EDUCATIONAL

SYSTEM IN
SINGAPORE
JOHNNY G. GALLA
MAED EA 1
QUICK FACTS

Population: 5.9 million

Population growth rate: 0.95%
Demographic makeup: Chinese 76%,
Malay 15%, Indian 7.4%, Other 1.6%
Source: CIA World Factbook, 2021

GDP: $555 billion

GDP per capita: $97,341 (2019
estimate in 2010 dollars)
Source: CIA World Factbook,
2021
 QUICK FACTS

Unemployment rate: 2.25%

Youth unemployment rate: 9.1%
Sources: OECD (2020) CIA
World Factbook (2020)

Services-dominated economy
Key services industries: wholesale and retail
trade, business services, finance and insurance
Key industrial areas: electronics, chemicals,
logistics and transport engineering Sources:
CIA World Factbook 2021
QUICK FACTS

Postsecondary attainment
Ages 25+: 55.8%
Source: World Bank,
2018
Singapore is a Success Story
Singapore is a Success Story

Since becoming an independent

republic in 1965, it has transformed
from an impoverished island with
no natural resources and a mostly
illiterate population to a country of
5.8 million people whose
living
standards match those of the most
highly-developed industrial nations.
Singapore’s Success in Education

In 2009, when Singapore

participated for the first time in
the Programme for
International Student
Assessment (PISA), the results
of Prime Minister Lee’s efforts
were already clear.
Singapore’s Success in Education

Singapore was first in the world

2015 in all three subjects.

Four Chinese provinces

outperformed Singapore, but
2018 the small island nation
continued to outperform every
other nation.
Singapore’s Success in Education

At the end of Word War

II, Singapore
implemented the first in a
succession of economic
development strategies
rooted in improved
education and training.
Singapore’s Success in Education

In 2004, the government

developed the “Teach Less,
Learn More” initiative,
which moved instruction
further away from its early
focus on rote memorization
and repetitive tasks and
toward deeper conceptual
understanding and
problem-based learning.
Evolution of Singapore’s Education System
Key Role of Education in Singapore

- Key role of education is to support their economy.

- People are Singapore’s only natural resource
- Education prepares their children for joining the workforce in an
increasingly uncertain and globalized world
- Education is key social leveler
- Helping the children be the best they can be
- Multiple pathways for success, customized programs from
schools
Current Trends in Singapore’s Education
Landscape

Delivering a student-centric,
values-driven education

Nurturing a quality teaching force

Current Trends in Singapore’s Education
Landscape
Delivering a student-centric, values-driven education
Governance and Structure
 Singapore’s education system is highly centralized.
 The Ministry of Education oversees kindergarten (ages four to five)
through higher education and lifelong learning.
 The Ministry allocates funding for all schools, sets course syllabi
and national examinations, oversees teacher credentialing,
manages the teacher and principal evaluation and promotion
system, and hires and assigns principals and teachers to schools.
Governance and Structure
 Schools are grouped into geographic clusters, each overseen by a
superintendent, to provide local support for the Ministry’s policies
and initiatives.
 The cluster superintendents, who are successful former principals,
collaborate with principals in their cluster on how to implement the
curriculum and which teaching materials to choose from among a
set the Ministry approves and strongly encourages teachers to use.
Planning and Goals
 Singapore articulates clear and comprehensive system-wide goals
for education.
 Goals included improving character and citizenship education,
strengthening digital literacy, building more knowledge and
understanding of the history and cultures throughout Asia,
expanding supports for disadvantaged students, and building
more adult education opportunities.
Education Finance
 The Ministry of Education directly funds all schools based on the
number of pupils.
 all schools receive a set grant (called an Opportunity Fund) to use
for their low-income students and students from ethnic minority
groups.
 FY 12 budget: S$10.6 billion ≈ 3% of GDP
SCHOOLS

- 356 schools
- 510,000 students, 33,000 teachers, 7,400 education partners
(which include allied educators; executive and administrative
staff)
- Tertiary education institutions:
- 4 Autonomous Universities (AU), Singapore Institute of
Technology (SIT), UniSIM, 5 Polytechnics, 3 Colleges of
Institute of Technical Education (ITE)
- 161,000 students, 11,000 teaching and 13,500 non-teaching staff
LEARNING SYSTEM
- Preschool
- Primary and Secondary Education
Preschool
 In Singapore, children ages
three through six can attend
either a public or private
kindergarten or a childcare
center.
 in 2013, the government created
the Early Childhood Development
Agency (ECDA) to coordinate
oversight of all early childhood
education.
Preschool

