Immersion Programmes to Encourage Cultural Exchanges in ASEAN

Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Education whether there are plans to encourage more immersion programmes to be organised between Singapore and our ASEAN neighbours to encourage increased cultural exchanges within the ASEAN region.

Mr Heng Swee Keat: MOE recognises that an overseas experience presents rich learning for students. It provides opportunities for interaction with people of different backgrounds, helps develop in our students cultural sensitivities and inter-personal competencies, and broadens the students’ world view.

In 2014, about 60% of our students’ overseas learning journeys were made to ASEAN countries. Many of these trips involved interactions with students in these countries.

In addition, MOE also coordinates various student immersion and school twinning programmes with our ASEAN neighbours. For example, there are 65 schools that are twinned with schools in Brunei, Malaysia and Thailand. There is also an annual ASEAN Student Exchange Programme. About 40 students from the 10 ASEAN countries gather for a one-week residential programme in one of the countries to share and learn about each other’s cultures, social and economic challenges, their aspirations for their country, and how to contribute to the region’s collective progress.