01502

6 April 2002

Steering Committee to Review Junior College/Upper Secondary Education Inaugural Meeting,
6 April 2002

1.        The Steering Committee chaired by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry & Education, held its inaugural meeting on 6 April 2002 to discuss the key issues relating to the review of Junior College (JC)/Upper Secondary education. The list of Steering Committee members is given at Annex A and terms of reference at Annex B.

2.        At the inaugural meeting, the Steering Committee noted that the key to meeting the differing needs of our young lies in the ability of the national education system to better customise and tailor our education programmes. The result will be more choice and greater diversity, while not losing the rigour and high standards of our education system. The Chairman said, "We want to introduce greater diversity in the system, to provide choice and allow for new approaches in the curriculum and in assessment methods. But we do not want to erode the basic strengths of the Singapore education system, which sets rigorous standards and encourages every student to aim high."

3.        The Steering Committee discussed alternatives in the JC/Upper Secondary education landscape to provide more choice and greater diversity. It agreed that we have a good system that meets the needs of the majority of students. The system could be better customised to maximise the potential of our students.

4.        In designing the JC/Upper Secondary curriculum, the Steering Committee noted that the curriculum intent, delivery and assessment must be better aligned to meet our educational objectives. The curriculum should be sufficiently broad to prepare JC students for the new demands of the knowledge economy, facilitate smoother progression from upper secondary to university education, and achieve an appropriate balance between the breadth and depth of the curriculum.

5.        The Steering Committee discussed possible additional models of delivering JC/Upper Secondary education, such as an integrated programme for students from Secondary 1 to JC2 or from Secondary 3 to JC2. It noted that Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and the Raffles family of institutions (Raffles Institution, Raffles Girls' School and Raffles Junior College) have each submitted a proposal for a through-train programme to MOE. Preliminary discussions have been held with the schools on the proposals and the schools are finalising the details for submission to the Steering Committee for consideration.

6.        The Steering Committee also discussed whether privately-funded secondary schools are necessary and can play a useful role in our education system. It noted that the Anglo-Chinese School Board of Governors has submitted a proposal to set up a privately-funded secondary school. The Steering Committee deliberated on the implications of opening up the privately-funded secondary schools sector and felt that there was a need to study the issue further and consult extensively.

7.        The review of JC/Upper Secondary education is a major undertaking. Any recommendations adopted will have long term implications for Singapore. As such, the Steering Committee will be consulting the public extensively on the issues. The Steering Committee, through the Feedback Unit, will be organising consultation sessions to gather the views of various stakeholders on Junior College/Upper Secondary education from April 2002. Focus group discussions will also be held with teachers, educationists and others to seek views and feedback on the issues.

8.        In addition, the Steering Committee has launched a website at http://www1.moe.edu.sg/jcreview, for the public to provide comments and feedback. When ready, a consultation paper setting out the Steering Committee's preliminary findings, conclusions and recommendations will be made available to the public for comments, before the Steering Committee finalises its recommendations.

9.        The Steering Committee expects to complete its review in six months.

10.      Members of the public are also welcome to give their views in writing to

Public Affairs Division
Ministry of Education
1 North Buona Vista Drive
Singapore 138675

BACKGROUND

11.      MOE launched our vision of "Thinking Schools, Learning Nation" in 1997. Since then, we have initiated improvements in curriculum, school management, and infrastructure. Most of these changes and improvements are system-wide, and implemented across all levels. More recently, MOE has also looked at improvements that pertain to specific groups within the system, such as providing more options and choices for students in the Normal (Academic) course, as announced on 11 January 2002.

12.      In January this year, RAdm (NS) Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Education, also announced that the Ministry of Education would be carrying out a review of Junior College and Upper Secondary education to provide more choices to cater to the different talents and aspirations of students.

Annex A

Steering Committee to Review Junior College/Upper Secondary Education

Chairman

Members

Political Representatives

Private/Public Sector

Tertiary/Research Institutes

Ministry of Education

Annex B

Terms of Reference of the Steering Committee

1.        The Steering Committee will develop and articulate a vision for JC/Upper Secondary education, including the appropriate structures, types of programmes to be offered, and the mix of schools to deliver these programmes.

2.        The Steering Committee will make recommendations in 4 areas:

3.        The Steering Committee will also make recommendations in other areas related to JC and upper secondary education, which it deems appropriate.