The event marked a key milestone in SCCL’s journey towards becoming a regional centre of excellence for the teaching and learning of Chinese Language in a bilingual environment. Invited guests, including foreign and local delegates at SCCL’s first international conference on teaching and learning of Chinese Language, also witnessed the signing of collaboration agreements between SCCL and four regional and local partners, signifying a broad step forward in SCCL’s development.

SCCL’s Milestones

Since the commencement of its in-service training courses in June 2009, SCCL has provided training for more than 1,000 local teachers, surpassing its initial target set for the first year of its establishment. By the end of 2009, SCCL expects to offer about 80 courses in teaching and learning of Chinese Language in a bilingual environment. The full-time and part-time lecturers from Singapore, China, Taiwan, US and France have vast experience in the teaching of Chinese Language in bilingual and non-Chinese environments. Their fields of expertise, ranging from “Classroom Second Language Acquisition”, “Teaching of Speaking and Listening Skills Through ICT Tools”, to “Drama in Chinese Education”, and “IT in Chinese Language” teaching, form the strong foundation in SCCL’s training framework. The courses were well-received and highly rated by the teachers, especially in terms of usefulness and relevance.

Apart from regular training courses, SCCL lecturers also conduct customised courses for school clusters and individual schools based on the trainees’ needs. To date, SCCL has conducted about 23 such customised specialised courses, providing more than 200 hours of training for more than 400 Chinese Language teachers.

In addition, SCCL has also organised professional seminars for teachers and cultural forums for the public, featuring prominent international and local speakers such as linguistics expert Professor Kubler from the United States, award-winning local movie director Royston Tan and Lianhe Zaobao Senior Executive Editor Lee Huey Leng.

Besides providing quality training for in-service teachers, SCCL also focuses on research of teaching strategies. It leads and conducts research projects in collaboration with 15 local primary and secondary schools in areas ranging from Chinese Language pedagogies targeted at students from predominantly English-speaking backgrounds to infusion of ICT into Chinese lessons.

Collaboration Agreements

At the official opening, SCCL also signed collaboration agreements with four regional and local partners, namely the Media Development Authority of Singapore, UniSIM, the University of Hong Kong and NTUC First Campus. The signing symbolises SCCL’s commitment to keeping abreast with the latest research on the usage of ICT tools and pedagogical development in Chinese Language teaching, as well as to the provision of training and life-long learning opportunities for all in-service Chinese Language teachers. Please see Annex A for details.

New Undergraduate and Postgraduate Scholarships for SPED Educators

MOE will offer scholarships to SPED school principals and key personnel such as Heads of Departments (HODs) to enhance their professional expertise from 2011. Up to 10 local scholarships would be offered yearly to non-graduate principals and HODs to pursue degree-level training in Special Education. In addition, up to two postgraduate scholarships would be offered yearly to Principals and key personnel to pursue Masters degrees either locally or overseas in relevant areas of specialization.

Sponsorship of Diploma Training for SPED School Psychologists

To deepen the professional expertise of the SPED school psychologists, MOE will provide sponsorships for them to attend the in-service part-time Diploma in Educational Psychology offered at National Institute of Education, NIE. This Diploma is a tripartite collaboration between MOE, NIE and the University College London. It provides the SPED psychologists with the necessary skills and competencies to supplement the work of Educational Psychologists in providing quality psychological assessments and advice for SPED students.

New Post of Administration Manager for SPED Schools

To enhance SPED schools’ administrative capacity, an Administration Manager position will be included in the staffing model of SPED schools. The Manager will provide essential support to the school leaders and ensure that effective administrative systems are in place to support teachers. MOE will provide full funding for every SPED school to have an Administration Manager from 2010.

SPED Learning Day for Teachers

The inaugural SPED Learning Day organised jointly by SPED schools and MOE was held together with the MOE-NCSS SPED Awards Ceremony. The Themed ‘Innovate, Inspire, Impact’, the Learning Day aims to inspire the teachers to persevere in their profession to guide each and every child with special needs. It was also a platform for the sharing of innovative practices among 1,200 teachers, supervisors, principals and para-professionals such as psychologists working in the SPED schools.

Three outstanding teachers and two innovative SPED schools were recognised for their outstanding contributions in the area of education for children with special needs. Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Education presented the MOE-NCSS Special Education (SPED) Awards at a ceremony today.

The Outstanding SPED Teacher Award

Three teachers received the Outstanding SPED Teacher Award for their passion, commitment and perseverance in providing a well-rounded education for children with special needs. They are:

• Ms Linda Tan Mui Keng, Tanglin School

• Ms Erni Noorhaidah Bte Ahmad, Woodlands Gardens School

• Mdm Jenny Lim Geok Hong, Lee Kong Chian Gardens School

“The SPED field is a demanding one. It requires individuals who have the passion, determination and a nurturing heart to patiently develop our children with special needs to their fullest potential. This year’s winners of the Outstanding SPED Teacher Award have truly exemplified these qualities and I hope their zeal and good work will be an inspiration to their peers in the SPED teaching profession,” said Ms Ang Bee Lian, Chief Executive Officer of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS).

A total of 121 nominations for 71 teachers were received from 12 SPED schools, a measure of how the teachers are respected by parents, students and their peers. A selection panel, which included representatives from MOE and NCSS, reviewed and assessed the nominations to select the award recipients.

The Innovation Award

For their outstanding innovations to promote students’ learning, the Tanglin School and the Chaoyang School from the Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN) beat three other nominees to win the Innovation Award this year. This is the second consecutive year that Chaoyang School has clinched the award.

Chaoyang School’s efforts in developing a holistic performing arts programme provided a platform in school where students can build their confidence in self-expression though fun and play. Through the programme, students developed better social skills and became more expressive. Tanglin School also came up tops with its Tanglin Business Entrepreneurship Project where students embarked on the complex task of setting up a business. They learnt to prepare proposals, conduct research and market their products and services.

20 years of collaboration in Special Education

This year marks the 20th year of partnership between MOE, NCSS and the Voluntary Welfare Organizations (VWOs) in the area of Special Education. The longstanding collaboration has improved access for children with special needs to Special Education and enhanced the support to special schools in preparing students for life beyond education.

