Singapore - Singapore has fine-tuned its education system to allow students the freedom to develop diverse talents and aspirations and to be independent thinkers.
Singapore‘s Minister of State for Education Lui Tuck Yew said the island state‘s education system was now moving from a highly structured system to a more diverse and flexible system, one that recognised the strengths of students beyond academic performance.
Speaking at the National Institute of Education‘s teachers‘ investiture ceremony at the Nanyang Technological University here, he said Singapore needed to develop its young generation to be independent thinkers, with the habit of questioning and thinking for themselves.
He said they needed to be well-rounded in outlook and abilities, had good values and be robust in the way they approached challenges and obstacles.
"They should be culturally-intelligent and able to understand and work well in a global economy but retained an emotional rootedness and strong bonds to Singapore and their fellow citizens," he added.
The Minister said the government was committed to freeing up time and space for schools and teachers to develop more engaging teaching approaches to help students learn better and develop critical thinking abilities.
He said schools were now developing their own niches of excellence and introducing new subjects and electives into their own curriculum.
They had also initiated innovative ways of providing a holistic education that went beyond academic results to emphasise character building, social skills and entrepreneurship, Lui said.
The Minister said the whole range of co-curricular activities, adventure camps, community involvement, service learning and overseas immersion programmes would enable the students to develop resilience and social skills they needed to do well in life and bond together as Singaporeans.
Source: www.bernama.com.my (17 Januari 2008)
