Toward a Better Future

Fredriksen Birger

Description

'Toward a Better Future' provides a comprehensive analysis of education development in Singapore since 1965, giving particular attention to the strategic management that has enabled Singapore to transform its education and training system from one similar to that of many Sub-Saharan African countries four decades ago into one of the world's best-performing systems. It is one of a pair of concurrently-published books presenting materials originally developed for a 2006 study tour to Singapore and Vietnam for senior education officials from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, and Mozambique.
The second book, 'An African Exploration of the East Asian Education Experience', presents five country studies, as well as regional, comparative analyses highlighting insights gained during the study tour and putting them in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Together, the two books aim to foster knowledge exchange between Sub-Saharan African and East Asian countries on good practices in the design and implementation of education policies and programs. By facilitating the cross-country fertilization of ideas between two regions with relatively limited contact in the past, these books fi ll a clear gap in the current literature on development practice in education.

Sujets

• Éducation

Informations

• Publié par: world-bank-publications
• Publié le: 18 avril 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 16
• EAN13: 9780821373767
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE IN EDUCATION
Toward a Better Future
Education and Training for Economic
Development in Singapore since 1965
Edited by LEE Sing Kong, GOH Chor Boon,
Birger FREDRIKSEN, and TAN Jee PengSing_i-xvi.qxd 4/3/08 12:24 PM Page i
Toward a
Better Future
EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT IN SINGAPORE SINCE 1965Sing_i-xvi.qxd 4/3/08 12:24 PM Page iiSing_i-xvi.qxd 4/3/08 12:24 PM Page iii
Toward a
Better Future
EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT IN SINGAPORE SINCE 1965
Edited by LEE Sing Kong, GOH Chor Boon,
Birger FREDRIKSEN, and TAN Jee PengSing_i-xvi.qxd 4/3/08 12:24 PM Page iv
2008 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank©
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Washington DC 20433
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All rights reserved
1 2 3 4 5 11 10 09 08
A copublication of The World Bank and the National Institute of Education (NIE) at Nanyang
Technological University in Singapore.
National Institute of Education
Nanyang Technological University
1 Nanyang Walk
Singapore 637616
This volume is a product of the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development /
The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this volume do not
necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they
represent.
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ISBN: 978-0-8213-7375-0
eISBN: 978-0-8213-7376-7
DOI: 10.1596/978-0-8213-7375-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Information
Toward a better future : education and training for economic development in Singapore since 1965 /
edited by Sing Kong Lee, Chor Boon Goh, Birger Fredriksen, and Jee-Peng Tan.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-8213-7375-0
1. Education—Singapore—Aims and objectives. 2. Education—Economic aspects—Singapore.
3. Vocational education—Singapore. 4. Singapore—Economic conditions. I. Lee, Sing-Kong.
II. Goh, Chor Boon, III. Fredriksen, Birger. IV. Tan, Jee-Peng.
LA1239.5.T69 2008
370.95957'09045—dc22
Cover design: Critical Stages.Sing_i-xvi.qxd 4/3/08 12:24 PM Page v
Contents
Foreword ix
Acknowledgments xi
About the Authors xiii
Abbreviations xv
INTRODUCTION 1
CHAPTER 1. THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION
IN SINGAPORE SINCE 1965 12
GOH Chor Boon and S. GOPINATHAN
CHAPTER 2. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT IN SINGAPORE (1965–2005) 39
David NG Foo Seong
CHAPTER 3. SINGAPORE’S TEXTBOOK EXPERIENCE 1965–97:
MEETING THE NEEDS OF CURRICULUM CHANGE 69
ANG Wai Hoong
CHAPTER 4. MAKING TEACHER EDUCATION RESPONSIVE
AND RELEVANT 96
GOH Chor Boon and LEE Sing Kong
CHAPTER 5. VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT—THE SINGAPORE EXPERIENCE 114
LAW Song Seng
vSing_i-xvi.qxd 4/3/08 12:24 PM Page vi
vi • Contents
CHAPTER 6. POLYTECHNIC EDUCATION 135
CHAN Lee Mun
CHAPTER 7. THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNIVERSITY
EDUCATION IN SINGAPORE 149
GOH Chor Boon and Leo TAN Wee Hin
CHAPTER 8. DIGITAL SKILLS AND EDUCATION: SINGAPORE’S
ICT MASTER PLANNING FOR THE SCHOOL SECTOR 167
