Heng Swee Keat
Singapore
“In a world heading towards greater contest and fragmentation, amid rapid advances in science, technology and innovation, Singaporeans can play a valuable part as bridge-builders and connectors, and Singapore can be a trusted and neutral Global-Asia node of technology, innovation and enterprise.”
“The National Quantum Office has identified specific goals under the National Quantum Strategy (NQS), with resources and efforts directed towards specific quantum areas and technologies accordingly.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank Member Ms Denise Phua for her comments because her comments reminded me of the tagline that I always said when I was in MOE – that you can learn from anyone, anytime, anywhere. In fact, peer learning is a very important aspect of that learning.”
“But I have laid out the strong basis for my optimism that a small and open economy like Singapore can continue to thrive and secure our next bound of growth. By serving as a trusted node and connector, we can create value by facilitating connections and building new linkages in today's fractured global landscape.”
“Secondly, one other very important thing the Member must bear in mind is that AI is a very rapidly developing field and it is something which our researchers are working hard on, to look at the different techniques of AI – it is not just GenAI, but the whole range of different AI systems that are being used – and how that can be used in c…”
“Assoc Prof Jamus Lim, you do not need an invitation. You are free to provide your suggestion. After all, are you not from WP? And by the way, let me make it clear that I have heard MPs on both aisles speaking about workers, and we have a very strong presence of our union MPs here and they will be speaking even more on this.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,730 lines we hold for Heng Swee Keat, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 30 of 35.
“Madam, I thank Dr Intan for her question. That is an issue that we are most concerned with. We are a very big Ministry. We have over 33,000 educators and, therefore, when we want to achieve the good outcomes that we mentioned, it is not just for the Minister to articulate a particular vision or direction, but really for every one of our educators to buy into that vision. I am happy to say that what I have outlined last Friday in Parliament and, in fact, what we have been doing in the last few years and even before that, builds on and consolidates what we have done. It is a result of very intensive discussions with our educators, internally as well as with the broader Singapore community, particularly parents as well as different stakeholders. This very extensive exercise was done during Our Singapore Conversation and will continue; we will continue to do that. I would like to say this – our educators find that the direction and the messages about what we are seeking to do are things which resonate with them very deeply. We are very fortunate to have, over the years, built up a very strong core of very caring educators who believe deeply about bringing out the best in every child. I have met so many of them. They were particularly delighted when I said that a good school cannot be just measured by academic grades alone. In fact, the attributes of a good school are about caring for students, about helping them to acquire the fundamentals, creating the positive school experience for them, for everyone, and when we care for and provide the opportunities for every student, they will blossom.”
“They said, "First, in the immediate term, we know that Asian students make very good engineers and we need more engineers; and, second, we know that they will help to build that network which, over time, will promote deeper relationships between Germany, in particular, and Europe, in general, and Asia". Countries around our region are doing the same. Let us not just focus on the technicalities; let us focus on the big picture of what we are doing. But I want to emphasise one very important point, which is that whatever we do, it must be that this serves the interest of Singaporeans and of Singapore, whether immediately or in the long run. And that is how we are guided in our policy.”
“And when they are able to tap on students who have lived a part of their lives in Singapore, they get to understand the Singapore way of doing things and they get to understand how they can work in Singapore companies and promote the Singapore brand. The third strategic point is this: that having a network of people who have been in Singapore ultimately benefits Singapore and Singaporeans. It may not be obvious today but it becomes obvious years down the road. 12.15 pm Page: 23 Let me just cite my personal experience. As a civil servant, when I was in MTI and when I was in the Monetary Authority of Singapore, I travelled around the region negotiating trade agreements, working on projects in collaboration with the governments in the region, with businesses in the region. Quite a number of these leaders had at some point studied in Singapore, and there is such a reservoir of goodwill, friendship and trust that allows us to do things together. Now, it may not appear obvious at first glance, but I urge Mr Png Eng Huat to consider carefully what that means for Singapore. Why do we want to create that goodwill, if not for the fact that this is going to benefit all Singaporeans in the long run? It may not benefit us today; it will benefit us years down the road. In fact, let me say that we are not the only country seeking to do this. I recently met a group of our Singaporean students who had been given scholarships to study in 北大, 清华 and 复旦, fully paid for by the Chinese government. When they came back, I spoke to them and they understand what is happening in China better. I was recently in Germany and several of their universities asked me to help them promote their scholarships to study in Germany.”
“Let me raise three strategic points about why we are having international students in the first place. First, we need to prepare our students for the future. Our starting point is a simple one – we want to provide high-quality, forward-looking education for Singaporean students, so that we can prepare them better for the future and, in turn, they can help to build a better future for all. And our students have to be prepared for a different world – the globalised, information-age world where soft skills matter; soft skills of cultural literacy, global awareness and the ability to work with people from all over the world, from all walks of life. Indeed, Ms Janice Koh, Ms Tan Su Shan and Mrs Lina Chiam all spoke about this earlier on. In fact, Mrs Chiam suggested that, perhaps, we should send 20% of our students overseas and then, in turn, we have 20% of overseas students come to study in our institutions to build that global awareness and cross-cultural literacy. I am happy to say that we are doing both. In fact, more than 50% of our students have, in their undergraduate studies, some form of overseas exposure. Having a fraction of international students in our system serves exactly the purpose that Mrs Chiam had spoken about, and which many of our Members here have spoken about. The second strategic point which I like to raise is that having international students in our universities and polytechnics serves the interests of all Singaporeans because it augments our manpower, it allows us to attract investments. And when we attract good investments, we create good jobs for all Singaporeans. As you are fully aware, we have a small market, and our companies have to regionalise and globalise.”
“I thank Mr Png Eng Huat for his question. Let me reiterate the reply that I gave to Parliament several weeks back where I made it clear that eight in 10 students started serving their bond promptly, were granted approval by MOE to defer the obligation, and of the remaining ones who are not, some have gone for studies and omitted to get approval; some are seeking employment and so on. We have in place a tracking and enforcement system, and for those who are in deliberate default, enforcement action will be taken. The reason why it takes time to track all these cases is that these are fairly intensive efforts. Each case has to be reviewed carefully. For instance, if someone said that he has a medical condition and is unable to fulfil his obligation, all that has to be checked properly and carefully. Mr Png asked how long it would take. Well, the review is going on and we are continuing to improve the system. He had also asked about the terms and conditions, especially about sureties. Let us see this in perspective because for international students, the requirement to allow for sureties who do not necessarily live in Singapore is a practical consideration. If you require all to be Singaporeans, it means that it would be difficult, if not almost impossible, to Page: 22 get all of them. But I want to assure the Member that we take this enforcement seriously, wherever the sureties are. I understand Mr Png Eng Huat's interest in looking at the administrative details, and I do think that these details matter and, indeed, officials are working very hard on these areas. But let me emphasise a few points. The first is that the admission of international students in our Institutes of Higher Learning is not at the expense of local students.”
