Flexibility & Choice

• Broadening the Education Landscape
• Greater Flexibility in Education Pathways
• Greater Customisation and Choice in Curriculum
  • Normal Course Curricula Reviewed
  • Refinements to Mother Tongue Language Policy
  • Customising the Mother Tongue Language Curriculum and Pedagogy
  • Recommendations of the Committees
  • Relaxing Criteria for Third Language Learning
  • New Bicultural Studies Programme
  • New 'O' Level Subjects Offered
• New Examinations and Assessment Board

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GREATER CUSTOMISATION AND CHOICE IN CURRICULUM

Normal Course Curricula Reviewed

MOE has, in recent years, been providing greater flexibility and choice in our education system. These enhancements are aimed at unlocking the full potential of our students, by providing more opportunities for them to pursue subjects and activities that match their interests and abilities.

Normal (Technical) Course

As part of MOE’s broader efforts to stretch the potential of our Normal (Technical) [N(T)] students, and to provide more opportunities for them to pursue their interests to the fullest, the N(T) Course was reviewed.

The enhanced N(T) course will not only cater better to their different learning needs, abilities and aspirations, it will also provide better alignment to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

Several enhancements will be implemented in 2007, including revisions to the N(T) curriculum to focus more on experiential, practice-oriented learning.

Provisions were also made for N(T) students to offer Normal(Academic)[N(A)] subjects. This flexibility enables N(T) students who are strong and interested in specific subjects to pursue it to as high a level as they can.

In addition, optional Elective Modules were introduced to enrich the educational experience of N(T) students. Aimed at benefiting upper secondary level N(T) students, Elective Modules introduce students to a variety of interesting courses such as starting a retail business and web-design. Since 2005, many schools have been offering Elective Modules covering a wide range of subject courses which are run in collaboration with partners such as ITE Education Services, The Singapore International Hotel and Tourism College, the Polytechnics and IT training companies.

Finally, in a revision of the progression structure, additional pathways will also be introduced for lateral transfers of selected N(T) students to the N(A) Course. Schools have the autonomy to assess and decide if a N(T) student can cope with the demands of the N(A) Course for a lateral transfer to the course. 

Normal (Academic) Course

Selected N(A) students may offer up to two ‘O’ level subjects from an expanded slate of ‘O’ level subjects, if their schools offer these subjects. Announced in September 2004, the expansion of the range of subjects will be offered to the 2006 Secondary 3N(A) cohort of students. Schools that were ready offered the option to their students from 2005. This option will give N(A) students more choices to take subjects according to their interests and abilities.

Elective Modules (EMs) will be offered to N(A) students from 2006. Practical and hands-on learning afforded by the EMs will deepen students’ understanding of concepts and assist them in discovering their own interests and talents. EMs will also expose more practice-oriented students to fields that they can subsequently pursue in the polytechnics or the Institute of Technical Education.

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