 Most childcare centers and

kindergartens in Singapore are
privately run but licensed by
ECDA. A subset of centers caps
their enrollment fees in exchange
for government subsidies, part of a
national effort to increase access
to childcare for low- and middle-
income Singaporeans.
Preschool

 The government does not assess

learning outcomes for students in
kindergarten or childcare; the first
nationwide screening of children’s
literacy and numeracy skills takes
place in the first month of primary
school.
Primary and Secondary
Education
Primary and Secondary
Education
 In Singapore, the system includes six years of primary school,
followed by four to six years of secondary school, and one to three
years of postsecondary school.
 The curriculum for primary schools is common for all students in
years one to four.
 For years five and six, students can take individual courses at the
foundation or standard level.
Primary and Secondary
Education
 Foundational level courses are designed to provide more
support for students.
 As they enter secondary school, students, their parents, and
their teachers jointly agree on one of three bands or “streams” they
will join: Express, Normal (Academic), and Normal
(Technical).
 All streams offer the same course of study, but Express is
accelerated and Normal (Technical) offers more applied work.
Primary and Secondary
Education
 In most cases, students’
scores on the Primary
School Leaving
Examination (PSLE) are
the primary determinant
of the stream they will
join, but parents and
students can advocate for
different streams if they
demonstrate accelerated
learning or need more
help.
Primary and Secondary
Education
 In addition to these options, Singapore has four specialized
schools for students who perform poorly on the PSLE. These
schools offer foundational coursework in mathematics and
literacy, alongside vocational offerings leading to skill certificates
and extensive social supports.
 There are also specialized independent schools that focus on the
arts, sports, and mathematics and science. These schools receive
public funding and use the MOE curriculum, but have more
flexibility in their program offerings.
Postsecondary Education
University University University Polytechnics
(3-4 (3-4 years) (3-4 (3 years)
years) years)

National ITE
Diploma Certificate (skills Examination
certificate)

Polytechnics ITE Junior Colleges

(3 years) (2-3 years) (2-3 years)
Standards and Curriculum

The Ministry of Education oversees the development of the

national curriculum, which includes “Desired Outcomes of
Education.” The desired outcomes are student excellence in life
skills, knowledge skills, and subject discipline knowledge
organized into eight core skills and values: character development,
self-management skills, social and cooperative skills, literacy and
numeracy, communication skills, information skills, thinking skills
and creativity, and knowledge application skills.
Standards and Curriculum

- The primary school curriculum includes ten subject areas:

English, mother tongue language (available for Chinese-,
Malay- and Tamil-speaking students), mathematics, science, art,
music, physical education, social studies, and character and
citizenship education.
- A coding class was added to the curriculum in 2019.
Standards and Curriculum

- Secondary education varies depending on school and

program type.
- Students in the express and Normal (academic program) are
required to take English, mother tongue language, mathematics,
science, and humanities (geography, history, and English
literature).
- For students in the Normal (Technical) program, compulsory
subjects include English, mother tongue language,
mathematics, computer applications, and social studies.
Assessment and Qualifications

- Teachers perform continuous assessment of their students at all

levels of education.
- On a day-to-day basis, this assessment is informal and
based on student work in and out of the classroom.
- At the end of primary school, all students take the Primary
School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in four subjects: English,
math, science, and mother tongue.
Assessment and Qualifications

- At the secondary level, student take subject-based exams,

depending on their band. After four years of study, students take
O-level exams in the express and N-level exams in the
Normal (Technical) program. Students in the Normal
(Academic) program can take the N-level exams after four years
of study or the O-level exams after five years. Students who
wish to study at university take A- level exams after an
additional two years of study.
Career and Technical Education

- Technical and vocational education

gained importance in Singapore at
the end of World War II when
industrialization created a demand
for skilled workers.
- Singapore created
polytechnic institutions
the 1960sin as the
primary vocational training route
for Singaporeans.
Career and Technical Education
- Singapore founded the Institute of
Technical Education (ITE) in 1992, at
a time when vocational education
was viewed as a “last resort” for
weak students; the five existing
polytechnics were not desirable
educational options.
- ITE was designed to be a world-
class example of how vocational
and technological skills could be
translated to a knowledge-based
economy.
Career and Technical Education

- Today, ITE is filled with simulated

and real-world workspaces for
students to demonstrate their job
skills in a wide variety of high-
growth industries.
Teacher Recruitment