“We do not expect large numbers because we do not typically expect such exceptional personal qualities at the young age of 12, but for a few who have had to face adversity in life early on and yet have thrived, we want to make sure that they are supported; that they continue to grow and thrive, especially in their areas of potential and talent, so that we can bring out the best in these children. As I have said earlier, this is part of our goal to help all our students to make full use of the variegated school landscape to bring out the best in every child and to keep our secondary schools open to a wide range of talents with different strengths.”
“Madam, may I also respond to Mr Ang Wei Neng's question on DSA. Mr Ang Wei Neng has asked whether we expect every DSA student to now be assessed on exceptional personal qualities. No, we do not expect exceptional personal qualities in all DSA students. The exceptional personal qualities, which I spoke about last Friday, are about character, resilience, drive and leadership. So, there will be no change to the criteria for selecting DSA students for the vast majority. They will continue to be assessed based on their achievements and potential in a specific academic or non-academic area. As part of the selection, schools today already look out for good conduct and basic personal qualities and this will remain. But we do not expect everyone to demonstrate exceptional personal qualities. What we have done now is to provide for an additional avenue for a very small number of students who have displayed exceptional personal qualities to be given a second look by the secondary schools. So, our primary schools will identify a small handful of students with these qualities and help these students with these exceptional personal qualities to apply for DSA to a secondary school which has programmes that can allow these students to develop their area of potential and talent to the fullest. These students will be considered alongside other DSA candidates who have not been so identified by their Page: 21 primary schools.”
“And in our Character and Citizenship Education programmes, a great deal of the activities are infused into daily actions because there is no better way of saying that I love my country than to do something for the country – and to do something whether it is starting from the school, or the neighbourhood and the broader community. It is a whole range of different activities, many of them initiated by the students themselves, so that they can experience it, they can feel it and not just talk about it in abstract. Again, this is an ongoing continual effort. We must do our best to help every child realise the importance of contributing to our nation and, in that way, we can continue to build a cohesive, successful nation. And this is particularly important as we celebrate our 50th year of Independence. I will ask Senior Minister of State Ms Indranee Rajah to respond to the other issues.”
“That is why we have decided to provide a top up to all the Parent Support Groups Fund so that they can help to spread the message of how each and every family can bring out the best in Page: 18 their children, not just in the academic realm, but holistically. So, we will do more with the Parent Support Groups. We will also be conducting more parent conferences. Our schools have been provided with tool kits; we see our educators, our school leaders, engaging parents in a more intense way. Mr Lim asked if the provision of Student Care Centres will affect the implementation of single session in schools. I would like to assure Mr Lim that no, it would not. In fact, we are on track in both areas. I do hope that the Student Care Centres will provide parents with greater assurance that their children are being looked after. 12.00 pm The third question that Mr Lim raised is about the teaching of values and, in particular, loyalty to the nation. Indeed, this is something that we have to pay a lot of attention to because as recent events have shown, we live in an unpredictable world. As a small nation, we will always have to be vigilant if we want to maintain our independence and sovereignty. So, how do we teach this concept of loyalty to our students? It is, in fact, through a lot of Values-In-Action. You will notice that our programme is called "Character and Citizenship Education", and it is important for our students, starting from very young, to understand what it means to be citizens of Singapore, what it means to be loyal to the country, and how they can contribute to our broader community or broader society, and not just to have success on their own.”
“Mdm Chair, I thank Mr Lim Biow Chuan for his supplementary questions. On his first question of what more we can do to convince and persuade parents about what is the best way to bring out the best in their children, I have spoken at length on the range of measures that we are doing in our schools. Starting from the way that we assess students more holistically – in our primary schools now, our schools provide a holistic assessment report for our students. I have seen some of these reports, and I have to say that our teachers are putting a lot of effort to explain the various dimensions. We have also started on our Values-In-Action programme as part of CCE. In the Values-In-Action programmes, we seek to involve parents in the process and some schools have done it very creatively. They have, for instance, required students to work with their parents – for example, doing household chores at home. I think parents can see the value of those types of assignments. Parents then take part together with children in their learning journey and, in the process, they get to understand even better what our schools are seeking to do and to see for themselves how this benefits their children. But I agree with Mr Lim that this is going to be a long journey. It is not something that we can do overnight. That is where deeper engagement with parents is very important – and I found that to be valuable during Our Singapore Conversation, where we had many discussions with parents. Understanding what their concerns are, what their aspirations are and how we can work together with them. As Senior Parliamentary Secretary Mr Hawazi Daipi has just mentioned, we will do more through our Parent Support Groups.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2014/2015, and ask leave to sit again on Monday, 10 March 2014.”
“Sir, may I seek your consent to move that progress be reported now and leave be asked to sit again on Monday, 10 March 2014?”
“This knowledge and empathy gap is worrying because we are an integral part of Asia. The economic centre of gravity is likely to shift indefinitely to Asia within the next decade or two. Most Singaporeans can also trace their cultural roots to Asia as well. Asia is vast. Even within countries like China and India, there is tremendous diversity. I am concerned that the combination of relative ignorance of and the lack of empathy and appreciation towards Asia will work against our larger interests. We urgently need to instill a sense of realism, improve knowledge levels, acquire a nuanced understanding and a holistic appreciation of Asia, a region that is of central importance to us politically, economically and culturally. We need to inculcate in our young an open mind, an enquiring attitude and an appreciation of the strengths, weaknesses and diversity towards the world Page: 162 at large, but especially towards Asia. More can be done to ensure that younger generations of Singaporeans better appreciate our place in Asia, in particular, Southeast Asia. Equipping Students for the Economy”
“She told me and I quote, "I want him to learn from this Pioneer Generation, about hard work and sacrifice, and to remember to respect them". What was most touching was that the young man was most enthusiastic to speak with the teachers who were there and to learn from them. My hope is that each child can reach his best and go on to be a pioneer in his own way, inspiring others and passing on the best to generations to come, like our pioneers have done. To do this, our children need to have strong skills, character and values, a strong commitment to Singapore and fellow Singaporeans, and a strong conviction that they have all of our fullest support Page: 161 and love. I hope Members can see how we are seeking to Bring Out the Best in Every Child, in Every Domain of Learning, in Every School, at Every Stage of the Learning Journey, whatever the Starting Point, to Create a Better Future – Together. Promoting Study of Asia in Our Schools Assoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene (Nominated Member): Sir, I would like to urge the Education Ministry to strengthen its efforts in promoting interest, awareness, knowledge, and the study of Asia in our schools, especially in the institutions of higher learning. There is, I am afraid, a worrying level of ignorance and perhaps even condescension among some of our students towards Asia. This attitude is partly reflected in how study trips and university exchange programmes in Asia rank lowly with our students, and pales in comparison with those in Europe and North America. But beyond that, it is also the fact that they do not see Asia as being important. Part of the problem lies, I think, in the lack of knowledge, compounded by stereotypes of Asian societies, cultures, histories and politics.”
