Our education system and schools operate on the belief that every child is valuable and important. We believe that each child has intrinsic worth, and that he can learn and achieve. These beliefs are articulated in the Philosophy of Education, Desired Outcomes of Education and Teachers’ Pledge. Teachers are guided by the Teachers’ Creed which explicitly states that they should treat all students fairly and to provide opportunities and resources for all students of different backgrounds.

Meanwhile values such as respect, care and harmony are emphasised to our students through the Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum. Schools reinforce the values through many programmes and activities that provide valuable learning experiences for their students. These include community service and joint activities among schools with different student profiles within a cluster or zone.

We have also designed our education system such that each of the different educational pathways is valued and resourced appropriately.

However, occasionally, the behaviours and actions of some individuals do not always live up to the beliefs that we wish to uphold. When this happens, the schools will take steps to correct them.

There was a recent letter by a JC student to the media comparing the facilities of ITE and JCs. The letter sparked a lively debate, with many Singaporeans coming forward to defend why ITE students deserved quality facilities. Subsequently, the JC student who wrote the letter issued an online letter expressing his sincere apology. The public reaction shows that many of our people share the value of respect and care for others. In particular, this episode highlights the importance of schools and community to continue working together to mould the character and values of our youths.

Shaping the values and attitudes of our young people is a collaborative effort and one that is always a work in progress. We will continue to work hard at educating our young to respect and value others.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar, Ang Mo Kio GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education whether elitism exists in schools, in particular the better performing ones or those with more well-to-do students.

From 2006 to 2010, about one-third of undergraduates and 5% of Diploma students from our publicly-funded institutions tapped on government-funded loan schemes to finance their studies.

The government provides loans for these students through two schemes. First, a Tuition Fee Loan, which covers up to 90% of the fee payable by Singapore Citizens (SC) at the undergraduate level, and 75% at the diploma level.

Second, a means-tested Study Loan, which covers the portion of fees not covered by the Tuition Fee Loan, i.e. up to 10% of SC fees at the undergraduate level and 25% at the diploma level, and also provides an amount for living expenses.

On average over the last five years, the overall amount taken out in new loans was around $100 million per annum. From an individual student perspective, the actual loan amount will typically vary according to the course fees payable, as well as the availability of other sources of financing, such as government bursaries.

The default rate for these loans has remained low. Non-performing loans are less than 1% of the total outstanding loan amount.

MOE does not track the number of students in private institutions who take up education loans.

Ms Low Yen Ling, Choa Chu Kang GRC

Question

To ask the Minister in the last five years (a) what is the total number of students who have taken out study loans to finance their tertiary education in public and private institutions; (b) what is their total loan quantum; and (c) what is the default rate of these study loans.

Given Singapore’s multi-racial and multi-cultural landscape, one of the key aims of character and citizenship education is to educate students to be sensitive and socially responsible on religious matters.

In the Civics and Moral Education programme, schools emphasise the values of respect, responsibility, care and harmony in fostering racial and religious harmony in Singapore. Students are equipped with knowledge of the different religious beliefs, festivals and practices as well as skills for identifying their own stereotyping and prejudices. Students are also taught ways to demonstrate respectful behaviour in their actions and words.

Appreciation of the cultural diversity among the various ethnic communities in Singapore is reinforced through subjects like Social Studies and History. In learning about the significance of the various customs and practices, students will come to respect the customs and practices as unique to each community. Students also learn about the causes and consequences of the Maria Hertogh riots and the 1964 race riots and realise the importance of the continual efforts by every Singaporean to ensure racial and religious harmony, Students learn about the various measures put in place in our society to promote inter-racial and inter-religious understanding, such as creating common space and shared experiences, formation of Inter-Racial Confidence Circles and Harmony Circles.

To equip students with only head knowledge on such issues is not sufficient. Programmes like CCAs and Community Involvement Programmes provide opportunities for students to interact with others from different racial, cultural and religious backgrounds and practise values in action as they build respectful relationships with schoolmates and members of the community.

MOE constantly reviews the approach to inculcate good values and develop healthy habits in our students. We will continue to emphasise the importance of preserving racial and religious harmony so that our students become respectful and responsible citizens. In doing so, we will continue to work with parents and the community who can help reinforce such behaviours and values in their daily interactions with the children.

Mr Zainudin Nordin, Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

Question

In view of the recent incidents of insensitive online remarks and postings pertaining to religious beliefs, whether the Ministry of Education will consider introducing basic knowledge of different communities and religious beliefs in Singapore in our schools.

The overall percentage of each Primary One cohort who do not complete secondary education fell from 4.0% in 2000, to 2.3% in 2005, and now to 1.0% in 2010.

