OPENING SPEECH BY RADM TEO CHEE HEAN, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND SECOND MINISTER FOR DEFENCE ON THE JC/UPPER SECONDARY REVIEW COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS AT PARLIAMENT ON 25 NOV 2002

INTRODUCTION 

1.          Mr Speaker Sir, I beg to move the Motion standing in my name. That this House having noted the Report of the Junior College/Upper Secondary Education Review Committee 2002, contained in Paper Cmd 8 of 2002, 

1. supports the new JC curriculum which will better develop thinking, communication and other process skills and engage students in greater breadth of learning; and
   
   

2. endorses greater diversity and opening of new pathways in JC/Upper Secondary Education to cater to the different strengths and interests of students. 

RATIONALE FOR REVIEW 

2.          Sir, our education system is a strong one, well recognized for the high levels of achievement and the high rates of completion of our students. The foundations were laid in the Goh Keng Swee report, which was debated and endorsed by this House in March 1979. We have a well-structured and efficient education system, which allows every student to go as far as he can in achieving his potential. 80% of our students now proceed on to post-secondary education. Our students do well by most international comparisons. 

3.          Sir, our current JC/upper secondary education system has served us well. However, we have to look ahead and prepare ourselves for new challenges, as we move from an industrial-age economy to a knowledge-based economy. 

4.          We have to prepare our students for a more unpredictable and frequently changing environment. New developments in science and technology will change the way we live, communicate, work and play. Globalisation will continue to change and transform economies and the relations between nations. Knowledge and creativity will be the driving forces that determine whether people and countries thrive, or merely struggle to survive. 

5.          We must be good, not only at efficiently making chips or pharmaceuticals, or trading in stocks and other financial instruments; but we must also be able to create new products whether they be gene chips, a new drug to treat a disease, a digital movie, or new financial instruments and services. Singaporeans must be willing to take calculated risks, to create their own opportunities, to search out new niches and markets, even in the world of existing technologies and products. 

6.          To prepare our young for this new future, education needs to move away from an industrial model of production which worked well in the past when things were more organised, stable and bounded by convention. But this no longer reflects the world we live in. In the globalised world, there are fewer certainties and greater variability. To prepare our people, the Ministry of Education has been making changes in this direction in the last 5 years. We have: 

1. Trimmed down our curriculum content to give more emphasis to process skills and learning to apply knowledge; 
   
   

2. Introduced IT to encourage independent learning and to reach beyond the classroom to the wider world to expand the horizons of learning; 
   
   

3. Encouraged multi-disciplinary learning, teamwork and new ideas through project work; 
   
   

4. Introduced new assessment methods such as open book and source-based questions, and continuous assessment for 'A' level practical; 
   
   

5. Given greater recognition to achievements beyond the academic by counting CCA for entry to university. 

7.          However, such changes have been carried out within the current structure of our education system. 

8.          Therefore, when MOE embarked on this review, the aim was to make a departure from the current structure, to open up the system to more flexibility and diversity in curricula and structure, and to provide more avenues for our students with different strengths and interests to develop. 

9.          The changes proposed for the JC/upper secondary education are major and substantive, and will make our system a less uniform one. Fundamental changes will be introduced in 2 areas - we will have a more broad-based and flexibly structured JC curriculum, and more diverse structures and mix of schools in the system. I will elaborate on each of these further. 

A BROADER AND MORE FLEXIBLE JC CURRICULUM 

10.        The new JC curriculum will do more to nurture the skills, outlook and habits required for success in the knowledge age. 

11.        The current JC curriculum has its strengths. The 'A' levels have served as the standard bearer of the rigour and high standards of our pre-university education for the last 30 years. The programme is challenging and provides students with a strong core of knowledge in their chosen fields. 

12.        However, the JC curriculum in its current form - consisting of a narrow selection of specialised 'A' level subjects, may not be adequate to prepare our JC students for a future that places a premium on flexibility and an ability to understand and draw on different knowledge disciplines. 

