01 May 2021

Pupils seeking to enter Singapore’s top secondary schools will not need a perfect score in their finals.

Entry scores released by the Ministry of Education showed that the lowest entry score for even the most popular schools will start at 6, rather than a perfect score of 4.

Under the new scoring system, each standard-level PSLE subject will be scored using eight bands known as achievement levels (ALs). Each pupil will be given AL scores from 1 to 8 for each subject. A pupil’s total PSLE score will be the sum of the ALs of the four subjects, with the best possible total score being 4.

The MOE has said that the new system would allow pupils to choose from a wider range of secondary schools. MOE said parents should consider choosing a school based on factors such as extra-curricular activities, niche programmes and school distance, among other things.

26 April 2021

All secondary schools and junior colleges will implement blended learning for at least two days a month for some levels from the second half of this year. This means that students will have a mix of home-based and in-school activities.

The distribution of the devices – laptops or tablets – to support this format of learning is seven years ahead of the original plan. By the end of this year, the devices will be distributed to the rest of the secondary schools.

Education Minister Lawrence Wong had said, last December, that home based learning had reinforced the need for students to be more adaptable, self-directed and independent. But many educators were also relieved that face-to-face lessons in school resumed gradually last June, as they felt remote learning could not replace the full school experience.

An MOE spokesman said it is providing professional development opportunities for teachers to prepare for the rollout of blended learning this year. Platforms like Slido, Mentimeter, Kahoot! and Padlet have become familiar names to students, who have picked up new ways of learning, such as using software for group assignments.

19 April 2021

Education Minister Lawrence Wong said deep tech such as genetic coding is at the forefront of new innovations.

Deep tech is a term describing the latest innovative technologies in fields such as biotechnology, computing and engineering. It encompasses innovations such as artificial intelligence, gene editing and blockchain.

He noted that the deep tech scene, while relatively new in Singapore, has already made an impact, such as with the digital health passport co-developed by Accredify and SGInnovate.

“There are many other examples where deep tech has demonstrated great potential in creating positive impact,” said Mr Wong.

As such, while students these days are already being exposed to digital coding classes at a young age, in future, they may also study genetic coding.

15 April 2021

Another 18 primary and secondary schools will be merged over the next three years as student enrolment continues to shrink.

Another 16 schools will be merged in 2023 and 2024. Since 2010, 68 schools have been merged, including eight junior colleges in 2019. The Education Ministry has said that 23 schools have also opened over that period. The majority of these are primary schools in newer housing estates like Punggol and Sengkang. Many of the affected schools are in mature estates, where there are fewer young families.

While MOE declined to provide the specific numbers of students and staff affected, it emphasised that no MOE teachers would be retrenched due to the school mergers. Instead, they will be redeployed, possibly to teach students at other levels.

The ministry said merging the schools would allow students to continue to have a fuller school experience, including varied subject combinations, co-curricular activities (CCAs) and leadership opportunities.

11 April 2021

Graduates from Singapore’s autonomous universities, polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education can now take up to four free education and training modules offered by their alma maters.

They can select their free continuous education and training (CET) modules from a wide range of options that are taught online or onsite.

According to the Ministry of Education, more than 1,700 graduates from the six autonomous universities and more than 1,300 graduates from ITE and polytechnics from the 2020 cohort took up the CET modules..

Details on the modules, including micro-credentials and eligibility periods, as well as additional support measures for the graduates, are available on the respective websites of the institutes of higher learning.

02 April 2021

The National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Law will have a new dean in July.

Professor Hans Tjio will take over from Professor Simon Chesterman.

Professor Tjio is a leading scholar in the field of securities regulation. He is currently the faculty’s CJ Koh Professor of Law and the director of its EW Barker Centre for Law and Business.

Professor Tjio will be the 15th dean since the establishment of the faculty in 1959.

Professor Tjio was educated at the University of Cambridge in Britain and Harvard University in the United States. He has worked in both the public and private sectors. This includes secondments to the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Ministry of Law, as well as roles with Linklaters Singapore and WongPartnership, both private law firms.

29 March 2021

Graduates from the autonomous universities, polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education can take up to four free education and training modules offered by their alma maters.

ITE and polytechnics will offer their graduates at least two – but not more than four – free modules from about 1,000 CET courses, of which more than half can be stacked to become Nitec and Higher Nitec module certificates or post-diploma certificates.

For graduates from the autonomous universities, they can select up to four modules from about 1,700 options. About one-third of the options can be stacked to form micro-credentials – a certification indicating competency in a specific skill – in areas such as business analytics, communications, and digital marketing strategies.

26 March 2021

The National Institute of Education (NIE) has launched a the Science of Learning in Education Centre (Solec), a research institute that aims to develop effective learning methods for students.

Solec will perform research into pedagogical designs that can work for all students. The centre brings together research expertise from several disciplines, including neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, technology and education.

Solec has said that that research in each of these disciplines will contribute to a deeper understanding of learning processes.

Solec comprises two experimental rooms and one classroom. The experimental rooms are where quantitative data is collected using various neuro-physiological tools. The experimental classroom features a two-way mirror along an observation deck, so that learning processes can be observed and studied under natural conditions.

Nanyang Technological University also launched a new Masters of Science (Science of Learning) which will enable students to acquire a foundation in the science of learning and development.