Integrated Humanities Core
Nick Lee
Ong Ming Kang
Zhou Ming Yang
Contents
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Introduction
History
Current system
Highlights of the system
Secret of success
Negative assets and outcomes
Desired outcome
Introduction
• Minister of education - Dr Ng Eng Hen
• Literacy rate - 95.4%
• Primary language – English
• National education budget - $6.966 billion
• Enrollment – 532,225 students
– Primary > 290 261
– Secondary > 213 063
– Post-secondary > 28 901
History
Consolidation Years
Re-engineering Years
Ability-driven Years
Diversification Years
The consolidation years
• 1959 -- 1978
• Quantitative consolidation
– Establishment of fundamentals (eg. primary
education)
• Succeeded by qualitative consolidation
– Establishment of policies (eg. compulsory
bilingualism, due to political and ethnic pressures)
The re-engineering years
• 1979 -- 1987
• Problems of the relative ineffectiveness of the
bilingual approach arises
• The question of educational wastage also was
also raised ;
subsequently dealt with.
The ability-driven years
• 1988 -- 2002
• Key idea of greater autonomy
– Establishment of Independent Schools
• Underwent a major transition
– Publication of the Report of the Junior College /
Upper Secondary Review Committee in 2002.
The diversification years
• 2003 -- present
• Scope of human talent development widened
– Sports Schools
– Arts Schools
• Alternatives to standardized examinations
Current system
• 6 years of compulsory education
• Aims to help students to :
- Discover their own talents
- Realize their full potential
- Develop a passion for learning
• Flexible and diverse
• Broad-based education
– Ensure holistic development
Pre-school Education
• Provides a structured pre-school education
program of 3 years for children aged 4 - 6
• 5 days per week / 3-4 hours daily
• Run by private sector
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Community foundations
Religious bodies
Social organisations
Business organisations
Pre-school Education
• Programs featured
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learning activities, develop language and literacy skills
basic number concepts
simple science concepts
social skills
creative and problem solving skills
appreciation of music
movement and outdoor play
English as the first language
Mother Tongue as the second language
Primary Education
• 6 years of compulsory education
• No school fees
• Completed with Primary School Leaving
Examination (PSLE)
• Students are encouraged to participate in CoCurricular Activities (CCAs) and Community
Involvement Programs (CIP)
Primary Education
• Primary Education consists of
– 4-year foundation stage from Primary 1 to 4
– 2-year orientation stage from Primary 5 to 6
• Aim :
- Give students a good grasp of English
language, Mother Tongue and Mathematics.
Secondary Education
• 4-5 years of education
• Government schools’ school fees are very cheap
(almost free)
• Students are streamed according to how they
perform at the PSLE
– the Special, Express, Normal (Academic) course
– Normal (Technical) course
• The different curricular emphases are designed to
match their learning abilities and interests.
Secondary Education
• Completed with GCE ‘O’ Levels (for
Special/Express courses) or GCE ‘N’ Levels (for
Normal course)
• All students must take part in at least one CCA
• CCA performance is considered for admission
to JC, CI, polytechnics and ITE
Polytechnic
• Provides a 3-year diploma courses
• Accept students based on their GCE "O" level,
GCE "A" level or Institute of Technical
Education (ITE) results
• Offer a wide range of courses in various fields
• Provide a more industry-oriented education
as an alternative to junior colleges
Polytechnic
• About 40% of each Primary 1 cohort would
enroll in Polytechnics
• Subjects offered include :
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business studies
accountancy
mass communications
biotechnology
nursing
etc
Junior College
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2-3 years of education
Completed with the GCE ‘A’ Levels
All students must take part in at least one CCA
CCA performance is considered for university
admission
University
• Comprising 3 major autonomous school
– National University of Singapore (NUS)
– Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
– Singapore Management University (SMU)
• Students can :
- Chart their own destiny
- Differentiate themselves
- Pursue excellence in education, research and
service
- Receive substantial government funding
University
• Aspires to prepare students not only for today’s
world but also for a world where there will be jobs
that have yet to be invented and challenges not yet
foreseen.
• Schools have initiated a number of innovative
programs
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broadening of undergraduate education
the introduction of a core curriculum
collaborations with top foreign universities
establishment of inter-disciplinary centres
Highlights of the system
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Gifted Education Programme
Elective Programs
Project Work
Co-Curricular Activities
SPED
Gifted Education Programme
• Mission
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To provide leadership in the education of the intellectually
gifted. We are committed to nurturing gifted individuals to
their full potential for the fulfillment of self and the
betterment of society.
