Speeches
Speech by Mr Masagos Zulkifli BMM, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Home Affairs, at the 1st International Conference on Learning and Teaching (ICLT) in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday 16 October 2009 at 11.20am
Experiences in Education Reform: The Singapore Story
Distinguished guests and participants
Opening
Good morning and thank you for inviting me to speak today. I am delighted to be here and to be given the opportunity to share with you Singapore’s experiences in education reform.
Singapore’s Evolution into a Top-Performing Education System
Over the years, Singapore has developed a strong education system, one that is of high averages. We have been rated highly in several international rankings, for example, the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2009/2010 ranked us 1st in quality of education system as well as quality of mathematics and science education. Even for the minority indigenous Malays, though there is still a distinct gap in Maths and Science performances when compared to the rest of their peers, their TIMSS performance have gone up and on par with that of OECD countries. This is no mean feat as in most other countries, the indigenous ethnics could not integrate into the modern economy because they could not cope with the rigours of the education system.
Credit for this hard-earned success must be accorded to policy makers and educators, both past and present, for their forward-looking mindsets, directed and purposeful planning, and a steadfast commitment towards providing the best education for our children. I must also acknowledge the hard work of community leaders who have rallied their communities to participate actively in the nation building and level themselves up not by exercising their demands but by participating in a sound albeit long journey in education.
Their task was certainly not enviable, as Singapore’s education system had not started on a strong footing. When Singapore achieved self-government in 1959, it had inherited a disparate and eclectic system. More than half of the schools then were vernacular schools, each with varying standards and purposes of education, teaching in their own language, and using curricula from the countries of origin of its migrant community.
Key Policies of the Singapore Education System
Today, I wanted to share with you briefly the three key elements that have underpinned the evolution of the Singapore education system, and ensured that the transformation were charted in the right direction to support our country’s national needs — in uniting the various ethnic groups of the country — and economic needs in leveraging on the only asset we have — our people.
Bilingual Policy
The first is the bilingual education policy, made compulsory from 1966, a year after independence. All students are required to study English Language and their Mother Tongue Language from Primary One. Getting our language policy right was crucial for the survival and success of our multi-cultural and multi-racial nation, as any misstep could have resulted in tensions and fault lines between the different ethnic groups.
Instead of choosing Chinese — the language of the majority race, or Malay — the language of the indigenous people, English, which was the language of governance and commerce during that period, and notably the language of the colonial masters was chosen as the common language for all Singaporeans. This choice was not intuitive in the 60s when many countries were swept with nationalist fervour and adopted the native or language of the majority as their national and educational language often in rejection of their colonial past.
One could also theorise that had the British ceded control of Singapore to the Dutch in the Anglo-Dutch treaty of 1824 (the Dutch had challenged the legality of the English Treaty with the Malay Kings in Singapore in 1819) or had our leaders not participated in the education experience in London provided by the British, our history after independence would have certainly taken another route. There was actually a big political struggle for dominance in the ruling party between the Communist-leaning Chinese educated and the largely English educated elites during the early days of Singapore. It could have gone any way then.
Even then people were unsure of the benefits of an English-language based education at the beginning, but it did not take long for parents to realise the practical benefits of learning English, and they opted for English-medium schools in droves as more and more people who had English language credentials obtained good jobs and had more economic opportunities. As a result, English literacy rose from around 47% in 1970 to 71% in 2000 and vernacular schools closed down. This was also fortuitous as it was also a catalyst for our children of various ethnics to study from young in schools which provided the common space to grow up together.
What policy makers may not have envisaged then was the subsequent explosion of the information age, and English becoming the international lingua franca. Our education system also reaped rich benefits as English enabled us to leap-frog many nations by facilitating our access to knowledge, information and technology; indeed our scholars had easy access to Maths and Science because there were many good universities overseas where English was the language of instruction. Our teachers who returned were further able to quickly improve the teaching of Mathematics, Science and other technologically based subjects, putting us ahead of our economic competitors.
The decision for students to learn their Mother Tongue similarly reaped dividends. Being a country of migrant stock, it was important to respect the need for our people to know who they are, and to remain connected with their cultural identity.
It was also the natural desire of communities for their young to know their Mother Tongue, so as to maintain links to their cultural roots. Today, with the rising emergence of countries like China and India, Singaporeans are poised to take full advantage of the opportunities they offer. Our bilingualism will help Singapore bridge the gap between East and West, enable our people to be highly mobile in the globalised world, and undoubtedly be a strong strategic advantage for Singapore for decades to come.
