Professional Education System �in Singapore

APEN JAIF Multiversity Workshop

13 Apr 2016, Friday

Overview

Multiversity : Professional School System

Source : Ministry of Education (MOE) website

https://www.moe.gov.sg/docs/default-source/document/education/post-secondary/files/post-secondary-brochure.pdf

Overview - Singapore’s Post Secondary Education

Primary School Leaving School (PSLE)

Junior Colleges/ Centralised Institute

Ages 16-19

(2-3 Years)

Polytechnics/ Arts institutions

Ages 16-19

(3 Years)

Institutes of Technical Education Ages 16-19

(1-2 Years)

GCE ‘O’ Level

Integrated Programme: Combined Secondary and Junior College

Ages 12-18

(4-6 Years)

Secondary Express/ Normal

Ages 12-16/17

(4/5 Years)

Secondary Normal Technical

Ages 12-16

(4 Years)

GCE ‘A’ Level

Diploma

Nitec or Higher Nitec

University

Bachelor’s Degrees

(3-4 Years)

Master’s Degrees

(1-2 Years)

Doctoral Degrees

(2-5 Years)

Education System - Meritocracy

• Meritocracy is a fundamental ideology in Singapore and a fundamental principle in the education system which aims to identify and groom bright young students for positions of leadership.
• Academic grades are considered as objective measures of the students' ability and effort, irrespective of their social background. Having good academic credentials is seen as the most important factor for the students' career prospects in the job market, and their future economic status
• Arising from Our Singapore Conversation that started in August 2012, concerns were raised that the focus on academic qualifications in talent recruitment strategies might inadvertently exclude those with other skills, and the lack of social mobility could compromise the legitimacy of meritocracy. Opportune time to review the implementation of meritocracy and definition of merit.

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Structure - MOE (Ministry of Education)

(i) Academy of Singapore Teachers

The Schools Division oversee the management of all primary and secondary schools, junior colleges and centralised institutes. The schools are grouped into clusters and each cluster is facilitated by a Cluster Superintendent. The Cluster Superintendents in each Zonal Branch develop, guide and supervise the school leadership teams to ensure that schools are effectively run. They ensure that there is networking, sharing and collaboration among the member schools within the cluster so as to raise the capacity of the leadership teams and the level of performance in each school.

Requirements for Teachers:

Teachers are assessed in totality, e.g. personal qualities, experience and content knowledge. They will also have to be matched with the subjects and school levels they will be teaching.

Source : Ministry of Education (MOE) website https://www.moe.gov.sg/about/org-structure

Structure - MOE (Ministry of Education)

(ii) Higher Education Operations Division (HEOD)

The Higher Education Operations Division (HEOD) has responsibility for strategic Human Resource matters relating to the post-secondary education institutions, the Higher Education Quality Assurance framework, service quality, as well as contingency planning and incident management pertaining to the post-secondary education institutions and the MOE Statutory Boards under the purview of the four MOE divisions for Higher Education and Skills.

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(iii) Higher Education Policy Division (HEPD)

The Higher Education Policy Division (HEPD) formulates, implements and reviews policies relating to universities, polytechnics, the Institute of Technical Education, private education and the Arts Institutions. HEPD also does research, horizon scanning and quantitative studies that inform higher education policy.

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Source : Ministry of Education (MOE) website https://www.moe.gov.sg/about/org-structure

