|
Structure and Organization of the Education
System
*view
structure of education system
Pre-school education
Kindergartens provide a structured three-year
pre-school education programme for children
aged 3-6. The three-year programme consists
of nursery, kindergarten 1 and kindergarten
2. Kindergartens function daily, five days
a week, with schooling hours ranging from
2 ½ to 4 hours each day. Most kindergartens
function at least two sessions a day.
Child-care centres also offer
kindergarten programmes to children aged 3-6.
Kindergartens are registered with the Ministry
of Education (MOE) while child-care centres are
licensed by the Ministry of Community and Development.
Primary education
Primary
education caters to children starting at age
6 and lasts six years. It consists of a four-year
foundation stage (Grades I-IV) and a two-year
orientation stage (Grades V and VI). According
to the Compulsory Education Act 2000, from January
2003 primary education is compulsory.
Secondary education
Pupils are
placed in secondary school courses based on
their Primary School-leaving Examination (PSLE)
performance. Pupils who are within the top
10% in the PSLE can choose to go to the Special
course. Other pupils are placed in either the
Express course or the Normal course. The Special
and the Express courses are four-year programmes
(Grades VII-X) leading to the Singapore-Cambridge
General Certificate of Education Ordinary level
(GCE O-level) examination. The Normal course
offers a four-year programme leading to the
GCE N-level examination.
Students
who complete secondary education “may
either go on to junior colleges (Grades XI
and XII) or seek alternatives studies at either
the polytechnics or the vocationally oriented
Institute of Technical Education.” (Yeoh,
1995, p. 866). Junior colleges offer two years
of the GCE Advanced level (A-level) studies
preparing for tertiary education. Polytechnics
provide full-time courses leading to the award
of the three-year diploma or two-year certificate.
The Institute of Technical Education offers
two to three years full-time vocationally oriented
courses leading to the award of the National
Technical Certificate, Grade II (NTC-2). “More
able students can advance to higher level courses
whose training leads to the award of the certificate
in fields such as business studies and office
skills” (ibid.).
Admission to the two universities depends on the academic
performance at the Singapore-Cambridge GCE
A-level public examination. Universities offer
degrees and post-graduate studies in a wide
range of disciplines.
The school year is divided into two semesters, each one including
two terms. It consists of forty weeks (thirty-six
weeks of effective instruction). |