Ability-Based Streaming
The second key element of our system is streaming. In the initial rush to build a mass school education system shortly after self-government, when providing basic education for all was the order of the day, we went into a rapid expansion mode. New school buildings were constructed at a rate of about one school a month in cookie-cutter style and thousands of school-leavers were recruited as teachers. Every student was inevitably fed the same academic diet, with little customisation. This had resulted in high drop-out rates and low standards of achievement. To reduce educational wastage, we embarked on a new set of reforms in 1979, amongst which was the introduction of ability-based streaming, a highly non-conventional wisdom which till today, is still denigrated in many countries.
But streaming worked for us, despite its fair share of criticism. By sorting students into groups based on academic achievement and providing each group with the appropriate curriculum, resources and pedagogy, more students could learn at a pace they were comfortable with, acquire knowledge and skills, and more importantly, stay in school longer. Today, about 99% of our Primary 1 students complete secondary education, compared to around 58% in 1980. In addition, more than 90% of our students progress to a publicly funded post-secondary institution, where they receive a solid grounding and an education which gives them valuable skills and attitudes for life.
Over time, Singapore has also made refinements to the streaming system. We catered to students at both ends of the ability spectrum. Fast learners can choose paths in education that exempt them from national examinations. Those who have talent in sports and arts have similar schools and curriculum developed to cater to their needs. Students who are weak are able to take different subjects at different levels, depending on their own abilities. At a later age they have access to many hands-on enrichment courses like robotics and engine repair to introduce them to future careers that fit their abilities and interests. This translates into an even more customised curriculum for each individual, and would go a long way in helping us to achieve our goal of maximising the potential for every child.
Emphasis on Math and Science
The third key element is the emphasis on the learning of Mathematics and Science. It had been a choice of necessity, as we needed to produce the skilled manpower to support our development into a modern industrialised economy.
Today, close to 95% of our students offer both Math and Science up to secondary level or age 16. Our students, even those who are less academically inclined, have performed well consistently in international comparative studies, such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Our curriculum innovations, such as the “Singapore Model Method” and textbooks are increasingly finding an international audience, including several schools in the United States.
We believe that this firm grounding in Mathematics and Science will equip students with the basic knowledge and analytical skills to move Singapore up the value-chain. As we transit into a knowledge-intensive economy, driven by investments in research and development, we have decided it is important that we continue to focus on the learning of these two subjects. This will ensure that young Singaporeans have the foundation to create new knowledge, and the skills to master new technologies, to keep Singapore competitive in the new economy.
Other Components of Success
What I have mentioned above are just three major policy decisions which formed the bedrock of our education system, and have shaped the direction of our education reforms. Yes, we have adopted a pragmatic and utilitarian approach to education, and admittedly, some policies were serendipitous, and the outcomes fortuitous, but importantly, we have been bold enough to make momentous changes and decisive moves when the situation called for it.
With a strong foundation in place, a virtuous cycle was created, as good schools produced good students who contributed back to the system by becoming better leaders and teachers. We were also able to achieve greater success by investing resources and efforts into key leverages areas. I will touch on these in the next part of my speech.
Quality Teachers and School Leaders
In September 2007, global consulting firm, McKinsey & Company studied top-performing education systems worldwide, like England, Finland and Netherlands, and concluded that the main driver for learning and performance is the quality of the teachers.
Singapore has always paid particular attention to the quality of our teachers. We now hire from the top one-third of each cohort and invest heavily in teacher training. To ensure that our teachers are kept up-to-date with the latest in curriculum and pedagogy, professional development opportunities are made available at every stage of the teaching journey. Officers are encouraged and supported to go for post-graduate studies in areas relevant to the Education Service and for those who wish to broaden their perspectives and develop new experiences for professional development, they can take up work attachments in other organisations under our Teacher Work Attachment Programme.
Besides good teachers, a strong education system needs competent school leaders. To ensure continuity and a steady leadership renewal process, much emphasis is placed on the systematic identification and development of talent and school leaders. We look for the ability of the individuals, not just the amount of their school experience, and we groom our best talents early. Currently, around 26% of our serving Principals are younger than 45 years old. All our high potential individuals undergo a series of milestone programmes, while candidates slated for principalship are put through a 6-month full-time Leaders in Education Programme, which seeks to produce independent, innovative leaders with a specialisation in the field of education.
Indeed, the international regard accorded to our education standards and the commendable performance of our students on the world stage are positive testaments to the professionalism and commitment that exist within our education service.
Greater School Autonomy Supported by Ministry HQ
Next, school management. With over 350 schools and only one Ministry Headquarters, it is clear that an intermediate command and coordination is necessary to provide better guidance to schools. In Singapore, we adopt a cluster system, where schools are grouped into clusters based on geographical location. While high calibre generalists and specialists within our Ministry Headquarters develop broad policies that meet the needs of the nation, schools, within their clusters, would share resources and exchange ideas on translating these policies into actual ground practices. Within each cluster, a cluster superintendent, who is an experienced ex-principal, provides guidance to the principals.
