Full School, 6th Forms School and JC Plus.
[edit] International comparisons
International educational scores (1997)
(13-year-old's average score, TIMSS
Third International Math and Science Study, 1997)
Countries:
(sample) Global
rank Maths Science
Score Rank Score Rank
Singapore 1 643 1 607 1
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Japan 2 605 3 571 3
South Korea 3 607 2 565 4
Czech Republic 4 564 6 574 2
England 18 506 25 552 10
Thailand 20 522 20 525 21
Germany 22 509 23 531 19
France 23 538 13 498 28
United States 24 500 28 534 17
Source: 1997 TIMSS, in The Economist, March 29th 1997.
Singapore students took first place in the 1995, 1999 and 2003 TIMSS Trends in
International Mathematics and Science Study. They used Singapore Math Primary
Mathematics series. The national textbooks have been adapted into a series
which has been successfully marketed in North America as a rival to Saxon math
and an alternative to controversial reform mathematics curricula, which many
parents complained moved too far away from the sort of traditional basic skills
instruction exemplified by Singapore's national curriculum.
[edit] Criticisms
Critics of the education system, including some 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.[citation needed] Those defending
the current education system point out that Singaporean students have regularly
ranked top when competing in international science and mathematics
competitions and assessments. Detractors believe this is more an indication of
students' skills in using rote to prepare for a certain style of competition orexamination than of their ability to think critically.
In response to such concerns the Ministry of Education has recently introduced a
greater focus on creative and critical thinking, and on learning for life-long skills
rather than simply learning to excel in examinations. However, this is still not the
case and many Singaporean children are pressured on by their parents and
teachers to do well in studies.
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There have also been complaints about excessive educational streaming at a
young age. A popular local film, I Not Stupid, highlights the competitiveness of
the system and the social stigma that students struggling with studies have to
face. The best students are streamed into the best and normal classes, while the
others are streamed into the foundation class, where teachers usually allow
them to get worse, since they are part of the "ungifted" class.
Supporters of the system assert that the provision of differentiated curricula
according to streams since the late 1970s has allowed students with different
abilities and learning styles to develop and sustain an interest in their studies.
This ability-driven education has since been a key feature behind Singapore's
success in education, and was responsible for bringing drop-out rates down
sharply.
In recent years, while streaming still exists, various refinements to the policy
have been made. There is now greater flexibility for students to cross over
different streams or take subjects in other streams, which alleviates somewhat
the stigma attached to being in any single stream. Furthermore, the government
is now starting to experiment with ability-banding in other ways - such as
subject-based banding in Primary Schools instead of banding by overall
academic performance.
By contrast, standards-based education reform in the United States seeks to
eliminate tracking by setting one high standard and expectation for all. The
principle of continuous improvement is thought to enable success for all
students, although in most states, all groups still achieve at different levels in
the current and foreseeable future. Mathematics reform in North America was
driven by the NCTM standards in a direction away from mastery of basic skills.
[edit] ReferencesEducation in Singapore
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Education in Singapore
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Ministry of Education
Minister Ng Eng Hen
National education budget(2006)
Budget: S$6.966 billion
General Details
Primary Languages: English
System Type: Curriculum
Total: 95.4
Enrollment
Total: 532225
Primary: 290261
Secondary: 213063
Post Secondary: 28901
vde
Education in Singapore is managed by the Ministry of Education (MOE), which controlsthe development and administration ofstate schoolsreceiving governmentfunding, but alsohas an advisory and supervisory role in respect ofprivate schools. For both private and stateschools, there are variations in the extent of autonomy in their curriculum, scope ofgovernment aid and funding, tuition burden on the students, and admission policy.[1]
Children with disabilities attend special education (SPED) schools run by Voluntary WelfareOrganisations (VWOs), which are partially funded by the Ministry of Education. Educationspending usually makes up about 20 per cent of the annual national budget, which subsidisesstate education and government-assisted private education for Singaporean citizens and fundsthe Edusaveprogramme, the costs for which are significantly higher for non-citizens.
In 2000 the Compulsory Education Act[2]codifiedcompulsory education for children ofprimary schoolage, and made it a criminal offencefor parents to fail to enroll their childrenin school and ensure their regular attendance.[3] Exemptions are allowed forhomeschooling orfull-time religious institutions, but parents must apply for exemption from the Ministry ofEducation and meet a minimum benchmark.[4]. Special needs children are automaticallyexempted from compulsory education.