“For example, teachers in the Normal (Technical) Professional Focus Group come together to share and learn one another's best practices that can bring out the best in their students. When the teachers themselves grow and feel fulfilled, motivated and supported, the students under them can blossom. Let me now say a few words about parents. Parents are a child's first, and most important, teachers. We are fortunate to have a culture where parents want an active role in the child's learning. We respect and appreciate that. We must work together with parents to bring out the best in their children. Over the last few years, schools have stepped up their efforts to work hand-in-hand with parents. I heartily support this and hope to see even more. MOE has seeded funding through the Parent Support Group (PSG) Fund. To keep up the good partnership, we will provide an annual top-up of up to $2,500 per school to fund our schools' parent engagement efforts. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Hawazi and Minister of State Sim Ann will talk about how our parents and the community have enabled our children to have richer learning experiences – be it in bilingualism or learning about our region. Sir, Singapore is a young country, but we have a wealth of wisdom in our pioneers and a wealth of spirit in our young. As we approach our 50th year of Independence, let us honour the efforts of our forefathers, particularly educators in the Pioneer Generation who built up the education system to what it is today. With very little, they achieved a lot. I met Mrs Niva Dutt at the Pioneer Generation event. She was the former Principal of Cedar Girls. She had brought her grandson along.”
“Every one of the 500 participants had signed up voluntarily and all had this passion to improve their skills in order to teach our children better. So, they are learning to teach and I hope that they also teach to learn. 6.30 pm Mrs Chiam raised the issue of teachers' well-being. And, indeed, this is very much at the heart of our concern. Over the last few years alone, we have significantly increased the number of teachers, allied educators that support our teachers in teaching and learning and in behavioural support as well as our executive and administrative staff in our schools. I want to assure Mrs Chiam and Ms Janice Koh that if you look at the international comparisons of the number of teachers to the number of students in our school system, we can hold our head high. As I have said, it is not just about numbers; it is really about the heart; in getting the right people with the heart for teaching. Our school leaders are very caring leaders and, in many instances, I have heard of so many stories of how they provide flexibility for teachers. When we want to bring out the best in our children, we need to help our teachers reach their personal and professional best, too. I am committed to enabling our teachers to continue to grow. I applaud the culture of dedication, sharing and professional-led excellence. Our teachers are lifelong students. Page: 160 In the coming years, the Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST) and our specialised teachers' academies will do even more to lead and inspire the continuing professional development of our teachers. Many teachers are also forming spontaneous networks of learning communities to share effective practices.”
“By ensuring access to high-quality education opportunities, we aim to bring out the best in every child, whatever his financial starting point, learning needs or special education needs. I have said that we want to bring out the best in every child, in every domain, in every school, at every stage of the learning journey, whatever the starting point. To achieve this, we have to do it in partnership – in partnership with the community. As the old adage goes: it takes a village to raise a child. We are not just raising a child, but bringing out his best. It is not just any village, but one that really cares and is fully committed to this mission. When a child can reach his best, the whole village rejoices and benefits, as my story of Dr Leonard Tan illustrates, and that of Ms Catherine Boey and all Page: 159 the students who have gone on to achieve their best. There are many excellent teachers, allied educators, counsellors and psychologists in our school system. I have met many myself. Last month, at the Pioneer Generation Tribute Event, I met teachers who, together, have accumulated thousands of years of experience between them. Some are still teaching, some passing on their experiences to younger teachers. They have brought out the best in their students and seen for themselves their students reaching their best. Younger teachers who met them that day were inspired. There is a long and deep tradition of care in our teaching service. Last month, I gave out National Day awards to over 280 teachers who made the difference to many students, and in the room you could feel their dedication and their passion for their students – it is remarkable. In November 2012, I attended the Singapore International Science Teachers Conference. This was held during the school holidays.”
“This is a very important phase for bringing out their best. From academic year 2014, students from lower and middle-income families in our Institutes of Higher Learning will receive more substantial financial support. We will make higher education more accessible for lower- and middle-income groups in two ways: by raising the income thresholds for bursaries and by raising bursary amounts. This means more Singaporean students will qualify for bursaries and they will each get more. In all, 120,000 Singaporean students stand to benefit – again, a very substantial increase. Now, if you look at this chart [A slide was shown to hon Members. Please refer to Annex 1.] for ITE students, if you are enrolled in ITE, the bursaries will not only fully cover the fees – which is about $310 – but also provide for living allowances of about $50 to $70 a month. If they are in Polytechnics, 80% of the fees for the lower income students will be covered. The bursary of $2,000 will cover about 80% of their fees. University students in lower-income families will have about 45% of their fees covered – almost half. Students from the middle-income households will also benefit from a sizeable increase in the bursary quantum. These changes, together the recent concessions on transport fares for Polytechnic students, will reduce the financial burden of many students [Slides were shown to hon Members. Please refer to Annex 2 and Annex 3.] I should reiterate that these bursaries come on top of the very high level of subsidies which all our students in our Institutes of Higher Learning already enjoy, which all students enjoy regardless of family income.”
“I would like to now touch on financial needs. Let me first acknowledge our Singapore parents. An admirable trait of our parents is that whatever their financial circumstances, they put their children's education first and foremost. I am sure all of us have met these parents, and I have met many of them myself. I want to help parents succeed in bringing out the best in every of their children. Financial circumstances should not be the limiting factor. Starting from pre-school, on top of the generous Child Care subsidies, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman announced the Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS). The Minister for Social and Family Development will provide details later, but I am happy to add that for MOE kindergartens, this could mean paying as low as $1.50 a month. We have also significantly enhanced coverage of financial support in schools over the years. In 2012, we expanded the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) for students. This year, bursaries for students at Independent Schools were enhanced. More than 68,000 students benefited last year. This is more than a four-fold increase from a decade ago. We have also provided more funds for our schools this year for school-based financial assistance so that schools can act flexibly on the ground. Schools with more needy students will get more funds. We also have the Opportunity Fund to ensure students from less advantaged backgrounds are not denied learning opportunities in school. From pre-school to 10 years of basic education, there is good support for bringing out the best in every child, whatever his financial starting point. Page: 158 Higher education in Singapore is already highly subsidised and MOE is committed to making higher education even more accessible to our students.”
