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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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 35 of 35.
“The number of scholarships and quantum of tuition grants, as with other policies, are reviewed periodically, taking into account the overall impact on the quality of education, the manpower needs of our economy as well as global and regional developments in education and other arenas that can have an impact on Singapore's development. Page: 1016”
“About 17,000 international students applied to study at our autonomous universities in each of the past three years. The universities have stringent selection systems and, in 2012, international students formed less than 16% of the total number of students who matriculated into our autonomous universities. International students 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 marketplace. The importance of international students to a university's learning environment is widely recognised. Hence, most university ranking tables attach some weight to the proportion of international students. While reducing the proportion of international students may have some effect on rankings, this is not the reason why our universities take in international students. Rather, having an appropriate mix of students yields educational benefit as it enables our students to develop cross-cultural perspectives and sensitivities, and helps to prepare them for a more globalised world. Page: 1016 Our universities, like many top universities worldwide, provide a range of scholarships and bursaries to attract international students who will be able to add diversity and enrich the campus learning experience. Since AY2008, the fee differentiation between Singaporeans and international students has been increased to reflect the privileges of citizenship.”
“Of the total resident graduates aged 15 years and above in 2010, the following proportions graduated from local publicly-funded universities: (a) About 44% of those in the 25-29 years age group; and (b) About 33% of those in the 30-34 years age group. Page: 1015 Although the statistics for resident graduates aged 25-29 years suggests that a higher proportion of females are graduates compared to males (43% male and 57% female), the disparity is not as sharp after accounting for National Service for males. This can be attributed to the fact that many males in the 25-26 age group would not have graduated yet. It is important to note that our universities accept students based on merit, regardless of gender. Our workplaces also promote fair and merit-based employment practices regardless of gender, as laid out in the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, formulated by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP). The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and SIM University (UniSIM) will raise our publicly-funded university cohort participation rate to 40% by 2020 by developing a distinct applied degree pathway to cater to a broader range of students with different learning preferences and interests. This will provide more opportunities for university education for our young people, and increase the proportion of graduates among the younger workforce. We also expect more to upgrade to degrees via part-time places through enhancements to our Continuing Education and Training offerings, which would raise the graduate profile in the overall workforce over time. Page: 1015”
“In each of the last three years, about 8,600 students who completed their A-level and International Baccalaureate (IB) qualifications here matriculated into publicly-funded University places. MOE does not collect data on the number of GCE "A" Level and IB students matriculating into local private education institutions and Universities overseas. Page: 936”
“Our JCs set their own examinations based on their respective student profiles, and develop their own criteria for progression to the second year of their JC course. Hence, there is no standardised measurement of pass/fail across the JCs in the first year promotional examinations. Over the last three years, approximately 6% of first year JC students in each cohort failed some subjects in their promotional examinations and were retained. The two JCs with the highest retention rates at JC1 averaged around 15% over the past three years. At the JCs, students are counselled if the A-level course is not the most suitable pathway for them. MOE closely monitors progression rates of students as they progress from one stage of the education system to the next. We continuously seek to improve the educational career guidance we provide secondary students to help them make appropriate educational choices.”
“Such subjects provide learning experiences for students to have active hands-on learning as well as basic appreciation of skills required for post-secondary education and careers in related industries. Alternative methods of assessments are used in applied subjects, and these include the use of authentic situations and coursework. In Computer Applications, for example, students can design websites to introduce a place of interest to tourists. In Food Studies, students can apply their knowledge of food and nutrition, food commodities and culinary skills in planning a meal for a social gathering. Page: 935 General education at Primary and Secondary level lays the foundation for our students to learn and to progress further. Different pathways are available at the post-Secondary level to help prepare students for further studies and for work.”
“The main focus of Secondary education is to provide a general education to equip students with literacy and numeracy skills, as well as competencies, such as information management, effective communication and inventive thinking. These skills and competencies lay the foundation for our students to progress further to post-Secondary education. Our students can also benefit from hands-on applicative learning besides the core knowledge, skills and competencies provided by the academic subjects. A broad range of applied subjects is offered to all our students in the Secondary and specialised schools. For example, NUS High School of Mathematics & Science offers a Design and Engineering module to their lower secondary students, and the School of Science & Technology (SST) offers applied subjects like Biotechnology, Media Studies and Fundamentals of Electronics to their upper secondary students. Our Secondary schools also offer a range of applied subjects like Design and Technology, Food and Nutrition, and Art as GCE "O" level subjects to the Upper Secondary Express and Normal (Academic) students. In addition, schools also partner the Polytechnics to develop applied subjects like "Creative 3D Animation" and "Introduction to Enterprise Development". All Normal (Technical) students take Computer Applications (CPA) as a core subject. This equips students with fundamental ICT skills like word processing, computer 3D drawing, designing multimedia presentations, and spreadsheet calculations. Elective subjects, such as Technical Studies, Food Studies and Art, are also offered as GCE ‘N" level subjects to the Normal (Technical) students.”