RADM (RET) Kwek Siew Jin, President of NCSS, said, “NCSS is grateful to MOE for their support and commitment to Special Education. NCSS continues to be committed to this enduring and fruitful partnership to maximise the potential of children with disabilities.”

Annexes

• Annex A — The Outstanding SPED Teacher Award

• Annex B — Selection Committee for the Outstanding SPED Teacher Award

• Annex C — The Innovation Award

• Annex D — Selection Committee for Innovation Award

The collaboration of the SU and ZJU was affirmed by the signing of a Government-to-Government Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today, by Mrs Tan Ching Yee, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, and Her Excellency Zhang Xiao Kang, The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, at the St. Regis Hotel, Singapore. Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Chinese President Hu Jintao, who is in Singapore for a state visit and the APEC CEO Summit 2009, witnessed the signing.

In an MOU on educational collaborations signed between the Education Ministers of Singapore and China in April this year, both countries agreed to support the collaboration between the SU and a top Chinese university. The confirmation of ZJU as the SU’s partner marks another step towards closer educational ties between Singapore and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and completes the three-way partnership that was envisioned for the SU. The selection of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as the SU’s US partner was announced in May this year.

ZJU is one of the most established and prestigious universities in China, with a reputation for excellence in both education and research, and a strong focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. Among its luminary alumni are Physics Nobel laureate Li Zhengdao, Chinese Academy of Science President Lu Yongxiang, and Chinese Minister for Finance Xie Xuren.

ZJU currently ranks third overall among universities in China¹, after Tsinghua University and Beijing University. Recognised as a premier education institution in China, ZJU is a member of the “C9 alliance” or China’s version of the American Ivy League, which was formed by nine of the country’s top universities. The university is also ranked second in Engineering and fourth in Science in China². These are strengths that are compatible with the core disciplines of the SU.

Located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, one of the fastest growing economic regions in China, ZJU enjoys strong links to industry and businesses. The collaboration is expected to offer SU students the opportunity to gain exposure to Chinese companies and doing business in China. Together with Singapore’s strategic position in Southeast Asia, the collaboration will also provide opportunities for both the SU and ZJU to develop education and research networks in the region which will benefit students and faculty from both universities.

Dr Ng Eng Hen, Singapore’s Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence, said, “The linkages that Singapore makes with the world are crucial in preparing Singapore for the future. The Singapore University of Technology and Design will be another node in the global network we want to build. Through collaborating with MIT and Zhejiang University, we hope to create an engine of knowledge that has trans-continental reach, and that is able to draw together and create synergies from different cultures of education and research. We believe that this will ultimately translate into innovations that will bring benefits not only to the universities, their students and their faculty, but also our respective countries and beyond.”

Details of the collaboration between SU and ZJU will be worked out before SU admits its first undergraduate intake in 2011.

Footnotes:

1. Based on the 2008 China University Review by the Chinese Academy of Management Science. Zhejiang University has been in the third place in the ranking for the past seven years. ↩
2. Source: 2008 China University Review by the Chinese Academy of Management Science↩

144 Junior Sports Academies’ (JSAs) student athletes graduated and received their certificates of participation at the 1st MOE-JSA Graduation Ceremony 2009 today.

The students are from four JSAs, which were first set up in January 2008, to supplement the sports programmes in schools and provide more opportunities for student athletes who wish to excel.

With hard work and commitment, these JSA student graduates have completed a 2-year JSA training programme. Some have also represented Singapore at regional and international competitions. MOE will continue to identify and develop young athletes at these centralised sports academies, where resources are collectively harnessed to provide systematic training to realise the athletes’ potential.

The training philosophy of the JSAs emphasises the long-term development of athletes. Hence, MOE has developed the Athletes Profiling and Tracking System (APTS) to track and study the long term physical and sporting development of these students into adult athletes. APTS will capture information such as height, weight, National Physical Fitness Awards (NAPFA) results and sporting achievements till they are 30 years old. The information will help athletes in setting short and long-term goals for training. MOE sports officials can offer sporting advice and guidance when the need arises. The APTS can also provide a platform for continual communication and sharing between the graduates and MOE sports officials on useful information such as nutritional and exercise tips.

Background

The objective of the Ministry of Education’s Talent Development Framework for Sports is to systematically identify and provide development opportunities for talented athletes within the school system.

The Talent Development Framework focuses on three key strategies;

1. Development of talented athletes in primary schools through MOE Junior Sports Academies;
2. Enhancement of the support of the Singapore Schools Sports Teams; and
3. Enhancement of resources for schools’ talent development efforts.

In 2008, MOE piloted four Junior Sports Academies. Another eight new JSAs were set up this year.

ICSC’s First Call for Proposals

In 2008, the Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (AIMS), based on a study on the implications of the fast developing new media on Singapore’s society, recommended the establishment of a dedicated coordinating agency as well as the provision of an annual budget to better promote cyber wellness.

The decision to form the ICSC was announced in February 2009 to coordinate the Government’s efforts in cyber wellness through working with people-private sector organisations. It aims to develop and implement a national strategy to promote cyber wellness among the youth. The ICSC is co-chaired by MICA and MOE, and includes representatives from the following ministries and government agencies:

• Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
• Ministry of Defence
• Ministry of Home Affairs
• Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
• Media Development Authority

Since its formation, the ICSC has been taking stock of existing cyber wellness efforts by various government agencies and partners from the people-private sectors. It recognises that a multi-prong collaborative approach involving the community is necessary to effectively reach out to our youth. Hence, the Committee is launching its first public call for proposals for projects that promote cyber wellness among our youth for the Internet platform as well as emerging technologies. Some of the possible project areas include:

• promoting cyber safety (e.g. care with cyber contacts)
• moderating gaming/Internet use
• handling inappropriate content
• managing cyber-bullying
• encouraging positive netiquette and responsible use of mobile technologies

Please see Annex A for details of these cyber wellness project areas.

The ICSC will co-fund successful projects. Assessment is based on the merit and reach of each project. Applicants must demonstrate how their initiative or activities will raise awareness and promote cyber wellness among youth. Interested organisations can visit MOE’s Call for Project Proposals website or MICA’s Call for Project Proposals website for more details. The closing date for the submission of proposals is Friday, 11 December 2009.