“They show great tenacity and have come a long way. They are cheerful and optimistic. They embody that "can do" spirit. They made a success of their own lives and go on to contribute to others. Members would have read in the papers when the "A" levels results were released, of Ms Amanda Chong, a Pioneer JC student who suffered glaucoma at the age of three and her vision at end of her Junior College Year 1. Her studies suffered, especially in Economics and Mathematics, which are graphics-heavy. Despite that, she went on to do extremely well in her "A" levels. I am not lauding her just for her grades, but rather for her remarkable spirit. As one of our educators shared with me, and I quote, "While the world became pitch dark to her, the darkness did not consume her. Instead, she continued to see beauty in her life and brought light, hope and inspiration to the people around her." It is truly, truly inspiring. Page: 157 Each year, about 1% of our students who enter the ITE, Polytechnics or publicly-funded Universities have some form of special education needs. I agree with Ms Denise Phua that we must do more to support our children, so that needs do not mean limits, and that we can bring out their very best so that we have many more Yong Yongs, Sze Lings and Amandas. Ms Phua would be very happy that we will be setting up Disability Support Offices in ITEs, all Polytechnics and publicly-funded Universities. A Special Education Needs Fund will also be set aside to alleviate the cost of assistive technology devices and support services. I feel strongly that these enhancements will make a significant difference to the students. Minister of State Sim Ann will speak more on this later. I have covered learning needs, special educational needs.”
“That means, by the end next year, almost two-thirds of our Primary schools will have Student Care Centres. I look forward to more innovative care programmes Page: 156 and even more happy and engaged children. Mr Alvin Yeo spoke about full-day schools. Let us start by having really good Student Care Centres in our schools. I spoke about bringing out the best in every child, whatever his starting point in terms of learning needs. What about special needs? Now, Ms Denise Phua has been a passionate advocate for us to do more to support the needs of students with special needs. We have significantly enhanced support for children with special needs in schools and in our IHLs. We continue to work closely with VWO-run special education (SPED) schools to improve their curriculum and enhance our support for them. Many of us, including Minister of State Sim Ann and myself, have visited many of these schools and they are doing very good work. I have also met many students with dyslexia, and know many successful adults who have dyslexia. With intervention, they can learn to overcome difficulties and build a good foundation in literacy. Our pilot programmes have been very helpful for children with dyslexia. From this year, we have expanded school-based dyslexia remediation to 20 more schools – making it a total of 62 such schools, spread across the island. Before I go on, let me share a reflection on Singaporeans with special needs. I had the privilege of working with Ms Chia Yong Yong, President of the Society for the Physically Disabled, in Our Singapore Conversation Committee, and now with Dr Yeo Sze Ling, research scientist at A*STAR in our Singapore50 Committee. Yong Yong has a muscular disorder and Sze Ling lost her sight at age four.”
“This provides an alternative pathway for Normal (Technical) students. And, again, the response has been very encouraging. I have spoken to some of the parents myself. Attendance rates are close to 100%. More importantly, the students are engaged. These are all significant interventions. Whatever a child's starting point in terms of learning, there is support to help to bring out the best in him. Mr Inderjit Singh expressed concerns that we are labelling students. Let me assure the Member that this is not the intention. As one of the board members of these schools once told me, and I quote, "The best antidote to stigma is success." He can speak on this with authority because having been once a student who struggled in a regular school, and I quote, "Between stigma and an opportunity to excel, I would choose opportunity to excel, rather than slowly see your interest dwindle away." Learning is not just about ABCs and 123s. I am also a firm believer in the importance of socio-emotional learning. Beyond academic support, we are strengthening socio-emotional support through a number of programmes, including the expansion of school-based Student Care Centres (SCCs). Dr Intan and Mr Yee Jenn Jong both spoke on this. And I agree with Dr Intan that, indeed, Student Care Centres provide a conducive environment for learning, especially for those from less advantaged backgrounds. We have significantly expanded in the past few years. Just three years ago, we had fewer than 40; now we have 80 school-based Student Care Centres in our Primary schools. I have visited many of our Student Care Centres and it is a joy to see happy, engaged children. I am happy to announce that over the next two years, we will increase the number of school-based Student Care Centres by 50%, or 40 more.”
“Entering preschool, if our child is weak in his ABCs, he can benefit from Focused Language Assistance in Reading or the FLAiR programme. Going into Primary school, what if our child is not strong enough with reading and numbers? I announced the expansion of our Learning Support Programmes and other levelling up programmes for English and Mathematics in Parliament last year. These programmes provide support for the weaker 15% of each cohort throughout the Primary school years and, if necessary, right through for the rest of the 10 years of basic education. We already invest up to 20% more on these students over the course of their Primary education, compared to the average, and this will increase to 40% by 2017 as we expand these programmes. I would like to assure Mr Singh that we are very mindful of the importance of these programmes to bring out the best in every child. We are developing a critical mass of expert teachers to support this effort. 6.15 pm Page: 155 After Primary school, in addition to school-based assistance, we also adopt a whole-school approach for some. Members are aware of the good outcomes of NorthLight School (NLS) and Assumption Pathway School (APS) in developing students who fail the PSLE. Before these schools were established, attrition rates were as high as 60% for this group of students. We have managed to lower this to 10% to 15% in a few short years. This is remarkable success. What it means is that many lives are transformed, many lives are changed for the better, and some children really blossom in these schools and discover the best in themselves. Many more are progressing to ITE and transiting to meaningful employment. So, building on this success, we started Crest Secondary School (CSS) and Spectra Secondary School (SSS).”
“These are qualitative aspects, best observed through daily interactions over a sustained period of time in school. In short, let me summarise what I have said: our children's education is a long journey. PSLE should be an important checkpoint so as to better support our children in their learning journey. DSA provides a pathway for students to develop areas of interest and strength. The changes that we are making are important, but do see it as part of a broader effort to support the holistic development of each child and to bring Page: 154 out the best in every child, so as to prepare our children better for the future. I want to emphasise that there are many interconnected pathways to success, and at every stage of the journey. Let us equip them with a strong inner compass and navigation skills to excel in the future. I have just spoken on how we are bringing out the best in every child at every stage of the learning journey. But some worry that there are children who cannot access the opportunities at various stages. Let me now touch on how we bring out the best in every child, in every domain, in every school, at every stage of the learning journey, whatever the child's starting point. Making this happen is close to the hearts of many of us who work in education. We must strive for our education system to be open and inclusive. Children have different needs: learning needs, special needs and financial needs. MOE is committed to do more to support these students at all levels. Our approach is comprehensive: levelling-up programmes for literacy and numeracy; pastoral and student-care support; special needs support; and financial support. Let us follow a child's learning journey through the various stages and how we will support them.”
“We will release more details on the PSLE in due course. Mr Ang Wei Neng and Mr Hri Kumar spoke about the DSA or the Direct School Admission. DSA recognises a broader range of abilities. It helps students enter schools with programmes that can develop their strengths and interests. We will be broadening the DSA to consider personal qualities of students, such as character, resilience, drive and leadership. In fact, some Secondary schools already consider these qualities through interviews, selection camps, feedback from Primary schools and so on. We will make a small but important change by making this practice consistent in all schools with DSA, to emphasise importance of personal qualities. Let me emphasise that we are not adding a new DSA category. We are not increasing the total number of DSA places. As parents have told me, "Don't create new sources of pressure for students." So, parents need not worry that they have to send their children for enrichment classes or tuition classes to prepare for this. The reason is this. Primary schools can identify the small handful of children with exceptional personal qualities. This is most obvious when a child thrives despite adversity brought about by life's inevitable difficulties. I have met quite a number of these students myself. Primary schools will look out for suitable programmes in Secondary schools based on the strengths of the child. Secondary schools taking in these students will consider them holistically in DSA selection. The rest of the DSA process remains largely unchanged. Now, some parents and teachers have warned that it is difficult to quantify personal qualities. And indeed, we fully appreciate this.”
