REVIEW OF JUNIOR COLLEGE /UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION: MORE CHOICE AND GREATER DIVERSITY MOE Press Releases 25 January 2002

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EDUN N25-02-004

00402

25 January 2002

REVIEW OF JUNIOR COLLEGE /UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION: MORE CHOICE AND GREATER DIVERSITY

1. The Ministry of Education will be carrying out a review of Junior College (JC) and Upper Secondary Education to provide more choices to cater to the different talents and aspirations of students, as part of its move towards an ability-driven education system.

RATIONALE FOR THE REVIEW

2. There are 3 reasons for the review:

	a. The current JC curriculum, consisting of a narrow selection of specialized 'A' level subjects, is designed to prepare students for the traditional British-model 3-year specialized university degree programmes. There is a need to align the JC curriculum with the move towards a broader-based undergraduate curriculum. A broader national JC curriculum, taking a more holistic approach to preparing students intellectually for a range of university programmes, might be more appropriate.

	b. Students preparing to go to university currently take two major examinations, the 'O' and 'A' levels, within their last 3 years of school. Such a structured system has been found to be well-suited to the needs of most university-bound students, for whom the 'O' levels are a valuable intermediate benchmark. There are however some students who will benefit from a less structured system. For them, the 4 years from Sec 3 to JC 2 could be better used to engage in broader learning experiences before proceeding to university. A review of the structure of JC and upper secondary education could lead to education programmes which are better customised to the needs of the students.

	c. There may also be a case for allowing some diversity in the types of JC/Upper Secondary programmes offered to students in order to cater to their different abilities and aptitudes. Such programmes could be run in existing schools and JCs or by establishing new schools/JCs.

3. This review is in line with our efforts to provide more choices to our students and to mass customise the education system to better meet the needs of each group of students.

REVIEW COMMITTEE

4. A Junior College/Upper Secondary Review Committee will be formed to 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.

5. The Committee will make recommendations in four areas:

	a. The principles and outline for a revised national 2-year JC curriculum to align it more closely to the overall education philosophy and system;

	b. Whether some of our schools/JCs which are ready, should offer through-train secondary/JC programmes with the flexibility of adopting different terminal qualifications;

	c. Whether new state-funded Independent Schools that cater to students with special talents and abilities should be established. For instance, a school with a focus on Maths and Science, akin to the Sports School; and

	d. Whether privately funded secondary schools are necessary and can play a useful role.

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

7. The Committee will be chaired by Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Education Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Its members will be drawn from educationists and members from the people, private and public sectors who can contribute to the deliberation of the committee.

8. The Committee will seek the views of the public and conduct a public consultation exercise before finalising its report. Dialogue sessions will be held with academics/educators, professionals and parents to seek their views. A consultation paper setting out the Committee's preliminary conclusions and recommendations will be made available for public comment.

9. The review is expected to take six months. Further details on the public consultation will be released later.

BACKGROUND

10. Since 1997, MOE has put in place several key components to move the school system towards our vision of Thinking Schools, Learning Nation. The improvements introduced include a revision of the school curriculum, IT in schools, new school management systems and greater autonomy for schools, a new career structure and recognition package for teachers, and changes in the university admission criteria from 2003. These changes have all been made within the existing education structure (see Annex).

11. The review of JC/ Upper Secondary education builds on the changes already implemented and will provide further customisation of our education system to help our young face the challenges of a new global economy.

Annex

1- Year refers to the number of years the child has spent in education