INTRODUCTION

1. We will invest heavily in our young. How well they learn and how they feel about Singapore and their role in society will determine our future. They must acquire the knowledge, skills and values to keep Singapore a cohesive and successful society.
2. By international standards, we have a very good education system. Our schools educate children according to their abilities, and they graduate with skills which are in demand on the job market. Wastage rates are low. But we must continue improving the system, to ensure that it measures up to the demands of the future.
3. We will focus on four main areas :

    

   	We will review our curriculum and assessment systems, and introduce IT in every school, in order to develop in pupils the ability to think creatively and learn independently.
   	We will strengthen National Education to ensure the next generation remains resilient and cohesive.
   	We will give schools more resources, and greater authority to use these resources to raise the quality of education. We will strengthen the management and supervisory structures for schools, to support them better, and to obtain timely feedback on how policies are working out in the classroom.
   	We will attract more top students into NUS and NTU, both local and foreign, and develop the two universities into world class institutions.

   DEVELOPING CREATIVE, INDEPENDENT LEARNERS

4. We must develop our young to think creatively and apply knowledge in innovative ways, while recognising the wide range of abilities among pupils. We will revise the school curriculum to stretch but not overload our pupils. We will reduce the amount of factual knowledge they must acquire, and do more to build thinking and process skills. We will review the system of assessment of both schools and pupils to meet this objective, while maintaining rigorous standards. MOE will also extend the Thinking Skills Programme to all secondary schools by 2000.
5. We will implement an IT Masterplan to provide every school with an integrated IT infrastructure. A comprehensive training programme will give teachers the skills and confidence to use IT effectively. Every child will learn in an IT-enriched school environment, whether or not his parents can afford computers at home. Teachers and pupils will use multi-media and the Internet daily for teaching and learning. Within five years, pupils will spend up to 30% of curriculum time learning through computers so as to develop habits of independent and continuous learning.

   NATIONAL EDUCATION

6. Schools must focus more sharply on National Education to instil in our young a strong sense of shared identity and confidence in our future. We will teach every pupil the facts of how we became a nation, why our constraints and vulnerabilities make us different from other countries and why we must continue to work together and outperform others to succeed in future. We will also use the informal curriculum in schools to develop group spirit among pupils and commitment to community and nation.

   MAKING OUR SCHOOLS BETTER

7. We will give all schools more resources, and authority to use them as they deem fit, for educational, administrative, or staff development purposes. We will also build up the structures for managing and supervising schools, to provide them guidance and support and to gather timely feedback on educational policies and the curriculum.
8. We can learn useful lessons from the experience of the independent and autonomous schools. Successful innovations will be spread to other schools wherever feasible. We will also set up more autonomous schools.
9. We will make all secondary schools single session by the year 2000 to give them the scope to implement a wider range of programmes for the all-round development of pupils. We will also build new, upgraded primary schools to replace the old ones in the older estates.

   BUILDING A HIGH QUALITY TEACHING FORCE

10. MOE will build a high quality and motivated teaching force by keeping teaching careers attractive and competitive. The recent radical reforms in the Education Service have boosted recruitment, and helped us to retain good teachers. We will actively promote teachers based on the new framework over the next few years, in order to recognise good work, dedication and ability.
11. We have set up a talent management scheme to track, groom and test out promising officers with leadership potential, and advance them without delay. Outstanding teachers who prefer to continue teaching in classrooms will also be recognised.
12. We will implement a Professional Development Plan to train and develop teachers throughout their careers. We will reach out to all teachers continuously to get feedback and keep them updated on relevant national issues and educational policies. We must get all teachers to recognise the vital importance of their mission. How they mould the young will determine if we stay a cohesive and successful nation beyond the first generation.

    HELPING UNDERACHIEVERS AND SPECIAL LEARNERS

13. We have a pilot programme to identify and help underachievers and slow learners at the lower primary level. These pupils receive special help to overcome their learning deficits. We will extend this programme to all primary schools by 1998.
14. We will do more for children with disabilities who can become productive and useful if given corrective help and training, for example the dyslexic, visually handicapped, or deaf. Many of the parents are highly motivated to do something for their children, whether in special schools or integrated into normal classes. Provided they can find volunteers and staff, MOE will help with more resources, in terms of funds, buildings, equipment, and specialist staff.

    WORLD CLASS UNIVERSITIES

15. NUS and NTU will strive to become world-class universities. They will educate graduates who compare with the best in the world and who will contribute to Singapore.
16. The universities will attract more top local students and put them through rigorous and well-rounded programmes to produce future leaders in economy and society. They will also attract bright foreign students, who should fill 20% of their intake by 2000. Foreign students will add vibrancy to our campuses and enhance the educational experience of Singapore students. The universities will admit students on a need-blind basis, guaranteeing financial assistance to all students, local or foreign, who meet the entry standards and who need the assistance.
17. We will raise the intake of students into Engineering and the Sciences to 60% of total intake, to meet the needs of a more technology-intensive economy. NUS and NTU will also double postgraduate intake by the year 2000, as they strive to become research and intellectual hubs in Asia. The universities will attract top faculty and deepen collaboration with outstanding universities and research organisations abroad.
18. Singaporeans will have more opportunities for tertiary education. Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) will expand their finance and business courses with a view to eventually developing SIM into a private university. LaSalle-SIA College of the Arts (LaSalle) and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) will upgrade their courses with LaSalle developing as a centre for the Visual and Performing Arts with an emphasis on Western and South-East Asian cultures and NAFA concentrating on developing Fine Arts and Design focusing particularly on Oriental cultures. The Government will assist the three institutions to expand by helping them to improve their administration and by providing finance for the building projects and giving them an annual grant to defray their operating expenses.

    WORLD CLASS TECHNICAL EDUCATION

19. We will provide a world-class technical education for the bulk of the future workforce. When the new Nanyang Polytechnic campus is completed in 1998, the four polytechnics will take in 16,000 students a year, or 40% of each age cohort. They will improve their courses to give students a sound grasp of fundamentals, practical skills to meet job requirements, and the flexibility to pick up new skills in future.
20. The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) will become a post-secondary institution of excellence. With 3 new institutes in place by 2000, it will have modern facilities to provide high quality skills training for 10,000 secondary school leavers. It will also provide continuing education programmes to help adult workers upgrade.

Ministry of Education