Multiversity – P-High

(i) Junior colleges

• Altogether 12 Junior Colleges, 7 Integrated Programme schools, 1 Centralised Institute
• Classes: Offer the GCE A-Level curriculum, which provides students with learning opportunities in three areas: life skills, knowledge skills and subject disciplines. With the GCE A-Level Certificate, students can seek admission to a university or a specialised institute of higher learning, locally or abroad.
• Requirements for teachers: MOE-Academy of Singapore Teachers
• Requirements for facilities: Common facilities include classrooms, library, computer labs, multi-purpose hall and/or other sport and games facilities.
• Course Term: 2/3(for CI)years
• Credits needed to graduate: Candidates who pass at least one subject at H1 or H2 level will receive a Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level).
• Academic credentials: GCE
• Admission to a two-year pre-university course at junior colleges after graduating from secondary school is determined by the L1R5 (English + 5 relevant subjects) scoring system. This scoring system is based on the 'O' Level subject grades, which range from A1 (best) to F9 (worst). The candidate adds the numerical grades for six different subjects: English (or another language taken at the 'first language' level), a Humanities subject, a Science/Mathematics subject, a Humanities/Science/Mathematics subject, and two other subjects of any kind.
• **For admission to a three-year pre-university course at the Centralised Institute, the L1R4 (English + 4 relevant subjects) scoring system is used, and students are expected to score below 20 points to be admitted.

Multiversity – P-High

(ii) Polytechnics (NYP, NP, SP, TP, RP)

• There are 5 polytechnics offering more than 100 different market-driven courses which lead students to fulfilling careers. Although the majority will join the workforce upon graduation, some may choose to apply for a place in a university or other institutions of higher learning.
• Classes: Polytechnic education emphasizes on practice based learning. Polytechnics offer diplomas in various fields, including engineering, business studies, accountancy, tourism and hospitality management, mass communications, digital media and biotechnology. There are also specialised courses such as marine engineering, nautical studies, nursing, and optometry. Approx. 40% of each Secondary 4 cohort would enrol in Polytechnics.
• Requirements for Teachers: Minimally Masters Degree Holders
• Requirements for Facilities: MOE provides core facilities
• Course Terms: 3 years
• Credits needed to graduate: Students must pass all relevant core modules to graduate.
• Academic credentials:
• For students seeking admission to diploma courses in polytechnics, the L1R2B2 (English + 2 relevant subjects + 2 best subjects of any kind) scoring system is used. However, students will also be required to meet specific prerequisites outlined by the different polytechnic schools they are applying for.

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Multiversity – P-High

(iii) Institute of Technical Education

• The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) aims to equip its students with the technical skills and knowledge to meet the workforce needs of various industry sectors.
• There are 3 ITE campuses providing four main levels of certification:
• Master National ITE Certificate (Master Nitec)
• Higher National ITE Certificate (Higher Nitec)
• National ITE Certificate (Nitec)
• Technical Engineer Diploma (TED)
• Classes: Courses include Nitec in Nursing, Pastry & Baking, Beauty & Wellness; Higher Nitec in Paramedic & Emergency Care graduates are employed as paramedics by ambulance service providers such as Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) or other ambulance operators.
• The ITE graduates who do well can opt for further studies and apply for a place in a polytechnic.
• Requirements for Teachers: MOE-Academy of Singapore Teachers
• Requirements for Facilities: MOE provides core facilities
• Course Term: 2 years for Nitec; 3 years for Higher Nitec
• Credits needed to graduate: Minimum a pass for all subjects (no credit system)
• Academic credentials: Local
• Students applying for courses in the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Colleges have an independent scoring system, depending on the course they are applying for but minimally GCE N- or O-Level graduates.

Multiversity – P-High

(iv) Arts Institutions (NAFA & LaSalle)

• There are two arts institutions in Singapore offering specialist creative arts education to develop your artistic potential.
• Classes: Both LASALLE and NAFA offer a wide range of design, media, fine arts and performing arts courses to inspire the most creative minds. Besides diploma programmes, LASALLE and NAFA offer degree & Master’s courses for further development.
• Requirements for Teachers: Specialise in Arts
• Requirements for Facilities: Private institutions
• Course Term: 3 years for Diploma
• Credits needed to graduate: Not fixed
• Academic credentials:
• Similar to Polytechnics, students seeking admission to diploma courses in these institutions use the L1R2B2 (English + 2 relevant subjects + 2 best subjects of any kind) as well as consideration of their artistic talent and creativity.

