Our schools teach Cyber Wellness based on the principles of “Respect for Self and Others” and “Safe and Responsible Use” of technology and these principles guide students in their actions in cyberspace. Students learn to respect others by thinking through what they publish online so that they do not hurt others.

It has been our strong belief that the inculcation of the values of respect and responsibility is fundamental to the education of our students; and hence the emphasis on values education in the Citizenship and Character Education curriculum. That is what we have been doing, and will continue to do. It is, however, imperative that students understand that Cyberspace has its unique set of challenges and therefore, specific focus had been placed on cyber wellness.

Currently, Cyber Wellness topics are integrated into the instructional materials for CME, English Language and Mother Tongue Languages where appropriate. For primary schools, Cyber Wellness is also being delivered through the Form Teachers’ Guidance Periods. Moving forward, for secondary schools, each level (S1-S4/5) will have 4 hours dedicated to the learning of Cyber Wellness in the CCE curriculum. This will be rolled out progressively from 2013.

Aside, resources are also provided to support schools in planning and implementing their Cyber Wellness programmes. These resources equip students with proper netiquette and strategies for self management in cyberspace. Issues such as cyber bullying (e.g. harassment, flaming) are discussed.

Students who have engaged in cyber-bullying (whether peers or teachers) are dealt with by the schools and the actions would typically involve having students understand why their action is wrong and where warranted, appropriate disciplinary action.

Mr Christopher de Souza, MP of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

Question:

To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether there are any measures in place to deter attempts by students to cyber-bully their teachers; and (b) to what extent have schools stepped in to institute both educative and strong deterrent measures to ensure cyber-bullying of teachers does not continue.

The iPSLE was introduced in response to demands from schools in the region who wish to benchmark their students’ performance against Singapore’s primary education standard. There are currently 15 iPSLE examination centres and the number of students who sit the iPSLE is small, at about 1,000 each year.

International students who have taken the iPSLE may also be considered for admission into our secondary schools on a case-by-case basis, subject to their test performance and the availability of school vacancies.

Singaporeans who are returning from overseas can also sit the iPSLE to gain admission into schools in Singapore.

There are no current plans to expand the iPSLE.

Mr Yee Jenn Jong, Non-Constituency Member of Parliament

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is (i) the number of examination centres and (ii) the number of students taking the iPSLE examination in 2010 and 2011 respectively; (b) whether iPSLE results are recognised by Singapore secondary schools in the admission of international students; and (c) what are the future plans for exporting the iPSLE.

MOE provides schools with guidelines to manage school discipline. Within these guidelines, each school then formulates its own discipline policies and school rules, taking into consideration its own needs and circumstances. The suspension of a student is a serious disciplinary measure that schools can adopt to manage student discipline and to deter inappropriate student behaviour. Combined with pastoral care and counselling, such firm discipline can help students learn from their mistakes.

The decision whether or not to suspend a student, is based primarily on the nature of the offence committed by the student and the consequences stated explicitly by the school for that particular offence in their discipline policy. Schools generally administer suspensions when a student commits a serious offence and when they deem it advisable to withdraw the student temporarily from his class or school in order to signal clearly to him that his behaviour is not acceptable as well as to maintain school discipline or safety. For instance, suspension can be salutary and serve to protect the rest of the school population when a student has exhibited violent behaviour.

The duration of the suspension depends on the seriousness of the committed offence and the time necessary for the student to reflect and commit himself to good behaviour. Schools will inform the parents of the student and explain the reasons for their child’s suspension and the exact duration (start and end dates) of the suspension. Where possible, they also work with parents to provide counselling and to show care, so that the student is given the support to reflect on his behaviour and rejoin the school community.

In managing students with repeat or recurrent suspensions, schools will engage the parents and work with them on how best to guide and support their children. It is in the best interest of the student that parents and the school work together to enable the student to correct his behaviour and to return to school.

Discipline is necessary for learning to take place in our schools. Schools need to provide a safe and orderly school environment that is conducive for learning and teaching. Students have a responsibility towards their own education and must demonstrate respect and consideration towards their classmates, schoolmates and teachers. Instilling values, character and discipline in our students is a shared responsibility for which schools need the support and partnership of both parents and the community.

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef, Marine Parade GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) how do schools decide on the suspension of certain students; (b) what is the duration of suspension to be meted out; and (c) how do schools deal with students with repeat or recurrent suspensions.