“It is within this context that we are reviewing PSLE scoring and Direct School Admissions (DSA), as the Prime Minister mentioned during National Day Rally speech last year. Changes to PSLE scoring will support a more holistic education for our students: PSLE will provide the assessment to help each child decide on the next step of his education journey that is best given his pace of development. Mr Lim Biow Chuan spoke about this earlier that the PSLE score should not determine the student's future, and that whatever it is, it is for students to make the best out of their Secondary education in school. I fully agree. Mr Low Thia Khiang spoke about the need to be careful about the changes and I agree with Mr Low; that is why we are calibrating our changes carefully. The PSLE is a long-standing assessment in our education system. In fact, I have been listening to the feedback at many sessions of Our Singapore Conversation last year – both the broader ones as well as MOE-focused ones – and at other platforms. I fully appreciate the concerns voiced over timing and the posting criteria for admissions to Secondary schools. It is still some time before we implement. I want to assure parents that there will be no sudden changes. We will give parents, teachers and schools sufficient time to adjust. Right now, we are focused on working with parents so that they may better understand the variegated landscape of our schools and indeed meet the interests of their children and, therefore, how to make the best use of the many Page: 153 pathways available to bring out the best in their children – not in terms of their PSLE scores but in every domain. It is to prepare our students for the future, as several Members had spoken earlier about.”
“We will be working in close partnership with various industries to pioneer new pathways to develop the professionalism and craftsmanship of our young. So, I thank Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Dr Intan for speaking on ASPIRE earlier. For two years now, I have officiated at the Singapore-Industry Scholarship (SgIS) Award Ceremony. We identified companies which are serious about developing a strong core of Singaporeans with deep skills and expertise to anchor strategic industries. Close to 200 scholarships have been given. It is not just the scholarships, it is the commitment to developing talent that we look Page: 152 forward in these companies and there are some big ones and some SMEs. We are also expanding degree places, with distinctive applied degree pathways to be offered by SIT and UniSIM. Many Singaporean students will benefit. This, together with ASPIRE and Government-industry collaborations like the Singapore Industry Scholarship, is part of a larger effort to move beyond qualifications to a stronger focus on skills and expertise, on developing one's professional depth on the job, on developing craftsmanship, and on developing the instincts to pull together different strands of knowledge to solve real-world problems and to invent new possibilities. It is a very exciting development and a very major effort. Senior Minister of State Indranee will speak more about ASPIRE later. By now, I hope Members appreciate the important shifts that we are making to continue to bring out the best in every child at every stage of their learning journey. If we see education as a long journey, then Primary school is just one stage of this journey.”
“Deputy Prime Minister Tharman in his round-up speech for the Budget debate affirmed this Government's commitment to invest in every talent, not just in schools, but in lifelong learning. Indeed, to enable our young to seize opportunities, we must make a major shift in our mindsets, to go beyond qualifications, to build deep skills and expertise in every student. Mr Lim Biow Chuan spoke earlier on importance of skills to ensure that our young can continue to access opportunities. We need to embrace the idea of craftsmanship and professionalism seriously, and encourage our students to pursue their areas of strengths. In doing so, we will develop a culture of mastery on the job, seeking not just competence but excellence. This starts with the basics. Film artist, Nor Azman Mohammed Rohman, has a job which many young people dream of. He is in Lucasfilm, and had worked on blockbusters like "Star Trek: Into Darkness" and "Pacific Rim". He said, "You have to have the patience to learn the basics properly and to get the fundamentals right." Beyond getting the basics right, it must continue with a habit of lifelong learning to develop one's talent. The learning has to take place, day-in, day-out, on the job, and through professional upgrading. Only then can the virtues of craftsmanship and professionalism be built and deepened; taking pride in one's work and developing a culture of excellence. I have met many Polytechnic and ITE students, and I enjoy our interactions. Their energy and drive to do well, and their passion for certain fields are infectious. I am proud of them, and I want to do more for them. That is why we set up the ASPIRE Committee chaired by Senior Minister of State Indranee.”
“We can be proud of our post-Secondary students' achievements. Now, this is Miss Catherine Boey [A slide was shown to hon Members]. She is the world's best in beauty therapy! Catherine won the Gold Medal for the Beauty Therapy Skill Area at the WorldSkills Competition in 2013 – the WorldSkills competition is hailed as the Olympics of Skills. Catherine is now at ITE. This has been a long Budget session. If Members need some rejuvenation and beauty therapy from the world's best, I will make the arrangements. Gentlemen could be included, too. I met Catherine, together with many of our winners at the biennial WorldSkills Competition. This is a very intense competition and you can hear the drama that they go through. I am proud that our ITE and Polytechnic students outshone those from more advanced economies, from economies that have a longer history of skills-based training. It is a testament to the hard work of these students and the quality and standing of our ITE and our Polytechnics. Catherine credits ITE and WorldSkills for providing her the opportunity to hone her skills; building her confidence in handling stressful situations; and learning how to work and interact with people from all over the world. She takes pride in her skills and I am very happy that she wants to pass it on to others. She is currently a Teaching Associate at ITE and will be pursuing further studies on an ITE Scholarship this year and then return to ITE as a lecturer after her Page: 151 studies. She hopes to be a role model to inspire her students to believe in themselves and achieve their dreams. Catherine is just one example of how we are bringing out the best in each child at every stage of the learning journey.”
“To make learning meaningful, each stage needs to be rigorous, well-designed and appropriate for the development of the child. At preschool, our children develop socio-emotional skills through play and acquire the basics of numeracy and bilingual literacy. We build on this foundation in Primary school. Queenstown Primary was the first school I visited on my first day of work when I joined MOE as Minister and I recently visited it again. I am very glad they have made so much progress in just two-odd years. Their students are now exposed to a rich variety of stimulus – in reading, writing, mathematics, arts, music, physical education and social interaction. They enjoy quality interaction with their form teachers, in dedicated Form Teacher Guidance Periods. I saw how deeply engaged our young students were on that day. And this is not just in Queenstown Primary. Page: 150 It is happening across all our Primary schools. In Secondary schools, we help our students to pursue and deepen their strengths and interests, and further develop higher order skills. In the post-Secondary years, our students can make the best use of our wide range of pathways to progress. It is remarkable that today, 96% of each cohort already progress to post-Secondary education – almost universal – up from just 88% a decade ago. I should add that not many countries have been able to achieve this. 6.00 pm Over the years, we have made these distinct pathways more interconnected to allow students to progress at different stages of their development. We have introduced the Polytechnic Foundation Programme, Direct Entry Scheme to Polytechnic Programme and the Enhanced NITEC Foundation Programme. All this is about creating more opportunities for our students.”
