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.”
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“This process helps to ensure that course curricula remain in line with industry developments, skills needs and employer expectations, and Polytechnic graduates continue to enjoy good career prospects and progression opportunities. The Polytechnics require all academic staff, including those teaching the specialist diploma programmes, to have at least a bachelor's degree, with a significant proportion holding post-graduate qualifications. Other factors are also taken into consideration when assessing the suitability of potential candidates, including relevant work experience, passion for teaching, and experience in curriculum design and classroom delivery. Academic staff are appraised by the Polytechnics annually. These appraisals take into account assessments of classroom delivery, facilitated by classroom observations, as well as student feedback and performance. They also cover staff contributions in areas such as technical and educational research and the quality of course materials produced, which directly impact student outcomes and ensure the continued excellence of the Polytechnics.”
“Our Polytechnics currently offer about 35 specialist diplomas in clusters ranging from the health and applied sciences to business, engineering and information and digital technologies. Approximately 1,500 places have been taken up in such courses for academic year 2012. In a recent survey conducted by Polytechnics in February and March this year to ascertain key employment outcomes of such participants, approximately six out of 10 specialist diploma graduate respondents indicated that their current employment was related to their course of study. Of those who were not employed in a relevant industry, the commonly cited reasons included greater career prospects and more lucrative job openings in other fields of work, and taking up the courses for reasons other than employment purposes, for example, personal interests and development. A similar survey conducted with employers this year also yielded positive feedback on graduates from the part-time academic diploma and post-diploma programmes in the Polytechnics, including the specialist diploma courses. About nine in 10 employers indicated that such programmes have helped their employees to be more effective in their work and were able to handle duties beyond the technical and professional areas. More than nine in 10 employers also observed that their employees were more motivated to perform better in their work after completing their course of study. The Polytechnics also obtain timely feedback about the quality of their graduates and programmes through platforms, such as the School and Industry Advisory Committees, as well as other informal engagements. Academic programmes are developed and refined in consultation with the Polytechnics' industry partners, employers and Government agencies.”
“A key feature of Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) is on relationships; specifically with friends, the school and the community. Students learn to value relationships through a variety of teaching approaches which include classroom lessons as well as experiential programmes. In their CCE lessons, students are explicitly taught the values of respect and care in their daily interactions with others. They are also taught to appreciate the diverse strengths and abilities of the members of their community. Students are guided to take multiple perspectives and learn to respond to the needs of people around them. Learning experiences through Values in Action (VIA) and Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) further provide our students with opportunities to engage and interact with people of different backgrounds and abilities. Through VIA, students are encouraged to initiate collective action among their peers to improve the lives of others in school and the community. They learn to appreciate diversity in the community and respect for each other's strengths and abilities.”
“Overall, male teachers comprise about 30% of our total teaching force. In Primary schools, male teachers typically comprise 20% of the teacher population. In Secondary schools, Junior Colleges, Centralised Institutes and mixed-level schools, this proportion rises to about 35%-40%. In all-boys schools, the proportions of male teachers are slightly higher, at about 25% of Primary teachers and 45% of Secondary and post-Secondary teachers. While we would welcome more male teachers joining the teaching service, gender is not a consideration in our selection and deployment of teachers. We recruit teachers based on their aptitude and passion for teaching, as well as their character and values, among other factors. When deploying teachers to our schools, we consider factors, such as the subjects they are trained to teach, as well as the learning needs of the school's students.”
“In the Political Science Department of NUS, seven or 28% of the 25 faculty members are Singaporeans. In the NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, 38 or 46% of the 82 faculty members are Singaporeans. In NTU's S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, 12 or 41% of the 29 faculty members are Singaporeans. In the NTU Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, 21 or 44% of the 48 faculty members are Singaporeans. We do not have comparable figures for UK and US universities.”
“Currently, the school terms and holiday dates for the following year are released in the third quarter of the current year. The release of the school terms and holiday dates includes information, such as: (a) School terms for Primary and Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges and Millennia Institute; (b) School holidays for Primary and Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges and Millennia Institute; (c) Listing of scheduled school holidays, for example, Youth Day, Children’s Day; and (d) Listing of public holidays. The arrangement of the school terms and holidays incorporates the public holiday dates which are provided by MOM only in the second quarter of the year and factors in the schedule of the national examinations and the release of their results. As such, MOE is only able to release the schedule of school terms and holiday dates for the following year in the third quarter of the current year.”
“Three groups of officers comprise the Allied Educators (AED) family which complements the work of teachers to bring out the best in our students. The first group is the School Counsellors, formerly known as Allied Educators (Counselling), who provide guidance and counselling services to students and are involved in designing programmes that meet students' socio-emotional learning needs. The second group of AEDs specialises in Learning and Behavioural Support (LBS). They help teachers manage students with mild special educational needs, such as autism spectrum disorders, dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyper-activity disorder. Schools are resourced with School Counsellors and AED(LBS) according to their needs. The third group of AEDs focuses on Teaching and Learning (T&L) and supports teachers both within and outside of the classroom. Under the guidance of teachers, they provide students with specific and differentiated learning and remediation support. In addition, they provide pastoral care for students and help conduct CCAs and other programmes that support the holistic development of students. Schools are staffed with AED(T&L)s based on their student enrolment. Since the introduction of the AED Scheme in 2009, the number of AEDs across the three groups has grown from 600 in 2009 to more than 2,400 today. We have largely achieved our staffing targets, with an average of seven AEDs in each Primary and Secondary school.”
“The MOE Kindergartens are pilot kindergartens. Our aim is to provide good and affordable kindergarten education, and enable us to develop teaching and learning resources and best practices to enhance the children’s learning. We have sited the MOE Kindergartens in HDB estates, to better reach out to children in these areas. The specific locations are based on various factors, such as the profile of the neighbourhood and the infrastructure capacity of the schools. Together, they provide a broad range of conditions useful for our pilot. For the next 10 pilot MOE Kindergartens that will be set up over the next few years, we will determine their locations after a further study.”
“The vast majority of University places have gone to Singaporeans. In AY2012, Singaporean students comprised 79%, while International Students and Permanent Residents comprised 16% and 5% of the Universities' intake respectively. The AUs are also required to cap the intake of International Students at 2011 levels and the share of these students in the total intake will continue to fall as we expand University places for Singaporeans. University places are planned for Singaporeans first and foremost. Some places are set aside for international students. They are considered for admission using more stringent admission criteria. We allow a percentage of international students as they add diversity and vibrancy to our University campuses, and provide more opportunities for Singaporean students to interact with individuals from other cultures and experiences. Such exposure to others from culturally different backgrounds helps prepare our University students for the global market place.”
