13 March 2020

Singapore students consistently outperform their peers in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) studies. The Pisa assessment is conducted by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and ranks students in terms of mathematical and scientific knowledge, as well as reading.

One reason for this success is Singapore’s mathematics curriculum. The Ministry of Education has developed a mathematics curriculum that aims to move away from simple rote learning and focus instead on teaching students how to solve problems. Students should learn in three stages: by using real objects, then pictures, and then through symbols.

Based on this Concrete Pictorial Abstract approach to learning, MOE developed a “spiral curriculum”, where each topic is revisited in intervals at a more sophisticated level. A concept is represented initially by “concrete” materials, later by models (pictures) and then finally by abstract notation (such as plus or equals signs). There is also a strong emphasis on modelling mathematical problems with visual aids — using coloured blocks to represent fractions or ratios, for example.

The approach does have its critics, who say Singapore maths is not so easy to transplant. Teachers have to be well trained to gain an in-depth understanding of the novel methods. Despite this, a growing number of schools around the world are investing in the textbooks and training their teachers in Singapore maths.

05 March 2020

By the year 2028, all secondary school students will have their own digital device, such as an iPad, as part of a national digital literacy programme.

Education Minister Ong Ye Kung said that schools will start implementing this from June this year. Some schools have even begun early. For example, Orchid Park Secondary School has been piloting the use of personal learning devices with its Secondary 1 students from last year.

Mr Ong said schools can choose a device from a given list, which students will have to purchase. But there will be an Edusave top-up of $200 for all students this year to support the purchase. Bulk tenders will be used to lower the price further. But students from lower-income households will get further subsidies to ensure that their out-of-pocket cost is zero dollars.

There are ways to control students’ usage and screen time. For one, students are blocked from downloading certain gaming apps or accessing similar websites. The devices can also be programmed to be turned off after 12am to prevent late-night usage, for example.

25 February 2020

Of the 12,405 students who sat the GCE A-level examination last year as school candidates, 93.4 per cent achieved at least three H2 passes and a pass in General Paper or Knowledge and Inquiry, said the Ministry of Education and Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board.

Students who sat the GCE O-level exams did very well too. Last year’s O-level cohort had 85.2 per cent attaining five or more passes.

Former students who returned to school to collect their A-level results did so in smaller groups in classrooms, instead of congregating in the school halls. Only candidates collecting their results were allowed into school premises.

Candidates also had the option of viewing their results online on the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board website using SingPass or system-generated passwords.

From this year, all A-level candidates who are Singapore citizens and permanent residents will receive digital certificates via the MySkillsFuture Skills Passport. Last year’s students will receive their digital certificates from February 24.

Students can also refer to the MySkillsFuture portal to find out more about the education and career options suited to their interests and abilities.

23 January 2020

Students at the Institute of Technical Education will be getting more opportunities to go beyond an ITE certification as well as attain a diploma.

ITE students now have the chance to engage in the polytechnic route, as well as the opportunity to pursue the work-study diploma programme.

Under the work-study diploma programme, which typically lasts between two and a half to three years, about 70 per cent of curriculum time is conducted at the workplace, and the rest at ITE.

By the year 2025, there should be about 40 work-study diplomas offered, collectively taking in about 1,000 students a year.

ITE chief executive Low Khah Gek recently laid out ITE’s sixth strategic road map, or five-year plan. The previous road map, laid out in 2015 and which coincided with the launch of the national SkillsFuture movement, marked a shift from a technical skills-based education to one that centres more on a student’s career. This year’s plan aims to expand on the previous one, but it will also focus on enabling career mobility and adapting to changes in the industry.

22 December 2019

In Singapore’s schools, mid-year examinations at some levels are being scrapped this year as part of the strategy to de-emphasize academic results, move away from the narrow focus on grades, and help students discover the joy of learning.

By next year, more 90 per cent of secondary schools would have done away with mid-year exams for some levels.

MOE had said cutting these exams will allow more space for students to adjust during the “key transition” years, where they have to study new subjects and deal with higher content rigour.

These new policy changes will also free up about three weeks of curriculum time every two years for teachers to possibly explore more creative ways of applied and inquiry-based learning.

09 October 2019

Singapore households spent S$1.4 billion on tuition, based on the Household Expenditure Survey conducted by the Department of Statistics from October 2017 to September 2018.

The growth of the tuition industry in Singapore is fuelled primarily by two factors: Increasing average real incomes of households and the desire for parents to see their children keep up with the competition.

The fact that anyone can be a freelance tutor in Singapore implies that we have a spectrum of tutors, differing in terms of quality.

There is a need to educate students and their parents so that they will be empowered to select their tutors effectively.

In selecting tutors, students should ask:

(i) Does this tutor have a proven track record?

(ii) Does he / she possess the necessary qualifications to teach the subject?

(iii) Has my appreciation of the subject increased since I started receiving coaching from him/her?

Choosing tutors based on these considerations rather than a focus on the tuition fees will enable students to select tutors who will more effectively help them.