The junior college (JC) syllabus has undergone another revamp, commencing 2016. Changes affect a broad array of subjects ranging from mathematics and science to the humanities.
For example, science students will now take their science practical assessment at the end of their two years in junior college, as opposed to once each year as per the current practice. The practical assessment will also cover a broader range of laboratory skills.
For biology, two topics – infectious diseases and climate change – are added for their relevance to both global and local contexts, whilst certain topics, such as cell division and the control of gene expression, have been taken out of the syllabus.
In mathematics, about 10 percent of the current syllabus has been removed and replaced with real-life applications, for example, sampling distributions and hypothesis testing in market research, and applying differential equations to population growth and decay.
The aim of these changes is to get students to apply classroom knowledge to real-world contexts and strengthen students’ interest and mastery of the subjects.