- Only one institution—the National Institute of Education (NIE)—is authorized

to prepare teachers, and it offers both a master’s degree and a bachelor’s
degree route into teaching.
- The selection process is competitive: teaching is a highly-regarded profession
in Singapore and students in teacher-education programs receive a stipend
during their training. On average, only one out of eight applicants is accepted.
- Teaching salaries in Singapore are largely commensurate with those of other
professions. Indeed, the Ministry of Education monitors teacher salaries in
relation to other professional salaries and adjusts them to ensure they remain
competitive.
The total expenditure of MOE in FY2022 is projected to be $13.60
billion, which is $435.40 million or 3.3% higher than the revised
FY2021 expenditure.
In the area of education, training and manpower development, from
the Ministry of Education's $10.89 billion projected expenditure,
$5.53 billion will go towards subsidies for students, including special
education students and salaries for educators.
ISSUES

1. Grades are important for the biggest employer in Singapore

No matter how our government tries to appease the masses by saying things like
“every school is a good school” and “grades are not the focus”, it doesn’t change
the reality about Singapore that grades are extremely important for some jobs in
the future.
Just take the civil service for an example which is the biggest employer in
Singapore.
When one applies for a government job, you will be asked to list your O and A
level results and the specific grade you got for each subject. This is despite the
fact that such exams are taken really long ago like when one is 16 and 18
respectively. Not only that, you have to bring photocopies of these documents on
your first interview.
ISSUES

2. The Bell Curve System

In Singapore’s education system today, it is not enough to just do well in
your grades. You have to do better comparatively to others. This is due to the
bell curve system.
Say if you get 85/100 for your test but majority of your classmates get 90/100,
you will probably end up with a B4.
Thus, in order to out-compete their child’s classmates, Singaporean parents spend
money on tuition to help their child remain competitive.
It is like an arms race where one is forever trying to be in the top ten percentile.
Those whose parents can’t afford tuition will get left behind.
ISSUES

3. Competition from foreign students

Perhaps there was a bell-curve system in place during the 80s and
90s. However, it was a lot less stressful as kids just have to compete
with Singaporeans.
The children today are competing with several talented and bright
students from ASEAN, China and India.
ISSUES

4. Tuition centres teach exam hacks which schools don’t

As someone who had tuition for a few subjects in school, I personally

believe that the materials and teaching from tuition centres are
sometimes better than those offered in school.
Firstly, while schools teach content, tuition centres put a lot more
effort on exam hacks, teaching you how to
game the system and score more with less effort.
ISSUES

5. The Singapore education syllabus is getting harder each year

For some strange reason, the syllabus is getting tougher and tougher with
children being made to learn content that is way beyond our years.
We already have the most challenging syllabus globally. Why do you think our
kids do so well in the International Baccalaureate (IB) compared to the rest of the
world? This is because our formal education system is much harder than the rest
of the world and our GCE A levels and O levels is much tougher than the ones the
British take.
Educational Attainment

As of December 2022, 41.6 percent of the labor force in Singapore

had a university degree or higher
Literacy Rate

In 2021, the literacy rate for people aged 15 years and older in
Singapore was 97.6 percent. The literacy rate for this age group in
Singapore has shown a steady increase over the last two decades,
indicating an increase in education levels in the population

For 2023, According to our estimates 5,156,626 persons or 96.81% of

adult population (aged 15 years and above) in Singapore are able to
read and write. Accordingly about 170,052 adults are illiterate.
Literacy rate for adult male population is 98.66% (2,533,436
persons).
National Budget

S$ 77.76 billion 2023

S$107 billion 2022
Current Educational System

In Singapore, the system includes six years of primary school,

followed by four to six years of secondary school, and one to three
years of postsecondary school. The curriculum for primary schools is
common for all students in years one to four.
 Educational Structure

Level/Grade Typical age on birthday

Preschool The school year is divided into

Pre-school playgroup 4
four terms. The first begins at
Kindergarten 5 to 6

Primary school (Children enter P1 upon the year they turn 7)

the beginning of January and
Primary 1 7 ends in Week 2 of March; the
Primary 2

Primary 3
8

9
second begins in Week 3 of
Primary 4 10 March and ends in the end of
Primary 5

Primary 6
11

12
May; the third begins near July
Secondary school (Children enter S1 upon the year they turn 13) and ends in the first week of
Secondary 1 13
September, and the final term
Secondary 2 14

Secondary 3 15
begins on the 2nd or 3rd week
Secondary 4 16 of September and ends in
Secondary 5 (available for normal academic stream only) 17 mid-November.
Post-secondary education