This is the result of the efforts of the Ministry, schools, parents and other partners such as voluntary welfare organisations. MOE has been working with schools at both the primary and secondary levels to more closely monitor students who are at risk of dropping out. Schools have worked hard to engage and motivate their students, including the introduction of various initiatives such as the Time-Out Programme and the Youth Apprenticeship Programme.

In addition, MOE has worked to reduce the dropout among students who complete primary education but fail to progress to secondary education. There are two key components. The first is that MOE and schools have enhanced efforts to reach out to students who did not report to secondary schools after their PSLE, or did not report to their primary schools to repeat the PSLE.

The second is the establishment of NorthLight School (NLS), in 2007, and Assumption Pathway School (APS), in 2009, which provide a new progression pathway for students who have failed the PSLE, many of whom might have otherwise not progressed beyond primary education.

As a result of these various efforts, the percentage of each P1 cohort who do not progress from primary to secondary schools fell from 0.4% in 2006 to less than 0.1% in 2010.

The 2 new specialised schools that MOE is setting up to cater to N(T) students will adopt or adapt learning points from NLS and APS to ensure an engaging educational experience for their students that will prepare them for further education and training.

We welcome more individuals and organisations to step forward to work with our schools, including NLS, APS and the new N(T) schools, to develop meaningful programmes that benefit their students.

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef, Marine Parade GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education if the Minister will provide an update on the school drop-out rate since the commencement of NorthLight School and Assumption Pathway School.

The intention of the Edusave Merit Bursary (EMB) is to reward students who come from lower income families and do well in schools. There are other purely merit-based Edusave awards such as Edusave Scholarships, Edusave Good Progress Award, Edusave Award for Achievement, Good Leadership and Service (EAGLES).

MOE reviews the income and other eligibility criteria for the EMB from time to time. Our next review will be completed before the selection for the 2012 Edusave awards.

Mr Zainal Sapari, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider either removing the income criteria for students who are given the Edusave Merit Bursary or increasing the household income ceiling for students who qualify for this bursary.

In a multi-racial and multi-religious country like Singapore, it is important that we build a sense of national identity while giving space for each community to celebrate its heritage.

After each national examination, there is interest from the media and the various communities in the achievements of students from the different ethnic groups. Since the 1990s, the Ministry of Education has been providing information on top students from the major ethnic groups, to facilitate reporting and for the different communities to recognise and celebrate their achievements.

The increase in inter-ethnic group marriages in recent years has indeed led to the need to recognise more diversity among our students. Parents can choose to identify their children using a single or hyphenated (“double-barrelled”) race classification. Top students will then be identified by the race classification chosen by their parents.

As Singapore will remain a multi-racial and multi-religious society, it continues to be relevant for individuals to identify themselves with their own heritage. How MOE releases information on achievements in the national examinations will evolve in line with our move towards recognising a wider range of talents and achievements, and what is most useful.

Dr Janil Puthucheary, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education in view of the increasing number of inter-ethnic group marriages (a) whether the practice of categorising PSLE top scorers by ethnic groups is still relevant; and (b) whether there are plans to review this practice.

We carefully review public feedback after the P1 registration exercise. The P1 registration framework must reflect a careful balance of considerations and the current framework does so by allocating places based on a set of transparent criteria.

Parents and families have diverse needs and circumstances. The P1 registration framework needs to balance the interests of different groups of parents and stakeholders.

We agree that proximity is an important consideration, and it is indeed one key consideration in the P1 registration framework. But it cannot be the sole consideration. Other considerations that we need to take into account include the presence of siblings, parental ties to the school and community involvement. To elaborate, Phase 1 of the P1 Registration Exercise gives priority to parents who already have a child studying at the school of choice. Phase 2 recognises the contributions and ties that parents have with the school. For schools to thrive, the support of key partners like former students and the community are critical, as they help to build up and maintain a school’s tradition and ethos, and support its students. However, these considerations do not guarantee a place in the school of choice as admission each year depends on the demand for and availability of school places in the particular school.

Nevertheless, even though we cannot ensure that a child can gain admission to the school of choice even one that is within 1 km of his or her home, MOE seeks to ensure that every child can gain admission to a primary school which is a reasonable distance from his or her home.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar, Ang Mo Kio GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry plans to review the Primary One registration process in light of feedback from residents who are not able to get a place for their children even though they live within 1km of the school.

For the past ten years, the Ministry of Education has capped the number of International Student (IS) at 20% of the total intake. In AY2011, IS comprised 18% of undergraduate intake. Most of the IS are from the ASEAN countries, China and India.