The Yale NUS College is expected to admit its first cohort of students in August 2013. There is strong interest from students, and the College has received over 800 applications in its first admission exercise. It has also made good progress in faculty recruitment and curriculum development.

We share the disappointment expressed by NUS and many Singaporeans about the resolution passed by the Yale College faculty members. But this is essentially an internal issue to Yale, which is being addressed by the Yale administration. The Yale administration has also discussed with NUS on how they could jointly correct any misconceptions about Singapore among the different stakeholders of the university.

Several thoughtful Singaporeans and foreigners who understand Singapore well have written in various fora to provide fair and objective perspectives of our society. Indeed, how others view Singapore will be shaped to a large extent by their interactions with Singaporeans both here and overseas, whether it is in the course of their studies, work, or their daily life. We must therefore continue to encourage such interactions. All of us have a role in helping others better understand Singapore, our values and our way of life.

Ms Tin Pei Ling, Marine Parade GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) if he will provide an update on the status of the Yale-NUS College partnership; (b) what is Singapore’s stand on the resolution passed by Yale College’s faculty members; and (c) what initiatives are put in place to promote an accurate and objective understanding of Singapore overseas.

School attendants are employed on the Operations Support Scheme (OSS), a generic Civil Service scheme of employment, and thus their salaries come under the purview of the Public Service Division. The salary scale of a school attendant is based on what an employee of similar educational qualifications and experience in the private sector is paid. As part of its regular reviews, the Public Service Division recently increased the monthly salaries of OSOs by approximately 5% across the board.

The salaries stated in the advertisement reflect the range of starting salaries for school attendants. An officer can start out at a salary higher than $864, depending on the extent of relevant work experience he had. The officer’s salary would also rise over time as he gets annual increments based on his performance or when he gets promoted.

We recognise that training improves the employability and earnings of public officers, and have put in place schemes to encourage training. For example, MOE offers financial assistance in the form of training sponsorships and the reimbursement of course fees to enable our school attendants to acquire skills. Supervisors are also regularly reminded to encourage and assist their office attendants to identify and pick up relevant skills to upgrade and prepare themselves for higher job responsibilities.

In addition, the Civil Service has a Training Incentive Scheme to encourage all officers to upgrade themselves. Officers may receive cash incentives for completing specific work-related National-level Training Programmes.

Mr Zainal Sapari, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education if he will explain the basis for the low gross salary of $864 to $1,063 offered for the post of school attendant as advertised in The Straits Times on 21 April 2012.

The Malay Language Elective Programme (MLEP) and the Elective Malay for Secondary Schools (EMAS) were introduced in 2001 to provide more opportunities for students who are keen to pursue Malay Language (ML) at a higher level.

Both MLEP and EMAS programmes enrich students’ language capacity, and appreciation of Malay literature and culture through a variety of enrichment activities such as language and literature camps, lecture series and immersion programmes to neighbouring countries. Students share their creative expressions in prose and poems through annual publications.

EMAS has been offered in two secondary schools and MLEP in two junior colleges; in 2012, we added Anderson Secondary and Pioneer Junior College to offer EMAS and MLEP respectively.

Both EMAS and MLEP continue to attract students strong in ML to enrol in them. Over the past three years, intake into EMAS averaged 355, whereas that for MLEP averaged 122.

To further encourage our students to learn Malay at a higher level, MOE has also increased the number of MLEP scholarships from 10 to 15 with effect from 2012.

Since its inception, about 100 former MLEP students have continued to pursue Malay Language related courses in either National University of Singapore (NUS) or National Institute of Education (NIE).

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Nee Soon GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) if he will give an update on the progress and developments of the Malay Language Elective Programme (MLEP) and Elective Malay for Secondary Schools (EMAS) programme; (b) how many students have registered for these programmes in the last three years; and (c) how many of these students still pursue to specialise in Malay Language upon their completion of the programmes.

Most primary and secondary schools have classes of 40 students or fewer, while Primary 1 and 2 classes have 30 students or fewer. We plan on the basis of 30 students per class at primary 1 and 2 and 40 students per class at the other primary and secondary levels.

While a smaller class size may be intuitively appealing, empirical evidence on the benefits of a smaller class size remains inconclusive. Studies have shown that teacher quality is the most important factor in achieving better student outcomes. Hence, MOE’s focus is on raising the quality of teachers, even as we increase our recruitment of teachers.