“Respect for all is a fundamental value taught to all students by our schools. In addition, as part of the Character and Citizenship Education curriculum from 2014, the Education and Career Guidance (ECG) module further emphasises this value within the context of education courses Page: 139 and occupations. Schools provide ECG to students from Primary to post-Secondary levels, based on their developmental needs. At the Primary level, ECG helps our pupils know themselves – their abilities and interests and be aware of the many different occupations in the world of work. Teachers help to correct misconceptions about occupations, such as gender-role stereotypes and perceived social status of certain occupations. At the Secondary level, teachers will reinforce in our students, an appreciation for the value of all occupations and how different jobs contribute to the well-functioning of society. Students will have opportunities to explore a wide array of occupations, including new jobs and new industries. To supplement the curriculum, an online ECG portal, ecareers.sg, has been implemented in schools since 2009. This allows students to discover their own strengths and interests, engage in education planning and career exploration. The occupational database comprises jobs requiring different skills available in Singapore. This expands our students’ minds to consider jobs aligned to their interests and abilities that they have not thought of.”
“At the Committee of Supply sitting in 2012, MOE had announced our commitment to improve the quality, accessibility and affordability of school-based SCCs as one of the many measures to support students from low- to middle income families. We had pledged then to increase the number of school-based SCCs to 70 by the end of 2014. With strong community support and proactive efforts by our schools, there are already 80 school-based SCCs as of today with enrolment of more than 6,500 students. At the recent Committee of Supply, we have said that more school-based SCCs will be set up in Primary schools, as part of our efforts to level up and support students. We will make an announcement on this when the details are ready. Our schools select their SCC operator through an open procurement approach. Prospective operators are required to submit proposals that include the nature of programmes to be offered, fees to be charged, staff-to-student ratio, and the qualifications and experience of the staff. Schools will evaluate the proposals submitted and select the SCC operator that offers the best package in terms of quality and affordability.”
“I thank Dr Intan for her question. She has made a very important point that having teachers who are fully committed and engaged in the process is very important. I am very pleased that our teachers are very engaged in this process. Earlier on, I mentioned that we have based one of Our Singapore Conversation within schools – over 5,000 educators have taken part in it. Many students have also been involved. I find it very important for us to hear the voices of our students as well. Many of the issues that I surfaced in this House earlier on were surfaced by participants and we have collated them very carefully. There is strong support for the process and there is some clear direction in terms of the strengths that we want to reaffirm but also the changes that we ought to make, either in a more radical way or in a more calibrated way. Some of the options that I mentioned today came from our educators. I am very happy that at our headquarters, our professionals are also very, very engaged in this process. The Director-General of Education herself is very focused on these issues. I am confident that as we evolve and as we discuss in the next step that we will be looking at the options and debating the options in much greater depth.”
“I thank Dr Lily Neo for the questions. I think those are very important questions. First, on whether our students get good preschool education, today, over 99.9% of our students attend kindergarten and then K1, K2. That has been due to efforts which have been put in by various parties over the last few years, in particular, to try and get every child to attend kindergarten even though it is not compulsory. Now, in terms of how do we ensure then that these are good preschools, this is where the efforts that we are going to put in and the committee, which Mr Chan Chun Sing and myself are chairing, will work on. I showed the five areas of work that we are embarking on. In fact, some of those work areas have already been done and some of the work has taken place earlier, but we will continue with those efforts to raise the overall level of preschool education in Singapore, and Minister Chan will probably speak more on this tomorrow. Now, for the MOE-run kindergartens, all of the centres will be in HDB heartlands. We think that that is an important catchment area and we want to ensure that students living in the heartlands have access to preschool. On school-based student care centres, today we have 80 and we are expanding further. Priority will be given to students from the lower-, middle-income groups. This is something which the schools are aware of and, in fact, they have been implementing policies to that effect. Finally, let me say that where students require financial assistance, they will be given financial assistance. We have, in the last few years, enhanced financial assistance significantly so no child would be denied a good preschool education because of family circumstances.”
“I thank Mr Yee Jenn Jong for his question. On the example that he cited with Da Qiao Primary, let me say that the video that Members have seen is not the first time that MOE is having smaller groups of students. That is why I tried to explain what the pupil-teacher ratio is about. Maybe I should also make a further clarification because some Members have asked me what is the pupil-teacher ratio. It is essentially the number of pupils that we have divided by the number of teachers. That is a very important measurement besides the class size. Smaller class sizes catering to students who need special support have always been there. In fact, I have seen in our Normal (Technical) streams and in our pull-out programmes where class sizes are very small. I have seen many such support programmes where students are placed in very small groups with different learning approaches in the secondary schools. We are continuing with that and our educators are quite experienced in doing this. I am confident that as we roll these programmes out, we will see better results. Now, on the Member's question on how would the "Good Citizen" or 好公民 series be used and whether indeed will teachers continue to use them, I do not know when your child was in Primary 6. I think as we place a greater emphasis on this, I am very optimistic that our educators are fully onboard on this initiative. Like many Singaporeans, they see the importance of values and the importance of good citizenship in our children, and therefore the commitment to do something about this is growing. Even if it may be uneven across schools, but I think it is growing and I have spoken to many of our school leaders. They are fully onboard and we will see changes in the coming years.”
“We have set up three very specialised academies: Singapore Teachers' Academy for the Arts (STAR), Physical Education and Sports Teacher Academy (PESTA) and English Language Institute of Singapore (ELIS) for the teaching of English, arts and PE and sports. All those are measures that we will continue to look at, as well as any other issues that may affect the motivation of teachers. On ranking, I agree the points raised. That is why I did away with the ranking. But I have to say that there are many Singaporeans who fully supported it. There are others who have also expressed reservations about doing away with ranking. MOE will move at a pace that the public is prepared to accept. These are important changes that we have to make. And on the Member's point about inclusive classrooms, indeed, this is the direction that we should be moving towards but we have to do it in a systematic pace. You will notice from my discussions earlier and from the videos that I have shown that the additional support programmes that we are giving to our students in the coming years, involve action in the schools. These are all integrated into classroom practices. Students are not put into a separate school to do that but they are all part and parcel of that learning. As we evolve, as our teachers become better at this, we will be better able to cater to different groups of students with different needs.”
