ADDRESS BY REAR-ADMIRAL (NS) TEO CHEE HEAN, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND SECOND MINISTER FOR DEFENCE AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 2ND EAST ASIA REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (EARCOME2) AND THE 9TH SOUTH EAST ASIAN CONFERENCE ON MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (SEACME2) ON Tue 28 MAY 2002, 9.30AM AT LECTURE THEATRE 1, NIE

Professor Leo Tan
Director, NIE

Associate Professor Lim-Teo Suat Khoh
Chairman, International Programme Committee

Mr Wee Heng Tin,
Director-General of Education

Ladies and gentlemen

1        It is a great pleasure for me to be present this morning at the opening of the 2nd East Asia Regional Conference on Mathematics Education and the 9th South East Asian Conference on Mathematics Education.

2        I understand that the South East Asian Conference on Mathematics Education has a long history of nearly a quarter of a century, having been hosted in turn by seven ASEAN nations. In fact, the National Institute of Education in Singapore hosted the fourth conference in 1987, and now, after 15 years it has the honour of hosting once again.

3        It is appropriate that these conferences are held in Asia, for many educators in America and other western countries have shown increasing interest in the mathematics programmes in East Asia. In Singapore, our students have done well in international and regional mathematics competitions as well as in international surveys. Of particular significance is that Singapore students were ranked first in mathematics in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study in 1999. The study provided an objective measure of Singapore's mathematics and science education against world benchmarks as it sampled a broad cross-section of students from a wide range of schools. Key factors that have contributed to our success are the well-thought out and rigorous curriculum in Singapore schools, the significant value which parents and our society places on education, and the excellent work of our teachers. The high access to IT resources has also contributed to our good performance.

4        One unique feature of Singapore's education system is the high proportion of students who take mathematics at the secondary and high school level. For the last three years, almost every school candidate who sat for the O-level examination offered Mathematics and more than half took Additional Mathematics. For school candidates at A-level, close to 90% took A-level Mathematics and about 15% offered Further Mathematics. Proficiency in Mathematics provides a solid foundation for our school leavers when they enter tertiary institutions, where more than three-quarters of polytechnic students and more than half of university students take up engineering and science courses. They recognise that these disciplines provide the skills that employers look out for. Mathematics is also important as it equips students with skills for other courses such as business administration, finance, accountancy, and for arts and social sciences like sociology and geography.

5        To ensure that our curriculum and methods are appropriate to equip our students with the skills and knowledge that they need for the future, we conduct regular reviews of the curriculum for all subjects, including mathematics. The way pupils learn mathematics today is quite different from the way we were taught when we were in school. Today, there is greater emphasis on teaching students to think creatively, understand how mathematics is used in the real world and to be able to provide reasons to support their conclusions.

6        Our teachers are using innovative teaching techniques to interest pupils in maths and help them appreciate the subject better. Recently, a local newspaper, the Straits Times¹ reported how a teacher in Geylang Methodist Primary School conducted maths lessons emphasising mathematical communication and cooperative learning. Pupils collaborated and worked out the answers to problems by discussing them and then presenting the answers to the class. Some enthusiastic pupils even bring kitchen scales, measuring tapes and clocks to class, to help them in their presentations. Through this collaboration, pupils learned from one another how to analyse problems, make connections and explain concepts and solutions.

7        Interestingly, this method of teaching reflects the way great mathematicians thought and worked. From ancient times, many mathematicians were inspired to make great discoveries and new areas of research by working on specific problems and discussing them with their contemporaries. One example would be the theory of probability which was developed through the correspondence between French mathematicians Pierre de Fermat and Blaise Pascal.

8        As we guide our pupils towards developing numeracy skills and mathematical habits of minds, we should also inspire them with outstanding examples of great mathematicians whose contributions extended to other fields. For example, Omar Al-Khayyam, the Persian mathematician and astronomer whose work on Algebra was highly valued throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, was also well-known as a poet, philosopher and physician. Sir Isaac Newton, who studied mathematics and later became a Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, made some of the most important discoveries in physics - the law of gravity and the three laws of motion known as Newton's Laws.

9        Since mathematics embraces so many aspects of our daily lives, teachers have a wealth of resources to help our pupils apply and understand concepts. Many schools have ventured beyond the classroom to interest pupils and involve parents to help their children learn mathematics through activities such as Mathematics Festival and Mathematics Trail. Such activities help pupils appreciate mathematics and problem solving in the real world context.

10      These novel ways of teaching and learning are the result of experimentation and exploration by our teachers. I would like to commend teachers for their spirit of innovation and encourage teachers to continue to make learning fun and exciting. Local and international workshops, forums and conferences such as this, provide the opportunity for teachers from different countries to share their ideas and other innovations in teaching mathematics. In this respect, I am happy that there are more than 500 participants from 19 countries attending this conference. I hope that through the presentations and discussions, you will be able to generate and gather new ideas to stimulate the imagination and creativity of your pupils in learning mathematics.

11      It gives me great pleasure to declare open the 2nd East Asia Regional Conference on Mathematics Education and the 9th South East Asian Conference on Mathematics Education.