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Reference No : Edun N09-0l-057
Press Release No : 015/97
Date : 28 Apr 1997
LAUNCH OF MASTERPLAN FOR IT IN EDUCATION
- The Masterplan for IT (Information Technology) in Education will be launched on Monday,
28 April 97 by RADM Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence.
- The underlying philosophy of the Masterplan is that education should continually
anticipate the future needs of society, and work towards fulfilling those needs. The
skills required for the future will centre on thinking skills, learning skills and
communication skills. IT-based teaching and learning strategies will facilitate the
development of these skills in our young as well as open possibilities for designing new
curricula and methods of assessment to meet our educational objectives. IT will also
enhance the effectiveness of educational administration, and encourage schools to
communicate and collaborate with other institutions, and the community at large.
- Currently, teachers from 22 Demonstration schools are undergoing training by Senior IT
instructors from the Educational Technology Division of the Ministry of Education in core
skills for using IT in their lessons. In 1998, teachers from about 90 schools will undergo
training. Teachers from the remaining schools will receive training in 1999. By the year
2001, teachers in every school would have received substantial training and should be
comfortable and competent in using IT as a teaching tool.
- The Masterplan sets out national standards for the use of IT in schools by the year
2002. Schools will be given flexibility to determine how quickly they meet the national
standards before 2002, depending on their readiness to use IT meaningfully to meet
learning objectives. Initially, all primary schools will be provided with the hardware and
software required to allow IT-based learning for 10% of total curriculum time. Secondary
schools and JCs will be given initial provisions, enabling IT to be used for roughly 14%
of curriculum time. By the year 2002, the Masterplan envisages a pupil-computer ratio of
2:1 in every school, allowing for up to 30% of curriculum time to be IT-based. To enable
teachers to have ready and frequent access to computers both during and after curriculum
hours, the Masterplan will also equip schools with sufficient notebooks for use by
teachers and complement this with a scheme to encourage teachers to purchase their own
computers.
- In addition to a range of support facilities, each school will be provided with an
on-site full-time technology assistant to help the school handle problems in their use of
hardware and software.
- The Masterplan for IT in Education is integral to innovation in education to produce a
workforce of excellence in the 21st Century. It is a major and worthwhile investment in
our young and in our future.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
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