Since the launch of National Education (NE) by Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in May, schools have sought to include NE messages into both the formal and informal curricula. The autonomy given to schools to develop their own programme has led to many innovative ideas. Contact features some of them.

Varying current curriculum to incorporate NE

For Zhonghua Secondary School, the move to incorporate NE into every facet of the curriculum began long before the official NE launch in May this year. Having sat on the NE Committee when it was formed last year, Principal Mrs Chua Yen Ching gathered her Heads of Departments together early this year for a brainstorming session on how to include NE messages into the original curriculum, to ensure teachers and pupils would not have to do any extra work.

For instance, during a Mathematics lesson, pupils had to calculate the number of cars that go through the Central Business District (CBD) daily. This gave the teacher a platform to explain the need for the CBD. A Design and Technology lesson that required pupils to design a keychain was altered slightly so that pupils had to design the keychain in the shape of a national symbol for a friend from overseas. These were then put on display in an exhibition during the National Day week.

As for the informal curriculum, Mrs Chua said that field trips are interdisciplinary. Teachers from different departments work together to develop worksheets for these trips that cover the Humanities, Science, Languages, Civics and Moral Education and National Education.

On the ease with which the NE programme was implemented in the school, Mrs Chua commented, "Introducing new things into the curriculum constantly is not necessary, because a variation of the current one is also something new."

The National Education Unit

Though a small department comprising eight staff, the National Education (NE) Unit is the secretariat of the National Education Committee (NEC), and has the big task of coordinating the implementation of NE programmes in schools. The unit is headed by Mr Wong Siew Hoong.

In order for NE to be successful in schools, principals and teachers need to be convinced of its necessity and purpose. The unit has organised seminars for some MOE HQ staff, Principals and NE Coordinators and General Paper teachers. It is also exploring various ways by which to reach out to other teachers.

Other means of inculcating the concept of NE in teachers is the introduction of a monthly video produced by the unit and the National Education website, NEWS or National Education - the World & Singapore. "With the autonomy that schools have in their NE programmes, there must also be a facility for teachers to consult, clarify and communicate on NE matters," Mr Wong explained.

For the formal curriculum, MOE will provide for some interim measures as revising textbooks will take time. These include minor revisions to the current history curriculum such as covering the topic on post-independence earlier in the school year. This ensures that the pressure of preparing pupils for the examinations does not affect the amount of time and focus teachers give to the topic.

As for the informal curriculum, the NE Unit has set basic guidelines for schools. A series of significant historical events has been designated for schools to commemorate within the school environment. Schools can also undertake their own community service projects and assembly talks.

On the possibility of the NE concept being labelled as propaganda, Mr Wong said, "We are trying to get people to think about the good of Singapore. There is nothing propagandistic about that.

"NE is about being Singaporean and developing national cohesion, the instinct for survival and confidence in the future."

The team that plays together stays together

This is the theme for the NE programme at Greenridge Primary School. One week before Racial Harmony Day, which was commemorated on 21 July 1997, pupils were taught simple traditional games. These included Chaptek, Bola Tins, Hopscotch, Five Stones, Mother Hen and Her Chicks and Pick-up Sticks. As these games have different ethnic origins, the notion of racial harmony was being inculcated into pupils as they played them.

To drive home the message of social responsibility and commitment, the school has adopted The Pelangi Home For The Aged and plans to adopt a nearby park as well.

The Principal, Mrs Daisie Yip, firmly believes in the idea of active participation and experiential learning or APEAL which is applied to the informal curriculum. "At primary level, NE is largely emotion-based. Knowledge will come at the secondary level," she said.

She hopes that by the time pupils leave Greenridge Primary School, they would feel a sense of belonging to Singapore, bonding among the different races and develop the spirit of volunteerism.

Pupils’ active participation encourages deeper appreciation

At Red Swastika School (RSS), staff believe that educating its pupils in NE should start with appealing to their emotions and creating an understanding of Singapore’s past and her future.

One of the focuses of RSS’s NE programme is on Singapore’s constraints and what Singaporeans must do to overcome these constraints. Mr Chia Tai Ching, Principal, hopes this would raise pupils’ commitment in ensuring the survival of Singapore.

One way RSS has conceived to create awareness of Singapore’s constraints among its pupils is through a Green Week. Organised during the first week of term three, pupils went through a water rationing exercise.

"We decided to let our pupils get first-hand experience on what it was like to go through life with restrictions, constraints and hardship, as our forefathers experienced in the past," explained Mr Chia.

During that week, pupils at RSS were only permitted to consume an allocated amount of water. "We wanted them to understand that water is not one of Singapore’s resources and it is a precious commodity to us all. Moreover, Green Week had a dual purpose -- not only is Singapore the only home we have, we also only have just one planet. We need to instill in our students that conserving our planet is just as important as ensuring the successful future of Singapore," said Mr Chia.