“REACH links up with partners (such as General Practitioners for medication and Family Service Centres for family-related issues) for individualised treatment within the community. The REACH team also provides individualised and group therapies in cases where students' conditions have stabilised and can be managed in the community without the need for medication. For students supported mainly by school counsellors, the REACH team provides phone and email consultation on individualised management recommendations and therapy materials. Page: 934”
“Schools promote the mental well-being of students by: (a) providing them with a caring and supportive school environment so that they can develop healthy relationships with teachers and friends; (b) equipping students with social and emotional skills through explicit teaching and providing opportunities to practise; and (c) providing a balanced and engaging curriculum so that students develop holistically, explore their interests and discover their strengths. Schools also make use of mental health education packages called Mind Your Mind, which are jointly produced by Health Promotion Board and MOE. Primary school children are taught ways to manage stress and anger, while Secondary school students learn about positive self-esteem, communication skills and how to deal with stress and depression. Schools also watch out for students who may be exhibiting signs of anxiety and depression and refer them for appropriate interventions. Form Teachers play a key role in identifying these students, and trained school counsellors follow up closely. Students with more complex problems are referred to the REACH (Response, Early Intervention and Assessment in Community Mental Health) team for professional consultation and assessment. REACH is a multi-disciplinary team comprising medical doctors, clinical psychologists, medical social workers, occupational therapists and nurses. In 201112, REACH assessed that 250 students (or 0.05% of the student population) required specialised care. They were followed up by doctors at the Specialist Outpatient Clinics in the hospitals near their schools. Another 250 students referred by schools were supported directly by the REACH team.”
“Over the past three years, our Autonomous Universities produced over 1,100 building, architecture, civil engineering and related graduates. We do not have exact figures on how many of these entered the construction industry, but our estimates, based on graduate surveys, are that close to half of these graduates are employed in the construction industry. The Government will continue to work with our industry partners to attract local talent into the construction and other strategic industries. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) offers various scholarships, such as the BCA-Industry Built Environment Scholarship, to encourage Singaporeans to take up diplomas and degrees in the construction industry. There are also initiatives, such as Learning Journeys, career fairs and internship programmes, to reach out to students. The Government also provides support for Continuing Education and Training (CET) degree pathways for adult learners to upgrade their qualifications. Employees can make use of the various schemes, such as the Workforce Training and Upgrading Scheme (WTU) or Skills Development Fund (SDF), to upgrade their skills and increase productivity. There are many courses relevant to the construction industry offered by organisations, such as the certification courses, specialist diplomas and part-time Masters programmes offered by the BCA Academy. Page: 932”
“Between 2001 and 2011, girls performed slightly better than boys at the PSLE. Dividing all PSLE students into performance band quintiles, girls are two percentage points over-represented in the top quintile and three to four percentage points under-represented in the bottom quintile at PSLE. This has been broadly consistent over the last 10 years. Such differences occur across education systems worldwide. Girls outperform boys academically on average, not just at age 12, but also at older ages. For instance, in the 2009 PISA reading assessment of 15-year-olds, girls outperformed boys on average, in all participating countries. In fact, the difference in PISA 2009 performance between girls and boys in Singapore is smaller than most other countries, and smaller than the OECD average. Page: 913”
“The DSA scheme, introduced in 2004, seeks to promote holistic education by recognising a more diverse range of student achievements, abilities and interests as criteria for school admission. Participating schools are given the flexibility to admit some students on the basis of their strengths, rather than rely solely on their performance at the national examinations. Last year, under DSA, around 2,600 students, or about 6% of the student cohort, were admitted to Secondary schools, while 500 students or about 3% of the student cohort entered Junior Colleges. These students were admitted through a diverse range of talent areas which included sports, performing arts and visual arts, and specialised academic areas. Overall, DSA has served to allow students to develop in their areas of strength, by broadening admission criteria beyond grades at national examinations. In general, schools can decide on their DSA admission criteria, as long as they are merit-based and transparent. The Primary 6 students must achieve PSLE results that would enable them to be eligible for admission to the course being offered by the DSA school, while the Secondary 4 students must meet the eligibility criteria for JC admission based on the GCE "O" level examination results. As with all of our policies, we continue to regularly review the DSA scheme and seek to improve upon it. Page: 911”
“All Edusave Awards, including the Edusave Awards for Achievement, Good Leadership and Service (EAGLES), are meant for Singaporean students. The Edusave awards are funded by income generated from the Edusave Endowment Fund and serve to recognise and promote excellence in both academic and non-academic areas. Our schools provide a broad range of opportunities for all their students through Co-Curricular Activities, class activities, school events and level camps, and PR students do participate in these. Beyond the Edusave awards, students' excellence in academic and non-academic domains are also recognised through various school-based awards and awards given at inter-school competitions.”