“I thank Ms Denise Phua for the questions. On her last suggestion about SPED schools and the opt-out option, in my speech earlier on, I mentioned about how practices and resources which MOE is pioneering in the schools will be shared with the SPED schools, and certainly we will study her suggestions. Now, on her comments about Finland and the status of teachers, I am glad to say that today, in Singapore, our teachers enjoy a fairly good status and there is respect for our teachers. I would like Members and I would like the public to continue to support our teachers in their work. It is not easy to be at the frontlines, day in, day out, having to deal with children from a variety of backgrounds. That is why I think it is very important for us to stand behind our teachers, particularly if parents are not reasonable. Earlier on there were issues about – I think that Mr Teo Ser Luck raised the issue about discipline – it is very important for us to continue to support our teachers to maintain discipline in the schools and to make sure that their job is not made more difficult for other reasons. Page: 161 Now, in terms of the attraction of teaching as a profession, I agree that beyond salary, the fulfilment that comes from it is very, very important. That is where I think MOE has been exploring a number of different initiatives. One major area is professional development. Teachers want to feel that what they do make a difference and that they are continually improving their mastery of this craft. It is a craft that takes many, many years to develop and to hone the skills. I launched a Teachers' Growth Model last year. We have launched professional learning committees in almost all schools. The Academy of Singapore Teachers has also been bringing teachers together.”
“I thank Mr Lim Biow Chuan for his two supplementary questions. Madam, if I may clarify a statement I made earlier on. I mentioned about a pupil-teacher ratio of primary and secondary schools. I actually confused the two numbers. So, let me put on record the correct numbers. The pupil-teacher ratio for primary school is 17.6 in 2012, down from 25.9 in the year 2000. For secondary schools, it should be 14.2 in 2012, down from 19.2 in the year 2000. Page: 157”
“Then no amount of changes in the education system can alter the reality of each of us chasing after material and positional goods. We cannot have broader definitions of success in education without our society accepting broader definitions of success in life. In many respects, the education system reflects societal norms and expectations. So, I thank all Members, as well as Singaporeans and educators who have participated in the Our Singapore Conversation sessions, for raising these complex issues. MOE will continue these discussions by organising focused sessions and I look forward to hearing further views. Madam, allow me to sum up. I have spoken today about providing the best opportunities for every child, starting from quality kindergarten to the levelling-up efforts that we will roll out in our primary and secondary schools, and reiterated the importance of a holistic education centred on values. We have built up a strong education system to develop all our students – and not just a select few – because every child, every Singaporean, is precious. We constantly seek to improve, to better nurture our next generation, so that they can grow up to become the Singaporeans who will bring about the Page: 114 Singapore we aspire towards. And our children are the change we hope for. Madam, I look forward to many more constructive conversations with my fellow Singaporeans.”
“Important questions to discuss in the next phase of Our Singapore Conversation include: (a) Can we ensure that every child can learn at his or her own pace, if there is no streaming? (b) Will our schools be even less diverse if we did not have students from the various academic streams? (ci) Can we replicate what we have done at the primary level, such as subject-based banding, at the secondary level? And that was the specific suggestion of Dr Intan. All these can be discussed and debated thoroughly. I want to say that whatever we do, we must be deliberate and thoughtful about what we need to change, how fast we can change, and how far we can sustain these changes. Page: 113 We must have the resources to sustain any change. I have been watching the debate on resources in various countries. Countries that have started with a big bang have now had to make very painful changes in order to cut back. Education is a long-term endeavour and always a work-in-progress. The results of our action today, good or bad, are evident only many years down the road. Even as we address current issues, we must be as thoughtful as we possibly can. It is also critical for us not to see our education system in isolation. Education alone cannot enable Singaporeans to realise our aspirations. If our society fails, the able will emigrate, and the rest of us will be stuck here in failure. But if we stay and move together, we can succeed together. Education alone cannot give us a good life, and we need to be clear what a good life is. If a good life is simply about getting ahead of others, and achieving the 5Cs – cash, condominium, car, credit card and country club – the competitive pressure in the workplace will define how we as parents and teachers view education.”
“Ideally, our system must allow each to learn at his or her own pace, customised to his or her different learning styles. But everyone must be encouraged to put in effort. Third, we must develop students with a Singapore Heartbeat, with empathy for others, a regard for the common good, and a shared sense of responsibility for Singapore's well-being and future. In the next phase of Our Singapore Conversation, we can discuss the various policy options. For example, the PSLE serves as an objective benchmark for secondary school posting today. Important questions that we need to Page: 112 discuss include: (a) How do we maintain our rigorous standards and accountability and whether we can allocate all secondary school places without an objective benchmark like the PSLE? (b) Are there alternative posting systems that are still objective, but can minimise the current over-emphasis on academic results, and enhance social inclusion? (c) To what extent should choice or proximity to school be a consideration in secondary school posting, as some have suggested? Mr Gan Thiam Poh suggested that we stop publishing PSLE cut-off points of schools, and, indeed, that can be something that we can look into. Ms Denise Phua spoke about the model of a through train from preschool all the way to secondary school. Mr Yee spoke of some other method. Let me say that, as another example, streaming at the secondary level allows us to tailor instruction to the abilities and learning styles of our students. But some have questioned if we should re-think whether streaming is absolutely necessary, as Dr Intan had said earlier.”
“And to achieve this, we must: (a) develop a love for learning, stimulate a lively curiosity about the world around us and the urge to explore and discover; Page: 111 (b) develop well-rounded individuals of integrity and sound character with strong social emotional maturity; (c) build a strong foundation, especially in self confidence, literacy and numeracy, analytical and inventive thinking, communication skills and other 21st century competencies, so as to prepare Singaporeans to be life-long learners and succeed in a more globally competitive environment; and (d) develop the abilities and interests in each child, so that he or she may go on in life to pursue these interests with passion, realise his or her aspirations, and have a fulfilling career. Second, to nurture in each child a sense of responsibility to his fellow human beings, and a sense of commitment and loyalty to Singapore and fellow Singaporeans, so that he or she can contribute to taking Singapore forward. To realise these goals, we have to re-think the fundamental approaches in tandem with changes in policy. First, we have to see education as a life-long journey, not a destination. It is an exciting journey of continual learning, discovery and mastery, not a competitive sprint. This means learning the right things at the right time. For instance, the early years are about building the disposition for learning and discovery. We have to do what is developmentally appropriate at different stages of a child's education. Seeking to hothouse our children when they are in kindergarten and preparing them in advance for primary school generates stress, and then, boredom when they enter primary school. Second, each child is different – in interests, aptitude and rate of development.”
“We will lose our peaks of excellence and also fail to support those who may fall behind without different approaches. I have given a long list of issues and viewpoints. Let me summarise that there are real tensions and differences in views among parents and educators. Some want rigorous examinations so as to maintain standards and accountability, while others want a well-rounded, holistic education that calibrates stress so as to bring out the best in each student, and create multiple opportunities for individuals to excel within a more inclusive system. I have been thinking long and hard about these issues and we have had many sessions with our educators on these. Before we change our major policies, we must get back to fundamentals. First, re-affirm the basic goals of education; and, second, in the light of the changing circumstances I outlined earlier and the differences in views, the fundamental strategy of how we will achieve these goals. In the spirit of the Singapore Conversation, let me highlight some ideas for discussion. On the basic goals of education, allow me to highlight a few for discussion. We must, first and foremost, provide opportunities for every child to actualise his or her full potential, to be the best that he or she can be.”