13.        Our universities have already moved towards offering a broader undergraduate education with cross faculty modules. Their programmes had been based on the traditional British model. Such a model - characterised by specialised degree programmes - had served us well. Going forward, we should be cognisant of the demands of the new economy, which require a greater breadth of knowledge and skills. Hence, the move towards a broad-based education model adopted by many US universities. The changes to our JC programme are motivated by a similar recognition of the merits of a broader education. 

14.        The new JC curriculum has three key features. 

15.        First, JC education will be more broad-based. All students will do a contrasting subject outside their main area of specialisation. 

16.        The objective of a more broad-based JC education is not to teach more facts about more things. The intention is to ensure our students acquire a strong grounding in the major families of disciplines and an understanding of different ways of knowing the world - scientific, mathematical, humanistic. Our students must have strong anchors in both the sciences, which seek the truths about the physical, social and biological worlds, as well as the humanities, which tell us about man's search for individual meaning and social purpose. 

17.        This will ensure students have a fuller understanding of the world around them - the physical world, the biological world, the social world, the world of human experiences, our past, our society, and ourselves - so that they are better able to draw on this to create their own future. 

18.        Second, the new JC curriculum will do more to nurture knowledge skills - conceptual thinking skills, communications skills and a firm grasp of different modes of knowledge inquiry. In a globalised, technologically driven, fast-changing knowledge society, our young need to be critical and original thinkers, as well as to present their ideas cogently, persuasively and forcefully to win the contest of ideas. 

19.        Today's JC curriculum emphasises both process skills and content mastery, though more could be done. The various subject disciplines in JC education seek to deliver core skills such as communication skills, information and knowledge application skills, and thinking skills and creativity. Project Work has also been introduced since 2000 to develop inter-disciplinary learning, collaborative skills, independent thinking, and communication skills. 

20.        The new JC curriculum will build on these changes. Project Work will be brought within the formal 'A' level framework and accorded the same standing as GP. The different modes of gathering, analysing and synthesising knowledge will be infused into existing subjects. We are introducing a new optional subject - Knowledge and Inquiry - to develop the conceptual abilities of our students to a higher level, and to have them critically analyse issues from different perspectives by drawing upon knowledge across disciplines. 

21.        The broad-based nature of the revised curriculum will also help develop a more flexible way of thinking and a creative bent among our students. The new curriculum's stronger multi-disciplinary orientation will enhance our students' capacity to synthesize knowledge across different subject areas and appreciate the interconnections between disciplines. 

22.        Finally and importantly, the new JC curriculum will place added emphasis on developing the personal qualities that our JC students need to be good leaders and committed citizens. Our education system seeks to nurture a balanced and holistic human being and citizen. A comprehensive education must aim not merely at academic achievement, which is important, but also at developing qualities of mind and motivation, and the cultivation of sound values and enterprise. 

23.        The non-academic curriculum plays a critical role - through participation in CCAs such as sports, uniformed groups or the arts, students learn to work with each other to achieve common goals and lead with confidence even in adversity. Tough training for competitions nurtures endurance and ruggedness in our students. They learn to be good team players, take risks, think on their feet and exhibit initiative, resolve and resilience in the face of setbacks. 

24.        Therefore, under the new JC curriculum framework, students will need to meet minimum requirements in CCA and Character Development Programme participation to complete their JC education. A holistic certification will be introduced, with CCA achievements and academic grades reflected on the same 'A' level certificate. 

A MORE DIVERSE EDUCATION LANDSCAPE 

25.        Beyond curriculum, the recommendations of the JC review will also bring changes to the upper secondary/JC education landscape. There will be greater diversity in the types of programmes, mix of schools, and pathways to university education. We will allow for new Specialised Independent Schools in areas like Maths and Science; integrated programmes for upper secondary and JC education; alternative qualifications like the IB; and 2-3 privately-funded schools to be established. 

26.        A more diverse education landscape is desirable for two reasons. 

27.        First, a more diverse education system allows us to do more to cater to the different interests and needs of our students. 

