Press Releases
Government Accepts Recommendations on Primary Education - Changes to be implemented progressively over the next few years
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has accepted the recommendations of the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) Committee, chaired by Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Education, to enhance the quality of primary education.
MOE notes that the Committee has made sound recommendations to realise a more holistic primary education, building on the present strengths of the education system to better prepare our young for the future.
MOE will implement the changes to primary education progressively over the next few years as many of the recommendations require systematic implementation over the longer term. In this endeavour, the Ministry and the schools will require the strong support of various stakeholders, especially parents, so that our young can achieve the full benefits of a balanced and holistic primary education.
MOE Affirms Need to Balance Knowledge with Skills and Values
The Committee’s recommendations seek to strike a better balance between the teaching of knowledge and the development of skills and values. MOE agrees that this is key to preparing our children for a more dynamic future.
Engaging Teaching Methods
The “Teach Less, Learn More” (TLLM) initiative, launched in 2005, has catalysed the transformation of teaching and learning in our schools. We now see a greater readiness in our schools to use innovative teaching methods to better engage students in learning. MOE will build on these school-based efforts under TLLM to give greater emphasis to the development of important skills and values in our children as recommended by the PERI Committee.
Holistic Assessment to Support Learning and Development
Schools are institutions for learning. Thus, while there remains a place for examinations in our system, the focus of schools should be on engaging students in learning. To better support the holistic development of pupils, MOE will work with schools to balance the use of written examinations and alternative modes of assessment in schools. This would enable schools to track the learning progress of pupils, and provide richer feedback to parents and pupils. MOE will work with schools to provide schools with training and resources to develop expertise in new teaching and assessment methods, and to ensure that robust assessment frameworks are put in place. MOE will monitor the implementation of these new teaching and assessment methods to ensure that pupils’ academic standards are maintained. We anticipate that schools will take the next few years to build capacity in using a wider range of assessment modes
Single-session Primary Schools are Key Enablers for a Holistic Education
MOE notes the Committee’s recommendation that single-session schools would provide teachers with additional time and space to deliver a more holistic education, allowing pupils to benefit from a wider range of academic and non-academic activities. MOE targets to facilitate the transition of all government primary schools to a single-session model by 2016. Government-aided schools will be given more flexibility in their transition timeline, as they have to take into account stakeholders’ concerns. While enrolment in some schools may fall slightly to transit to single-session, MOE will ensure that every Singaporean child will continue to have access to a primary school near his home.
MOE will also ensure that primary schools, especially the more popular ones, will maintain a sufficient number of places such that pupils who have no affiliation to the school can still have access for admission to Primary 1. This will require building an estimated 18 new schools and upgrading about 80 existing schools. MOE will work closely with schools and their stakeholders on the options, timeline and implementation details for their transition to single-session.
Programme for Active Learning (PAL) to Enhance Skills and Character Development
MOE will build on efforts to transform teaching and learning under the ‘Teach Less, Learn More’ (TLLM) initiative by rolling out the Programme for Active Learning (PAL) as proposed by the PERI Committee. PAL, which will provide pupils with early exposure to different activities that complement schools’ current efforts in developing character and useful life-skills, will be implemented in tandem with the move towards single-session primary schools. To facilitate the conduct of quality PAL activities in schools, MOE will provide funding of up to $170,000 per year to each school to hire instructors, as well as a one-off sum of up to $90,000 for the purchase of equipment for Art, Music, Physical Education (PE) and PAL activities.
Long-term Capacity Building and Thoughtful Implementation are Key
The implementation of the recommendations will require sustained effort by key stakeholders and close monitoring by MOE. MOE will adopt a phased-in approach by piloting the recommendations in some schools so as to draw key learning points from the experiences of these schools before expanding the implementation to more schools.
To achieve the benefits of a more holistic education, MOE will invest strategically in our primary schools over the next ten years. Approximately $4.8 billion will be spent to develop new programmes, recruit and train additional teachers, educators and instructors to lead new and existing programmes; and to build new schools and upgrade existing ones with new facilities that support more engaging teaching methods and learning experiences. MOE targets to improve the Pupil-To-Teacher Ratio in primary schools by 20%, from the current 21:1 to 16:1, by 2015.
To build capacity for the long term, MOE will recruit new teachers from the pool of university graduates or those who qualify for an undergraduate education, by 2015. Opportunities will remain for eligible non-graduates who have specialised skills to join the profession as teachers in selected areas such as Art, Music and Mother Tongue Languages.
MOE will review both pre-service and in-service teacher training to ensure that we continue to build the professional capacity of the Education Service to deliver a forward-looking and holistic education. At the school level, teachers will be given the autonomy and room to experiment with new ideas, mentor and guide other teachers. The existing cluster system for schools will be leveraged on for professional exchange and sharing of best practices.
School-Community Partnership
To bring about the desired changes in primary education, the support of the community is essential. In particular, parents are critical partners who work hand-in-hand with schools to develop confident children, independent learners and caring citizens - the educational outcomes we want for our children. Going forward, MOE and schools will provide regular updates to parents and engage them in dialogue so that parents are kept abreast of continuing developments in the primary education landscape.
A full copy of the Committee’s recommendations can be accessed on PERI webpage on the MOE website.