“45 pm Some parents have also said that some amount of competition is necessary – it is a reality of working life, and equipping our students to learn this early in life strengthens them for the future. Indeed, this issue of stress and competition is not unique to Singapore. Some Members may have read that in New York, parents queue up to admit their children into high-end kindergartens, while in a recent report in the UK, rich parents pay up to £80,000 a year or S$150,000 to hire "well-qualified private tutors". The common position is that we all want our children to get ahead in life, whether in Singapore or anywhere else in the world. The higher the aspiration, the greater the drive. The question we have to ask is: what exactly will ensure that our children can get ahead and be successful in the face of global competition, and not just relative to other Singaporeans? The second area that some Members mentioned, but not as much, is that of opportunities, social mobility and inclusion. Some parents are concerned Page: 110 that without tuition, their children cannot cope, or cannot do well enough to excel. Others like Ms Mary Liew spoke about this earlier – those whose children are doing well want them to do even better and procure all sorts of tuition and enrichment classes to help them advance. Some are concerned that in some schools, students tend to come from similar socio-economic backgrounds and have similar academic abilities. Without the opportunity to interact with students from different backgrounds and academic abilities, our students may not develop empathy, and our society may lose its cohesiveness. Some have also cautioned that if we mix up our students too much, it will be harder to cater to the learning needs of different groups.”
“Teachers use examinations to determine students' mastery of the different subjects, and tailor their teaching strategies accordingly. In a public education system, examinations provide us with a standardised measure of progression and achievement, and ensure accountability across the system to uphold Page: 109 rigorous standards. In fact, this is one of the reasons why public examinations started. It also provides an objective way of determining entry into the next level of education. And in Singapore, examinations have helped assure a very high average among our students. That is why our students, even those who have got average, perform so well when they go overseas. Some countries, such as the UK, Japan and Korea, and some states in the US that abolished examinations or made these easier, are now reversing course. Their experience has been that while removing examinations was popular and brought short-term relief, over time, insidiously, standards fall. They are now concerned that their youths are not equipped to compete in the global market place. And I should note that the people who suffer the most when educational standards drop in these countries are not the best students but the average students. That is why in some places, they say that while they may have high peaks, they also have deep valleys. As for the stress that comes with high-stake examinations, many have also observed that some amount of stress is almost unavoidable. While excessive and prolonged stress is bad, a right amount of stress can bring out the best in each of us. But what is the optimal depends on each individual. 3.”
“A major consequence of a single-minded focus on examinations is stress, in particular, stress related to competition and high-stake examinations, such as the PSLE, which Ms Denise Phua and several others have spoken about. Mr Lim Biow Chuan, indeed, started this debate by speaking vividly of stress. Now you know why the Minister for Education is also very stressed just listening to you. Indeed, some mothers, I believe including some in this House, take leave for an entire year or more to help their children prepare for the PSLE. Many see entry into top schools as critical to their children's future, and prepare their children very early – some as early as kindergartens, and even sending them to two kindergartens. Many compete to get a place in popular primary schools, or spend significantly on tuition, as Mr Low had also mentioned. Others worry about their children being streamed into Normal streams, and suffer from the labelling and stigma associated with it. Some teachers, who are committed to helping their students succeed, may give a lot of homework or set tests that are difficult, to stretch their students, but all with good intent. I appreciate the stress that parents, students and educators feel. This is an important issue. Some are also concerned about the effects of competition. Successful students may develop a narrow, competitive mindset. They may come to believe that: "I have succeeded because I have worked hard, so I deserve nothing but the best for myself." While there are concerns about high-stake examinations, I have also heard other views, and there are others who see merit in the current system. Many feel that the current system sets clear standards. Many students have told me that examiantions challenge them to learn better.”
“The challenges we are grappling with, therefore, need to be always viewed in perspective, so that we do not throw the baby out with the bathwater. But we shall not cease exploring how we can build even better schools, institutions and universities. I am very encouraged by the many voices we have heard in Our Singapore Conversation, including from over 5,000 educators in the first phase. From what we have heard so far, including views which have been articulated in this House, I discern two key areas where we need more in-depth conversations. First, many parents and students feel that our education system is too focused on examinations and grades. This excessive focus has several consequences. Some of you have highlighted these. Let me add to the list for completeness. First, it may come at the expense of the development of well-rounded individuals, including the character and values of the student, which ultimately Page: 108 matters most. It may come at the expense of learning, as students "study to the test" and teachers respond by "teaching to the test", rather than to stimulate curiosity and a love for learning. Students may choose subjects and, indeed, schools may offer subjects, based on how easy it is to score good grades, rather than on their intrinsic value. And the recent debate over literature which Ms Janice Koh brought up is a case in point. Other forms of talent – in the arts, sports, music, leadership ability, applied skills using both hands and head, and so on – are not sufficiently recognised. We should not just have an examination-based meritocracy. Rather, we should have a talent-centric meritocracy that recognises talent in a wide range of areas.”
“We face the complex challenges that many Members have spoken about passionately, from stress, tuition and examinations to streaming. Let me deal with some of these challenges. These challenges are complex because there are no easy answers. There are significant trade-offs among the multiple objectives. Some changes may benefit one group while another may Page: 107 feel they would lose out. What may seem good in the short term may bring adverse consequences later. And given how the different parts of our system are linked to each other, we cannot simply change one part without affecting another. We also have to remember that education is always a complex issue because it is tied deeply to our values as a people. We can, indeed, learn from other systems. We should be humble enough to learn and to pick the best practices; and, in effect, we have done so, including from Finland that many of you spoke about. But we cannot borrow wholesale as our context is different. We have to challenge our mindsets, and decide on what matters most to each of us. We have to go back to the basics, and ask what we want to see in our children as they grow up, beyond just academic grades. For a start, much as our system is not perfect, it is studied by many nations all over the world – not only for what we do for our high achievers but also for how we uplift all our students. Indeed, MOE's mission has been and continues to be to deliver a quality education, not just in a handful of good schools and universities, but to more than half a million students in schools and over 100,000 students in our institutes of higher learning. Our success so far in equipping Singaporeans to meet the challenges of the future is a deep strength; and the strength which many nations would love to have.”