Prof. Magnanti’s appointment was announced by the SU’s Board of Trustees today. During his three-year term of appointment, Prof. Magnanti will be on leave from the MIT faculty and will devote his time fully to the SU.

In announcing the appointment of Prof. Magnanti, Mr. Philip Ng, Chairman of the SU’s Board of Trustees, said, “Prof. Magnanti’s exceptional record as a researcher and academic administrator, his familiarity with Singapore, and his understanding of the purpose and vision for the university, make him the best person to lead the SU at this crucial phase in its inception.”

Commenting on his appointment, Prof. Magnanti said, “The creation of the Singapore University of Technology and Design is as exciting as it is ambitious. Through its distinctive education and research and focus on technology grounded leadership, it will be well poised to serve Singapore, the region and the world. I am honoured to serve as its founding President and to be able to work closely with Mr. Philip Ng and so many other leaders in Singapore and with the Ministry of Education, the National Research Foundation, and other offices and organizations to achieve the university’s soaring goals.”

Prof Magnanti’s appointment as the President reflects the close relationship that the SU is expected to have with MIT. As announced by the Ministry of Education in May 2009, discussions with MIT are ongoing for a collaboration that will see a core team of experienced professors from MIT play a lead role in the development of the SU curriculum, and a steady exchange of faculty between the two universities participating in research and education activities on both campuses.

The SU is also in discussions with a top Chinese university on a possible collaboration. These strategic alliances with top universities overseas will uniquely position the SU to offer its students and faculty rich opportunities for international collaborations and global exposure.

The SU will admit its first intake of up to 500 students in 2011. The university’s programmes will initially be based on four pillars leading to separate degree programmes tentatively named: (i) Architecture and Sustainable Design, (ii) Engineering Product Design, (iii) Engineering Systems and System Design, and (iv) Information Engineering and Design. Design as an academic discipline cuts across all four pillars. Each degree programme will be undergirded by an integrated foundation of mathematics, sciences and the humanities. Interdisciplinary courses and projects will bring together students from all pillars to exchange ideas, learn to work in teams, and experience hands-on learning. As the university evolves, its curriculum will be adapted to integrate the best new technologies and to reflect the latest advances in design theory and methodology.

The university may also introduce innovations in the organization of the university. The team is exploring doing away with traditional academic departments and organizing the university according to technology and science clusters instead to support the interdisciplinary nature of its programmes and encourage collaboration across disciplines.

Over the longer term, the SU is envisioned to be a world-class research-intensive university with a focus on design education that is holistic, systematic and anchored in the foundations of science and technology. It will produce technologically-grounded leaders that serve the vital needs of the nation and world.

The Board of Trustees for SU

The Board of Trustees for the SU was appointed in August 2009. It continues from the good progress made by the New University Steering Committee to lay the groundwork for the establishment of the university. The Board of Trustees is responsible for ensuring that the SU acts in accordance with its objectives and that the funds and assets of the SU are properly accounted for and safeguarded.

The Board of Trustee members are drawn from a broad range of sectors to provide the expertise and experience required to start up a new academic enterprise. They have been actively involved in the development of the SU over the past few months and are deeply committed to making the SU a success.

The list of the Board of Trustee members is at Annex B.

Principals are key to shaping and strengthening the traditions and ethos of our schools. They lead and inspire teachers, and work with parents and the community to provide our students with the opportunities to discover their strengths and follow their passions. We need good Principals to steer our schools in preparing our young well for the future.

For the 31 newly appointed Principals, the appointment is an important milestone in their professional career as they assume major responsibilities as leaders in education. For the 29 serving Principals and HQ officers who are assuming new appointments, it is an affirmation of MOE’s confidence and trust in their abilities to continue guiding our teachers and our young. The process of systematically appointing and rotating Principals not only enables schools to benefit from the infusion of fresh perspectives, but also gives Principals the opportunity to take on different challenges as part of their career development.

Ms Ho Peng, Director-General of Education, will present the Certificates of Appointment to the Principals at the 12th Appointment Ceremony for Principals on 29 December 2009. Minister for Education, Dr Ng Eng Hen, will grace the ceremony as Guest-of-Honour.

While in France, Dr Ng will attend the 35th United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) General Conference, in his capacity as Chairman of the Singapore National Commission for UNESCO. Dr Ng will deliver a statement at the General Policy Debate segment of the Conference. He will meet with his counterparts and visit educational and research institutions in France.

In Finland, Dr Ng will meet with Ms Henna Virkkunen, Finnish Education Minister, and will visit schools and institutions to learn more about the educational developments in Finland.

Dr Ng will be accompanied by senior officials and school principals from the Ministry of Education for his trip to France and Finland. Members of the Singapore National Commission for UNESCO will also attend the various Commission meetings in France.

Single-Session Primary Schools

In April 2009, MOE accepted the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) Committee’s recommendations to move all primary schools to a single-session model to support a higher quality primary education. With a single session, schools will be able to provide greater flexibility in time and space for teachers to deliver a more holistic education to their pupils. Pupils will be able to benefit from a wider range of academic and non-academic activities that will nurture life skills and develop their character. To achieve this, MOE plans to build 18 new schools and enhance up to 80 existing ones in phases. In Phase 1, 11 new primary schools will be built and 28 existing schools will be upgraded. Details on the Phase 1 schools are in the annex.

As with the upgrading of schools under the Programme for Rebuilding and IMproving Existing Schools (PRIME), the majority of the Phase 1 schools will continue to operate on their existing sites in parallel with the upgrading works. MOE will take the necessary measures to ensure safety, security and the smooth operations of the schools during the upgrading process.

Indoor Sports Hall

Since early 2007, MOE has been working to provide all schools with an indoor sports hall (ISH) in phases. This is to provide schools with greater flexibility to conduct Co-Curricular Activities and Physical Education lessons, which are integral to holistic education. Students will have more opportunities to participate in sports and games at any time of the school day regardless of the weather.

Schools to be upgraded for the move to a single session will have the ISH provided as part of their upgrading process where possible, if they do not already have one.