Entry to all our institutions is by merit and there IS no ethnic quota. The proportion of Chinese, Malays and Indians among Singapore citizens admitted were 89%, 5% and 4% respectively in AY2011. The corresponding proportions in AY2001 were: 93%, 3% and 3%.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap, Aljunied GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) if he can give a breakdown of the undergraduate population at our local publicly funded universities by nationality and the four main ethnic groups for 2001, 2006 and 2011 in absolute numbers and percentages; and (b) whether there IS any ethnic quota for entry to our local publicly funded universities and, if so, what IS the rationale for such a quota.

MOE expects all teachers to conduct themselves in a manner which upholds the integrity of the profession and the trust placed in them. The vast majority of our officers do so. MOE takes a very serious view of misconduct by teachers, particularly when it involves inappropriate relationships with students. Such teachers will be subject to disciplinary action, which typically results in dismissal and debarment from future employment with MOE.

All Beginning Teachers attend an orientation programme before they start work, where they learn about the Teachers’ Creed which encapsulates the values and ethos of the teaching profession. In this context, they are briefed on the expected standards of professional conduct and the need to maintain proper relations with students at all times.

Schools have guidelines and measures to ensure that the daily interactions between teachers and students are conducted in a safe, mutually respectful and conducive environment for teaching and learning. For example, open spaces are created for teachers to interact with students. School leaders regularly remind teachers about appropriate behaviour through briefings and case studies.

The Academy of Singapore Teachers also runs professional learning sessions which remind teachers of their duty to uphold the professional image of the teaching service.

Unfortunately, despite these measures, incidents do occur that do not reflect well on the conduct of specific teachers. MOE thoroughly investigates every reported case of inappropriate relations between a teacher and a student and takes disciplinary action, where applicable.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan, Mountbatten SMC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education what steps are taken by schools to ensure that teachers and students do not engage in inappropriate relationships.

By 2012, 95 out of 180 (53%) primary schools will be operating single-session. This is an increase from the 76 schools that were operating single-session in 2009, when MOE accepted the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) Committee’s recommendation to move all primary schools to single-session model.

In addition, 25 schools are currently undergoing upgrading, and 17 schools will commence upgrading from 2013, to facilitate their transition to single session.

MOE targets to facilitate the transition of the majority of government primary schools to single-session by 2016.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan, Mountbatten SMC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education to date how many schools have introduced single-session hours and what is the progress on the plan to have all primary schools adopt single-session hours by 2016.

The proposed investment of $290 million will be used to raise the quality, accessibility and affordability of pre-school education.

We expect about two-thirds of the investment to be in enhancing teacher quality, through support for professional upgrading and development, and the attraction and retention of qualified candidates as kindergarten teachers.

The remaining one-third will go towards enhancing pre-school programme quality, including through the Pre-school Innovation Grant and the Experimental Kindergarten at Temasek Polytechnic, and raising the quality of management, particularly in helping more kindergartens attain the standards in the Singapore Pre-school Accreditation Framework (SPARK).

In the past 5 years, the focus of MOE’s funding is to support not-for-profit kindergartens, which cater to all races and attract students from the lower- and middle-income groups.

Mr Yee Jenn Jong, Non-Constituency Member

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the breakdown of the proposed $290 million investment by the Ministry in the preschool sector over the next five years in terms of (i) investment in facilities; (ii) manpower development; and (iii) other significant areas; and (b) what is the breakdown by recipient organisations of the earlier investment of $150 million in this preschool sector over the past five years.

The Direct School Admission (DSA) scheme, introduced in 2004, seeks to promote holistic education by recognising a more diverse range of student achievements and talents as criteria for school admissions, other than performance at the national examinations. Under the DSA scheme, participating schools are given the flexibility to admit students on the basis of their strengths in stated niche areas where the school has programmes to further develop the students’ talents.

In the last three years between 2009 and 2011, an average of 870 students were admitted to secondary school through sports via the DSA scheme. The sports for which the most students were admitted via the DSA scheme were basketball, badminton, table-tennis, track & field and volleyball. The number of students admitted under each individual talent area, whether sports or performing arts, basketball or badminton, has varied from year to year, depending on the range of talent exhibited by the students who apply and the number of niche areas offered by the schools.

Between 2009 and 2011, an average of 7% of places in the independent schools and schools offering Integrated Programmes were taken up by students with sporting excellence under DSA. The majority of the places in these schools are available for students who participate under the Secondary One Posting Exercise.

Overall, DSA has served to broaden the definition of success and promote holistic education by reducing the emphasis on national examination results. MOE will continue to develop multiple pathways to cater to the different educational needs of our children.