“In education, we need to equip our next generation to be highly skilled but also flexible and adaptable. Excellence remains a relevant goal but we need to be broader in how we define and measure merit. And excellence and merit in any individual student need to be twinned with an ethical dimension of integrity and social responsibility. (b) Our society is now more developed than before, and high social mobility will become harder to achieve. Naturally, successful parents will strive to give their children a leg up. Our education system must continue to provide opportunities for all, regardless of their parents' position. We must remain inclusive and provide opportunities for our children from different backgrounds to grow up together. (c) Our expectations and aspirations are much higher today than ever. We are a very competitive people. Indeed, in many of the meetings and discussions I go to, we are not just content to be just happy – we want to be the happiest people on earth. In some ways, this trait is very endearing. Yet it also means that we sometimes set very difficult and contradictory goals for ourselves. We need to be easier on ourselves and focus on what really matters and strive for balance. (d) Our ageing population, and tightening labour market as a result of that, will make it harder to attract and retain the right people – people with a heart for teaching and who will go the extra mile for our children. So, much as we have a long-term goal of investing in our teaching force, to make each teacher highly skilled, our young people have many career options – and, indeed, we educate them so that they can have these options. These trends are very relevant to the next phase of Our Singapore Conversation on education.”
“We will strengthen partnership with parents and the community. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Hawazi will provide an update. A continued focus on CCE will stand Singapore in good stead as we face new challenges together. It can help nurture the Singaporean that participants at the OSC have said they wish to see in the future. In the words of one participant: "A Singaporean, confident yet humble and generous in heart. Always seeking to learn and improve. Dignified and respectful but also assertive in voicing his or her concerns in a sensible way." Let me now speak on the theme of refreshing our approaches to achieve our basic goals of education, and how we need to get back to basics and look at the fundamentals. Over the years, we have evolved our education system to enable Singaporeans to have a better future. Our mission has not changed; however, how MOE goes about achieving it has. Since 2011, we have shifted towards a student-centric, values-driven education and are striving to make every school a good school. Character and Citizenship Education is receiving greater attention. And as many of you have noted, this shift has received good feedback from Singaporeans, and good support from many educators and parents. In this COS, I have provided an outline of some very important measures that we have launched to level up our students. Our education system must always provide hope – and what is more − provide hope for ALL. Page: 106 Looking ahead, there is much more that we need to do. But, first, we must recognise and consider a few key trends. (a) The fast-changing global situation – there are many more millions joining the global marketplace, each wanting a better life; and technology is driving changes faster than ever.”
“And MOE will do more to publicise what are being done in our various schools. In addition, our schools will continue to emphasise character and values education. I am very heartened that this is something that resonates strongly with Singaporeans, as well as with our educators. During Our Singapore Conversation, many have talked about a more caring and cohesive Singapore with a strong "kampung spirit" − a Singaporean society anchored on values, where we have a greater sense of togetherness and community, and also share a stronger national identity. Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) in schools is progressing well, and will remain a key emphasis going forward. This does not just take place in specific "CCE periods" but across a range of subjects and activities, through a whole-school approach. For instance, through "Values in Action", students learn values through sustained community involvement. I have many examples of Page: 105 how this "Values in Action" is being done in schools, but I shall not get into the details here. What I say is that we will enhance our support to schools for CCE. First, we will develop a core group of CCE teacher mentors in each school who are equipped with the knowledge and skills to lead in the whole-school CCE efforts. Second – and I think many Members will welcome this – we will bring back a refreshed "好公民" series of textbooks, now called "好品德, 好公民". We will have similar versions in the Malay and Tamil languages, as you can see on the screen. It has been updated with Singapore stories and lessons that will resonate with students' experiences in life, and suggested activities for parents to get involved. Indeed, parents play the key and decisive role in developing values and character in our children.”
“Let me now move on to talk about how we need to recalibrate towards holistic education centred on values. Ms Irene Ng spoke passionately on the importance of values education and that the right attitudes last a lifetime. I fully agree with her. Page: 104 At Our Singapore Conversation, many Singaporeans have also surfaced the desire for broader definitions of success in our society, and that our students must acquire the skills and competencies to benefit from the quality economic growth that we are pursuing. Many participants also want to see a society with diverse definitions of success. We will continue to emphasise holistic development of our students. Let me share briefly how this is happening in our schools. I recently visited Gan Eng Seng Primary School, and saw how changes introduced in recent years have significantly changed the way our students learn. Guided by the belief that the environment is the third teacher, the school has created a rich learner-centred environment. The Arts Jam stage allows pupils to come forward to perform and, in the process, they develop their confidence and talents. During my visit, students sang with gusto. A big group of pupils was dancing to the Gangnam Style tune in the school canteen during recess. They invited me to join them but, thankfully, they spared me. Outdoor education learning areas, such as the bouldering wall and the Outdoor Education Space, are also designed as learning spaces. Pupils in Gan Eng Seng Primary School come from the neighbourhood, and they exude confidence. It was joyful for me and the teachers to see them enjoying their school experience. 3.30 pm This is not just happening in Gan Eng Seng Primary School, but in many other schools, too – many of which parents may not know about.”
“MOE will also continue to support children with special needs. We have progressively increased Government funding to special education (SPED) schools. Indeed, MOE funding per student to the special school is much more than in the mainstream school. MOE also provides professional support to SPED schools to refine, customise and implement their curriculum. Guidance support for parents has also been enhanced. We will continue to support children with mild special needs in our mainstream schools. All primary schools are staffed with at least one allied educator in learning and behavioural support, and all schools have a core group of teachers trained in supporting students with special needs. In primary schools, we are piloting remediation support for students with dyslexia because it is a condition that has good prognosis and affects many students. Results of the pilot are encouraging, and we will expand this programme to twice as many schools this year. As we work on different approaches to teaching and learning in our schools, we will share these with SPED schools, and see how these can be usefully adapted. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sim Ann will elaborate on our efforts for students with special needs. Mr Zainal Sapari asked the Government to extend Edusave to students who are studying in full-time madrasahs. Having Singaporean children enrolled in national schools allows them to share a common educational experience and forge a national identity. However, the Government also recognises that madrasahs play an important role in training religious teachers for the Muslim community. MOE currently provides support on teaching resources and training for madrasahs through MUIS, but we note the concerns raised by Mr Zainal and will study this issue further.”
“MOE's priority is to allocate our teaching resources to where they can make a major difference. I want to thank many members of the public, as well as educators, who, in Our Singapore Conversation, wanted a Singapore that provides opportunities for all, and a society that takes care of those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Their inputs provided important inspiration. The purpose of this levelling-up effort is simple. It is about providing the best opportunities for every child to succeed, regardless of their background and pace of development. Every child has the potential and power to succeed in school and in life if he or she puts in the effort. The new initiatives are to ensure that every child fulfils his or her potential. Special attention is given to those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is about hope. It is about inclusion. Having equipped our students with a strong foundation, we will continue to do more to ensure a range of attractive options at the post-secondary level. We have established world-class polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). With the opening of ITE College Central in Ang Mo Kio this year, we have completed the transformation of ITE to "One ITE System, Three Colleges". We are further diversifying options for university. The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) will become an autonomous university, and SIM University (UniSIM) will start to offer Government-funded full-time degree programmes. They will have many new programmes to suit different interests, passions and Page: 103 learning styles. Ms Mary Liew spoke about access to university places earlier, and Senior Minister of State Indranee will elaborate on our efforts in the Higher Education sector later.”
