MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

MR LEE YOCK SUAN Minister for Education

Over the next four years, the Ministry of Education will phase in improvements to the system for primary and secondary education as well as employment-related education and training. Our pupils will be provided with at least 10 years of schooling before they proceed to further education and training. At the tertiary level, the universities will focus on better teaching and step up research and development activities.

Provision of 10 years of Education

2. Starting from Secondary 1 in January 1994, the Ministry will implement a new Normal (Technical) course to complement the existing Special, Express and Normal (Academic) courses in secondary schools. The new course will provide a technical-oriented curriculum for less academically inclined pupils and prepare them for training at the institutes of technical education and for employment.

3. Since the 1980s, streaming in schools has enabled pupils to learn at their own pace. Recent modifications to the streaming system will enable more pupils to reach higher levels of attainment in education and vocational training. The Ministry will closely monitor the implementation of these modifications and if necessary make further adjustments to iron out problems which emerge.

Premature School Leavers

4. Since the 1980s, pupil attrition and educational wastage have been significantly reduced. The Ministry will work with the community self-help groups and with parents to reduce further the number of premature school leavers. The Pastoral Care Programme will be introduced in more schools with the objective of identifying and supporting pupils who may otherwise drop out of school.

Autonomous Schools

5. To provide quality education at affordable costs, the Ministry has introduced autonomous schools. Six schools will become autonomous in January 1994 to complement the existing 8 independent schools. The autonomous schools will have more autonomy and resources to improve their educational programmes. The Ministry plans to have 10 to 15 autonomous schools spread throughout Singapore over the next few years. Edusave Scheme

6. Edusave was launched in 1993 with a total capital contribution of $2 billion from the Government. In 1993, each eligible pupil received $50 in his or her Edusave account. This annual contribution will be increased to $100 in January 1994, and should reach about $400 when the Edusave Endowment Fund builds up to the targeted sum of $5 billion. Edusave will also continue to fund scholarships to independent and other secondary schools and provide annual grants, averaging $100,000 per secondary school, to improve their quality of teaching and learning.

Professional Development

7. The education system depends on good and dedicated teachers who touch the hearts and minds of our children, and capable school leaders who set the tone and direction of the schools. The Education Service must continue to attract good people. The Ministry will further improve the system of rewarding good officers, and grooming capable officers for leadership positions in the Service.

School Development

8. The Ministry will build 8 new primary schools by 1994 to cater for a larger primary school population. At the secondary level, 11 new schools will be built and 29 existing schools upgraded by 1997 to enable more secondary schools to function as single-session schools.

Post-Secondary Education and Training

9. The building of the 2 new polytechnics will provide more education and training opportunities for secondary school leavers. The polytechnics cater for 40% of the age cohort. They will continue to maintain close links with industry to provide practice-oriented education.

10. The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) plans to enrol 10,000 secondary school leavers annually, about 25% of an age cohort. Besides full-time courses, the ITE will provide apprenticeship training and strengthen its Continuing Education and Training programmes for adult workers. University Education

11. The National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will introduce more flexible systems of university courses. At NUS the modular system, first introduced in 1993, will be extended to other courses. NTU will adopt the academic unit system. Both approaches combine the rigour and depth of the British system with the flexibility and breadth of the American credit system.

12. The primary task of the universities is to produce high-level manpower. NUS and NTU will improve on their teaching programmes and step up research and development activities.

13. The Government continues to support the Singapore Institute of Management to implement the Open University Degree Programme in collaboration with the Open University of the UK. The first intake of about 1000 mature students has been admitted in January 1994.