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Multiversity – P-University/ Graduate

University (NTU,NUS, SMU,SUTD, SIT & SIM) – Using NTU as the example

• The six local universities in Singapore – the National University of Singapore (NUS), the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), the Singapore Management University (SMU), the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), and the SIM University (UniSIM) – offer a multitude of degree and Master’s programmes
• Classes: Professional DEGREE programs in Engineering, Law, Medicine, Accountancy are offered eg. Bachelor of Accountancy/ Arts/ Business/ Engineering/ Science/ Medicine or Masters/ PhDs etc.
• Requirements for Teachers: Most will require PhD Degree Holders
• Requirements for Facilities: MOE provides core facilities eg. Sports centre, IT infrastructure and Multipurpose hall.
• Course term: 3/4 years for business/engineering degree programme;
• Credits needed to graduate: Approx. 130 AUs for Bachelor; 9 Aus + Thesis for Masters of Engineering, 30 AUs for Masters of Science; 18 AUs for PhD.
• Academic credentials: Bachelor/Masters/Doctorate; NTU-EEE is ABET-accredited (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology); NTU-NBS is accredited by the AACSB (AACSB stood for American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business).
• For undergraduate programmes, admission is based on academic merit at Singapore-Cambridge GCE 'A' Level with passes in at least two subjects at H2 Level and the offering of either General Paper (GP) or Knowledge & Inquiry (KI) in the same sitting, Mother Tongue requirement and H1 pass in Mathematics or a pass in GCE ‘O' Level Additional Mathematics or Diploma awarded by a polytechnic in Singapore.

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Example – P-University/ Graduate in NTU

For example, a BEng (Computer Engineering/ Computer Science) from NTU follows a Curriculum Structure (BRC Curriculum). By choosing a combination of prescribed elective subjects in the fourth year, students may achieve specialisation in areas such as Digital Media, High Performance Computing, Embedded Systems, Networking Mobility & etc.

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• After their Bachelor degree, Students may pursue a Master of Science (MSc)/Master of Engineering (MEng)/ ​Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes based on their interests.

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• Professional Accreditation�Both the Computer Engineering and the Computer Science programmes are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Board (EAB) of Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES).

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• IES is the Singapore signatory to the Washington Accord which is an international agreement to provide a mechanism for mutual recognition of the substantial equivalence of engineering academic programmes in satisfying the academic requirements for the practice of engineering at the professional level.

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Example – P-University/ Graduate in NTU

• The College of Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE College) was set up on 1 May 2016 to focus on professional education that will help Singaporeans advance in their careers and meet changing job demands that come with globalization, accelerating learning for continued career success (in line with the national SkillsFuture initiative started on 1 Jan 2016) and consequently, helping Singapore to maintain its competitiveness.
• PaCE College manages and coordinates the current three part-time Bachelor of Engineering programmes of the College of Engineering (CoE) in NTU, namely Electrical & Electronic Engrg, Mechanical Engrg and Computer Science. Additionally, it also offers opportunities for working adults at different stages of their career to acquire new knowledge with subsidised skills-based courses.

Example – P-University/ Graduate in NTU

Assessing Industry & Market Needs

• In Singapore, education has consistently been the building block for economic and national development.
• The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) works with various economic agencies (such as the Economic Development Board) responsible for promoting specific industry groups to identify critical manpower needs and project demands for future skills. These are then fed back both into pre-employment training and continuing education and training.
• The Singapore government believes that its manpower planning approach helps to
• Move students faster into growing sectors,
• Reduces oversupply in areas of declining demand more quickly,
• Targets public funds more efficiently for post-secondary education.
• The Ministry of Education (MOE) and the institutions of higher and post-secondary education then use these skill projections to inform their own education planning, especially for universities, polytechnics and technical institutes.

THE END

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