“The fourth prong is a whole-school approach. This comprehensive levelling-up effort will build on initiatives announced at last year's COS, such as the expansion of Student Care Centres in schools and significant moves to increase support to students from less advantaged backgrounds in our schools. These include the enhancements to the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme and school-based financial assistance scheme, the Edusave Merit Bursary, and the School Breakfast Programme. I am happy to report that I have met many of these students who have benefited from these schemes, as well as their parents, and these are well-used and well-appreciated. Page: 102 But as our comprehensive programme to level up our students is being rolled out, there are students who are about to complete secondary schools, and they will not have the opportunity to benefit from this effort. Instead, we will pilot a programme in ITE – the Extended Nitec Foundation Programme (e-NFP) to help these students build up their literacy and numeracy skills during their Nitec years and to enable them to complete their Nitec course. The aim is not to extend their stay in ITE – rather, it is to give them an opportunity to go further. Let me summarise what this levelling-up programme is about. When fully rolled out, this comprehensive programme for levelling up students will ensure that any student who needs additional help to achieve a strong foundation in numeracy and literacy will get it. We will have added a range of differentiated learning programmes and teaching approaches that are better than simply reducing their class size. We will provide training to all teachers who need it. On top of this, we will deploy 600 more teachers.”
“In fact, online interactive resources Page: 101 can be used to help strengthen language skills which can be integrated into lessons and accessed by our students at their own time and pace that are suited to their learning needs. And we will explore how we can use online resources more extensively. Having piloted these approaches in several schools, we will progressively implement these and other similar initiatives in schools in the next two years. The third prong is skilful teachers. We will resource our schools with skilful teachers to do this well. Schools with a greater need will have more teachers deployed to them. Our teachers will also work with our specialists to constantly improve these programmes and approaches through action research, and determine the relative effectiveness of each of these for different students. MOE will launch a comprehensive training programme for the primary and secondary school teachers who will lead this effort. This will enable them to better identify the learning gaps of their students, and to customise how they teach. So, I fully agree with Dr Intan's call for MOE to provide specialised training for teachers of Normal (Technical) students. She gave a very passionate account of her teaching experience and, like her, we recognise that students often improve because they are motivated by their teachers who also provide them with socio-emotional support. Teachers who are deployed to teach Normal (Technical) students will be provided with a range of pre-service and in-service training, both at The Academy of Singapore Teachers and through peer learning via Professional Learning Communities in and across schools. And we will continue to study how we can further improve this and I welcome Dr Intan's suggestions.”
“15 pm We will now take a further major step – to provide specialised help to more students so that they can achieve a higher level of baseline competency in literacy and numeracy, from primary school all the way to secondary school. As these students learn in different ways and at a different pace, we will implement several learning programmes and novel teaching approaches to engage them. This will level up our students at zero cost to them. Students from lower income families, which many of you have spoken about, will get the extra support they need from our schools. Schools can choose from a menu of approaches and programmes. For example, different teaching methods. Learning algebra can be too abstract for many students. Understanding the meaning and manipulating expressions with numbers, x's and y's, can be challenging. So, some teachers are using learning aids like the AlgeDisc in Bedok View Secondary School. With your permission, Madam, may I display a video on the LED screen on this? A second approach is to use different teaching arrangements. For children who lack confidence and need more structure, schools may provide small group teaching, and break the learning task into smaller parts. This is used, for example, to support English literacy at Da Qiao Primary School. It is always so much more interesting to watch what our kids do than to hear me speak. So, I hope that that gives you a good break. But if you notice, in the first class, using the AlgeDisc, there were two teachers and, in the second video, there were eight students to one teacher. This is how we are using resources to make impact. A third area is online resources, and Ms Denise Phua spoke passionately about this earlier on and I agree with her.”
“First, building confidence at preschool levels, and extending this in our schools. And we will infuse this in our school curriculum, CCAs and Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum Second, working with school-based Student Care Centres (SCCs) to reinforce the efforts of our schools for students who need extra support, not just ensuring that they do homework but nurturing a resilience to succeed. Third, we will intensify partnerships with parents, self-help groups and community organisations. Parents play a critical role. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Hawazi will elaborate on this later. The second prong is building literacy and numeracy foundations. In our preschools, MOE already provides literacy assistance to 250 preschool centres. This helps children from lower income backgrounds who are from a non-English speaking environment. This is done through one-on-one sessions or in small groups. Over the next two years, we will provide this assistance to another 100 preschool centres. The Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism will Page: 100 catalyse preschool bilingualism efforts. Such efforts will help our children build a strong foundation in English and their Mother Tongue languages from young. In our schools, we are helping all our students learn through better research-based methods – STELLAR for English language and literacy and the Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract for numeracy. For the Mother Tongue languages, students learn through appropriate modules and methods that take into account their linguistic abilities and their home language environment. For students who start primary school with weaker foundations in literacy and numeracy, we have the Learning Support Programmes for English and Mathematics. 3.”
“Some parents are keen to help but do not know how; others are preoccupied with making ends meet or with family problems. Some students come to school with low expectations of what they can achieve and are not putting in enough effort. To address this, MOE will embark on a comprehensive programme to level-up our students. This will help every Singaporean child regardless of family Page: 99 background, start from a quality kindergarten and then build a strong foundation in the 10 years of primary and secondary education. This is especially important for students from disadvantaged backgrounds or who need more dedicated support. These levelling-up efforts will be integrated with our overall approach in our schools to develop engaged learners. In other words, it is not a stand-alone programme. Students who need additional help in specific areas will be given more attention and resources. When they have achieved the baseline mastery, they will be taught using other learning approaches. This is a student-centric approach, in the spirit of what educators call "differentiated teaching", or in Chinese, 因材施教. Our levelling-up efforts will nurture engaged learners through four prongs, let me speak on each of these in turn. The first prong is building confidence and the motivation to achieve. This is the core of learning. A child must feel that "Yes, I want to do it"; and "Yes, I CAN do it". A teacher must set suitable challenges, and help each child experience success. We must create a virtuous cycle of effort-success-confidence-effort. Effort leading to success; success leading to confidence; and, confidence leading to more effort. This is especially important for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. So, we need effort from all parties.”
