Humanities Programmes: Moot Parliament Programme (MPP)

Aim

The MPP aims to raise political awareness and instil interest in active citizenry in Upper Secondary SBGE/IP pupils by exposing them to the process of parliamentary legislation.

Objective

This programme aims

• to educate Secondary 3 and 4 SBGE/IP pupils on the Singapore model of democratic government, with particular focus on parliament as a legislative institution
• to enhance pupils’ interest in parliamentary debates and legislation through developing their awareness of the democratic parliamentary process in action
• to instil a sense of ownership and ‘rootedness’ to Singapore amongst gifted and highly able teenagers through experiential learning which would take the form of researching social and community issues; drafting legislation; and role-playing active leadership in moot parliament

Programme Description

The Programme is organised by the Gifted Education Branch, Ministry of Education, with the support of community resources (e.g. NUS Pro Bono Group and lawyers in practice).

The MPP comprises 2 tiers.

• Tier 1

  Tier 1 constitutes enrichment of the Social Studies and Civics curricula.

  Participation in Tier 1 comprises:

  • attending the Introductory Lecture
  • visiting Parliament House and attending a parliamentary session
  • discussing the proposed bills in school
  • participating in a panel discussion on active citizenry

  From among the participants, 200 interested pupils will attend the MPP Debate sessions in Parliament House.

• Tier 2

  Tier 2 constitutes the Special Programme and is offered to teams of 4 – 6 interested pupils who apply to propose a bill on an issue of their choice.

  Participation in Tier 2 comprises:

  • attending a bill writing workshop
  • a 6-month mentorship attachment for selected teams (March to August)
  • attending a seminar to present ideas for the proposed bill
  • conducting the first reading of bills in school
  • debating of bills in parliamentary style in Parliament House

Target Group

All Secondary 3 and 4 SBGE/IP pupils in participating schools (by invitation only).