The cluster system was a big step we took because we also gave greater authority to the schools and principals to transform our schools. Together with the cluster implementation, a “Teach Less Learn More” movement was launched to touch the hearts and engage the minds of our learners, and prepare them for life. We wanted to reach into the core of education — why we teach, what we teach and how we teach, and shift the focus from “quantity” to “quality”. From rote learning and repetitive tests, to greater classroom interactions, opportunities for expression, the learning of life-long skills and the building of character through innovative and effective teaching approaches and strategies. All these can only be achieved by empowering principals and teachers, and let them innovate and learn how best they can provide more individual attention to each student under their care.
Empowerment was not only a management statement. We have been able to accord greater autonomy to the schools only because of the high quality of teachers and school leaders we have, as we can be assured of the standards as they innovate, and customise teaching and learning to suit the needs of their students. We have begun to observe the tangible results of increased school autonomy. By giving top-down support for ground-up initiatives, we see the development of little peaks of excellence within the school landscape. It is heartening to note that besides developing niche areas in academic subjects, every school is also developing their niches in sports, aesthetics and even character education. This has contributed greatly to the diversity and richness of our education landscape.
Education Beyond the Books
Although Language, Mathematics and Science are important fundamentals in education, we are also committed to providing our students with an all-rounded education, equipping them with knowledge and skills beyond the textbooks.
First, Co-Curricular Activities, or CCAs. This is a unique aspect in our school system, which International students studying in Singapore tell us they enjoy very much. CCAs provide opportunities for student bonding and teamwork while serving as an additional platform for students to nurture qualities such as resilience, tenacity, confidence and perseverance. All of these develop strength of character in our students, enabling them to better adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world. Such non-academic activities will be extended to our Primary 1 and 2 children, through the new “Programme for Active Learning”, giving them the opportunity to discover their flair or interest in specific areas.
Our students also need to develop the confidence and knowledge to interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds, in order to succeed in a globalised world. To help them do so, language training and exposure to overseas experiences are made available through special language and cultural studies programmes, community involvement projects, twinning and exchange arrangements, as well as satellite campus immersions. Our target is for one-third of students in secondary schools, junior colleges, polytechnics and up to half of our university students, to have at least one overseas experience. We give schools additional funding, to ensure that students are able to access to these opportunities regardless of their family background.
Moving Forward
If one had thought the future was hard to predict 40 years ago, the task of peering into the future would be even more challenging now. In the famous words of Thomas Friedman, the world is now more “flat” in the sense that there is greater inter-connectedness. It would be a highly complex world, one with many “unknown unknowns”. For a child who is born today, entering our schools in 2014 and graduating into the work force in 2030, what kind of future should our education system prepare him for?
Moving forward, what we do know for certain is that Singaporeans would compete better and succeed longer in tomorrow’s world if they are able to complement their strong fundamentals in academic knowledge with important 21st century competencies and soft skills. An internal MOE taskforce had earlier looked into these competencies and skills and have identified the following characteristics of a student poised for success in the 21st century: Confident Person, Self-Directed Learner, Concerned Citizen and Active Contributor. Many international educators we spoke to, and I believe many of you here today, also agreed on the importance of inculcating these traits in our next generation.
Bearing this in mind, we have begun to look into the next phase of reforms and changes for our education system. We will start in our primary education, the most formative years for students, following the recommendations of a major Primary Education Review earlier this year. We aim to re-balance knowledge with skills and values, use more engaging pedagogy and holistic assessment to make learning more meaningful and enriching, and to place greater emphasis on non-academic programmes within the curriculum. To ensure that schools are adequately resourced to achieve these outcomes, the government will make significant investments over the next few years, including supporting teachers with more para-educators, and providing new generation facilities as learning space.
In the years ahead, we intend to ride on this momentum, and ensure continuity in students’ holistic development and learning as they progress within different stages of our school system. At the same time, we will be making a concerted effort to enhance the development of soft skills in students, by exploring the setting up of Centres of Excellence for arts, music and sports. We hope that these centres will complement school-based programmes and bring together expertise and resources to nurture talents in the aesthetics and sports.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while our education system has, over time, evolved into a strong system and internationally well-regarded, we have not and are not resting on our laurels. It is clear that the evolution would continue. The task ahead will not easy, but we are assured because leaders and members of the educational fraternity agree that we can, and want to do better. The same support comes from parents and the community. It is the only way every young Singaporean can be given the best future possible.
Thank you.