“But how far and how fast MOE proceeds will depend on our experience and assessment of it, and the feedback from parents. As it is, MOE has heavy responsibilities and an expansion into providing affordable, quality kindergartens in the heartlands is a significant undertaking. MOE will not undertake this lightly unless there is strong public support for it, and unless our assessment is that we are creating significant value for parents and children. There are also important logistical and staffing issues that we will need to look into. We will, therefore, gather the views of the public and the various stakeholders as we formulate plans for the medium term. Meanwhile, MOE and MSF will continue to work together with other operators through the newly formed Early Childhood Development Agency to expand capacity and raise standards, while keeping fees affordable for the majority of Singaporeans. We will announce details of the first five locations and admission procedures in about two weeks, and Senior Minister of State Indranee will provide further details on some of our other efforts while MSF will elaborate on the other two areas of focus. So, I thank Ms Low Yen Ling for pointing out the many tasks ahead for the early childhood development agency. Building a good foundation at the kindergarten level is an important initiative in developing engaged learners. Let me now speak about how at the next stage our schools will equip our students to succeed. I want to thank Dr Lily Neo for her suggestions on how we can level up Students enter primary school with different dispositions and readiness for learning. Sometimes, this is due to learning difficulties. But often, it is a lack of home and parental support for learning.”
“Arising from the work of the Implementation Committee for Enhancing Preschool Education (ICEPE) which Mr Chan Chun Sing and I co-chair, there are five areas of focus for uplifting the quality of preschool education. Of these five areas, MOE will take the lead in three. First, we will continue to develop the kindergarten curriculum and educators' guides, and share teaching and learning resources with operators. This complements the revised curriculum framework for kindergartens. Second, we will leverage on the existing programmes in our institutes of higher learning to provide high quality training and professional development for kindergarten-level teachers. Third, MOE will run some kindergartens. For a start, MOE will set up 15 pilot kindergartens in the next three years. Five of these will enrol K1 children in January 2014. Some of these will be located in primary schools, some in community sites. All will be within HDB heartlands. These kindergartens will, first and foremost, provide a quality education that will be affordable to Singaporeans. Our specialists will develop teaching and learning resources and best practices to enhance the children's learning. We will also work with other preschool centres that offer good Page: 98 programmes to study different approaches. Best practices that are scalable, sustainable and suitable for the Singapore context will be distilled and shared with other preschool operators to catalyse improvements across the sector. I must emphasise at the outset that this is a pilot programme. MOE believes that we can leverage on our resources to provide quality kindergartens and act as a catalyst for the entire sector. Given the growing demand for quality kindergartens, MOE is prepared to go beyond our 15 pilot centres.”
“Indeed, a good preschool education helps a child to develop self-confidence and social skills; to nurture value such as sharing, taking turn and being responsible; to build a good foundation for the learning of languages; and, to develop the disposition for learning, such as curiosity and the courage to try Page: 97 new things. Let me emphasise that the value of a good kindergarten education is not in learning academic content. Our children should have a holistic development through a quality kindergarten education. This is especially important for those from the lower income groups who may need more support. To provide opportunities and to enhance social mobility, we must help all our children start well in life, and the Government will invest significantly more in preschool. I recognise many parents have urged the Government to nationalise the preschool sector; many Members, too. Mr Zainudin Nordin had said this as early as a decade ago. And in the earlier Budget debate, we heard Mr Christopher de Souza making the same point, and earlier, Ms Denise Phua as well. Today, we have a diversified kindergarten and childcare sector – commercial operators, anchor operators and VWOs. Each brings a certain value. I know of several educators who have set up kindergartens to pursue their deep conviction in the value of early childhood education, and have built up innovative programmes. I respect their dedication and the diversity and choices they offer to parents. The diversified landscape serves parents well today. Our most important priority now is to work together to raise the quality.”
“In the next 20, 30, 40, 50 years, we do not know how the world will turn out but the best guess is that the pace of change is going to be even faster. So, we must take a long-term view of education. To enable Singaporeans to continually learn, unlearn and relearn, every child needs a strong foundation for lifelong learning. MOE will aim for every student in our schools to complete secondary education and we want our students to then go on to pursue a post-secondary qualification. The only way to reach every one of our students in this effort is to ensure that every school is a good school, delivering good programmes for the majority of our students. On top of this, we must also enhance our efforts to level up all our students who may need additional help because we want every Singaporean to succeed. Now, thankfully, we are doing this from a position of strength. In the most recent TIMSS and PIRLS study – and international benchmarking study – only about 1% to 4% of students in Singapore fell below the "low" benchmark of competence across all grades – Primary 4 and Secondary 2 subjects. This is significantly better than what we achieved a decade ago and far better than the international average of 12% to 27%. This is no mean achievement. But 1% to 4% is still too many for us. We must aim to do better. To do this, we must start young. The Prime Minister said at the National Day Rally in August last year that we will invest substantial resources in preschool education. The Deputy Prime Minister Tharman also spoke about this in this year's Budget speech. Dr Lily Neo made a strong pitch for good preschool education earlier.”
“We now employ 30% more teachers than a decade ago and are investing more in their professional development. Experienced principals and skilful teachers are distributed across our schools, so that all our schools will be good schools. I thank Mr Lim Biow Chuan for speaking on the importance of good teachers and, earlier, Ms Low Yen Ling and Mr Yee Jenn Jong also spoke about class size and teachers. Indeed, the additional teachers that we have and the additional resources that we have, have translated into better pupil-teacher ratio. In 2012, our primary schools have a pupil-teacher ratio of 14:2 compared to 25:9 in 2000, just 12 years ago. In secondary school, our pupil-teacher ratio is 17:6 compared to 19:2 in 2000. Our pupil-teacher ratio is comparable across, or comparable with OECD average, and better than the UK and Korea. Now, I will touch on how schools are using these additional teaching resources to help students level up. Now, this higher quality of education throughout our system from primary to secondary to post-secondary, allows us to provide better opportunities for all our students today. Page: 96 Less than 1% of each cohort do not complete secondary education compared to 5% just 10 years ago. More than 94% of each cohort progress to post-secondary education compared to 86% a decade ago. This is a significant achievement but is this enough for the future? Today, around 30% of our economically active adults over the age of 50 do not have anything more than a primary school education. Many find it very hard to upgrade or retrain for better jobs. As Members of Parliament, we see many of our residents in this group seeking help.”
