11 April 2021
In MOE schools, mid year exams are being scrapped at many levels and full subject-based banding will replace streaming in secondary schools. This is part of an effort to modernize Singapore’s approach to education and reduce unnecessary or unhealthy levels of stress on students.
The mathematics curriculum in particular will gradually evolve over the coming years to include more topics in applications of maths to real life problems, and de-emphasize the need to cram too many formulas into the syllabus. But drilling, repetition, and constant practice will always remain at the heart of learning mathematics as this is one subject in which foundational skills must be mastered to a reasonable degree of competency before progress can be made.
In the coming years, we should expect the school curriculum, and the mathematics syllabus in particular, to include a wider diversity of topics but without overburdening the student, and at the same time, to continue to emphasize the need for a strong foundation of skills and knowledge.