Background

Single-Session Primary Schools

PERI Committee, chaired by Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister for State, Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Education, was formed in October 2008 to study ways to enhance primary education. One of PERI Committee’s recommendations was to move all primary schools to a single session to support a higher quality primary education.

Schools that have moved to a single-session model have shared positive feedback about being able to provide a better environment to develop their pupils. This was repeatedly affirmed by school leaders, teachers and members of the public throughout the consultation process. MOE has accepted the PERI Committee’s recommendation to move all primary schools towards a single-session model, so as to give schools more flexibility to provide well-balanced educational programmes for pupils. Single-Session Primary Schools will also provide pupils with more time and space to interact meaningfully with their teachers. This will help balance the acquisition of knowledge with the delivery of skills and imparting of core values to our children.

MOE targets to facilitate the transition of all government primary schools to single session by 2016. Government-aided schools will be given more flexibility in their transition timeline, as they have to take into consideration their stakeholders’ needs. More information on PERI Committee’s recommendations can be found at the PERI website.

The move is part of MOE’s goals to adopt innovative technologies such as Web 2.0 within the education profession to drive next-generation learning and communications. This project will also lay the ground for future implementation of Web 2.0 based applications, which will enhance interactions within and outside the classrooms

Mr Chan Tee Miang, Chief Information Officer, MOE, said, “This is a key project for MOE as it will facilitate collaborations and sharing among our teachers and help enhance their teaching practices. It supports our efforts to achieve excellence in education so as to nurture a highly-skilled knowledge workforce that will enhance Singapore’s global competitiveness.”

Mr James Kang, Assistant Chief Executive, Government Chief Information Office at IDA, said, “I am pleased that MOE decided to adopt an open standard cloud computing platform after much market study and user requirement analysis, as it is able to cater for future growth and innovative adoption of emerging technologies that are gaining popularity among educators and students. This approach is also in line with the government’s key criteria of ‘fit for purpose, value for money’ in infocomm procurement for the public sector.”

The Google Apps for Education will offer better and up-to-date email features with bigger email disk space size of 7GB¹ to encourage greater usage and improve efficiency of the teachers. Such features include calendaring, flagging of emails for follow-up, email to-do list, etc. The system will also be continuously upgraded with new or improved features and increased disk space over time without additional cost to MOE. It is also bundled with collaboration tools such as Instant Messaging, Blogs and Wikis which provide collaboration within and across schools.

The system is also built on a distributed cloud computing platform with higher scalability and redundancy. The contract provides the flexibility to scale up seamlessly to cater for unforeseen increases in usage and future system upgrades without the need to re-architect the entire system infrastructure.

The transition from the current hosted email system to the cloud computing platform will be carried out in phases from November 2009.

Delighted to be part of the project, Mr Lim Eng, Chief Executive Officer, NCS Pte Ltd, said, “The project will help transform the way educators teach, communicate and collaborate with peers and with students of the Y-Generation who are attuned to new web applications like social networking sites. We are committed to work with best-of-breed partners in using innovative technologies to enhance the education environment in Singapore. The collaboration with Google and MOE is yet another opportunity for us to contribute to the changing needs of next-generation teaching and learning.”

Ms Bee-Loon Tan, Head of Enterprise, Google Southeast Asia, said, “Google has a strong commitment to supporting schools, universities and the education sector in Singapore and around the world. We are excited to be working with NCS and MOE in making Google Apps available to all public educators in Singapore. Clearly, MOE is taking a leadership position within the South-East Asian government and enterprise sector by embracing the full power of the Web. First, by significantly reducing its IT infrastructure costs by deploying a proven, reliable and secure cloud computing solution for the education sector. And more importantly, providing teachers with easy-to-use yet powerful online communications and collaboration tools to enhance the teaching and learning environment in schools all across the nation.”

1. The current email system, MyEDUmail2, provides 110MB of email disk space. ↵

In response to the changing language environment in Singapore and the need to constantly evolve our approaches, MOE undertook a series of language curriculum and pedagogy reviews in the last few years. Good progress has been made since the last round of language reviews for the English Language (2006) and Mother Tongue Languages (2004-2005).

The English Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review (ELCPR)

MOE undertook a comprehensive English Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review (ELCPR) in 2006. A number of changes were made at the primary, secondary and pre-university levels to enhance the way English Language (EL) was being taught, with a particular focus on developing students’ speaking and listening skills.

Primary Level

At the primary level, “STrategies for English Language Learning And Reading” (STELLAR) was piloted in 2006 and is being implemented in all primary schools starting with P1 this year. The STELLAR programme is designed to cater to a diverse range of EL learners. A contextualised approach to EL learning is adopted with systematic and explicit grammar instruction.

Students are provided with opportunities to express themselves in an environment where language learning can be enjoyable and purposeful. Through the reading of engaging stories in class, students get to speak extensively, discussing and sharing their views with the teacher and their peers. The main purpose is to build confidence for students in speech and writing, and enhance their learning of the language.

Teachers find that the use of drama in the STELLAR curriculum has helped to develop their pupils’ confidence, oral fluency and competency in English. At Princess Elizabeth Primary, a drama technique called ‘hot seating’ is used. A pupil in the hot-seat takes on the role of a character and answers questions posed by his peers. Pupils learn to speak spontaneously and express their point of view through this technique. At Coral Primary, the teachers incorporate drama and music in a mini-musical using stories from the STELLAR Books. The children are excited and motivated as they get to act, sing and dance to stories they are familiar with. They develop fluency and confidence as they perform for their parents.

MOE is conducting a series of longitudinal studies to evaluate students’ language learning in the STELLAR programme. Preliminary findings indicate that children in the programme showed better progress in listening, speaking and writing compared to children studying the regular curriculum. These initial findings need to be further validated by follow-up studies as we track the children’s progress over the next few years.

Some schools have also been tracking the progress of their children since embarking on the STELLAR programme. Using school-based data such as end of year assessments, some schools tell us that they have found significant improvements in their students’ EL performance compared to earlier cohorts. Examples include Princess Elizabeth Primary, East View Primary and Da Qiao Primary. In particular, they note that their students have become more confident speakers and users of English.

