05 August 2020

Education Minister Lawrence Wong has asserted that many of the recent reforms in the education system arose from feedback and input from teachers and staff at the Ministry of Education.

Mr Wong told teachers and staff that he will continue to engage them, with the help of Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman as well as Ms Sun Xueling and Ms Gan Siow Huang, who are both Ministers of State for Education.

Mr Wong told teachers: “We want to benefit from your insights, and your experience on the ground interacting with our students. Our doors are always open, as we continue to look for ways to do better and improve.”

Some upcoming reforms include phasing out streaming, reducing exam loads, and uplifting students from vulnerable backgrounds.

Mr Wong also noted that this has been a difficult time for both students and teachers, who have had to adapt to home-based learning.

Mr Wong concluded: “Education is the most precious gift for our children. It’s also the most critical investment for our people and society in a rapidly changing world.”

31 July 2020

Education Minister Lawrence Wong recently shared this experience of having to “scramble” and plug knowledge gaps in his own career, to emphasize that there is a difference between learning and applying.

Mr Wong was speaking at Nanyang Technological University, where he launched SkillsFuture @ NTU, a series of virtual workshops to help Singaporeans keep up with the new demands of the workplace.

Drawing on his own life experiences, Mr Wong reiterated the need for relearning. Learning does not stop at graduation, and getting a paper qualification is not the end-point, said Mr Wong.

Career centres in the institutes of higher learning have stepped up efforts in career help for fresh graduates this year, he added. The support includes sourcing for job openings from industry partners, organising career fairs and using online outreach and counselling tools.

“For a long time, we have been trying to bring IHLs and industry closer together,” said Mr Wong.

He added that the situation has changed over the years, as higher learning institutions have expanded their networks of industry partners and employers.

28 July 2020

A youth-led non-profit organisation, Advisory, has devised several initiatives to bring resources to youths in the hopes of creating a level playing field and supporting youths in the pursuit of their passions.

Advisory has set up an online resources repository and a mentorship programme, as well as organized events to help youths, mainly between the ages of 16 and 28. These schemes aim to help youths find out more about the careers and pathways that interest them.

Advisory was the winner among 12 finalists out of 57 teams which took part in the inaugural Youth Action Challenge Summit, held online from July 13 to 19 and organised by the National Youth Council (NYC), Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the People’s Association Youth Movement.

Members of each team had three minutes to pitch their ideas to four judges, outlining their project, its social impact and how they would implement it.

As the top team in the online challenge, Advisory will receive $50,000 in funding and $2,000 CapitaLand vouchers, among other benefits.

The non-profit organization is currently working on an Advisory Schools Programme with the Education Ministry to roll out a suite of programmes, including soft skills workshops and mentorship systems at seven post-secondary institutions next year.

25 July 2020

The Ministry of Education said recently that it is now timely to resume important aspects of school life such as co-curricular activities so as to support holistic student development.

Secondary schools, junior colleges and Millennia Institute will have the option of resuming some CCAs from July 27.

School activities have been progressively resuming over the past two months and physical lessons in schools have resumed at all levels.

MOE said that “Schools will still have flexibility in deciding when activities will resume, while also ensuring that the workload of teachers and students remain manageable.”

CCAs and school activities that will remain suspended include those that involve high levels of body contact, such as taekwondo sparring or rugby scrums, or high exposure to aerosol and splatters, such as the playing of wind instruments or singing in a choir.

Activities involving inter-mingling of students between schools, as well as activities held at external venues, will also not be allowed.

“We will also provide the necessary support to our schools, educators and students, as more aspects of school life gradually resume,” MOE said.