Junior College, Polytechnic or ITE, followed by University education beyond 16 or 17

Kindergartens in Singapore provide up to three years of pre-school for
children ages three to six. The three years are commonly
called Nursery, Kindergarten 1 (K1) and Kindergarten 2 (K2), respectively.
[24]

Kindergartens provide an environment for children to learn how to interact

with others, and to prepare them for formal education at Primary school.
Activities include learning language – written and oral – and numbers,
development of personal and social skills, games, music, and outdoor
play. Children learn two languages, English and their official Mother
Tongue (Mandarin, Malay, or Tamil). Many private or church-based
kindergartens might not offer Malay and/or Tamil, so non-Chinese pupils
might also learn some Standard Mandarin in these kindergartens.
Primary education, normally starting at age seven, is a four-
year foundation stage (Primary 1 to 4) and a two-
year orientation stage (Primary 5 to 6).Primary education is
compulsory under the Compulsory Education Act since
2003. Exemptions are made for pupils who are homeschooling,
attending a full-time religious institution or those with special
needs who are unable to attend mainstream schools. [26]
However, parents have to meet the requirements set out by
the Ministry of Education before these exemptions are granted.
[26]
Students have to take a test at Primary 4 to determine
whether they could remain homeschooled.
The Gifted Education Programme (GEP) was set up by the Ministry of
Education in 1984 to cater to the intellectually gifted students. This
programme aims to develop gifted children to their top potential and it
places a special emphasis on higher-order thinking and creative thought.
There are currently 9 primary schools offering the Gifted Education
Programme: Anglo-Chinese School, Catholic High School,
Henry Park Primary School, Nan Hua Primary School,
Nanyang Primary School, Rosyth School, Tao Nan School,
St. Hilda's Primary School and Raffles Girls' Primary School.[36]
The Secondary School Gifted Education Programme was discontinued at
the end of 2008 as more students take the Integrated Programme
(IP); this has been replaced by a "School-Based Gifted Education"
programme.
Pupils enter the programme through a series of tests at Primary 3, which
will identify the top 1% of the student population. In the programme, pupils
are offered special enrichment programmes to cater for their
needs.However, GEP students are still required to take the national
Primary School Leaving Examination like other mainstream students
Based on results of the PSLE, students are placed into three
different secondary education tracks or streams: "Express",
"Normal (Academic)", or "Normal (Technical)" till 2023. From
2024, students will be divided into G1, G2 and G3, according to
the Subject-Based Banding scheme. Singaporean citizens are
forbidden to attend international schools on the island without
Ministry of Education permission.
Participation in CCAs is graded together with other non-academic
achievements throughout a student's secondary school education in
a scoring system known as LEAPS 2.0. (LEAPS 1.0 was abolished
and the cohort of 2016 taking the 'O' level examination would be last
to use this system). Points accumulated in the areas of leadership,
achievement, participation and service (under LEAPS 2.0) will
determine a student's CCA grade.Students may get up to a
maximum of two bonus points for entry into a junior college
depending on their CCA grades.LEAPS 2.0 is about leadership,
achievement, participation and service. The method of calculating
the 2 bonus points are very different, with LEAPS 2.0 making it
harder to achieve the 2 bonus points
The Special Assistance Plan (SAP) (Chinese: 特别辅助计划 )
is a special programme established in 1979 that caters to
academically strong students who excel in both their mother
tongue as well as English. It allows students to undertake
English language and Chinese language at first language
standard with a widened exposure to the Chinese culture and
values. The programme is offered in designated schools that
are recognized for its preservation of strong Chinese cultural
heritage and academic excellence.[Currently, there are a total
of 15 primary schools and 11 high schools being accorded SAP
status.
The Integrated Programme, also known as the "Through-Train
Programme" ( 直通车 ), is a scheme which allows secondary
students in Singapore to bypass "O" levels (except for those
taking Higher Mother Tongue) and take A levels,
International Baccalaureate Diploma or an equivalent
examination directly at the age of 18 after six years of
secondary education.
Specialized Independent Schools (SIS)
Specialized Independent Schools offer specialized education with
different focuses. There are currently four specialized schools in
Singapore.[46]
•NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, focuses on
Mathematics, Science, Technology and Engineering.
•School of Science and Technology, Singapore, focuses on applied
learning in Science, Technology, Aesthetics, Engineering and
Mathematics.
•School of the Arts, focuses on Visual, Literary and Performing Arts.
•Singapore Sports School, focuses on Sports and Athletics.
Admission to post-secondary institutions
Upon completion of the 4- or 5-year secondary school
education, students (excluding IP students) will participate in
the annual O level exam, the results of which determine which
post-secondary institutions they may apply for. The O Level
subject grades range from A1 (best) to F9 (worst).
Special Education
Deaf students who must use sign language to communicate
may enroll in any mainstream primary school, effective 2018.
Previously they were required to enroll at two special schools.
Secondary deaf students who do not need to use sign
language to communicate may enroll at Saint Anthony's
Canossian Secondary School and Outram Secondary School,
while Beatty Secondary School enrolls secondary students who
must use sign language to communicate.
Junior colleges and centralised institutes
The pre-university centres of Singapore such as Junior
Colleges and Centralized institute are designed for students
who wish to pursue a local university degree after two to three
years of pre-university education.
There are 19 Junior Colleges (JCs) and a Centralised Institute
(CI), the Millennia Institute (MI, established 2004), with the
National Junior College (NJC, established 1969) being the
oldest and Eunoia Junior College (EJC, established 2017) the
newest.
Junior colleges
Junior colleges (JCs) in Singapore were initially designed to
offer an accelerated alternative to the traditional three-year
programme, but the two-year programme has since become
the norm for students pursuing university education.
JCs accept students based on their GCE "O" Level results; an
L1R5 score of 20 points or less must be attained for a student
to gain admission. JCs provide a 2-year course leading up to
the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level (A level)
examination or the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
Centralized Institutes
The Centralized Institutes accept students based on their GCE
O level results. Their L1R4 score must be 20 points or below in
order to be admitted. A Centralized Institute provides a three-
year course leading up to the GCE A level examination. There
were originally four Centralized Institutes: Outram Institute,
Townsville Institute, Jurong Institute and Seletar Institute.
Townsville Institute and Seletar Institute stopped accepting new
students after the 1995 school year and closed down after the
last batch of students graduated in 1997.
Polytechnics
The first polytechnic in Singapore, Singapore Polytechnic, was
established in 1954. Ngee Ann Polytechnic, has roots that go
back to 1963. Two other polytechnics, Temasek Polytechnic
and Nanyang Polytechnic were established in the 1990s. The
most recent, Republic Polytechnic was established in 2003.
Polytechnics in Singapore provide 3-year diploma courses.
They accept students based on their GCE O Level, GCE N(A)
Level, Institute of Technical Education (ITE) or GCE A level
results.
Institute of Technical Education
The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) is a vocational school that
accepts students based on their GCE "O" level or GCE "N" level
results and they provide two-year courses leading to a locally
recognized "National ITE Certificate". There are three ITE colleges in
Singapore. Only a few ITE graduates will be able to continue their
education at polytechnics and arts institutions which then, if possible
goes on to a university. ITE colleges offer apprenticeships for the
skilled trades and diplomas in vocational education for skilled
technicians and workers in support roles in professions such as
engineering, accountancy, business administration, nursing,
medicine, architecture, and law.
ITE provides four main levels of certification:

