Education（教育）
Students having assembly in the hall of a Singapore secondary school.
Students having assembly in the hall of a Singapore secondary school.
English is the first language learned by half the children by the time they reach preschool age and is the primary medium of instruction in primary school; however mother tongues are taught in the respective languages.
Many children attend private kindergartens until they start at primary school at the age of six.Singapore's ruling political party,the PAP,is a big provider of preschool education through its community arm.
English is the language of instruction for mathematics and the natural sciences.For the Chinese community,there are Special Assistance Plan schools which receive extra funding to teach in Mandarin.Some schools also integrate language subjects with mathematics and the sciences,using both English and a second language.
Curricular standards are set by the Ministry of Education with a mix of private schools and public schools.There is no strict public-private dichotomy:the degree of autonomy,regarding curriculum and student admission,government funding received,and tuition burden on the students is further classified into "government-run","government-aided","autonomous","independent",and "privately-funded".In addition,international schools cater to expatriate students,and to a few local students given permission by the education ministry.
There are four state universities in Singapore; the National University of Singapore,Nanyang Technological University,Singapore Management University and SIM University.A further public university is under consideration as the government looks to provide higher education for 30 percent of each cohort.There are also five polytechnics (Temasek Polytechnic,Singapore Polytechnic,Ngee Ann Polytechnic,Nanyang Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic).Unlike similarly named institutions in many other countries,Singapore polytechnics do not teach to degree level.
The educational system features non-compulsory kindergarten for three years,followed by six years of primary education concluding with the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).Four to five years of secondary education follow,leading to N level or Singaporean GCE 'O' Level examinations that assess their individual subject mastery and determine which kind of tertiary education they can pursue.
Junior colleges like Tampines Junior College and Millennia Institute provide a two or three-year pre-university education route to university.An alternative,the Integrated Programme,lets the more academically-inclined skip 'O' levels to proceed straight to 'A' levels.Polytechnics offer courses leading to a diploma for students as a substitute for 'A' levels while tertiary institutions offer various bachelor's,master's,doctoral degrees,other higher diplomas,and associate degree courses.
Other institutes include the National Institute of Education (NIE),a teaching college to train teachers,various management institutes,and vocational education institutes such as the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).
The Economic Development Board (EDB) has been actively recruiting foreign schools to set up campuses in Singapore under the "Global Schoolhouse" programme which aims to attract 150000 foreign students by 2015.INSEAD,a leading business school,opened its first overseas campus here in 2001,while ESSEC Business School,a century-old Parisian business school,provide courses specific to Asia.University of Chicago Graduate School of Business has a campus here as well.Tisch School of the Arts was the latest to set up a branch campus here in 2007.
However,the EDB failed to attract and retain Warwick University and University of New South Wales,respectively,citing lack of academic freedom and financial concerns.
In 1999,the Ministry of Education started the Programme for Rebuilding and Improving Existing schools (PRIME) to upgrade school buildings,many of which were built over 20 to 30 years ago,in phases at a cost of S$4.5 billion.This programme achieves to provide a better school environment for the students by upgrading school buildings to latest standards.In 2005,the Flexible School Infrastructure (FlexSI) framework was implemented through the building of modular classrooms which can be opened up for larger lectures,and allowing a school's staff members to mould their school's designs to suit the school's unique identity and culture.At the same time,an indoor sports hall will be provided to every school so that schools can carry out physical education lessons in inclement weather.