“She has pioneered many innovative and effective practices in Pathlight and Eden Schools for children with autism. So, I would like to assure Ms Phua again that we will give her proposal serious consideration. It will take us some time to evaluate Members' ideas – whether it is cluster schools or broader development of talent, or through-train, because there are really a Page: 149 range of ideas that we can all explore. We can always do more for our schools, teachers and students, in order to bring out the best in every child. We will expand the mix of programmes across our schools, and create a landscape with more distinctive schools. In doing so, we will not just have a handful of good schools, but every school is a good school. But let me mention a very important initiative that we have just embarked on. We are currently expanding the range of programmes and the mix of programmes across our schools and creating a more colourful landscape with more distinctive schools. This is part of our effort of making every school a good school. Each will be good in its own ways, with its peaks of excellence, as Dr Intan pointed out, well-resourced with good teachers, and with varied programmes. Even as we continue our efforts across our schools, we are also bringing out the best in every child at every stage of the learning journey. Education is not a timed obstacle race, to collect qualifications in the fastest possible time; rather, our children's education is a journey of discovering their strengths, building their compass and their navigation skills. This journey has many stages and is a lifelong one. It never ends! At each stage, a child learns what is appropriate for that age, and builds the basics for the next stage.”
“It is not about smaller class size per se. It is about inspiring teachers who lead, care and inspire. It is about teachers who weave together curriculum, co-curricular activities, Values-In-Action programmes into teachable moments. They create an integrative and immersive environment, to create the opportunities for success, to encourage students to strive to learn. Just like what the schools had done for Dr Leonard Tan. Our key strength in our national school system is in having a core of good teachers and principals across all our schools, committed to making Every School a Good School and bringing out the best in every child. These dedicated educators also constantly strive to look for innovative ideas to bring out the best in every child. So, we also appreciate good ideas that are surfaced to us. Mr Inderjit has been raising the issue of streaming for many years, including in previous Parliaments. In the last Parliament, Ms Denise Phua expressed concerns about high-stakes PSLE examinations and pushed for changes. MOE takes a systematic approach to making changes. We already have subject-based banding in Primary schools to prepare students for standard and foundational subjects at PSLE. Starting this year, Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) students in 12 Secondary schools will be allowed to take some subjects at a higher level starting from Secondary 1. Mr Yee Jenn Jong and Ms Denise Phua spoke about integrated schools. In fact, Ms Phua also presented a detailed proposal on Primary to Secondary integrated school in Parliament in January, the key elements which she repeated today and which in the earlier session I responded to. I appreciate that Ms Phua is a hands-on practitioner who understands the complexity of education.”
“As you can see from the slides, our Secondary schools have a variety of programmes in visual and performing arts, physical education and sports science, community and youth leadership, and many others. Mr Inderjit Singh and Mrs Lina Chiam spoke about resourcing of schools. Mrs Chiam mentioned about cuts to independent school funding. I have clarified in this House that we are not cutting independent school funding per se. Rather, as a result of the review, six independent schools actually got more funds and four had their funds reduced as part of a rationalisation exercise. Mrs Chiam also cited reduced funding. Let me clarify that that is on certain projects and that is because a great deal of upgrading projects have been completed. But our operating expenditure has been increasing. One way to make Every School a Good School a reality is by resourcing our schools based on their needs. Every school gets baseline funding and good infrastructure. We are rolling out indoor sports halls in every school, synthetic fields for every school that needs it, PERI facilities as a result of the review earlier on – music rooms, dance studios, student care centres and so on. Where appropriate, we will build specialised infrastructure fit-for-purpose. If we need a commercial-scale teaching kitchen like at Crest Secondary, we will Page: 148 invest. And, in fact, I have seen that lovely kitchen that is used to teach our students. If we need a laboratory for applied learning – we will invest. But let me emphasise that it is not just about facilities and resources. The more I interact with educators and our specialists, the more I appreciate that teaching and learning are complex and intricate processes. It is not one specific subject, lesson, or way of doing things.”
“So, let us develop more of such peaks, multiply and spread good practices, grow good schools across a range of domains, to better meet the different needs of our children. If you survey the school landscape today, we see a more colourful landscape. There are specialised schools in arts, music, sports, science, Page: 147 mathematics, for applied learning and hands-on learning. To add more colour to this landscape and enrich the learning environment, six months ago, I announced that we will have Applied Learning Programmes and Learning for Life Programmes in all our Secondary schools. Our schools can get up to $100,000 for these programmes. As an example, Greendale Secondary School has a Design, Technology and Engineering Applied Learning Programme. Students learn cross-disciplinary design thinking skills and to make a difference to others. You can see on the slide here that the students have done a project because they noticed that the elderly have difficulties taking public transport. So, they invented an "EZ Card Holder", attached to walking sticks. This made it easier for the elderly to just tap their EZ-Link cards. The unit has sensors which activate a buzzer when walking stick falls over, to alert passers-by to provide help immediately. They tested a prototype and were encouraged by the level of interest from the public. But it is not just what they invent, but what they learn in the process. Student Nursarah shared that she was able to improve her communication, collaboration and problem solving skills – the skills that Ms Tan Su Shan and Ms Janice Koh both mentioned.”
“And this Every School a Good School has energised our schools, and helped change parents' perception. I am deeply committed to this, so, therefore, let me repeat what I said then. First and foremost, a good school is one that cares for its students. Therefore, it is one that studies and knows the needs, interests and strengths of its students and motivates them to learn and grow. A good school ensures all students acquire strong fundamentals of literacy and numeracy and develops them holistically, in character, knowledge and critical competencies. A good school creates a positive school experience for each student, making him a confident and lifelong learner. A good school has caring and competent teachers who are steadfast in their mission to impact lives. A good school has the support of parents and the community, working together to bring out the best in our children. A good school cares for and provides opportunities to all students, regardless of family circumstances. I am pleased that many parents are now checking out the schools in our neighbourhood. I am pleased to read in this issue of Young Parents which says, "Branded schools? No thanks. A neighbourhood Primary school could be the better choice" – on how parents are choosing schools in their neighbourhood that suit their children, raving about their neighbourhood schools. I applaud these parents. Indeed, I fully agree with a comment in the article that it is odd that we call these "neighbourhood schools" – after all, are not all schools in the neighbourhood? I want to assure you that I am fully committed, together with my team, to making Every School a Good School, and working with you to bring out the best in your child. As Dr Intan pointed out, we have many peaks of excellence – peaks built on high bases.”