• Vision
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To make Gifted Education in Singapore a model of
excellence. We will achieve this vision by providing
professional expertise and exemplary resources to
develop intellectual rigour, humane values and creativity
in gifted youths to prepare them for responsible
leadership and service to country and society.
”
Gifted Education Programme
• First implemented in Singapore in 1984
• Rationale for GEP
– The intellectually gifted need a high degree of
mental stimulation, while this need may not be
met in the mainstream classroom and the gifted
child may become mediocre, indifferent or
disruptive in class
– Vital for the gifted to be helped and nurtured so
that human resources can be relied upon for the
nation's progress and prosperity
Gifted Education Programme
• Goals of the GEP
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to develop intellectual depth and higher level thinking
to nurture productive creativity
to develop attitudes for self-directed lifelong learning
to enhance aspirations for individual excellence and
fulfillment
– to develop a strong social conscience and commitment to
serve society and nation
– to develop moral values and qualities for responsible
leadership
Elective Programmes
• Consisting of
– Art Elective Programme (AEP)
– Music Elective Programme (MEP)
– Language Elective Programme (LEP)
• Aims :
- Stretch talents in art and music
- Develop individuals who are able to provide
leadership for the cultivation of arts.
Project Work
• Aims to provide students with the opportunity to
synthesize knowledge from various areas of learning,
and critically and creatively apply it to real life
situations so as to prepare them for lifelong learning
and the challenges ahead
• Learning outcomes
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knowledge application
communication
collaboration
independent learning
Co-Curricular Activities
• Vision
– Cultured and Active Youths of Tomorrow
• Mission
– To build and enhance the capacity of schools to enrich
students' experience through CCAs
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Clubs and Societies
Music and Dance
Outdoor Education
Sports
Uniformed Groups
Special Education (SPED)
• Provides education for children with disabilities
• SPED schools run different programs catering to
distinct disability groups of children who are unable
to benefit from mainstream schooling
• Aims :
- Develop potential of pupils
- Help them to be independent, self-supporting
- Contribute to Society
• Enable children with special needs to function
optimally and integrate well into society
Secret of success
• Efficiency, dedication and work of the education
ministry
• Constant updates of syllabi regularly to ensure they
remain relevant in the ever-changing global economy
• Many concerned parents in Singapore strive to give
their children the best in their education
– assessment books
– private tuition
Secret of success
• Competitive environment in most schools
– Students are assessed many times each year by
their teachers via homework, projects, tests and
exams
– Students are streamed into various classes
according to their academic ability, which is highly
dependent on their grades
– Even schools are ranked according to the national
exam grades that their students received each
year.
Desired outcome
• All products of the education system should
– be morally upright, be culturally rooted yet understanding and
respecting differences, be responsible to all
– believe in multi-racialism and meritocracy, appreciate the national
constraints but see the opportunities
– be constituents of a gracious society
– be willing to strive, take pride in work, value working with others
– be able to think, reason and deal confidently with the future, have
courage and conviction in facing adversity
– be able to seek, process and apply knowledge
– be innovative - have a spirit of continual improvement, a lifelong habit
of learning and an enterprising spirit in undertakings
– Think global, but be rooted to Singapore
Desired outcome
• Potential leaders should
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be committed to improving society
be proactive in surmounting our constraints
have compassion towards others
be able to inspire, motivate and draw the best from others
be able to chart our destiny and lead
be able to forge breakthroughs in a knowledge-based
economy
– be creative and imaginative
– have the tenacity to fight against the odds and not quit
Test/Streaming
• Pros
– Easiest way to identify students with ability
– Able to focus and channel more resources into grooming
talented individuals
– Students grow up focused and career-minded
– Highly effective
– Motivate students to work hard
– Fair way of accessing students
– Allow students weaker in studies to pick up an alternative
skill or talent besides studying
Test/Streaming
• Cons
– Highly stressed students due to intensive
competition
– Parents become “kia-su” and send their children
to tuitions and interest classes
– Specific streaming causes students to develop
arrogance and others, depression
– Academic results might not have a direct link to a
student's ability
Elective programmes/Sports school
• Pros
– Groom students creativity and talent in other
areas apart from academics
– Provides students with special talents a chance to
persue their passion
– Provide future workforce for the industries that
are highly specific and demending in skill
CCA/CIP/Project work
• Pros
– Groom students to become all-rounded talents
– Trains the analytical skills of students
– Enforce the importance of teamwork among
students
Cirriculum
• Cons
– Children are put to education at such a young age,
not given freedom
– Stifling; students usually have to obey the norms
– Great stress and pressure put on students amidst
competition and academics
– "Talents" discovered through academics does not
equal to working well in society
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