In Singapore, Englishis the first language learned by half the children by the time they reachpreschool age and becomes the primary medium of instruction by the time they reachprimaryschool. English is the language of instruction for most subjects, especially mathematics andthe natural sciences; the official Mother Tongue languages are generally not taught inEnglish, although there is provision for the use of English at the initial stages. Certainschools, such as secondary schools under the Special Assistance Plan (SAP), whichencourages a richer use of the mother tongue, may teach occasionally in English and anotherlanguage. A few schools have been experimenting with curricula that integrate language
subjects with mathematics and the sciences, using both English and a second language.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Education_(Singapore)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ng_Eng_Henhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Infobox_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:Infobox_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:Infobox_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:Infobox_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Infobox_education&action=edithttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Infobox_education&action=edithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Education_(Singapore)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_schoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_schoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_(financial_aid)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_(financial_aid)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_schoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_schoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuitionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Singapore#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_voluntary_welfare_organisations_in_Singaporehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_voluntary_welfare_organisations_in_Singaporehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_budgethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edusavehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edusavehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Singapore#cite_note-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codification_(law)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_schoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_schoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_lawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_lawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Singapore#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Singapore#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeschoolinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeschoolinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Singapore#cite_note-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Singapore#cite_note-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preschoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_scienceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Assistance_Planhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Education_(Singapore)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ng_Eng_Henhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Infobox_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:Infobox_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Infobox_education&action=edithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Education_(Singapore)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_schoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_(financial_aid)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_schoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuitionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Singapore#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_voluntary_welfare_organisations_in_Singaporehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_voluntary_welfare_organisations_in_Singaporehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_budgethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edusavehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Singapore#cite_note-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codification_(law)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_schoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_lawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Singapore#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeschoolinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Singapore#cite_note-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preschoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_scienceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Assistance_Plan -
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Singapore's education system has been described as "world-leading" and in 2010 was amongthose picked out for praised by the British education ministerMichael Gove.[5]
Singapore English
Sports
Transportedit box
Contents
[hide]
1 Kindergartens 2 Primary education
o 2.1 Foundation stage
o 2.2 Orientation stage
o 2.3 Primary School Leaving Examination
3 Secondary educationo 3.1 Grade and scoring systems
o 3.2 Co-Curricular activities
3.2.1 Uniformed Groups 3.2.2 Performing Arts
3.2.3 Clubs and societieso 3.3 Gifted Education Programme
o 3.4 Integrated Programmeo 3.5 Admission to post-secondary institutions
4 Pre-universityo 4.1 Junior college
o 4.2 Centralised Institute
5 Diploma and vocational educationo 5.1 Polytechnics
o 5.2 Institute of Technical Education
6 Universities 7 International and private schools 8 Home Tuition 9 Education policies
o 9.1 Meritocracy
o 9.2 Bilingualism (Mother Tongue)
o 9.3 Financial assistance
9.3.1 Financial Assistance Scheme
9.3.2 Edusave Merit Bursary 10 Development and future plans
o 10.1 Student exchange programmes
11 Statisticso 11.1 Key statistics
o 11.2 Education qualification of population
o 11.3 Schools and Enrollment
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12 International comparisons 13 Criticisms 14 References
15 External links
[edit] Kindergartens
Kindergartens in Singapore provide up to three years ofpre-school for children ages three tosix. The three years are commonly calledNursery,Kindergarten 1 (K1) andKindergarten 2(K2), respectively.
Kindergartens provide an environment for children to learn how to interact with others, andto prepare them for formal education at primary school. Activities include learning languageand numbers, development of personal and social skills, games, music, and outdoor play.
Children learn two languages, English and their official mother tongue (Chinese, Malay, orTamil). Many private or church-based kindergartens might not offer Malay or Tamil, so non-Chinese pupils might also learn some Chinese in these kindergartens.
The kindergartens are run by the private sector, including community foundations, religiousbodies, and civic or business groups. There are more than 200 kindergartens registered withthe Ministry of Education. Kindergartens are also run bychild care centres as well asinternational schools.
[edit] Primary education
Primary education, normally starting at age seven, is a four-yearfoundation stage (Primary 1to 4) and a two-yearorientation stage (Primary 5 to 6). Primary education is compulsory andfree, though there is a fee of up to SGD13 monthly per student to help cover miscellaneouscosts.
[edit] Foundation stage
Thefoundation stage is the first stage of formal schooling. The four years, from primary 1 to4, provide a foundation in English, mother tongue (which includes Chinese, Malay, Tamil ora Non-Tamil Indian Language (NTIL)) and Mathematics. Other subjects include Civics and
Moral Education, arts and crafts, music, health education, social studies, andphysicaleducation, which are taught throughout Primary 1 to 6. Science is taught from Primary 3onwards.