Secondary Level

At the secondary level, curriculum and pedagogy for English has been enriched with the introduction of the new 2010 EL syllabus. Engaging EL instructional resources and the use of drama as a pedagogy are being developed. For example, all Sec 1 students at Bukit Panjang Government High have to undergo a six-week Drama course where they learn to script, act and produce a skit to be assessed as part of their semestral assessment. Overall, the school has developed an oracy programme for the various levels, including public speaking and group oral presentations.

Pre-University Level

“English Language and Linguistics” (ELL) was launched in schools at the beginning of this year. Currently, six schools—Catholic Junior College, Raffles Institution (JC), Anglo-Chinese Junior College, Hwa Chong Institution (JC), Nanyang Junior College and River Valley High School—offer the subject. Other JCs are considering offering the subject in the near future. Three of the schools currently offering ELL (ACJC, CJC and RI) are designated as English Language Elective Centres. These centres further enhance the teaching and learning of English through the set up of media studios and the award of scholarships to deserving students.

All Pre-University students are expected to make oral presentations as a requirement in the assessment of Project Work. Schools ensure students develop their communication and presentation skills.

Mother Tongue Languages Reviews

At the same time, it is important for your young to learn their mother tongue language (MTL).

In November 2004, the Government accepted the Chinese Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review Committee’s recommendations for more customisation and flexibility in the curriculum, particularly at the primary school level.

In November 2005, the Government accepted the key recommendations of the Malay Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review Committee and the Tamil Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review Committee. These include the phased implementation of the new Malay and Tamil Language curriculum at different levels in primary schools and interim changes in the PSLE and ‘O’ Level examinations starting from 2006.

Chinese Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review

The new Primary modular approach for Chinese Language (CL) was fully implemented in all schools from P1 to P5 from 2009. The new PSLE CL format based on the new curriculum will be implemented from 2010.

The modular curriculum provides a differentiated programme for students of varying CL abilities. Students who enter school with little or no exposure to CL will be given additional support via Bridging Modules in the early primary years to provide a friendly start before they move on to the Core Modules. The modular curriculum also has the added advantage of allowing those with the interest and ability in CL to go further by taking Enrichment Modules or Higher Chinese Language.

Feedback from schools suggests that the modular curriculum has been useful in meeting the different learning needs of students. Teachers have been providing more diversified learning activities and creating more interactive learning environments. Students are also more engaged in classroom learning. The curriculum objectives have been largely achieved.

Since 2005, MOE has stepped up the development of instructional resources to support the implementation of the new curriculum. Digital resources, such as online games and teaching aids including character cards, have been developed. In addition, book resources have been provided to all schools for school-based reading programmes.

To raise teachers’ competencies to deliver the new curriculum, a structured training programme for all Primary School CL teachers, comprising a core training component on pedagogy and use of instructional materials, as well as a variety of electives, such as school-based curriculum design and assessment literacy, has been implemented since 2005.

Malay Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review

The new Primary curriculum for Malay Language (ML) was fully implemented in all schools from P1 to P5 from 2009. The new PSLE ML format based on the new curriculum will be implemented from 2010.

The new features of the ML curriculum were Differentiated Instruction (DI) and Tahap (graded learning outcomes). Feedback received indicated that the differentiated approach via the use of Tahap has allowed teachers to scaffold their lessons to help students learn ML more effectively.

An extensive reading programme was implemented in schools as an integral part of the new ML curriculum. Teachers explored new pedagogies such as Shared Book Approach to develop students’ skills in oracy and reading. To support the extensive reading programmes, age appropriate ML readers have been procured and distributed to all schools. Schools with interesting reading programmes were invited to share their best practices at zonal and national levels.

Structured training (e.g. workshops, seminars and sharing sessions) was also provided to all ML teachers. These training sessions covered language content, pedagogical skills, assessment and ICT. In 2007 and 2008, 45 ML teachers have undergone the immersion programme to Malaysia and Indonesia to study how to improve the teaching and learning of ML.

Tamil Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review (TLCRPC)

Similarly, the new Primary curriculum for Tamil Language (TL) was fully implemented in all schools from P1 to P5 from 2009. The new PSLE TL format based on the new curriculum will be implemented from 2010.

To meet the different learning needs of TL students, the new curriculum advocated the use of Differentiated Instruction. In addition, the new curriculum placed greater emphasis on the use of Spoken Tamil and integrated TL alphabet learning with rhymes, songs and oracy to make alphabet instruction meaningful and interesting.

Feedback from both teachers and students on the new TL curriculum was positive and encouraging. Teachers have commended that the emphasis to Spoken Tamil is a timely move in view of the changing profile of TL students. The extension in duration of alphabet instruction to two years has also provided time and space for TL teachers to explore new ways of engaging pupils in alphabet instruction. Teachers have also adopted innovative teaching approaches such as incorporating media and ICT to make TL learning engaging for their students.

Reading is an integral part of the TL curriculum. To instil an interest in reading, structured reading programmes were introduced in all schools. To support the programmes, age-appropriate TL readers were distributed to all schools. Teachers have made good use of these resources to promote interest in reading. Schools with interesting reading programmes were showcased at zonal and national levels.

Structured training (eg workshops, seminars and sharing sessions) was provided to TL teachers to build their capacity. These training sessions covered language content, pedagogical skills, assessment and ICT.

MTL Curriculum—Looking Ahead

Feedback from schools on the implementation of the new Primary MTL curriculum has been positive and encouraging. We will continue to enhance the capacity of teachers so that they can deliver quality lessons to enthuse and engage students in MTL learning. We will also continue to develop ICT resources to support teachers in the implementation of the curriculum.

Currently, MOE is developing the instructional materials for the new Secondary MTL curriculum which will be rolled out to all schools from 2011.

Language Centres to Grow Expertise and Resources

The Singapore Centre for Chinese Language was set up earlier this year, to develop a niche in in-service CL teacher training and serve as a test-bed for innovative teaching methods. Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre continues to play its role as the national TL resource centre. MOE will be exploring setting up similar centres for EL and ML.

Nurturing the Communication and Language Skills of Our Young

To prepare the young for the future, MOE aims to nurture each child into becoming a confident person, a self-directed learner, an active contributor and a concerned citizen. It is therefore important that our students learn to communicate and express themselves well in English, the lingua franca of the world.