28.        Our current Upper Secondary/JC system with 'O' and 'A' levels is an excellent system for ensuring that students have a strong structural framework within which to acquire the fundamental knowledge and skills they need before proceeding to the next phase of education, whether it be JC, polytechnic or university. Our students have done well with this structured system, with high rates of completion and achievement. 

29.        However, there will be students who do not need such a strongly structured system to acquire the fundamentals, and can benefit from a less structured, integrated programme for upper secondary and Junior College education. 

30.        I have seen this working very well at top high schools in the United States, such as Bronx High or Stuyvesant High in New York City, or Thomas Jefferson High School in the Washington DC vicinity. 

31.        The review therefore proposes that we introduce different pathways. Some students will benefit more from a structured education with clear intermediate goals and benchmarks for achievement along the way; others will thrive in a less structured learning environment provided by schools offering integrated programmes. 

32.        The new broad-based JC curriculum will cater to the needs of most students whether they are in the JCs or the Integrated Programme. But to provide more diversity, JCs can also offer alternative curricula, like the IB, or as is likely with the new Specialised Schools, develop their own curriculum or adapt one to suit their needs. 

33.        Second, diversity in our system means that we will have different ways, and not just one homogeneous way, for preparing our young for an innovation-driven future characterised by rapid and continuous change. Diversity will sow the seeds for vibrancy and creativity. With diversity there is greater opportunity for rejuvenation and strength. We need a pool of diverse talents with different educational experiences and outlook, who are able to offer different ideas for Singapore to be a truly vibrant country, adaptable and responsive to the varied challenges of the future. 

CHALLENGES AND CONCERNS 

34.        Mr Speaker, Sir, while I have outlined the reasons for this review, and why it will serve our people and country well, I am mindful that there are challenges and concerns. 

35.        There are likely to be concerns that a more diversified system will lead to greater differentiation and elitism. Sir, we all do want a system that can offer programmes that are more appropriate to the different abilities and aptitudes of our students, and this does mean that we will need a more diversified system and differentiation to achieve this. By providing the greater opportunities that such diversification offers, our students, our society and Singapore will be the better off for it. 

36.        But in so doing, we must continue to adhere to two important principles. 

37.        First, that our education system is meritocratic and provides equal opportunity. Our Integrated Programme and Specialised schools will therefore continue to have transparent and merit-based criteria for entry. There will also be no reduction in opportunities for deserving students to join our top institutions. In that regard, I see more opportunities and choices for Singaporeans as they will have the opportunity of not just going to JC, but also for Integrated Programmes. Specialised schools in Maths and Science, Sports, or the Arts, and to enrol in schools that offer alternative qualifications. 

38.        Second, and perhaps more importantly, those students who will benefit from the greater educational options being introduced must not forget that the opportunities they enjoy are ultimately justified only by the quality of their commitment and service to our nation and the general social good. 

39.        If our JC students leave the system very bright, very creative and innovative, having benefited from the best that our system has to offer, but without a sense of commitment to country and obligation to his fellow citizens, then all this effort would have come to nothing. But this is not something that we can do only within the education system. This is a shared responsibility. Parents, teachers, and the wider community all share in the task of imbuing in our youth responsibility to family, consideration for fellow citizens, loyalty to home and country, that lie at the very core of being an educated and cultured person, and a committed and loyal citizen. This, all of us must continue to do. 

40.        Mr Speaker Sir, the implementation of these proposals will take a number of years. The JC curriculum will be introduced from 2006. The benefits will not be seen till some years after. Implementation will not be without its challenges. There will be curriculum to be written, teachers to be trained, new assessment methods to be devised. 

41.        We will need the support of the public, parents, teachers, students, and not least of all, the Members of this House to see these reforms through in the coming years. The debate in this House will help Singaporeans to understand the issues involved, and the importance of making these reforms. As we debate these reforms, let us fix our eyes on the future, and build an education system that will help our country and our young to be ready to meet that future. 

CONCLUSION 

42.        I would now like to take the opportunity to hear from members their views on the proposed changes to JC and Upper Secondary Education.