[edit] Orientation stage
All pupils advance to the orientation stage after Primary 4, where English Language, MotherTongue and Mathematics are taught at the appropriate level according to the pupil's ability.Schools are given the flexibility to develop their own examinations to match pupils with thelevels that suit them. The streaming system has been adjusted: previously, pupils weredivided at Primary 5 to the EM1, EM2 and EM3 (English and Mother Tongue at 1st, 2nd and3rd language respectively) streams, but since 2008 they are streamed according to subject.
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They can take their Mother Tongue at the higher, standard or foundation levels; Science andMaths can be taken at the standard or foundation levels.
[edit] Primary School Leaving Examination
Main article: Primary School Leaving Examination
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;
places in secondary schools are allocated according to students' performance in theexamination.
[edit] Secondary education
Students having assembly in the hall ofNan Hua High School.
Raffles Institution (Secondary), the oldest school in Singapore.
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The Ministry of Education Language Centre.
Based on results of the PSLE, students are placed in different secondary education tracks or
streams: "Special", "Express", "Normal (Academic)", or "Normal (Technical)"
"Special" andExpress are four-year courses leading up to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE O'Levelexamination. The difference between these two courses is that in the "Special" stream,students take 'Higher Mother Tongue' (available for Chinese, Malay and Tamil only) insteadof 'Mother Tongue'. A pass in the Higher Mother Tongue 'O' Level Examination constitutesthe fulfilment of the Mother Tongue requirement in Singapore, whereas Normal MotherTongue Students will have to go through one more year of study in their Mother Tongue aftertheir 'O' Levels to take the 'AS' Level Mother Tongue Examinations and fulfil the MOE'srequirement. A foreign language, eitherFrench,German, orJapanese, can be taken inaddition to the mother tongue or can replace it. This is especially popular with students who
are struggling with their mother tongues, expatriates, or students returning from abroad. Non-Chinese students may also study Chinese and non-Malay students Malay as a third language.This programme is known as CSP (Chinese Special Programme) and MSP (Malay SpecialProgramme). Mother Tongue teachers conduct these lessons in school after usual hours.Students of Higher Mother Tongue languages are allowed to have up to two points taken offtheir O-level scoring,[6] a scoring system discussed below where a lower value is considered
better, if they meet set benchmarks. TheMinistry of Education Language Centre (MOELC)provides free language education for most additional languages that other schools may notcover, and provides the bulk of such education, admitting several thousand students eachyear.
Normalis a four-year course leading up to aNormal-level (N-level) exam, with thepossibility of a fifth year followed by an O-level. Normal is split intoNormal (Academic) andNormal (Technical). In Normal (Technical), students take subjects of a more technical nature,such as Design and Technology, while in Normal (Academic) students are prepared to takethe O-level exam and normally take subjects such as Principles of Accounting. In 2004, theMinistry of Education announced that selected students in the Normal course would have anopportunity to sit for the O-level exam directly without first taking the N-level exam.
With the exception of schools offering the Integrated Programme, which leads to either anInternational Baccalaureate Diploma or to an A-levelexam, most students are streamed into a
wide range of course combinations at the end of their second year, bringing the total numberof subjects they have to sit at O-level to between six to ten, with English, Mother Tongue or
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Higher Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics, one Science and one Humanities Electivebeing compulsory. Several new subjects such as Computing and Theatre Studies and Dramaare being introduced in tandem with the Ministry of Education's revised curriculum. Subjectsusually taken at O-Level are:
Languages group:
1. English Language2. Mother Tongue Languages (Chinese Language, Malay Language and Tamil
Language)3. Non-Tamil Indian Languages (Hindi,Bengali,Gujarati, Punjabi,Urdulanguages)4. Higher Mother Tongue Languages (Higher Chinese Language, Higher Malay
Language and Higher Tamil Language)5. Foreign Languages (French, German, Japanese)6. Asian Languages (Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia)7. Other Third Languages [Chinese (Special Programme), Malay (Special Programme)]
Humanities group:
1. Humanities electives (History/geography/literature electives and social studies)2. History3. Geography4. Literature in English5. Chinese literature6. Malay literature7. Tamil literature8. Higher art (Art Elective Programme)9. Higher music (Music Elective Programme)10. Principles of Accounting
Mathematics & Science Group:
1. Mathematics2. Additional mathematics3. Physics4. Chemistry5. Biology
6. Combined Sciences (any two from Physics, Chemistry, Biology)7. Integrated Sciences
Others:
1. General art2. Design and technology3. Music4. Computer Applications5. Elements of Office Administration (until 2008)6. Elements of Business Skills (2009 onwards)
7. Food and nutrition
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8. Religious studies (Confucian Ethics, Buddhist Studies, Islamic Religious Knowledge,Bible Studies, Sikh Studies, etc.)