Since the English Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review in 2006, MOE has put in place several improvements at the primary, secondary and pre-university levels to enhance the way English Language (EL) is being taught, with a particular focus on developing students’ speaking and listening skills. For example, the STELLAR (STrategies for English Language Learning And Reading) programme has been implemented at Primary One across all primary schools this year, and will be phased in at all other levels by 2014. Through STELLAR, the use of show-and-tell, role play and dramatisation develop oracy skills among our young.

A new EL curriculum will be introduced in secondary schools from 2010, while a new ‘A’ level subject “English Language and Linguistics” was launched in six Junior Colleges/schools at the beginning of this year.

To build on the work already in progress and to further boost current efforts, MOE has set up an English Language Taskforce headed by Ms Ho Peng, MOE’s Director-General of Education, with Senior Minister of State Mr S Iswaran as advisor. The Taskforce is studying a number of new measures. One of the recommendations is to set up an English Language Institute of Singapore (ELIS) to help build deeper capabilities in EL proficiency training for teachers. Details will be provided when the study is completed.

At the same time, our young should learn to use their mother tongue languages (MTLs) in their daily lives, and develop a foundation that enables them to continue using their MTLs beyond school.

In response to the rising trend of English-speaking homes, MOE undertook the Chinese Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review in 2004, and similar reviews for the Malay and Tamil Languages in 2005. The main goals of the reviews were to customise the teaching of MTL for learners with different learning needs, and enthuse our students in using their mother tongue. The changes arising from the review thus focus on differentiated instruction, greater emphasis on oral skills and reading, as well as greater use of info-communications technologies.

The recommendations of the reviews are progressively implemented across schools, with the first batch of students sitting for the revised Primary School Leaving Examination format next year. The new secondary curriculum will be rolled out in 2011.

The differentiated approach has also resulted in more linguistically able students offering MTLs at a higher level while those who are less linguistically inclined have the option of offering MTL ‘B’.

The Singapore Centre for Chinese Language was set up earlier this year, to develop a niche in in-service CL teacher training and serve as a test-bed for innovative teaching methods. The Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre continues to serve as a national Tamil Language Resource Centre for teachers and students. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Mr Masagos Zulkifli will lead a review to decide if there is a need for a similar centre for the Malay language.

MOE is committed to sustained efforts at helping our young acquire strong communication skills, in English and their mother tongue languages. Such skills will help them seize and create new opportunities.

Growing a World Class Education Service

To sustain a high-performing education system, Singapore’s educators will take on an active role in shaping the development of their profession. MOE is committed to supporting the teaching profession in developing a new Teacher Development Centre as a focal point for teacher professional development. MOE will also strengthen the career development opportunities for educators who wish to deepen their expertise in teaching.

A. Nurturing a Teacher-Driven Culture of Professional Excellence

(i) Supporting the Development of Schools as Professional Learning Communities

MOE will strengthen the network of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) where teachers come together regularly to share and learn from one another. Such continuous professional dialogue and feedback are critical to driving enhancement and innovation in the classroom. PLCs will provide teachers the platform for continuous dialogue to lead and drive improvements, hone their own classroom practice and maintain their professional currency. Over time, these communities could extend across schools, to the cluster level and eventually to the national level.

Fifty-one schools are currently piloting the concept of PLCs. MOE will support the development of PLCs in more schools. Over the next few years, we envision all schools to have the capacity to establish themselves as vibrant PLCs.

(ii) Establishing a Teacher Development Centre

MOE will also support the establishment of a Teacher Development Centre (TDC) as a focal set-up for teachers to gather and work collectively towards a higher level of professional competence. For teachers, and run by teachers, the TDC will build their instructional capacity, draw out pedagogical leadership from the fraternity, as well as advance continuous learning and improvement. It will serve as a source of expertise for the PLCs, and be a key enabler in achieving the Vision for the Teaching Service — Singapore Teachers: Lead. Care. Inspire¹. By championing professional values and the core of practice underpinning the teaching profession, the TDC can also help to build a deep sense of pride, identity, ownership and collaborative professionalism among teachers.

MOE’s Director-General of Education, Ms Ho Peng, will lead a team of educators to engage the teaching fraternity on proposals for the implementation of the TDC. In the coming months, the team will consult with teachers to explore how best the TDC can be organised to meet its aspirational goals. In particular, the consultation aims to draw out the teachers’ views on how the TDC can support the continued growth of the teaching fraternity as a community of professionals.

B. Strengthening the Teaching Track

Today, Education Officers have a choice of three career tracks — Leadership, Senior Specialist and Teaching. MOE will further enhance career opportunities for teachers on the Teaching Track with a new apex appointment for Principal Master Teacher, the creation of a new Lead Teacher position, and appointment of more Senior Teacher positions. This will help to groom a core group of experts that will further develop the pedagogical capability of the teaching force.

(i) New Apex Appointment — Principal Master Teacher

Master Teachers, as leading practitioners on the Teaching Track, are role model teachers who mentor other teachers to achieve professional excellence. As “teachers of teachers”, Master Teachers play a valuable role in curricular innovation, championing their subject discipline and driving new pedagogies to uplift teaching practices in schools.

In recognition of their role, MOE will raise the apex of the Teaching Track from the current Master Teacher Level 2 to a new Superscale-grade Principal Master Teacher appointment. As the chief pedagogical experts for their subjects at the national level, Principal Master Teachers will lead the fraternity to drive teaching excellence across the education system.

Master Teachers Level 1 will also take on greater responsibilities as pedagogical leaders and their job level will be raised to the equivalent of a Vice-Principal. While primarily attached to MOE Headquarters, Principal Master Teachers and Master Teachers will teach master-classes in schools, lead the professional development of their colleagues, drive curricular innovation in schools, and engage in pedagogical research and innovation.

(ii) New Lead Teacher Appointment

At the school level, MOE will introduce a new Lead Teacher position to champion a culture of teaching excellence and collaborative professionalism. Steeped in subject knowledge and pedagogical skills, the Lead Teacher will lead Senior Teachers and partner school leaders to build professional capacity within the school in the areas of subject content, pedagogy and assessment. Lead Teachers will also play a key role in developing their schools into vibrant Professional Learning Communities, and grow the teaching profession by sharing their subject expertise with other teachers within the cluster.