Mr Hri Kumar Nair, Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education in each of the years from 2009 to 2011:

• how many students gained admission into secondary schools through sports under the Direct School Admission (DSA);
• what sports were these students accepted for, giving a breakdown in numbers for each sport; and
• what percentage of places in independent schools and schools offering Integrated Programmes were taken up by students under the DSA.

For students from ASEAN countries, MOE offers scholarships to promote mutual understanding and goodwill in the region. In the past few years, MOE awarded around 150 scholarships annually to students from the ASEAN countries at the pre-tertiary level and another 170 at the undergraduate level. The scholarships cover school fees and accommodation, and the annual cost is about $14,000 for each pre-tertiary scholarship and between $18,000 to $25,000 for each undergraduate scholarship. Around 65% of pre-tertiary international scholars progress on to our Autonomous Universities.

In addition, our schools, universities and the corporate sector also offer a range of scholarships to quality international students to create a diverse student body that encourages the learning of important cross-cultural skills, as well as to meet the manpower needs of our economy. With Singapore’s decreasing fertility rates, it is important that even as we seek to better develop our talent pool, we augment this with working professionals and students from abroad. This helps us to maintain our economic competitiveness and ultimately raise the standard of living of our people.

Of all the international students who graduated from our Autonomous Universities in 2011, around 45% did so with a second upper class of honours or better.

Upon graduation, scholars are obliged to work in Singapore or Singapore companies for up to six years. More than 8 in 10 scholars have been working in Singapore and are contributing to our economy. As for those who did not start work immediately, many had deferred their bonds to pursue postgraduate studies.

Mr Yee Jenn Jong, Non-Constituency Member of Parliament

Question

To ask the Minister for Education for the last 10 years:

• The annual number of foreigners who were granted scholarships by the Ministry to study in our schools and universities and the annual cost of these scholarships;
• The percentage of foreign scholars who commenced studies in secondary schools and proceeded on to local universities;
• The percentage of foreign scholars in local universities who had graduated with Second Class Upper Honours or better; and
• The percentage of foreign scholars who completed their contractual bond period to work in Singapore after their graduation.

The Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YSTCM) was established to provide a high-quality educational pathway for students who are talented both academically and musically, and to support Singapore’s development as a top global city. It aims to attract and groom talented musician from Singapore and the region who would contribute further to the development of the Arts in Singapore.

Currently, Singaporeans comprise one-fifth of YSTCM’s intake of about 50 students per year, with international students (IS) forming the rest. This trend of a high proportion of IS is also seen in many top Conservatories around the world, such as the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins and the Royal College of Music in the UK.

The YSTCM continuously strives to attract more Singaporean students. In fact, the offer rates for Singaporean applicants are currently higher than that for non-Singaporean applicants.

With the increased opportunities and pathways available for Singaporeans to pursue music at the pre-tertiary level, such as the expansion of the Music Elective Programme and the establishment of the School of the Arts, we expect the pool of Singaporean talent qualifying for YSTCM to grow.

All students enrolled in YSTCM are on some form of scholarship. These scholarships are mainly funded from the income of the Conservatory’s endowment which has been built up from donations. All IS are required to serve a 3-year service obligation.

Ms Sylvia Lim, Aljunied GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education in respect of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music:

• what is the current composition of the undergraduate student population, segmented between Singapore citizens, permanent residents and others;
• how many of the foreign students are self-paying and how many are on scholarship;
• how are the scholarships funded; and
• what are the terms of the scholarships awarded to foreign students.

Special needs students, such as those who are hearing-impaired, form a small proportion of the students in our education system. Nonetheless, our ITE, Polytechnics and Universities have been increasing their support for students with special needs.

Academic staff do their part to provide extra support or adjust their teaching methods appropriately to meet the students’ needs. In addition, fellow students have also volunteered to provide peer assistance. I cite two examples of what Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Singapore Management University have done to assist hearing-impaired students.

For Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP):

• A student buddy is identified to provide peer support.
• Academic staff provide additional teaching support such as preparing extra notes and conducting extra remedial lessons for these students.
• For examinations and tests, written instructions are made available to hearing-impaired students.

For Singapore Management University (SMU):

• Hearing-impaired students are given front-row seats in the seminar rooms.
• Note-takers - who are current students - are assigned to help take notes for their hearing-impaired schoolmates.
• To facilitate lip-reading, instructors position themselves so that these students can read their lips.
• Instructors provide written instructions for these students in class as well as during the exams.

Our institutions share good practices among themselves on how to provide support to students with special needs. They are committed to providing a good learning environment and educational support to all their students.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng, MP for Moulmein-Kallang GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education if the Ministry can provide free signing and note-taking services for hearing-impaired students in Government-funded institutions of learning such as the ITE, polytechnics and universities.