“The Minister for Finance outlined a number of key MOE initiatives in the Budget Speech, including expanding school-based student care centres, developing online resources, and expanding the Opportunity Fund. MOE will provide details on these at a later date. I fully agree with my parliamentary colleagues that our education system must provide opportunities and Mr Lim Biow Chuan spoke on this right at the onset. Indeed, over the decade, the Government has almost doubled the Page: 95 investment in education – from $6.5 billion in 2003, to $11.6 billion this year. These investments have supported three broad changes in our education system. First, we have invested more in developing well-rounded students who can think creatively and independently. Recent results in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) showed our students doing well but, more importantly, doing better in reasoning and analysis. And as Members can see from the chart, Singapore is at the top in Primary 4 reading, Primary 4 Mathematics, Primary 4 Science, Secondary 2 Mathematics and Secondary 2 Science – right there among the best performing systems in the world. 3.00 pm Second, students now have more choices at all levels through the many more pathways to develop their abilities and interests. At the secondary level, we have a diversity of schools with niches and programmes, catering to a wide range of talents and interests. At the post-secondary level, we have more options at the polytechnics and ITE, with better facilities and programmes. And at the university level, we are also expanding options. Third, we have raised the number and quality of our teaching professionals.”
“Mdm Chairperson, I would like to thank Members for sharing their views and constructive suggestions on education and speaking with such passion, starting with Mr Lim Biow Chuan. I share your passion for doing better. In fact, I am very happy to see many of our students here in the gallery watching this debate intensely. You are our future. Over the past seven months, we have engaged many Singaporeans, including students and over 5,000 educators, to discuss our nation's future and how education can help us get there. Your voices echo the passion that many have heard in Our Singapore Conversation. I have heard many rich and varied discussions firsthand. Through the Conversation, many Singaporeans have re-affirmed the strengths of our education system, and advocated that we build on them. But many participants also noted that there are areas where we must continue to recalibrate, and even to take a fresh approach. Allow me to touch on three areas today: first, reaffirming our commitment to provide the best opportunities for every child. These efforts include preschool education, levelling-up all our students, expanding post-secondary options, and supporting students with special needs. Second, recalibrating towards a holistic education centred on values. And third, refreshing our approaches to achieve our basic goals of education. Let me first reaffirm the Government's commitment to provide opportunities for all our children to excel. This is important to building a more inclusive society; and it is important to enabling our students and our young people to seize opportunities and access high quality jobs, as we restructure our economy.”
“NUS convened a Board of Discipline hearing for the NUS Campus Crusade for Christ (NCCC) Executive Committee members in September 2012, after confirming that the police were not taking any action against the students involved. After the hearing, NUS tasked the NCCC to submit a reflection report. NUS has accepted the outcome of the NCCC reflection report, which includes steps NCCC has taken to ensure that a similar incident will not happen again. Page: 173”
“From 2007 to 2012, 11 Polytechnic graduates were admitted into the LLB degree course at NUS and two were admitted to the LLB degree course at SMU. The table below provides a detailed breakdown. These Polytechnic graduates had pursued diplomas in areas such as law and management, mass communication, business and finance.”
“From past surveys, the percentage of Secondary 1 students who were given their first choice of CCA was about 75%. Almost all students were enrolled in a CCA within their top three choices. Schools may limit the number of students for a particular CCA due to manpower, facilities, financial, logistical and safety considerations. For some types of CCAs, selection trial is one fair way to allocate these places. Schools make these judgements on the ground. MOE does not keep a record of such school-based decisions. Even though some students may not get the CCA of their choice, they could still have exposure to a variety of arts and sports through the following school programmes (a) School-based aesthetics programmes provide students with access to popular art forms, such as drama and dance, through customised workshops, quality assembly programmes and learning journeys to plays and concerts. Page: 92 (b) Students learn to play a range of sports through our Physical Education programme from Primary 1 to Pre-University. To add further variety, the Sports Education Programme (in partnership with the Singapore Sports Council) offers schools more than 50 sports (such as floorball and golf) for students to learn to play. (c) Students who are keen on an activity can also launch a Student Initiated Activity (SiA) by gathering interested peers and obtaining a teacher’s endorsement for the activity. SiAs encompass all activities and may include a new CCA.”
“3%) for "O" level Geography and five (3.6%) for "N(A)" level Geography; and 34 (21.5%) for "O" level History and one (0.7%) for "N(A)" level History. From 1992 to 2012, students’ performance in Geography and History at "O" level has shown steady improvement. For Geography, the pass rate increased from 86.3% to 96.7%. For History, the pass rate increased from 60.8% to 97%. Performance of candidates at "N(A)" level has been consistent for both subjects over the same period. In 2012, the pass rate was 91.9% for Geography, and for History, the pass rate was 96.9%. Page: 91 From 1992 to 2012, Literature was more popular than History but less popular than Geography in most years. In 2012, there were about 3,140 Literature, 4,520 Geography and 1,250 History candidates. Over the same period, the results for Literature were comparable to those of Geography, History and Combined Humanities. In 2012, 95.8% of "O" level Literature candidates obtained passes. Geography, History and Combined Humanities candidates obtained 96.7%, 97% and 83% passes respectively. "N(A)" level Literature candidates obtained 91.1% passes. These results compared favourably with 91.9% passes for Geography, 96.9% passes for History and 84.1% passes for Combined Humanities.”
“Geography and History are compulsory subjects for all students at the lower Secondary levels. Before 2001, all upper Secondary students could offer one or two of the following Humanities subjects: Geography, History and Literature. From 2001, all upper Secondary students offered the compulsory Combined Humanities subject comprising a Social Studies component and one of the following components: elective versions of Geography, History and Literature. Students could also offer Geography, History or Literature as a second Humanities subject. The second Humanities subject offered must be different from the elective component in Combined Humanities. From 1992 to 2001, the candidature for Geography and History at "O" and "N(A)" level was stable. In 2001, there were about 21,500 (64%) "O" level Geography and 5,900 (58%) "N(A)" level Geography candidates; and 12,600 (37.5%) "O" level History and 3,900 (38.3%) "N(A)" level History candidates. In 2012, the candidature was 4,520 (12.1%) for "O" level Geography and 120 (1%) for "N(A)" level Geography; and 1,250 (3.3%) for "O" level History and 32 (0.3%) for "N(A)" level History. In addition, for Combined Humanities (Social Studies and Elective Geography), there were about 19,600 (52%) "O" level students and 7,200 (58.4%) "N(A)" level students; and for Combined Humanities (Social Studies and Elective History), there were about 14,400 (38.2%) "O" level students and 4,600 (37.3%) "N(A)" level students. From 1992 to 2001, the number of schools offering Geography and History at "O" and "N(A)" level was stable. In 2001, 137 (83%) schools offered Geography at "O" level and 100 (75.9%) at "N(A)" level. There were 137 (83%) schools offering History at "O" level and 102 (73.3%) at "N(A)" level. In 2012, the number of schools was 81 (51.”