education policies & practices in singapore

8/7/2019 Education Policies & Practices in Singapore

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Education in Singapore

A Response to Economic Challenges& Nation Building


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Education during the Colonial Period

(1819-1945)

Mission Schools English medium

Singapore Free School (1834) later RI (1963) King Edward VII College of Medicine (1905)

Raffles College (1926)

Vernacular Schools Chinese, Malay and Tamil

Govt support for Malay schools (not all)

Role of community clan associations, businessmen

University

Of

Malaya


3/20

Strengths

Enterprise & pioneering spirit of the various

community existed entirely on their own resources

Preservation of cultural & linguistic differences in

Singapore


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Challenges

Education was limited to those who could afford

(end of colonial period, >40% were illiterate) Divided along racial lines

Due to world events (revolutionary fervor & changes inChina in the early 20th C)

Politicized threat to the govt


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Post-War Years (1945-1965)

1947 Ten-Year Plan

Free Education ages 6-12 yrs To foster capacity for self-govt

MT as medium of instruction

EL from 3rd year

Standardised curriculum

Selection for English Primary School

Training CollegeMeanwhile,

Unrests continued


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Post-War Years (1945-1965)

1955 Limited Self-Government All-Party Committee

Proposed education policy that met theneeds of various committees nationhood NE

Bilingual primary education

Trilingual secondary education

ECA

Teaching of civics

Parity of treatment for all 4language streams

Technical education and industrial

training emphasized

1959- Policy took shape

All & emphasis on Maths

and Science

1960- 2nd Lang

compulsory in PrimarySchool


7/20

Challenges of Independence

Political

Confrontasi

Clashes with Malaysian leaders

Highlighted our vulnerability

Economic

Lost Malaysian hinterlandUnemployment (double digit)

-fall in entrepot trade

-1967 withdrawal of Br forces

Social

Lacked built-in reflexes

(loyalty, patriotism, shared

history/ tradition)

Population divided by race,

language, religion

- 1964 racial riots

Solution?Solution?

Dual role of education

Economic transformation

Disciplined cohesive society


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Post Independence Years

Labour-Intensive Industries(1966-1970s)

Aims: Nation Building

Economic Development Education for more people

Different types of education

were provided for different

age groupsMalay as the National Language

Overall increase in student

intake at various levels

Focus on Mathematics, Science and

Technical subjects


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Nation Building

Pledge taking, flag raising& lowering

ECA grades

1969, common curriculumfor all Sec 1 & 2 in all 4language stream schools

Improved quality of

educationAttention to teaching

resources, planning

(facilities), research,

organisation, and evaluation

Promote use of Mandarin

1978, SAP schools

1971, GCE O-levels

Meeting Economic Challenges1966- Second Language in Secondary

schs

1969- Lower Sec Tech Subject

Girls had a choice/ VITB/ Science Labs

in all Sec/ SP and NATech College

Post Independence YearsLabour-Intensive Industries

(1966-1970s)


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Problems

High education wastage Attrition rate 29% for primary

36% for secondary Variation in academic performance

New Economic Challenges

Labour Shortage Competition from Other Countries

Lower cost

Lower productivity


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Industrial Restructuring -1980s Higher/ Tertiary

education wasencouraged

Increased intake

NU merged with U ofSingapore = NUS

NTI, 1981 (engineeringand technology)

1991, NTU BEST (EL, MA) for largeprotion of the workforcewho have less tha P6education

Improved quality of

educationStreaming introduced to

bring out the best in every

individual and to reduce

dropout rate

GEP, 1984

Increased investmentBuildingmore schools,

single-session schools

1988,89 Independent

Schools

Relaxed entry to Secondary school


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Moving into the 1990s

Economic RestructuringWhat was the focus in the 1990s?


13/20

1990s

Further concentration onpost secondary and tertiaryeducation

to develop the manpowerneeded for the push tohigh tech and knowledgeintensive products andservices

1992, SIM Open U

1997, became privatized

1992, ITE

1993, Edusave

1994, 4th Polytechnic, TP

1994-6, Autonomous schools


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1990s

Twin forces ofglobalization andtechnological change Ability-driven

Curriculum

School environment

Teaching service

Education structure

Education hub

Administrative excellence


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1990s

1997, $2 bil on IT in classrooms

IT Masterplan

PW

NE

ECA CCA

Post-grad and Arts education encouraged

PRIME

SEM

Cluster Schools

Compulsory Education, 2000


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Education Policies & Practices

in Singapore

60s-70s

Flag-raising &

Pledge-taking

Billingualism

ECAs

Technical Education

80s-early 90s

Streaming

Moral Values

Vocational Traning

Schools given

Greater Autonomy

Late 1990s

Caring Thinking& Creative thinking

IT

NE

CIP

Compulsory Pri

Education (2000)


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in Singapore

21st Century

TLLM (2003)

Integrated Programme/ Through Train (2003)

Future Schools (2008)

Specialised Schools

- NUS Maths & Science School

- School of Science & Technology

- School of the Arts

- Singapore Sports School

- Pathlight & Northlight Schools


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in Singapore

Leveling up for all economic-social classes?

Financial Assistance Schemes Government Bursaries

Edusave Scheme (1993) to maximise opportunities for all Singaporean

children rewards students who perform well or who make

good progress

provides students and schools with funds to pay for

enrichment programmes or to purchase additional

resources.


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Summing Up

What are the features of our educationsystem?

Do you agree with what the

government has done so far?

What would you do differently?

http://www.moe.edu.sg/


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Practice Question

Instilling and reinforcing nationalloyalty through National Education is

the main consideration of our education

system.

Do you agree with the statement? EYA

education policies & practices in singapore

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