(iii) More Senior Teachers

MOE will also facilitate more excellent teachers with strengths in mentoring to become Senior Teachers. They will act as role models to raise the professional capability of their colleagues in schools. Outstanding Senior Teachers can look forward to becoming Lead Teachers and Master Teachers.

(iv) Professional Development for Pedagogical Leaders

MOE will provide more opportunities for Education Officers on the Teaching Track to develop and share their pedagogical expertise. These developmental opportunities include a new milestone programme for Master Teachers, as well as opportunities for Master Teachers to be attached to MOE professional divisions and the National Institute of Education (NIE) to enable them to contribute their expertise across the education system.

MOE will also provide more opportunities for Senior Teachers, Lead Teachers and Master Teachers to pursue postgraduate training in pedagogical areas and to participate in a range of overseas attachment programmes that would enable them to exchange international best practices in pedagogy and educational research.

A quality teaching force with a strong expertise in curriculum and pedagogy and a culture of continual professional development are key to preparing students with the knowledge, skills and attributes required for the 21st century workforce. MOE will continue in its efforts to build a quality teaching force and grow a world-class education service for our students.

Footnotes:

1. This was launched by Ms Ho Peng, MOE’s Director-General of Education, at the Teachers’ Mass Lecture on 26 Aug 09.↵

The Lee Hsien Loong Award for Innovations in the Normal Course (LHL AIN) will be presented for the first time this year. Clementi Town Secondary and Dunman Secondary will receive this inaugural award. They are among a total of 275 schools that will receive 580 Special and Level Two Awards this year under the Ministry of Education (MOE) Masterplan of Awards (MoA). The pinnacle award for educational excellence under the MOE MoA, the School Excellence Award (SEA) will be received by Rulang Primary School and St Joseph’s Institution this year. These awards will be presented to the schools at the 2009 MOE Work Plan Seminar on 17 September 2009 by Minister for Education, Dr Ng Eng Hen.

This press release provides information on the following:

• A. Recipients of the Inaugural Lee Hsien Loong Award for Innovations in the Normal Course (LHL AIN).

• B. Award Recipients under the MoA. The award recipients comprise schools that have attained commendable achievements in various categories, including those with exemplary processes as well as excellent outcomes in both academic and non-academic areas. Information on the 2009 award recipients is provided in the Honour Roll. Information on all Special and Level Two Award holders is also provided.

• C. School Achievement Tables (SATs). The SATs highlight the achievements of secondary schools in the academic value-added and non-academic domains.

A. Lee Hsien Loong Award for Innovations in the Normal Course

The Lee Hsien Loong Award for Innovations in the Normal Course (LHL AIN) is supported by an endowment fund donated by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The award recognises schools whose innovative practices have led to significant benefits in the all-round development of students in the Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) Courses. These schools would have demonstrated strong outcomes in educational innovation in teaching and learning, school management and organisation as well as student development. Up to 2 schools per year will be recognised under this award which is valid for 6 years. Each winning school will receive a cash award of $3,000 and a plaque.

The recipients for LHL AIN for 2009 are:

• Clementi Town Secondary School
• Dunman Secondary School

B. Masterplan of Awards

The MoA was instituted in 1998 as part of the implementation of the School Excellence Model (SEM). The SEM, a framework for school management, emphasises a holistic approach to education with equal focus on processes and outcomes. The MoA recognises our schools’ efforts in providing students with a holistic education to enable them to achieve the Desired Outcomes of Education. The awards serve as milestone checks to guide schools on their journey to excellence by providing them with a systematic and progressive framework to chart their progress through benchmarking and continuous improvement.

The MoA was expanded in 2004 to provide a broader and more holistic picture of schools’ performance. It comprises four levels of awards, including the School Distinction Award and the School Excellence Award, as shown in the following diagram.

MOE Masterplan of Awards for Schools
Printable Version (140kb .pdf)

Level One Awards are given to schools to affirm their achievements in certain domains in at least a single year, while Level Two Awards recognise schools for their sustained excellence in specific areas. The Special Awards recognise schools’ holistic efforts in establishing outstanding education processes and obtaining excellent outcomes.

School Excellence Award (SEA)

The SEA recognises schools for their excellence in both education processes and outcomes. It is the highest and most prestigious award under the MoA structure and serves as a mark of distinction for schools that have sustained achievements in a wide spectrum of student development processes.

This year, the 2 new recipients of the SEA are:

• Rulang Primary School
• St. Joseph’s Institution

School Distinction Award (SDA)

The SDA recognises high-achieving schools with exemplary school processes and practices. This year, there are 7 new recipients of the SDA: 2 Primary Schools, 4 Secondary Schools and 1 Junior College. They are:

• Primary Schools
  • Rosyth School
  • Tao Nan School

• Secondary Schools
  • Riverside Secondary School
  • St. Hilda’s Secondary School
  • Victoria School
  • Yishun Town Secondary School

• Junior College
  • Nanyang Junior College

The SEA and SDA Honour Roll is in Annex A1. The complete lists of SEA and SDA recipients can be found in Annex A2 and Annex A3 respectively.

Best Practice Award

The Best Practice Award (BPA) recognises schools for their effective practices and systems that lead to good education outcomes in both academic and non-academic areas. There are 4 categories for the BPA: Organisational Effectiveness, Student All-Round Development, Staff Well-Being, and Teaching and Learning.

This year, 17 schools will be presented with 24 BPAs (see Annex B1). The breakdown is as follows:

• 6 schools will receive BPA for Student All-Round Development
• 8 schools will receive BPA for Staff Well-Being
• 10 schools will receive BPA for Teaching and Learning

The complete list of BPA recipients can be found in Annex B2.

Development and Outstanding Development Award (National Education)

National Education (NE) is an important part of the education process. It aims to develop in our young the instinct for survival, national cohesion and confidence in our future. NE provides the knowledge, experience and tools for our young to know and understand Singapore, acquire a well-founded confidence about the Singaporean way of life, and critically think about how they can shape Singapore’s future.

