BROADENING THE EDUCATION LANDSCAPE

Singapore’s education system is flexible and diverse so as to cater to every child’s abilities, interests and aptitudes, and help each develop to his fullest potential. MOE has been moving in recent years towards an even more flexible and diverse system, to provide students with greater choice and ownership in their learning.

Various educational pathways are provided for students, especially at the secondary and post-secondary levels. At the secondary level, students are placed in the Special, Express, Normal (Academic) or Normal (Technical) course, depending on their Primary School Leaving Examination results. At the upper secondary level, the development of different types of schools -Autonomous Schools, Independent Schools, Specialised Independent Schools, Integrated Programme Schools and privately-funded schools, cater to the varied talents and aptitudes of our students. Alternative curricula and qualifications (e.g. International Baccalaureate) are also offered in some schools.

Singapore’s education system is flexible and diverse so as to cater to every child’s abilities, interests and aptitudes, and help each develop to his fullest potential.

As part of the diversification of the education landscape, MOE approved two proposals for the setting up of privately-funded schools - Anglo-Chinese School (International) and Hwa Chong (International) - in April 2004. They were approved on the basis of the strength of the respective schools’ management team, coherence of curriculum and the quality of education which they can potentially offer to students. It was announced in 2005 that Nan Hua Secondary School would be accorded Autonomous School status while River Valley High School would offer the 6-year Integrated Programme starting from 2006. These changes would improve the range and choice of education for the students.

At the post-secondary level, different pathways are available. Junior colleges provide students with a 2-year pre-university course while the Centralised Institute provides a 3-year pre-university course; the Institute of Technical Education equips secondary school leavers with industry-relevant technical skills and knowledge; polytechnics provide broad-based training for students inclined towards practice-oriented studies at the diploma level; and the universities provide a broad-based curriculum to complement the rigorous grounding in specific disciplines at the undergraduate level, as well as offering a wide range of coursework and research programmes at the post-graduate level.

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