INTRODUCTION

1.            Mr Chairman, as Singapore’s economy becomes increasingly diversified and knowledge-based, our education system must also change in tandem to produce students and graduates with the right mindset, knowledge and skills to meet the manpower needs of our new economy.

2.           MOE has over the years introduced significant changes in our schools to provide greater diversity and flexibility in our education system, and we will continue to do so.  Dr Amy Khor has asked for more applied pathways. My Minister has earlier outlined a few new initiatives that MOE will be introducing in our schools, and I will now elaborate on some of these.

MORE APPLIED OPTIONS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATION

Background

3.           The Polytechnic-School Review Committee was set up in October last year to look at how we can introduce greater diversity and flexibility in our secondary school landscape, by offering more options for applied learning.

4.           In the course of our study, the Committee consulted widely among the stakeholders including principals, teachers, parents, students, as well as the industry.  We also studied the education models of Europe and the United States.

5.           When I was in Sweden, I visited a few upper secondary schools. I was impressed and inspired by the level of energy and excitement among the students in one particular school.  This school had a special niche on Mass Communications. The students were highly motivated and engaged in exciting hands-on practical projects like producing television programmes, documentaries and radio shows for their schoolmates. They were even tasked to organise an annual film festival for the city.  We want to similarly enthuse, engage and motivate our students some of whom may learn better through a more practice-oriented approach.

6.          When we consulted students through focus group discussions, many shared with us their desire for greater exposure for applied subjects in their secondary schools.  They found applied learning experience very interesting and practical.  It helps make the lessons come alive.

7.          Today, our secondary schools offer a robust GCE ‘O’ Level curriculum which prepare our students for a broad range of post-secondary options. While this approach has served us well, we can do more to enrich the secondary school curriculum and provide more choices for our students, especially in applied learning experience.

8.          The Committee has therefore made three key recommendations.

Advanced Elective Modules

9.          Firstly, the Committee recommended the introduction of elective modules with applied content in the secondary school curriculum.

10.        The polytechnics have been working together with schools on a variety of programmes for secondary school students, such as seminars, camps, workshops, and projects.  For instance, students from Bishan Park Secondary School have been attending short courses in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Video Production, and Food Science at Nanyang Polytechnic. Temasek Polytechnic conducts Aerospace workshops for students from Bedok South Secondary School and Yuying Secondary School. These workshops introduce students to the basic theories of Aerospace Engineering, such as propulsion systems and aerodynamics.

11.        We can formalise and build on these linkages between schools and polytechnics to develop and offer Advanced Elective Modules (or AEMs). These AEMs include topics as wide-ranging as Creative Game Design, Electronic Product Design, Entrepreneurship, and Food Innovation.  As Dr Khor pointed out, these AEMs will give our students a broader and richer learning experience, help them discover their strengths and interests, and help them make better decisions on their future course of studies.

12.        The content covered in the AEMs will be of a greater rigour and depth than the existing enrichment activities and programmes, but less than that of a full GCE ‘O’ level subject. Each AEM will comprise about 40 hours of contact time, of which practical content such as laboratory work, projects and presentations will make up about 50%.  Depending on the type of facilities required, AEMs will be conducted either in the secondary schools or the polytechnic campuses.

13.       The polytechnics will recognise students’ efforts in taking AEMs. For example, polytechnics will take into account students’ participation and performance in AEMs if they apply through the discretionary admissions system. Students may also be given credit exemption for relevant polytechnic modules.

14.       Initially, the polytechnics will work with 10 to 15 secondary schools to develop a range of AEMs customised to suit the areas of focus of the participating schools.