•Master National ITE Certificate (Master Nitec)

•Higher National ITE Certificate (Higher Nitec)
•National ITE Certificate (Nitec)
•Work Learn Technical Diploma (WLTD) (From 2017)
•Specialist Nitec (Marine)
•Technical Engineer Diploma (TED)
International and private schools

Because of its large expatriate community, Singapore is host to

many international schools, currently numbering 80, across
predominantly four main curricula groups: British, IB, American
and Indian. Over half of these (44) are either UK curriculum
based (specifically the curriculum of England and Wales), or a
blend of UK (until 16 with the I/GCSE) and the International
Baccalaureate (for post-16 study). The IB Diploma programme
has gained global popularity in recent years, and Singapore
has been susceptible to its charms. There are now 26 schools
in Singapore offering the IB Diploma, and 10 schools offering
what is seen by many as its alternative, the A Level.
Madrasahs

In Singapore, madrasahs are full-time, religious institutions that

offer a pedagogical mix of Islamic religious education and
secular education in their curricula. There are currently six
madrasahs in Singapore offering primary to tertiary education,
namely, Aljunied Al-Islamiah, Al-Irsyad Al-Islamiah, Al-Maarif Al-
Islamiah, Alsagoff Al-Arabiah, Al-Arabiah Al-Islamiah, and Wak
Tanjong Al-Islamiah. Four of them are co-educational, while the
other two offer madrasah education exclusively to girls.