KOH Thiam Seng and LEE Sai Choo
CONCLUSION: THE ENGINE DRIVERS 191Sing_i-xvi.qxd 4/3/08 12:24 PM Page vii
Contents • vii
FIGURES
Figure 1.1: The New Education System, 1979 24
Figure 1.2: Ability-Driven Education System, 2007 31
Figure 3.1: CDIS: Structure, Functions, and Responsibilities 78
Figure 4.1: PDCM Framework 106
Figure 5.1: Location of Singapore 116
Figure 5.2: Phases of Singapore’s Development 117
Figure 5.3: ITE as a Postsecondary Institution 123
Figure 5.4: “One ITE, Three Colleges” System 125
Figure 5.5: “Hands-on, Minds-on and Hearts-on” Education 126
Figure 5.6: Practice-Oriented Curriculum Model 127
Figure 5.7: Process-Oriented Pedagogic Model 127
Figure 6.1: Singapore Education: A System of “Bridges and Ladders” 136
Figure 6.2: Singapore’s Industrial Development Phases 137
TABLES
Table 1.1: Students in Public Educational Institutions 16
Table 1.2: Gross Enrollment Ratios 16
Table 1.3: Annual Expenditure on Education, 1959–67 17
Table 1.4: Number of Degrees Awarded by Singapore Universities, 1981–89 28
Table 1.5: Research Scientists and Engineers (RSEs) 29
Table 2.1: Timeline of Singapore Economy and Economic Policy 40
Table 2.2: Government Expenditure on Education 42
Table 2.3: Social Development Expenditures, 1961–65 46
Table 2.4: Student Enrollment and Total Population, 1965–74 49
Table 2.5: National Examination Results, 1965–80 49
Table 2.6: Number of External Appraisals Conducted, 1980–90 54
Table 2.7: ITE Intake, Enrollment, and Output (Full Time), 1997 60
Table 2.8:, Enrollment, and Output (Full Time), 2000 60
Table 2.9: Percentage of Pupils with at Least Five O-Level Passes 61
Table 2.10: Singapore Budget Allocations 62
T1: Desired National Skills 65
Table 3.1: Summary of the Curriculum Development Projects in the 1970s 73
Table 3.2: Core Textbook Packages and Supplementary Packages Prepared
by CDIS 80
Table 3.3: Prices of Approved Textbooks for Primary Schools 84
Table 3.4: Prices of Approved Textbooks for Secondary Schools 85
Table 4.1: Starting Salary for Graduate Teachers 100
Table 4.2: Starting Salaries for Nongraduate Teachers 101
Table 4.3: Total Number of Teaching Staff, 2001–05 102
Table 4.4: Ratio of Students to Teaching Staff 102
Table 4.5: Intake of Teacher Trainees, 2000–07 104
Table 6.1: Full-Time Diploma Courses Offered in Academic Year 2007/08 143Sing_i-xvi.qxd 4/3/08 12:24 PM Page viii
viii • Contents
Table 6.2: Working with Agencies and Industry 144
Table 6.3: Examples of Continuing Education and Training Courses
(Formal Awards) 144
Table 6.4: Examples of Partnerships with Industry Leaders 145
Table 7.1: University Enrollment and Output in Singapore 155
Table 8.1: Singapore’s ICT Journey 170
Table 8.2: A Comparison of the Focus of mp2 and mp1 178Sing_i-xvi.qxd 4/3/08 12:24 PM Page ix
Foreword
ducation is at the core of a nation’s development. Over the past four
decades, Singapore has transformed its education system so as to develop aEcohesive society and prepare generations of young people to make the most
of a globalized future.
Development of education in Singapore has evolved with changing national
and global circumstances. In the early years of nationhood, schools were built
rapidly, teachers were recruited on a large scale, the ethnically diverse educational
streams the country inherited were merged into a single national system, and
bilingual education for all students was introduced. By the early 1980s, Singapore
had moved from a one-size-fits-all education approach to one that enabled pupils
of different abilities and aptitudes to develop at their own pace. A differentiated
approach reduced school attrition and allowed less academically inclined students
to gain basic literacy and numeracy skills before moving on to acquire technical
skills in demand in the workplace.
Since 1997, when Singapore launched its vision of “Thinking Schools, Learning
Nation,” the country has geared its education system toward nurturing an innova-
tive society attuned to the demands and opportunities of the 21st century. Time
and space has been freed to allow schools and teachers to develop engaging
approaches to helping students learn and think for themselves. Diverse paths are
being provided for students with different talents to take them as far as they can
go, and more opportunities are being developed for all-around education—not
just academic knowledge, but also the character development, resilience, and the
social skills that young people need to embrace change and do well in life.
At the heart of development of education in Singapore has been the way the
country recruits and trains teachers, develops outstanding school leaders, and
deploys these pe