15.       The AEMS are meant for a wide range of students:  those who are keen to go to polytechnics as well as those who wish to study in JCs.  The applied learning experience will benefit both groups.  It is interesting that among the schools which have indicated interest in introducing AEMs, there are 4 Integrated Programme (IP) schools – Raffles Institution, ACS(Independent), Hwa Chong Institution, and Nanyang Girls High School. The IP schools are well placed to introduce these modules because of the greater curriculum flexibility that they have in not having to prepare their students for the ‘O’ level examinations. The list also includes Autonomous Schools like Dunman Secondary and Temasek Secondary Schools, and neighbourhood schools like Bishan Park, Dunearn, Outram, and Choa Chu Kang Secondary.

16.        We aim to roll out the first AEMs from January 2007.  As the polytechnics and schools gain more experience in offering AEMs, more schools can come on board to offer AEMs to their students.

Applied Graded Subjects

17.        In addition to AEMs, there are students who are keen to take up applied subjects in greater depth. Today, there are a small number of applied subjects available at the secondary schools, such as Design & Technology, Food & Nutrition, and Principles of Accounts.

18.        The Committee’s second recommendation is to introduce more ‘O’ level equivalent subjects in applied disciplines at the upper secondary level, which will be known as Applied Graded Subjects (or AGS). Like the AEMs, AGS will enhance our curriculum offerings and provide more opportunities for our students to pursue their interests in areas currently available only in the polytechnics, like Electronics, Creative 3D Animation, and Cell & Molecular Biology.  For example, students taking the Creative 3D Animation course will learn how to create a 3D animation movie, from plot development and character design, to the final rendering of animation scenes.

19.        The new AGS will be equal in rigour and scope to a full GCE ‘O’ level subject¹. These subjects will be equivalent to the other elective subjects that students currently take at the ‘O’ levels. They can also be included in the computation of scores for admission into our JCs/CI and polytechnics. Students will still be required to offer the five core subjects (English Language, Mathematics, at least one Science subject, at least one Humanities subject, and Mother Tongue Language²) to ensure a strong foundation of basic academic knowledge.

20.        Students may also be given exemption for certain polytechnic modules if the same content has been covered in the AGS.  We expect that AGS will initially be offered in 4 to 5 secondary schools.

21.        The AGS will be rolled out in 2008. To date, Ngee Ann Polytechnic has expressed interest in working with St Andrew’s Secondary School, while Temasek Polytechnic will be partnering with Temasek Secondary and Dunman High School.  The polytechnics may expand their offerings subsequently depending on students’ interest and resources available.

22.        Let me now move on to the Committee’s third key recommendation, which is the introduction of a Direct Polytechnic Admission Exercise.

23.        Today, most students apply to the polytechnics through the Joint Admissions Exercise, based on their ‘O’ level performance. Starting this year, the Joint Polytechnic Special Admissions Exercise will admit up to 5% of the enrolment based on special talents. Both of these admissions exercises are conducted after the ‘O’ level results are released.

24.        We recognise that there are some secondary school students who are interested in, and have the aptitude for an applied education. Many of these students will already have decided quite early on, that they want to study in the polytechnics, and even the specific courses that they want to take up.

25.        There is therefore scope to put in place an additional pathway for direct admission of these students who are clearly intent on going to the polytechnics, similar to the Direct School Admission exercise at the JC levels.

26.        The Direct Polytechnic Admission (DPA) exercise, will allow some secondary school students to obtain confirmed places in the polytechnics even before they take their ‘O’ levels.  However, they will still need to sit for the GCE ‘O’ level examinations and obtain the minimum polytechnic entry requirement.

27.        The DPA exercise will be open to all Secondary 4 students in the Express and Normal Academic courses. Students can begin applying to the polytechnic courses of their choice, around June of their Secondary 4 year and they will be informed of the outcome in July.  The timing is in line with the current Direct School Admission exercise.

28.        The DPA exercise will allow the polytechnics to assess students in a more holistic manner. The criteria will be merit based and transparent and may include factors such as students’ interests and aptitude in the applied areas. Polytechnics may assess students through aptitude tests, school recommendations, school-based results, interviews, or their participation in applied subjects and modules such as Design & Technology, AEMs and AGS.