“Like Dr Intan, I have heard some cynics say: how can every school be a good school when it does not produce the same number of students who have perfect scores compared to the other one? To put things into perspective, let me share with you my discussions with parents. 5.45 pm I have met many parents who shared with me how different each of their children is – in interests, in temperaments, in aptitudes. One is motivated; another requires prodding. One thrives under intense competition; another blossoms in a nurturing environment. One is theoretical; another is hands-on. One is outgoing; another is introverted. I am sure Members of this House can resonate with that. Same parents! Same upbringing! Completely different temperaments, interests and aptitudes. Different outcomes. But every parent wants to be a good parent, to bring out the best in each of their children. But this does not mean achieving identical outcomes. Rather, nurturing parents seek to help each of their children discover his or her strengths and interests, help each of them build on these, to succeed and to lead a happy, meaningful life. If a good parent with just two or three children cannot turn out identical outcomes, nor is judged whether he or she is a good parent on the basis that each of their children turn out the same way, or turn out with equal academic scores, is it right to judge a school with over 1,000 students, as "good" or "not good", on the basis of whether it can produce identical academic grades as Page: 146 another school? Every school a good school does not mean Every School the Same School, but it does mean Every School Good in its Own Way, seeking to bring out the Best in Every Child. In our 2012 Committee of Supply debate on MOE, I set out what Every School a Good School means.”
“Mr Lim Biow Chuan, Dr Intan and several Members have spoken about every school a good school. Let me first share a story. I met Dr Leonard Tan last year, as Members can see it on the slide. [A slide was shown to hon Members.] Leonard came from a low-income family and could not afford music lessons as a child. He joined the school band in Princess Elizabeth Primary School and then Bukit Panjang Government High where he learnt to play the tuba. This early exposure piqued his interest in music. In Secondary 3, he saved up $98 for a violin and taught himself how to play the instrument. In less than two years, he obtained a Grade 6 in violin. He went on to pursue his passion in music, first at a Junior College in a music elective programme where he met some inspiring teachers, then because of family circumstances, he had to work, then he went on to LaSalle and NAFA, before getting a scholarship from our National Institute of Education Page: 145 to do his PhD in the US. Leonard is now an Asst Prof at the National Institute of Education working to develop the next generation of music teachers. Now, think about it – if not for the school band, Leonard might not have had the opportunity to learn to read music scores or to learn the tuba, and then to discover his strength and his passion. And Leonard is now contributing back to education and to our society. By bringing out the best in every child, our society progresses. Leonard's story illustrates that good schools can be places of discovery and nurture for our students, and can bring out the best in them – good Primary schools, good Secondary schools and beyond.”
“In fact, many of these projects are also done in our Primary schools. Page: 144 Our students have done well in international benchmarking tests, such as PISA. Ms Janice Koh pointed out that test scores alone are not enough. I agree. I have looked at the sample questions in PISA and also at our own examination papers. Boy! They do challenge our students – to apply knowledge and skills to solve unfamiliar real-life problems and to use incomplete information, explore indirect relationships, find solutions using unstructured data. So, if Members have an interest to take these tests, I can arrange. Neither should we fall into the trap of "either-or" thinking – that is, either knowledge or skills. In fact, all over the world, there are fierce debates on this issue and I have been following the debates very closely. If creativity is about connecting the dots, you need to have solid dots in the first place or you will have nothing to connect. So, a grasp of the basics is necessary. I am not suggesting that we have a perfect system, but I do hope that we take pride in our students' achievements and have the confidence to build on that. Mr Alvin Yeo mentioned that we are not so good in the creative field – in the arts. I think it is important for us not to over generalise. I am sure that we are all proud of our film-makers, Anthony Chen and Royston Tan, to just name two of them. So, by bringing out the best in every child in every domain, we enable our students to integrate values, knowledge and skills in new and powerful ways, and to go on to navigate changes, solve problems and invent new possibilities. Let me now touch on how we are bringing out the best in every child in every school.”
“But we need the support of the community, and I want to thank Ms Ng for her personal effort in helping our students understand our Pledge. Equipping our students with the inner compass and the navigation skills is a labour of love. To do so, we seek to bring out the best in every child in every domain, not just in the academic subjects, but also in CCA, in arts, in music, in sports and in Values-in-Action projects. This is holistic education, it is about developing the whole child. Holistic education involves infusing and integrating the learning in different domains, and the development of values and skills in every part of school life, both in and outside of the classroom. So, let me share briefly how our teachers are taking an integrative, immersive approach in holistic education. At West Spring Secondary School, students use newspaper articles to discuss social issues. Students gather information, meet with community partners and generate ideas and possible solutions. One group took the initiative to raise funds for a group of elders to have lunch at an eatery which Dignity Kitchen runs and worked with the staff to put up a performance. Dignity Kitchen, by the way, is a hawker training school for the disabled and disadvantaged. At Kranji Secondary School, Secondary 2 students work on interdisciplinary projects in town planning, supported by the URA. Students have to bring together what they have learnt in Geography, English, and Design and Technology. By working with their peers, they build collaboration and communication skills. They also develop creativity and build analytical and organisational skills as they plan together in teams. So, you see, we are starting with all these skills very early on.”
“Ms Tan Su Shan spoke about preparing for the information age and about the changes that are going on. Both Ms Tan and Mr Lim Biow Chuan also quoted practices in Google, and indeed, the future environment will be more volatile, unpredictable and complex. The terrain our children will have to navigate will be more unfamiliar, with more unknowns. We need to equip our students, not with a map with well-marked paths; rather, we need to equip them with a compass and navigation skills. A compass so that each child has a sense of direction, a sense of right and wrong; it is about character and values, it is about how well they master themselves, it is about resilience and perseverance, and having the empathy, leadership and social skills to work with others, and the heart to contribute to our community and our nation. This is the heart of our Character and Citizenship Education. Navigation skills so that they can analyse situations, apply what they know to solve problems, imagine and invent new possibilities, chart their own paths. This means a strong foundation in core subjects, in numeracy and in literacy, including bilingual literacy. This foundation is necessary for navigating Page: 143 changing landscapes, but not sufficient. In recent years, we have emphasised higher order thinking skills, collaborative and cross-cultural skills to thrive in a globalised information age. I thank Ms Irene Ng for reminding us of the importance of history. I agree with Ms Ng, an appreciation of the past helps us navigate the future. And, indeed, our Character and Citizenship Education, with a strong focus on Values-in-Action and on understanding our past, is progressing well.”
