Updating Framework for 21st Century Competencies and Student Outcomes

Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider (i) reviewing and updating the Framework for 21st Century Competencies and Student Outcomes and (ii) evaluating the impact of the Framework on primary school students.

Mr Chan Chun Sing: With the introduction of the Framework for 21st Century Competencies, or 21CC for short, in 2010, the Ministry of Education has placed greater emphasis on 21CC development in the design of our curriculum. This ensures that important traits, such as being creative and collaborative, are developed more strongly in our students.

For example, in English language lessons, students get to work in groups, brainstorm ideas and write their stories creatively based on a given theme. In Project Work, applied learning programmes and co-curricular activities, students collaborate in teams to explore their interests, overcome real-world challenges and achieve group goals.

Our efforts have been worthwhile. International benchmarking studies, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment, have consistently found that our students perform well relative to their peers overseas in 21CC like reasoning, problem solving, global competence and creative thinking.

The 21CC Framework was last reviewed and updated in 2023. Over the next few years, guided by the updated framework, schools will progressively embark on a journey to strengthen their 21CC development efforts.

We will continue to review our efforts regularly to ensure that our students will possess the necessary values and competencies to thrive and learn for life.