More time for personal progress in primary schools

This April, MOE accepted recommendations made by the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) committee to boost the quality of primary education.

Both parents and pupils can expect to see a number of changes rolled out in stages over the next few years. Classrooms will become livelier as teachers employ innovative teaching methods to engage young minds. To help schools keep better track and provide richer feedback of pupils' learning progress, written examinations will be balanced with alternative modes of assessment.

All schools will go single-session by 2016. In fact, some have already started! But rather than a long day of uninterrupted classes, what a single-session structure provides is actually the time and flexibility for a school day with a better balance of learning and personal development.

In tandem with single-session days, the Programme for Active Learning or PAL will provide pupils greater opportunities to pursue non-academic activities such as sports and other outdoor activities as well as performing and visual arts - all within curriculum time.

Focus on language learning

Language education loomed large on the minds of the public in 2009. To equip students with better language and communication skills, MOE is starting the new year with a revamped English curriculum for secondary schools. This follows the introduction of a new A-level subject, "English Language and Linguistics" at six Junior Colleges and schools in 2009.

Chinese language learning also received a boost from the newly opened Singapore Centre for Chinese Language (SCCL), which will help train teachers to teach Chinese Language in a bilingual environment.

Sports education takes centrestage

Belying their young age, primary school athletes like Yvonne Tan are focused on their training and many have set their sights high for the future. Yvonne and 143 of her peers graduated from JSA's two-year training this year.

Hot on the heels of the Beijing Olympics and with the inaugural Youth Olympic Games mere months away, 2009 was a year when sports occupied the hot seat in schools all over Singapore. Learning and living a healthy lifestyle took place in both the playing field and classroom; Physical Education (PE), for one, is now an O-level subject offered at certain secondary schools.

Meanwhile, an additional eight schools were designated as Junior Sports Academies (JSAs) to help groom budding athletes from primary schools across the island. Through the 12 JSAs, resources are pooled to provide systematic coaching for promising pupils in sports such as badminton, soccer, wushu and swimming. This October, the first batch of MOE-JSA pupils celebrated the end of two years of training to graduate as confident, ambitious and skilled athletes.

But the sporting highlight of the school year was undoubtedly the seven-day spectacular that was the inaugural Asian Youth Games, held from 29 June to 7 July 2009. The Games attracted 1,400 athletes from 40 National Olympic Councils. Singapore's youth athletes fared well, reaping nine gold, six silver and 15 bronze medals.

Our non-athlete students also put on a rousing show. More than 1,400 student performers gave an exuberant display during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, dishing out a feast for the senses to both friends at home and guests from abroad. Thousands also stepped up to volunteer at the Games, taking on a range of roles from liaison officers and flag bearers to announcers at sports venues and ushers.

New institutions, diverse offerings

The Singapore University of Technology and Design and the Singapore Institute of Technology will increase the number of each Primary 1 cohort progressing to university education from the current 20% to 30% by 2015.

2009 also brought good news for students preparing for tertiary education. The learning landscape is expanding with the introduction of two new institutions: the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SU) and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT).

The island's new homegrown university, SU, counts the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from the US and China's Zhejiang University as its partners. To be based in a campus at Changi, SU will open its doors in 2011 as a high quality research-intensive university.

SIT, on the other hand, will offer degree programmes from reputable foreign universities in partnership with the five local polytechnics. For graduates of local polytechnics, this means more opportunities for them to further their studies in disciplines such as Applied Sciences and Engineering, Digital Media, and Health Sciences, without having to travel abroad.

In the private education sector, MOE is tightening its oversight with the enactment of the Private Education Act and the launch of a new regulatory regime. For starters, all private schools will have to register with the Council for Private Education, and students will also have their fees protected in case of sudden closures. In the year ahead, the Council will also step up checks on private schools and set up a Student Services Centre to address student queries and feedback.

Looking ahead to 2010

As with all new ventures, the results of the various initiatives launched in 2009 will take time to fully manifest. Nevertheless, these new directions signal an exciting 2010 and we at Schoolbag will be closely following the education scene to chart the milestones and moments that matter to Singapore's youth and their parents.

In the meantime, it's a chorus of "Happy New Year!" from the Schoolbag team. Happy holidays and best wishes for the year ahead!