Without compromising teacher quality, our approach has been to progressively deploy more teachers to the schools while giving schools the flexibility to decide on how best to deploy their teachers to meet the needs of their students. This may involve reducing class size for certain subjects or student profiles. For example, in Design & Technology and Home Economics, where students may be required to operate machinery or equipment, the class size is usually 20. Learning support programmes for Primary 1-2 students with difficulties in basic literacy and numeracy skills are conducted in small groups of eight to 10 students. Some schools also deploy two teachers in a class of 40 students—one teacher brings the class through the curriculum, while the other teacher assists specific students who may have difficulty understanding the materials being covered.

Thus, while the Ministry does not mandate targets for class size, we plan to improve the pupil teacher ratio from 18 and 15 at the primary and secondary levels to 16 and 13 by 2015 when the Education Service grows to 33,000 Education Officers. This will ensure that our schools are well-resourced so that they can organise learning to best meet the needs of our students.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa, Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) how many primary and secondary schools currently have class sizes of 40 students and above; (b) what is the Ministry’s targeted class size for primary and secondary schools; and (c) when the target can be achieved.

Homework, when used appropriately, can reinforce students’ learning, contribute to their progress and cultivate a healthy disposition towards learning. Generally, parents and students appreciate the importance and value of homework. However, the appropriate amount of homework has to be carefully calibrated. Children have varying learning interest and pace of learning, and may take different amount of time to complete the same piece of work. Nevertheless, students and teachers have found homework to be a useful feedback mechanism to check whether students have mastered concepts and skills, and are able to apply them to different contexts.

The school holidays provide a good opportunity for students to consolidate their learning and work on areas which they are weaker in. It would be unwise to completely disallow homework during vacation. Some amount of revision and consolidation of learning during the school holidays can help students to be better prepared for the next stage of learning when the new school term starts. In setting holiday homework, however, schools need to ensure that the homework load given is not excessive. There should be sufficient time for students to take a break from formal learning to pursue other interests, and take part in social-recreational activities with friends and bonding activities with their families during the holiday.

We will continue to work with our schools to better calibrate the homework load according to the needs of their students, and ensure that the amount of homework given during the school holiday is appropriate.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan, Mountbatten SMC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education whether his Ministry can implement a policy of not allowing schools to give out homework during school holidays.

Approximately 3,400 students were admitted into the Integrated Programme (IP) each year between 2004 and 2012, of which about 20% entered at Secondary 3.

Students admitted between 2007 and 2012 are at varying stages of their education. For the cohorts from 2004 to 2006, on average about 6% of the students withdrew from the IP before reaching JC2. Of these, more than half continued their education in the same school on the O level track, or in another school or institution. The remaining students withdrew from the IP primarily because they were relocated overseas.

Of the 94% of the IP students who went on to complete the IP and sat for the A Levels or equivalent qualifications, almost all qualified for publicly-funded universities in Singapore.

Mr Zainal Bin Sapari, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) from 2004 to 2012, what is the total number of students admitted into the Integrated Programmes (IP); (b) from 2004 to 2011, what is the number and percentage of IP students who (i) withdrew from the programme; (ii) withdrew from the programme and managed to gain admission to alternative institutions such as polytechnics; (iii) managed to complete the programme to take their ‘A’ Levels and gained admission into local and overseas universities; and (c) what are the reasons for the students’ inability to complete the programme.

Children who are deemed exceptionally gifted have to meet a set of stringent criteria, which are based on international best practice. These include a psychological report, achievement and aptitude (typically manifested in terms of above-level test scores, i.e., test scores which are well above those of children of the same age), samples of the child’s work, and teachers’ recommendations. In addition, to determine the social emotional readiness of the child, data from interviews with the parents, and classroom observation will be taken into consideration.

Parents and teachers would typically observe that a child could exhibit exceptional giftedness. The identification is confirmed after specialists have assessed the child on a variety of criteria, as mentioned above. To support the exceptionally gifted child, officers in MOE work with the school and parents to draw up a learning plan for the child.

Since 2000, fewer than 20 students have been identified. The oldest one is enrolled in the National University of Singapore.

Mr Yee Jenn Jong, NCMP

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) how does the Ministry define children as exceptionally gifted; (b) how are these children identified and handled; (c) how many of such children have been identified in the past 10 years; and (d) of those who have been identified, how many stayed in Singapore until they completed their university education.

The Gifted Education Programme (GEP), like other MOE curricula and programmes, is reviewed on a regular basis. This is to ensure that it remains responsive to changing needs, and continues to meet quality standards based on research and sound professional practice.