“The scope of collaboration between our Autonomous Universities (AUs) and their overseas partners varies significantly. Our AUs tap on the expertise of their overseas partners to develop new models of undergraduate education in Singapore. The range of activities covered by the partnerships includes curriculum and pedagogical development, advice on governance and organisational structures, faculty immersion programmes, and research collaborations. The collaboration fees pay for the resources committed by the overseas partners towards such efforts, and therefore vary according to the different models of partnerships between our AUs and the overseas partners. They also decrease significantly after the start-up phase of such collaborations. As these agreements are covered by confidentiality clauses, MOE is not at liberty to divulge the collaboration fees. However, MOE closely scrutinizes the amount of funding required by AUs to enter into such partnerships, and ensures that such collaborations provide quality university education opportunities for Singaporeans, and positions us well for the future.”
“In the course of its work, the Committee on University Education Pathways Beyond 2015 (CUEP) engaged extensively with a broad range of stakeholders to highlight the unique strengths of the new applied degree pathway, which will be delivered by the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and SIM University (UniSIM). What SIT and UniSIM will offer is different and distinct from the programmes available at the four existing autonomous universities. Both SIT and UniSIM will build on the work of the CUEP and will continue to share the value of the applied pathway and its programme with students, their parents and teachers, through our Secondary schools, Junior Colleges and Polytechnics. Given the increased diversity of the university landscape, MOE will also continue to emphasise education and career guidance in schools. Among other things, MOE's Education and Career Guidance programme will be enhanced and updated to reflect the new pathways as well as nurture the dispositions of lifelong learning. Polytechnics will also update their student advisory services resources. These will provide a current and relevant resource for students and teachers to help select programmes most suited to the students' dispositions and abilities.”
“MOE regularly reviews the trends in demand and supply both at the national and local levels to ensure that there are sufficient school places for every P1-going child. While MOE tries to ensure that every child of school-going age in Singapore has a place in a school reasonably near his or her home, it will not be possible to build a Primary school in every estate. Every new school needs to have a sufficient catchment of students to enable it to mount a range of activities for the benefit of the students, and to be run efficiently. Our school planning takes into account the projected population and planned housing development programmes to ensure that there are sufficient school places to meet the current and future demands from each town. There are currently two Primary schools, Kong Hwa School and Tanjong Katong Primary School, located in the Mountbatten constituency. There are also other Primary schools, for example, Geylang Methodist Primary School and Stamford Primary School, which are located just outside the Mountbatten constituency. As there are sufficient Primary school places after taking into consideration the planned housing development programmes in this estate, we have no plans to build any new Primary schools in this area.”
“Students are adequately guided and supported in schools as our teachers do their utmost to help every child. Many schools provide remedial lessons to help weaker students. Specific learning support programmes are given for those who have a weak foundation in the early Primary years. For students who are coping well in schools, sending them for tuition can create unnecessary stress and detract them from holistic development. If parents should decide to engage tuition services, they will have to exercise their discretion and carry out basic checks, for example, by speaking to the tutors concerned and checking their credentials. Tuition centres are regulated under the Education Act and tutors in these centres are required to be registered with MOE. In registering the tutors, MOE will check that their academic qualifications meet the minimum standards required to teach the proposed subjects. Unlike tuition centres, tuition agencies do not directly provide instruction to students. They only provide matching services between tutors and students. They are not regulated under the Education Act or the Private Education Act. With such agencies, parents have to exercise even greater discernment. The idea of an industry body to maintain a database of tutors may not be the answer as it may still not provide adequate information to parents.”