29.        Early confirmation of polytechnic places through the DPA will also allow students to benefit from a special preparatory programme offered by the polytechnics, which will start in January, before the commencement of the formal polytechnic calendar. This preparatory programme will help broaden students’ learning experiences, and help them build a strong foundation for the polytechnic education. For instance, modules such as Communications Skills, Creative and Applied Thinking Skills, and Foundational Mathematics could be covered in the programme. As some of these modules are also part of the main diploma programmes, DPA students who have taken the preparatory programme can be exempted from these courses subsequently.

30.        For a start, we target to have about 500 students admitted under the DPA exercise each year, or about 100 students per polytechnic. This is equivalent to about 2.5% of the polytechnics’ annual intake, in addition to the 5% currently allowed under the Joint Polytechnic Special Admissions Exercise.  Going forward, the DPA exercise may be expanded after the polytechnics gain more experience with direct admissions procedures. The DPA will start in 2007 for the 2008 polytechnic intake.

31.        In the longer term, as the polytechnics and schools gain more experience, we can also further explore how some secondary schools can have closer tie-ups with the polytechnics. Some possibilities include allowing students who are very clear on their desire for a polytechnic education to progress directly to the polytechnics without taking their GCE ‘O’ level examinations.

CONCLUSION

32.       Chairman, our schools and polytechnics will have exciting and challenging years ahead with these new initiatives.  They will help keep our education system relevant and produce students and graduates that will meet the needs of our changing economy, as well as allow every individual to develop their potential to the fullest.

PRIVATE EDUCATION

33.        Chairman, allow me now to move on to address some private education issues raised by Dr Ong Seh Hong and Mr Yeo Guat Kwang.

34.        Mr Yeo Guat Kwang called for greater quality control of private educational organisations (PEOs) and for more information on PEOs to be made available to assist students to make an “informed choice.

35.        Under the Education Act, MOE registers private schools which include tuition centres, language schools and commercial schools.  These private schools must meet building and fire safety requirements and have an acceptable curriculum and qualified teachers before they can be registered.

36.        Tuition centres have to seek MOE’s permission to engage teachers Dr Ong is right. These teachers must possess educational qualifications beyond the levels they intend to teach and have the knowledge related to the subject areas to be taught.  For example, for secondary school subjects, tutors must have ‘A’ levels and above.

37.        However, some parents prefer to engage private tutors through either tuition agencies or their personal contacts.   Tuition agencies are commercial setups usually registered as businesses/companies with the Accounting & Corporate Regulating Authority (ACRA). Unlike tuition centres, they do not come under the jurisdiction of MOE as they do not operate as a "school" per se.

38.        For PEOs who wish to offer external degree programmes (EDPs), MOE will register these programmes if the foreign university offering the programme is bona fide and the degree is conferred by the foreign university.

39.        However, MOE's registration is not tantamount to the accreditation of the PEOs or endorsement of the quality and standard of the courses delivered by them.  MOE’s registration is part of a multi-agency approach involving EDB, CASE, SPRING, ICA and STB to protect students' interest as well as to encourage PEOs to work towards organisational and academic excellence³.

40.        We believe that the market is the real test for the quality of education provided by the PEOs. Industry players should work with accreditation agencies to differentiate themselves and to raise the overall standard of PEOs in Singapore.  To this end, MOE is pleased to note that various industry associations such as the Association of Private Schools (APS) and the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME), have stepped forward to help private schools upgrade.

41.        Students and parents, local or foreign, should conduct their own checks on the quality of the courses, tuition centres, schools or PEOs before enrolling in these programmes.

42.        I agree with Mr Yeo and Dr Ong that we can provide more information to help students make an informed choice.

43.        Since Feb 2006, MOE has enhanced its private education website to include information on some of the checks that students can do when selecting institutions which offer external degree programmes.  Other information available includes the CaseTrust for Education and SQC-PEO schemes and there are links to these and other relevant websites.

44.        Moving forward, MOE will continue to enhance its website to provide more information to students and parents.