The NE Awards recognise schools for their NE efforts. There are two levels of attainment for the awards: Development Award, i.e., DA (NE) and Outstanding Development Award, i.e., ODA (NE). The attainment of the level of award depends on how well a school meets the evaluation criteria.

From the ODA (NE) award winners, a maximum of 2 award recipients, one for the Primary School category and another for the Secondary School and Junior College/Centralised Institute category, will be selected for the Lee Kuan Yew National Education (LKY NE) Award. Introduced in 2002, the LKY NE Award recognises schools that have excelled in their national education efforts in imbuing our students with a strong sense of national identity and social responsibility. It is the pinnacle of the NE Awards.

This year, 5 schools will be presented with the ODA (NE). They are:

• Admiralty Primary School
• Elias Park Primary School
• Evergreen Secondary School
• Nan Chiau High School
• Catholic Junior College

Of these schools, Admiralty Primary School and Evergreen Secondary School will be receiving the LKY NE Award.

The list of 2009 recipients of the ODA (NE) and DA (NE) is in Annex C1. The complete list of ODA (NE) recipients can be found in Annex C2.

Development and Outstanding Development Award (Character Development)

The goal of education is to nurture the whole child, including his/her character. Character development is the teaching of values and social and emotional competencies. It is also about providing opportunities for students to demonstrate behaviour consistent with the values taught.

The Development Award for Character Development [DA (CD)] recognises schools that have put in place systems and processes for the effective development of students’ character. The Outstanding Development Award for Character Development [ODA (CD)] recognises schools with innovative, sustainable and exemplary approaches to character development.

This year, 10 schools will be presented with ODA (CD). The recipients are:

• Bukit Panjang Government High School
• Cedar Girls’ Secondary School
• CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh)
• Kranji Secondary School
• Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary)
• St. Margaret’s Secondary School
• Catholic Junior College
• Pioneer Junior College
• Methodist Girls’ School
• Singapore Chinese Girls’ School

The list of 2009 recipients of the ODA (CD) and DA (CD) is in Annex C1. The complete list of ODA (CD) recipients can be found in Annex C2. Sustained Achievement Award

The Sustained Achievement Award (SAA) recognises schools’ ability in sustaining good outcomes over a number of years, in five areas: Academic Value-Added, Aesthetics, Sports, Uniformed Groups and Physical Fitness. Schools will need to achieve an Achievement Award (AA) in the same category over three consecutive years before they are awarded the SAA.

This year, a total of 274 schools will be presented with SAAs. Table 1 shows the number of schools that receive SAAs in the respective categories. Details of the recipients of SAA for the Academic Value-Added domain and SAA for the Physical and Aesthetics domain in 2009 can be found in Annex D1 and Annex D2 respectively.

C. School Achievement Tables: A Holistic Approach

The School Achievement Tables (SATs) provide a broad picture of schools’ performance, capturing their achievements in both academic and non-academic domains. These comprise the:

• School Excellence Award and School Distinction Award
• Best Practice Award
• Outstanding Development Award and Development Award
• Academic Value-Added Award
• Physical and Aesthetics Award⁶

The 2009 SATs for the Special/Express course and the Normal course can be found in Annex E1 and Annex E2 respectively. The SATs display schools in the first 9 bands for the Special/Express course and the first 5 bands for the Normal course. Schools that offer the Integrated Programme (IP) and those with small candidature (less than 40 students) are excluded from the SATs. The list of schools that are excluded can be found in Annex F1.

In addition, information on the achievements of schools will also be available through the following:

• School Information Service
• Secondary One Posting Information Booklet
• School websites maintained by individual schools

The information provided at these sources will help parents and students make informed decisions when selecting schools.

Footnote

1. SAA (Physical Fitness) will be presented for the last time in 2009. ↵
2. SAA (CHERISH) will replace SAA (Physical Fitness) from 2010. ↵
3. AA (Physical Fitness) (TAF Award) was presented for the last time in 2008 ↵
4. The Joint HPB-MOE AA (CHERISH) was presented for the first time in 2008. ↵
5. With effect from 2008, Junior Colleges (JCs) that offer the Integrated Programme (IP) are no longer eligible for Academic Value-Added (AVA) awards based on their A-level performance (starting from the 2007 A-level cohort). The affected JCs are Raffles Institution (JC), Hwa Chong Institution (JC), National JC, Victoria JC and Temasek JC. In addition, the JC sections of River Valley High School, Dunman High School and Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) are also similarly ineligible for AVA awards. ↵
6. Due to the high number of Level 1 AAs in the Physical and Aesthetics domain, only Level 2 SAAs are indicated for this domain. ↵

Formed in September 2008 by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and the Ministry of Education (MOE), the committee comprises members from MCYS, MOE, Singapore National Olympic Council, Singapore Sports Council, Singapore Sports School, and NSAs. It seeks to align stakeholders to strengthen the youth sports system, create a long term athlete development pipeline, and perform well at the YOG.

In April, it was announced that $5 million of the $15 million jointly committed by MCYS, MOE and the Singapore Totalisator Board to support youth sports development initiatives would be used for YOG preparations. Building on the good performance at the Asian Youth Games, the committee co-chairmen, Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for MCYS and Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for MOE, announced that the additional $1.2 million coaching fund from within the $15 million would be used to ensure adequate coaching provisions in the lead up to the YOG.

Said Mr Masagos, “While there are existing structures in place to develop youth sports and holistically develop children from young, the Youth Olympic Games provides a good catalyst to improve collaborations between key agencies. We are looking forward to working even more closely with the National Sports Associations in the lead up to YOG and beyond, to maximise the talent of our Singapore youth.”

Mr Teo added, “This is an exciting time for sports in Singapore. We want to provide as much support as possible to our National Sports Associations. We see the Youth Olympic Games as a catalyst to achieving our greater objective of creating a long term youth athlete pipeline as well as creating greater opportunities for youth to play and excel in their chosen sports. The Committee sees the youth coaching component as part of the legacy of the YOG, and therefore has decided to provide additional funding leading up to the Games. I expect the youth coaches to continue to play an instrumental role in the youth development of our sports after the Games.”