“MOE and our Universities recognise that universities around the world are piloting the use of free online course initiatives, such as Coursera (a Stanford spinoff) and edX (an MIT and Harvard initiative). However, these initiatives are in the early stages and linked to the universities' broader plans to raise the quality and accessibility of teaching and learning. These should not be regarded as stand-alone initiatives. Moreover, a university education is more than knowledge acquisition. The rich learning that occurs through face-to-face interaction among students, peers and professors goes beyond online teaching. Online platforms also cannot replicate the diverse experiences and rich interactions at the universities. But we agree with Ms Lee that we need to harness the value of online learning, and more generally the skilful use of information communications technology, to enrich learning. Our Universities are, for instance, taking steps towards making their materials available online for free. Both NUS and NTU already offer some of their materials through the popular open courseware portal iTunes U on the Apple online store. This is an area where our Universities will continue to explore, in line with their strategic plans.”
“The outcomes which schools are encouraged to pursue are increased student interest in and appreciation for the arts.”
“Since its inception in 1966, the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) has played a crucial role in promoting the development of the arts in schools. Over the years, the format of SYF has evolved in step with developments in schools. In the early years, the SYF was used mainly as a platform for schools to perform publicly to promote the performing arts. In the 1970s, as more performing arts groups were formed, central judging was introduced for schools to benchmark standards. Two-tiered competitions were introduced in the 1990s, whereby schools would participate in a preliminary round of judging in April followed by a second round for selected top performing schools in the July festival. In 2005, the format was revised to reduce the competitive element of SYF. In the current format, the central judging in April becomes a single-tiered benchmarking exercise. The July festival is non-competitive in nature and features a wide range of schools' performances. The Ministry is currently reviewing the SYF to ensure that the format will have greater educational value for our schools, while retaining the element of benchmarking which is still useful. We also plan to moderate excessive competitive pressure through the review. Beyond SYF, in helping schools improve arts education, MOE adopts a holistic approach that takes into consideration the processes and the impact on the student cohort, and not just the results. We collaborate with the National Arts Council on the National Arts Education Awards (NAEA). These awards focus on how schools build a vibrant arts culture by developing students' interest in different arts forms, and the sustained participation of the students in the arts.”
“The Autonomous Universities (AUs) and Polytechnics have employed rigorous survey methodologies to collect and analyse data for their Graduate Employment Surveys (GES), including selecting reputable and experienced independent survey companies to assist them in this exercise. From 2012, a single survey company will be commissioned to conduct the GES for the AUs, as has been the case for the Polytechnics since 2005. MOE requires a response rate of at least 70% in the GES for every single institution, to ensure that both aggregated and institution-specific findings are robust. This requirement is imposed for both the GES done for the Polytechnics as well as the AUs, and is also in line with the accepted industry norms for such surveys.”
“Every year, the Ministries of Manpower and Education, the economic agencies, as well as our post-Secondary institutions will come together to discuss the manpower needs for the Singapore economy in the coming years. The discussion will also include broad plans and indicative intakes for programmes and courses to be offered by our universities, polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). Our Polytechnics and the ITE have a robust curriculum development and review process to ensure that their graduates have good employment prospects, including at local companies. Their Academic Advisory Committees comprising industry leaders and professionals advise them on wider trends and developments in the sector, so that curricula and teaching methods develop our students well for the demands of their chosen careers. ITE graduates today enjoy good employment rates – over 87% of them are employed within six months of graduation. Although we do not have precise data on the number of ITE graduates in the small and medium enterprises, we know many are employed in local companies in various positions, ranging from frontline service staff to managerial roles. While our ITE and Polytechnics have prepared our students well for their careers, there is currently a shortage of workers which is being met by a controlled intake of foreign workers.”
“Student to faculty ratios (SFRs) at the autonomous universities (AUs) vary according to the needs of the discipline and the pedagogical approach. For example, programmes such as Science, Engineering, Social Science, and Business have an average SFR of 20:1. Class sizes for lectures, tutorials, seminars and laboratory classes also vary as these serve different learning outcomes. Tutorials, for example, are meant to enable more interaction and discussion between students and tutors, and therefore have fewer students per session than lectures. MOE does not impose a minimum SFR. As autonomous entities, the AUs are responsible for managing their own performance, including the quality of teaching. They conduct dialogue sessions with their students to receive feedback on the quality of the educational experience, and to take actions to continuously improve on this. MOE holds the AUs accountable through our performance management framework, which includes commissioning an independent external review panel made up of local and international industry leaders, professionals and eminent academics to review, among other things, the quality of teaching and learning in each university once every five years.”
