SINGAPORE: Singapore “must build diversity” and strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics as well as soft skills learning in schools, said Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing on Monday .
“Against a more competitive landscape, there can also be demands to make our tests sharper to distinguish one student from another. However, we should be careful and not go overboard,” said the Education Minister. “We will continue to have a diversity of schools, each with their unique propositions, to cater to the diverse learning needs of our students. We should not homogenise all schools beyond a common core in areas such as literacy, numeracy and values,” said Mr Chan.
“In our schools, we will strengthen our STEM curriculum to not only equip our students with the new STEM foundations to be smart users of technology, but also nurture a lifelong interest in STEM and its applications, so that more of them join the science and technology sector.” "Only then will we become closer as a society, knowing that everyone has a chance to move up, as everyone has a responsibility to help each other move up.”
“Notwithstanding the disruption of travel due to COVID-19, we are finding ways to re-establish and strengthen our students’ exposure to the world. Having the opportunity to learn from and together with peers from around the world is a great advantage that our students have today and must not lose,” said the Education Minister.
“We will strengthen child development support starting from the ante-natal stage to preschool years. We will also mobilise the public and community resources to provide greater support at the family level, as family problems can have outsized impact on a child’s attendance and engagement at school,” said Mr Chan.
“Our education policies and structures will need to be refreshed to meet the evolving demands of our times," said Mr Chan. Learning must not stop when students graduate from school, and Singaporeans"will never leave school", said Mr Chan. “We will continue to find ways to reduce the cost pressures of educating and caring for our youngest Singaporeans. We must continue to enhance preschool education and care by training our educators and investing in early childhood research,” said Mr Chan.Moving forward, Singapore faces several challenges, including geopolitical uncertainty, technological disruption and a population that has “increasingly diverse” aspirations.
Please start reducing the syllabus!