Dom on Education

Singapore is consistently ranked in the top three countries with regards to education. This is a result of government policies geared towards the investment in the learning of the new generation. This is very important to the government of Singapore, especially considering the new generation will someday be the ones leading the country. Because of this there exists an establishment called the Ministry of Education, created to direct the formulation and implementation of education policies. The Ministry of Education is in charge of the development and control of Government and Government-aided primary schools, secondary schools, junior colleges, and a centralized institute.

One particular aspect of Singapore’s education system that contributes to much of its success is the fact that it has almost universal education at the primary and secondary school level. Even the very small number of people who are not enrolled in national schools cause the government to worry that they will not be productive members in what they see as a knowledge-based economy. Because of this, the Committee of Compulsory Education in Singapore was formed to decide on the future of compulsory education. The CCES decided that compulsory education should be implemented, in an effort to bring education to each and every citizen of Singapore.

In Singapore, children usually start schooling at the age of three (though sometimes younger) when they enter preschool. Preschool there consists of one year of nursery and two years of kindergarten. In preschool they learn to develop basic language and writing skills, social skills, creativity, and physical activities. In Singapore it is also important that students learn two languages, usually English and either Chinese, Malay, or Tamil, as early as possible.

After their three years of preschool, or upon reaching age six, students attend primary school. In primary school there is a two year orientation-stage followed by a four-year foundation course. While in the two-year orientation stage students learn basic math skills, get a better grasp of English, and also improve their knowledge of their first language. In the four-year foundation course, their curriculum consists of three circles: the inner circle, the middle circle, and the outer circle. The inner circle focuses on life skills and developing habits and sound values that lead to a successful and responsible adult life, such classes in this circle include “Character and Citizenship Education” and “Values in Action.” The middle circle focuses on knowledge skills and developing students’ abilities to think, process information, and communicate, as well as enabling them to express thoughts and ideas concisely. This part of the curriculum is taught through project work. The outer circle consists of general courses: math, science, languages, social studies, art, music, etc. Even with these general curriculum guidelines, different schools focus on different things such as sports, arts, or social clubs.

      After the six years of primary school, students can then go on to secondary school for four to five years of education. One of the things that is very unique about secondary school in Singapore is the price for schooling. At an Autonomous School one pays Autonomous school fees which range from five to eighteen dollars a month, which is relatively inexpensive, and at and Independent School one pays another set of fees which range from two hundred to three hundred dollars a month, still relatively inexpensive for an independent school. This goes to show that in Singapore education is much less expensive, which is a great benefit to the students. Besides prices though, secondary education also places students in either Special, Express, Normal (Academic), or Normal (Technical) courses depending on their scores on the PSLE, or Primary School Leaving Exam. These courses vary in difficulty and pacing, but they all eventually lead to General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary (O) level exam.

After passing the GCE ‘O’ students then move on to two to three years of Pre-University education, with similar costs as secondary school, except it’s about one hundred dollars more for Independent schools. Pre-University education is to prepare students for the GCE Advanced (A) level exam. Once a student passes the GCE ‘A’ they can then apply to a college to further their education along their chosen career path, that path usually being worked out in Career Guidance (GD) class in Pre-University.

Overall, the education system in Singapore is very well constructed, designed to accommodate every student’s educational needs and abilities. This is due mainly to the Ministry of Education and the fact that the government places such importance on education and believes that, because humans are its most valuable resource, the more educated the populace, the stronger the nation.