“We will also continue to facilitate trade by fostering international customs partnerships. Greater resources will be invested into strengthening our social safety nets, in particular by helping lower and middle-income Singaporeans own homes and improving support for the healthcare of older Singaporeans. We are encouraging charitable giving through significantly enhanced tax deductions and Government matching grants for donations to various schemes that improve citizens' welfare, including long-term care for the elderly and services for the disabled. The Singapore Totalisator Board will also be increasing its contributions to the community for worthy causes. Page: 27 We are investing in a city where young and old feel at home. We are making major investments to enhance our transport capacity and reach. We will also bring greenery into the city, and nurture active sports and vibrant arts scenes. As we face greater constraints in land, energy and carbon, we will optimise our resources through forward-looking planning and fiscal measures to encourage environment sustainability. We will catalyse the development of more e-services and delivery channels by the people and private sectors. We will also continue to promote collaboration among government agencies to work towards Whole-of-Government outcomes, and greater integration in the delivery of services to Singaporeans. Page: 27 Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Addendum to the President's Address)”
“Under the Constitutional rules, they also provide a regular stream of income from investments, for spending on the Government Budget. In a more volatile and challenging investment environment, we must hold to a framework that enables GIC and Temasek to focus on the long term and pursue investment strategies that generate sustainable portfolio returns. We will play an active and constructive role in international fora such as the Group of 20 (G-20), the IMF and the World Bank, to promote a stable financial system and sustainable global growth. We will also continue to work with our regional partners to advance schemes that enhance market-based financing for regional infrastructure needs and help to deepen regional capital markets. Our fundamental economic challenge is to improve productivity, as the way to increase Singaporeans' incomes on a sustainable basis. We will support and catalyse efforts to raise skills and improve the quality of jobs in every sector. The Productivity and Innovation Credit that was introduced in 2010 and the $2 billion that we have set aside in the National Productivity Fund are major incentives for this upgrading. We are working to enhance support for Singapore companies venturing into overseas markets, by improving the availability of long-term project finance and trade finance. We will uphold Singapore's reputation as one of the world's most supportive business environments by simplifying tax administration and enhancing tax certainty. We are also strengthening Singapore as an international financial and business hub, including the development of our accountancy sector. The Companies Act and Business Registration Act will be updated to ensure that they remain relevant and conducive to both investors and operating businesses.”
“Page: 25 Ministry of Finance (Addendum to the President's Address) The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam): Our macro-economic policies aim to help Singapore achieve inclusive growth, an enhanced quality of life and better, sustainable social safety nets for our citizens. The environment has shifted, compared to even five years ago. Domestically, tighter land and population constraints will shape future growth prospects. Externally, slow growth in the developed economies, with periodic debt shocks and economic setbacks, may be the norm for several years to come. We must steer a path that enables Singapore to respond to these challenges, transform the nation's capabilities and help our citizens achieve higher standards of living. Page: 26 We must maintain a sound and sustainable fiscal system. Our plans to significantly enhance the transport infrastructure, quality and opportunities in education, healthcare and housing will lead to Government expenditure rising as a percentage of GDP in the next five years. We have put in place a resilient revenue structure to enable us to meet these higher spending needs. Nevertheless, the overall burden of taxes on Singaporeans remains low by international standards, and will remain so. We will ensure that our fiscal system remains fair and equitable. We have re-shaped our property tax and personal income tax schedules to make our tax system more progressive. Government transfers schemes will provide targeted and effective assistance to lower and middle-income households in need. They will also provide full incentive and support for individuals to work and upgrade in their jobs. Our reserves provide Singapore the confidence to deal with crises.”
