10 January 2019
Education Minister Ong Ye Kung announced changes to Singapore’s education system last year. He called them calibrated moves which are deliberate and fairly significant.
“To send a strong signal that I think we are at a strong position of rigour, we can afford to unwind a bit without undermining the performance outcomes of our students,” he told reporters.
The changes to the education system include freeing up more time in schools to strengthen holistic development, self-discovery and engaged learning.
“These changes will provide more opportunities for student-centred teaching and learning approaches,” the Ministry of Education said.
MOE will conduct a separate review on how to reduce the emphasis on grades in junior colleges, said Mr Ong in a speech at the Schools Work Plan seminar.
“Our engagements with junior colleges tell us there is a more complex set of issues in JCs, one of which involves preparing students well for the A-Levels in order to enroll for universities,” he added.