9. O-Level School-Initiated Electives [OSIEs] (Economics, Computer Studies, etc.)
The list above is not exhaustive, and does not include new subjects such as Computing and
Theatre Studies and Drama, or less common subjects, such as Integrated Sciences.
Compulsory Subjects for a GCE 'O' Level candidate
1. English Language2. Mother Tongue (Chinese, Tamil, Malay, Others)3. Mathematics (Elementary)4. Combined Humanities (SS+GEOGE/HISE/LITE/ECONSE)5. Science (Either 1 combined science or 2 pure sciences)6. One other subject (Art, POA, DnT, FnN etc.)
Candidates must take at least 6 subjects which must include the above core (EL, MT, MA,HUM, SCI) subjects.
[edit] Grade and scoring systems
Most schools commonly follow the kind of grading system awarded at the Singapore-Cambridge GCE "O" level examination, which a student sits at the end of four or five yearsof secondary education, taking at least 6 subjects. The level of achievement in each subject isindicated by the grade obtained, with A1 being the highest achievable grade and F9 thelowest:
A1/A2 (Distinction) B3/B4 (Merit) C5/C6 (Credit/Pass) D7 (Sub-Pass/fail, that is, passing at a lower standard in the exam or fail) E8/F9 (Fail)
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 valuerespective 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 L1R5scoring system, the student's L1 or first language (either English or Higher Mother TongueLanguage) 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 asReligious Studies, Mother Tongue "B" and CCA). Consequently, an L1R5 score of 6 pointsis considered the best score attainable for entrance to a Junior College. A student requires anL1R5 score of below 20 points to be eligible for Junior College. On top of that, students mustalso pass English and Mother Tongue.
For non-major examinations, several schools use a Mean Subject Grade (MSG) scoringsystem, while schools running the Integrated Programme (IP) may also use the Grade Point
Average (GPA) scoring system.
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[edit] Co-Curricular activities
"Co-Curricular Activities" (CCA) are compulsory at the secondary level, where all pupilsmust participate in at least one core activity, and participation is graded together with otherachievements throughout the four years in a scoring system known as LEAPS ("Leadership,
Enrichment, Achievement, Participation, Service"). There are many co-curricular activitiesoffered at the secondary level, and each student is judged based in these areas. Competitionsand performances are regularly organized. Co-curricular activities are often categorized underthe following: Uniformed Groups, Performing Arts, Clubs & Societies and Sports & Games.Students may also participate in more than 1 CCA.
[edit] Uniformed Groups
The main uniform groups areNCC(National Cadet Corps),NPCC (National Police CadetCorps),NCDCC (National Civil Defence Cadet Corps), St John Ambulance Brigade, RedCross Youth,Singapore Scout Association, Girl Guides, the Boys Brigade and the GirlsBrigade. Students are expected to learn drills and must wear the respective uniforms.
This is to prepare male students for National Service (NS) when they reach the age of 18.Besides military drills, they also learn skills such as team-bonding and first-aid.
[edit] Performing Arts
Performing Arts CCAs vary from school to school, although most will include the Choir,Military/Concert/Symphonic Band, Chinese Orchestra, Dance groups for different ethniccultures, Drama and Debate. Most are oriented towards performing and the musical arts.
[edit] Clubs and societies
There is a broad range of clubs and societies, ranging from Singapore Youth Flying Club toRobotics, Media and Infocomm Clubs and martial arts.
[edit] 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. As of 2005, theschools participating consisted of 9 primary schools Anglo-Chinese School (Primary),Catholic High School (Primary), Henry Park Primary School,Nan Hua Primary School,
Nanyang Primary School,Rosyth School, Tao Nan School, St. Hilda's Primary School, andRaffles Girls' Primary School. Seven secondary schools originally started the programme, butwith the introduction of the Integrated Programme, most have folded the GEP programmesinto their IP curriculum. The two remaining secondary GEP schools are Anglo-ChineseSchool (Independent), an independent all-boys IB School, and Dunman High School, a mixedautonomous government school; the autonomous all-boysVictoria Schoolhad to suspendGEP classes due to low enrolment, with GEP students preferring IP schools.
Pupils enter the programme through a series of tests at Primary 3, which will identify the top1 per cent of the student population. A second selection used to be conducted at Primary 6 for
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