As part of the recommendations of the Review of Upper Secondary and Pre-University Education in 2001, the Integrated Programme was introduced. As a result, the secondary GEP organised by MOE was integrated into school-based programmes in the Integrated Programme (IP) schools which were hosting the GEP.

In 2007, refinements were made to the implementation of the GEP at primary level. Primary GEP centres adopted different models to increase interaction between GEP and non-GEP pupils on a daily basis by placing them in mixed classes for non-academic subjects.

MOE also redoubled efforts to train more teachers to support high-ability students in all primary schools. In the last five years since 2007, the Gifted Education Branch has provided over 2000 places for teachers to be trained in curriculum differentiation and pedagogy.

We will continue to seek improvements to all programmes in our schools, including the GEP, so that they continue to be relevant and are aligned to the Ministry’s emphasis on holistic education.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar, Ang Mo Kio GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry is reviewing the Gifted Education Programme and, if so, what are the areas that the Ministry is looking into with respect to this review.

On average, more than eight in 10 scholars from ASEAN, India and China fulfill their service obligations to work in Singapore after graduation. Most of the rest were granted deferment to pursue further studies and are required to serve their obligations after their studies.

Almost all scholars who have graduated have taken up permanent residency or citizenship, with about 15% converting to citizens within five years of graduation.

Mr Yee Jenn Jong, NCMP

Question

To ask the Minister for Education with regard to foreign scholars from ASEAN, India and China respectively who are sponsored by the Singapore Government, what has been the past 15 years’ data on:

• the percentage of cohort who completed the entire duration of their contractual obligation to work in Singapore after graduation; and
• the percentage of cohort who had taken up Singapore citizenship.

As at February 2012, the number of Singaporeans who are exempted from Compulsory Education is 5,229. This is around 2% of all primary-level Singaporean children. About half of these children have special educational needs. Others are exempted because they are either enrolled in private schools or home-schooled.

Based on survey data, approximately 2% (or about 3,500) of secondary-level Singaporeans are enrolled in private schools.

Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC)

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the number of Singapore citizens aged 7 to 17 years old who are studying in private schools (excluding those in special schools); (b) what is the breakdown of these numbers in terms of the students at primary and secondary levels; and (c) what is the number of Singapore citizens who are exempted from the Compulsory Education Act and what are the reasons for these exemptions.

One of the recommendations of the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) Committee was to introduce more holistic assessment to support learning. Holistic Assessment comprises the use of a variety of age-appropriate assessment modes. The emphasis is on skills development and to provide constructive feedback for meaningful learning.

Holistic Assessment is being implemented on a progressive basis, starting from Primary One. In 2010, 16 prototype schools implemented Holistic Assessment in Primary 1 and Primary 2. In 2011 and 2012, another 67 and 54 schools started implementation at Primary 1 respectively. We expect the rest to start in 2013. For schools which have started earlier in the journey, efforts are now being focused on implementing Holistic Assessment at higher levels.

Preliminary findings from schools on Holistic Assessment are positive. Many teachers commented that their pupils have become more confident and are able to communicate better. Pupils also receive more feedback, have more opportunities to reflect and improve on their learning, and are developed more holistically.

Mr Yee Jenn Jong, NCMP

Question

To ask the Minister for Education what is the progress on the holistic assessment approach for education at the lower primary levels that places less emphasis on semestral examinations, as recommended in the 2009 Report of the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) Committee.

On average, about 800 pre-tertiary and 900 undergraduate international students (IS) are offered scholarships. The scholarships cover school fees and accommodation. The annual cost is about $14,000 for each pre-tertiary scholarship and between $18,000 to $25,000 for each undergraduate scholarship.

The academic performance of each scholar is closely monitored every semester, and the scholarship would be withdrawn if the scholar’s performance is not satisfactory.

Most international scholars serve out their bonds to completion. The scholarship administrators take action against the few who default on their obligations, by pursuing liquidated damages from individuals who default on their service obligation.

Mr Yee Jenn Jong, NCMP

Question

To ask the Minister for Education:

• for the last 10 years what was the annual number of non-ASEAN foreigners who were granted scholarships by the Singapore Government to study in our pre-tertiary schools and universities and what was the annual cost of these scholarships;
• how does the Ministry track and ensure that foreign scholars maintain good academic standards while studying here; and
• whether the Ministry tracks foreign scholars after graduation and enforces their obligation to fulfil the contractual bond period to work in Singapore.