“Beyond 2015, we will expand university intakes further to create even more opportunities for Singaporeans to benefit from university education. A committee has been set up to study how to do this, so that we can continue to meet the aspirations of Singaporeans and long-term needs of our economy. Under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2015 plan, our universities will continue to strengthen their research capabilities in collaboration with the private sector and research institutes. Learning opportunities for Singaporeans will continue throughout life. We will enhance Continuing Education and Training (CET) through subsidised part-time programmes, advanced and specialist diplomas and short courses and certificates at our post-secondary educational institutions. We will expand the size of our teaching force from 31,000 today, to 33,000 within five years. We will support our teachers with more allied educators, and a stronger administrative team in schools. We will also retain our best educators, through attractive career options and developmental opportunities. The teaching fraternity, working through the Academy of Singapore Teachers, will set high standards for all its members in their sense of mission, personal conduct and quest for professional excellence. All our teachers must aspire to lead, care and inspire. Working in partnership with stakeholders, we will provide our children with the best education, and nurture them into confident persons, self-directed learners, concerned citizens and active contributors. United, they will live out the Singapore Spirit and create a brighter future for all.”
“We have rebuilt or refurbished almost all the VWO-run special education schools over the past five years and will expand capacity in areas of need. Over the past five years, our outreach efforts have improved preschool enrolment to 99% of the cohort. MOE will continue to work with MCYS to improve the quality, affordability and accessibility of preschool. We will accredit good quality preschools, and invest more in building preschool teacher capacity. We aim to create more pathways to match the interests and aptitudes of every student. For students with special talents in Sports, Arts, Mathematics and Science and Applied Learning, we have set up specialised schools to help them scale greater heights. Two new Specialised Schools for Normal (Technical) students will cater to experiential learners. Normal (Academic) students will have the option of joining the polytechnics via the Polytechnic Foundation Programme. In addition, Express students can choose from a greater variety of Integrated Programmes. Page: 25 We will complete the consolidation of ITE into three regional colleges to enable more multi-disciplinary training, provide state-of-the-art teaching facilities and modern amenities to enhance campus life. The polytechnics will expand to admit up to 45% of each Primary One cohort. They will have better facilities and offer industry-relevant courses in new growth areas. Over the next few years, students will have more options to earn publicly-funded degrees, with the expansion of existing institutions and the establishment of new institutions and programmes. By 2015, there will be 14,000 publicly-funded university places for Singapore students.”
“We need a strong consensus on how we bring up the next generation. Through our investment in education, we ensure that every child, regardless of family circumstances and background, has access to opportunities. Singaporeans enjoy highly subsidised education. We have topped up Edusave accounts and extended more Edusave grants to schools to support enrichment programmes. Bursaries at the various levels have also been enhanced. We will continue to make every school a good school. Schools have different student profiles and needs. But all will help their students grow in confidence through exposure to new ideas, experiences and possibilities; equip them with the competencies to work purposefully towards their goals; and nurture a community of friends for life. Schools will do so in their different ways. We will help them develop their areas of strength, be it in aesthetics, character and citizenship education, leadership development, sports and physical education, or teaching and learning, to bring out the best in their students. By giving every Singaporean child a positive school experience, we can nurture a multiplicity of talents, each different from the other and everyone quietly confident about himself. More customised programmes and teaching methods will help students with different starting points and abilities learn their mother tongue languages effectively, and connect to our rich cultural heritage and other communities in Asia. We will also stretch those with the ability and interest to acquire a deeper grasp of the language and culture. We are committed to improving the quality of provisions for special needs children in mainstream schools and special education schools.”
“Our goal is to develop lifelong learners and active contributors, confident in meeting the challenges in life and committed to making a positive difference to Singapore. We have significantly increased our investments in education over the past decade, across levels and institutions. We will continue to invest more to better cater to the strengths and interests of each child, and to allow every child to find his or her own path to success. We are implementing a more holistic curriculum, aimed at inculcating strong values, a good knowledge and skills base, and 21st century competencies. To support this, we are investing in better infrastructure like single-session primary schools, and the development of indoor sports halls and other facilities At the primary level, we are enhancing teaching in the classrooms, and implementing meaningful enrichment and co-curricular activities (CCAs). These will help our children develop crucial competencies like expression, confidence and teamwork. At the secondary level, we will help our teenagers further develop their character and citizenship, by increasing learning opportunities through CCAs, sports programmes, community involvement programmes, and learning journeys. Page: 24 Twinning and exchange programmes will prepare our students for an increasingly globalised world. As our students access global opportunities, rootedness to Singapore becomes even more important. We want all Singaporeans to carry the Singapore Spirit in our hearts, no matter where we may be. Our children must feel a deep sense of belonging and commitment to Singapore. Our schools share the responsibility of nurturing our children with parents and the community, who in turn support and reinforce the efforts of educators.”