17 January 2020

Engineering students from Singapore Polytechnic will have the opportunity to take modules from the National University of Singapore and the Singapore University of Technology and Design during their course of study.

These university-level modules will count towards a student’s graduation requirements in Singapore Polytechnic.

To be eligible for the programme, students need a grade point average of 3.6 out of 4 at the end of their first year of polytechnic studies, and be selected through an interview. Students should also preferably have a minimum GCE O-level score of C6 for Additional Mathematics.

SP’s partnership with SUTD is called the SP-SUTD Pathway Programme, and will allow up to 20 students to complete the regular SP curriculum in about five semesters, instead of the usual six.

In SP’s tie-up with NUS, up to 20 students will be able to take NUS modules in the final semester of their polytechnic studies.

15 January 2020

The Singapore University of Technology and Design has launched a new undergraduate degree in design and artificial intelligence, in order to meet a growing demand for people who are able to combine skills in design innovation with technology and predictive modelling.

The new degree programme will last three and a half years, and will take in students this academic year, which starts in May.

Students in this course will be exposed to areas of design such as user interface/user experience, product, systems, built environment, and data-driven design. They will also learn to use AI technologies and algorithms to produce better design and applications.

Graduates of this programme will be able to work as data scientists and data visualisation specialists in industries such as urban planning, product design and telecommunications.

The entry requirements for the new programme are the same as for its other four degrees. Generally, students should be competent in mathematics and the sciences, namely physics or chemistry.

13 January 2020

The Singapore Institute of Technology has launched new degree programmes in speech and language therapy, and digital communications and integrated media.

SIT said that is an increasing demand for speech therapists in Singapore, for children who require early intervention, as well as older adults who have had health issues. SIT’s programme will cost close to $37,000.

Currently, the National University of Singapore is the only institution offering a master’s programme in speech therapy.

Students in the programme will undergo 30 weeks of clinical practice with various public and private healthcare institutions during their study.

The other undergraduate programme on digital communications and integrated media was also launched in response to industry demand, SIT said.

10 January 2020

Former Fairfield Methodist School (Primary) student Katelyn Lim remembers feeling disappointed when she received her Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results of 199, just one point short of the 200 needed for the Express stream at the affiliated Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary).

But the experience has shaped her, making her a stronger person. With the help of her family, teachers and friends, it spurred her on to work even harder in her studies, she said. Katelyn completed secondary school education in the Normal (Academic) stream and went on to complete an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma at Anglo-Chinese School (Independent). She scored 43 out of 45 for the IB exam.

“I preferred the curricula and assessment format of the IB, which is more spread out than the A levels,” she said.

Katelyn also put her heart into community service in ACS (I), joining the school’s Interact Club where she planned activities for the elderly and people with special needs and reading programmes for children.

She hopes to study medicine at a local university.

09 January 2020

Classes have begun at Singapore’s first high-rise junior college, Eunoia Junior College.

The Eunoia campus at Bishan costed $100 million to build and comprises two academic blocks of 10 and 12 storeys each, as well as a five-storey student activity block that houses with an eight-lane track, a field and a spectator gallery.

The cohort size of Eunoia Junior College is about 1,250. About two-thirds of the students come from the Integrated Programme from Catholic High School, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School and Singapore Chinese Girls’ School, while about a third were admitted through the Joint Admissions Exercise.

The new campus at Bishan is also the first designed with a community club — Bishan North Community Club — housed within it. The community club occupies about a fifth of the student activity block.

The principal of Eunoia JC, Mrs Wong-Cheang Mei Heng, said that feedback and sentiments on the new campus have been unanimously positive.

07 January 2020

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said that education is vital to Singapore’s future and the education system here has been designed to bring out the best in each student.

Mr Lee said that no one in Singapore should be put off from pursuing education due to cost.

Additionally, in recent years, the education system here has made big steps to cater to mixed abilities. Secondary schools are moving away from streaming, which will be replaced by full subject-based banding by 2024. Moves like these reflect how students here are not forced to fit into the same academic mould.

Mr Lee also noted that the Government will continue to give support to students and make sure the education system in Singapore is affordable and of high quality.

06 January 2020

Singapore students outperformed their global peers at the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma exams last November.

The Switzerland-based IB Organisation said Singapore accounted for 35 of the 69 perfect scorers globally this year.

Additionally, of the 2,250 students in Singapore who took the exams, 96.66 per cent passed. The global pass rate was 70.03 per cent.

The average scores of Singapore students were also higher than those of their global and regional counterparts: 37.99 points against 28.52 and 33.89 respectively.

Dr Siva Kumari, IB director-general based in the Netherlands, said in a congratulatory note to graduates: “Research suggests that an IB education provides skills that both universities and employers value, with independent, critical thinking and the ability to work flexibly and cooperatively.”