During their annual primary 5 retreat, to be held at the end of the year, water rationing will also be implemented to ensure that the message of conserving Singapore’s limited resources will be inculcated in each pupil.

Mr Chia further elaborated, "The purpose of this exercise is to appeal to our pupils’ emotions. We must make them realise how fortunate they are and not take Singapore’s success for granted."

Part and parcel of life

The Principal of St Theresa’s Convent, Mrs Mano Hirubalan, feels strongly that NE is not a campaign but part and parcel of life. "The NE messages are something that must be consciously and sub-consciously developed in the school system," she said.

The school incorporates NE messages into the various subjects taught. For example, dramatisation during Literature lessons may be about the lives of great national leaders, such as Lim Bo Seng, Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. To make NE relevant, current issues such as Singapore’s elections, the recent Malaysia-Singapore misunderstanding and the Hong Kong handover to China were discussed.

A more subtle way of getting the key message of racial harmony across was demonstrated recently on Racial Harmony Day. Indian, Malay and Chinese pupils dressed in traditional costumes and gave individual presentations on the different religious rites. Pupils also watched a slide show on Mecca, the materials of which were contributed by a teacher after her pilgrimmage there.

"We want to teach our pupils not just tolerance of the different races and religions, but acceptance and appreciation. We highlight the similarities and not the differences," said Mrs Hirubalan.

Coming together in celebration

As part of the school’s National Day celebrations, an NE Week was organised at Tampines Junior College from 4 to 8 August 1997.

According to Mr Sahlan Selamat, NE Coordinator, NE Week sought to increase the pupils’ awareness of Singapore’s post world war history, national constraints and survival through a series of creative activities. "While we want to disseminate these messages to our pupils, we also want them to actively think about the issues facing Singapore and share their views with teachers and fellow pupils alike," he said.

During the week, pupils actively participated in the creation of imaginary national costumes for both formal and informal wear, exhibited their winning designs on stage and shared with fellow pupils the reasons behind their choice of design and motifs used.

Pupils also wrote pledges to symbolise their loyalty to Singapore. The best pledges were read during assembly as well as displayed on the NE notice board. Other highlights of NE Week included a skit performance that reflected Singapore’s racial composition, a speech competition where pupils presented their views on national issues and a photography display on the different facets of Singapore.

NE starts in the home too

One of the significant aspects of Ang Mo Kio North Primary School’s NE programme is that it not only involves the staff and pupils, but parents as well. Upon launching the NE programme, parents were invited as part of the school community to understand the importance of NE, and were encouraged to provide their services and suggestions on how NE could be implemented successfully and in an interesting manner.

"Parents and grandparents were very enthusiastic about the launch of NE as many of them personally experienced the hardships of the second world war. It is a topic very close to the heart for many of these parents. My staff and I were pleased with their response to and support of the NE programme," said Mr Joel Tan, Principal, Ang Mo Kio North Primary School.

The year’s NE programme started with parents from the various cultural groups giving talks to students on their respective customs and traditions. Staff at Ang Mo Kio North Primary School believe that by exposing pupils to the customs of the various races in Singapore, pupils would be able to live out the NE messages more vividly.

The enthusiasm for NE at Ang Mo Kio North Primary School is so great that one of the canteen operators had also volunteered to give a talk to the pupils during assembly about her experience during the Japanese Occupation in Singapore and the fears and uncertainties that gripped her family.

Mr Tan concluded, "We feel that in our efforts to develop a shared sense of nationhood, we should reach out to the parents as they play a vital role in creating awareness and understanding of Singapore’s past among their children. By involving parents, teachers and the pupils in the NE programme, we hope to create that bond between the school and parents which will enrich NE values in the pupils.

"Once our pupils can comprehend and appreciate Singapore’s past can they then focus on the many ways of ensuring the future success of Singapore."

Encouraging forward thinking

Pupils at Hwa Chong Junior College (HCJC) took on the challenge of depicting the various ministries and Members of Parliament in Singapore so as to analyse and review how a small nation like Singapore, without natural resources, managed to astound other nations with our success since our humble beginnings. These National Scenario discussions were one of the many interesting activities HCJC had scheduled for their pupils.

Madam Leong Fan Chin, Principal, explained that there were "three purposes for such discussions -- for pupils to better appreciate the challenges, constraints and vulnerabilities Singapore faces, to foster a consensus on what Singaporeans have to uphold to ensure our nation’s continuing success and well-being, and for pupils to see their role as future leaders in various sectors."

One of the scenarios students had to role play was titled ‘Hotel Singapore’ where the year was 2020 and the global economy was prosperous, dynamic and intensely competitive. However, Singapore was fast losing talent to countries experiencing dynamic growth or offering a better quality of life. The stage was set for pupils to think about the situation Singapore would be in should our country fail to secure a sustainable competitive advantage in the game of economic catch-up.

"By instilling that fear and sense of burden in our pupils in an unfavourable situation, we are making our students realise the future of Singapore is in their hands and it is their responsibility to ensure the survival of our nation."