15 October 1998

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All Primary Six and Secondary Three pupils will participate in the National Education Quiz. The Quiz will be conducted in Oct and Nov 98 after the Primary School Leaving Examinations and end-of-year school examinations respectively. Through the Quiz, schools will know how well the National Education messages have been learned and understood by pupils. It will be held annually.

2 Since the launch of National Education in May 97, schools have been actively infusing aspects of National Education into the formal and informal curriculum through a variety of activities. Pupils have gone on Learning Journeys and observed special days like Racial Harmony Day, Total Defence Day and International Friendship Day. The National Education Quiz is one of the components of the National Education programme.

3 The National Education Quiz is in the form of a CD-ROM game and is the first computerised multi-media quiz designed for students. There are two versions of the Quiz created for the primary and secondary levels. The questions will cover core aspects of National Education such as the national symbols - the flag and anthem, historical events like merger and independence, national values, festivals of the various ethnic groups, total defence and national service, and the challenges that Singapore faces. Pupils do not need to study for the quiz as they would have imbibed all that they need to know from their schools’ National Education activities.

4 Primary Six pupils will play Operation Labyrinth. The pupils will navigate a maze to retrieve data capsules containing questions on National Education. There will be features such as robots, laser blasts and squashing doors which increase the excitement and challenge of the game during the process of retrieving the questions.

5 Secondary Three pupils will play The Nation Builder. This is a unique-to-Singapore game. Pupils begin as immigrants to Singapore who will build well-known landmarks like the Raffles Hotel, the Istana and many other buildings. To do this, they have to answer questions on National Education correctly. As the pupils progress from Junior Builder to Master Builder, they see several things happening – changes in the time period and the landscape and the sprouting of Changi Airport, the Esplanade and other modern buildings as they answer questions. Pupils will get a sense of Singapore’s growth over two centuries.

6 The questions posed in each game are in multiple-choice or matching formats and arranged in four levels - a basic level and three advanced levels. The playing time for each game is 30 minutes. The basic level consists of ten questions and pupils must answer at least eight out of ten questions correctly to satisfy the requirement for National Education. All students are expected to attain at least the basic level and students will be given additional attempts until they attain the basic level. Having attained the basic level, pupils may then proceed to the advanced levels -- easy, average and difficult level. Each level consists of 20 multiple-choice questions.

7 On completing the game successfully, pupils will print out certificates and win badges attesting to their level of achievement in the game. While the Quiz has a serious purpose in enhancing the effectiveness of the National Education Programme, the delivery of the Quiz as a computerised game combines both fun and challenge, so as to engage the interest of pupils and encourage them to deepen their knowledge of core national issues.

8 From 1999 onwards, the Quiz will be administered to all Primary Six and Secondary Four and Five pupils. Secondary Three pupils who took the quiz in 1998 can still take the quiz again in 1999 when they are in Secondary Four, if the schools are able to schedule sessions for them.