“Thank you. I thank Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Members for your views and suggestions, and I am happy to hear of Mr Lim's positive experience interacting with our students. I am very much encouraged by your support for education and for many of our policies. Members' comments add to the rich and diverse views we heard at the year-long Singapore Conversation. Mr Low Thia Khiang mentioned earlier on about a broader review of education. Let me clarify that MOE has been reviewing our policies on an ongoing basis and, in fact, many significant improvements have taken place. Members will see that both our Deputy Prime Ministers are here and they were both Ministers for Education and made many important changes along the way. If not for all those continual changes, our system will not be where it is today with that strength and that world-class system that Deputy Prime Minister Page: 142 Tharman mentioned in his Budget Round-up Speech. Members have raised a wide-ranging set of issues. I may not be able to address every point, but I will address the key themes. The key goal of my Ministry is to bring out the best in every child, in every domain of learning, in every school, at every stage of the learning journey, whatever the starting point, to create a better future together. By bringing out the best in every child, we give hope and opportunity to enable every child to succeed, and build a better future for all Singaporeans, together. [Deputy Speaker (Mr Charles Chong) in the Chair] Our schools provide the common space and the common experiences for our children to build a sense of cohesion as one people, committed to Singapore and to fellow Singaporeans. What do we mean by bringing out the best in every child in every domain of learning?”
“Mdm Chair, with your permission, may I display some slides and photos on the screen?”
“The question on if there is a bond: they are required to come back to fulfil the tuition grant bond, so the answer is "yes". The second question is how long is the deferment: it depends on the nature of the course that they are pursuing. If they are doing a PhD, for instance, the deferment would be longer. If they are doing a Masters programme, for instance, then it would be shorter. It varies on a case-by-case basis.”
“I thank the Member for the supplementary question. As I have said, the two in 10 does not mean that they are in default. Some did not start work immediately upon graduation as they have gone overseas for further study but did not seek deferment approval. Some are in the midst of seeking deferment approval. And some are still seeking employment. Therefore, the other question about how much is the amount is not relevant.”
“Mdm Speaker, International students who receive tuition grants are required to work in a Singapore-based company for three years upon graduation to supplement our Page: 11 labour force. For those who graduated between 2010 and 2013, about eight in 10 international students who received tuition grants in our Polytechnics and Autonomous Universities had either started serving their tuition grant bonds promptly upon graduation and contribute immediately to Singapore's economy, or have been granted approval by MOE to defer their service obligation to pursue further studies. This does not mean that the remaining international students are in default. Some did not start work immediately upon graduation as they have gone overseas for further study but did not seek deferment approval from MOE, some are in the midst of seeking deferment approval, and some are still seeking employment. MOE has in place bond tracking and enforcement measures to track tuition grant recipients for bond fulfilment. However, the current tracking and enforcement efforts need to be tightened to facilitate more immediate and closer tracking of tuition grant recipients who had not yet started work upon graduation, or who have not sought formal approval for deferment. As MOE is tightening the processes and tracking is still in progress, the final figures are not currently available. Action will be taken against those who default on their service obligations by pursuing liquidated damages from these individuals. Where liquidated damages cannot be recovered, their status as bond defaulters will be taken into consideration should they subsequently apply to work or reside in Singapore.”
“Under the Discretionary Admission Scheme (DAS), our Autonomous Universities (AUs) have the autonomy to offer places to students who display special strengths and talents. These include (but are not limited to) achievements at international Olympiads and national competitions; national representation in arts or sports; active participation in community Page: 131 service; relevant work experience; and outstanding leadership or entrepreneurial qualities. The admission decisions for the DAS take into account the overall strengths of a candidate by considering the applicant's achievements and an interview by the faculty. For the past five years, students admitted under the DAS account for between 1% and 10% of the intake at the AUs. Being autonomous, the Universities are responsible for maintaining high standards in their admission process. MOE ensures that there is a proper governance and oversight process, so that the principles of admitting students based on fairness and meritocracy are maintained, and that students who are admitted under the DAS are able to cope with and benefit from the programmes.”
“As a guide to prospective applicants, the Universities publish the indicative grade profiles (IGP) for each course annually, providing the representative grade profiles of the 10th and 90th percentiles of A-Level and Polytechnic applicants who are offered places. This information is available on the admissions pages of the Universities' websites. The IGP of International Baccalaureate (IB) scores are not published as the number of IB students matriculated into the Universities is not large enough to be statistically significant. The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) oversees the award of the IB diploma. Generally, less than 1% of IB candidates obtain the full score of 45 points worldwide. Summary statistics of international IB scores are published biannually at http//www.ibo.org/facts/statbulletin/dpstats/index.cfm. "A" level and IB are internationally benchmarked qualifications for University admission. All qualifications are assessed equally rigorously during the admission process and no qualification is accorded any advantage or disadvantage.”
“International students who receive tuition grants are required to work in a Singapore-based company for three years upon graduation to supplement our labour force. About eight in 10 international students who receive tuition grants in our Polytechnics and Autonomous Universities start serving their tuition grant bonds promptly upon graduation and contribute immediately to Singapore’s economy, or have been granted approval by MOE to defer service obligation to pursue further studies. An average of about 250 graduating international students defer their bond to pursue further studies each year. The average deferment period is three years, corresponding to the typical duration of further study pursued by these students. For those on deferment, there are no students with deferment period of more than six years.”
“MOE assumed greater control of the Singapore-Cambridge GCE "A" level Examination and GCE "O" level Examination in 2002 and 2006 respectively to ensure that our national examinations would be more responsive to our curricular changes and better aligned with our educational goals. This arrangement allows MOE and SEAB to determine the content and rigour of the Singapore examinations. The Singapore-Cambridge GCE examinations are, therefore, unique to Singapore and are delinked from the United Kingdom (UK) GCE examinations. Our collaboration with Cambridge International Examinations continues to be relevant today as we move towards an increasingly flexible and diverse education system aimed at providing students with different curricular choices to meet their varied interests and ways of learning. By collaborating with CIE, we are able to tap into the expertise of a large network of assessment professionals in the United Kingdom. These professionals are experienced examiners as well as university academics from reputable institutions of higher learning, and they specialise in a wide range of subjects. With access to a wider range of specialisations through CIE, we are also able to introduce more new subjects while ensuring that the standards of the Singapore-Cambridge GCE examinations remain high. MOE and SEAB will continue to review the collaboration from time to time to ensure that it continues to serve Singapore's educational interests. Page: 127”
“Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) and Physical Education (PE) are important ways through which our students are Page: 174 developed holistically. In developing the CCE curriculum for implementation this year, the allocation of curriculum time was reviewed to allow schools to have sufficient time to inculcate values and build social-emotional competencies in their students. For instance, the Form Teacher Guidance Period was introduced in Primary school to provide Primary school teachers with more time to interact with their students. The curriculum time for PE lessons was also reviewed and increased to provide enough time to develop in students the knowledge, skills and attitudes that would help them pursue an active and healthy lifestyle. In summary, there has been an increase in curriculum time by between one to two hours per week to meet the holistic development needs of students. This increase in time is aligned with the Ministry's commitment to investing more resources in developing students beyond the academic curriculum. The Ministry appreciates the support of parents, who have responded positively to these changes. The Ministry designs the curriculum such that the learning outcomes for each subject are achievable within the recommended curriculum time. As students may have different learning needs, schools have some flexibility to adjust the curriculum time allocated to the teaching of the various subjects.”