Curiosity propels a child to learn, discipline enables him to perfect what he learns: Chan Chun Sing
“It is said that when a child is confident, there is no challenge too big to overcome. On the other hand, when a child loses confidence, there is no challenge too small that the child will not fear and succumb to,” said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing. And that’s so true not only for a child […]
Graduating not just once. Students must acquire mindset to learn, unlearn and relearn, says Chan Chun Sing
A mindset shift is never easy but it is necessary if we are to keep up with change. In an interview with the Straits Times, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said that the pace of change is so rapid, it will push students to keep updating their knowledge and building new skills. Increasingly, subjects like […]
Focus on surpassing yourself, not on outperforming others, says Chan Chun Sing
Rather than trying to outperform others, the focus for a student should be to do his best to surpass himself, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said. In an enlightening interview with Berita Harian (15 Dec), reported by the Straits Times, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said that Singapore must not have just one narrow yardstick […]
High costs of living the main deterrence to having children
Singapore has progressed and become more expensive over the years. Hence, it’s not surprising that costs of living is the main reason why Singapore’s youths are hesitant to have children. Recently, TODAY Online ran a survey among Singapore’s youths aged 18 and 34. The survey of 1066 respondents found that 56% of unmarried respondents did […]
Diversity is key to alleviating the unhealthy stress of pursuing the same definition of success: Chan Chun Sing
Singapore must build diversity in our schools, strengthen Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning in our schools, and nurture soft skills that endure, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said. “In an uncertain world, diversity is key to our resilience as a country. In a hyper-competitive world, diversity is also key to alleviating the unhealthy […]
Embrace a global mindset, yet treasure your local identity: Chan Chun Sing
In his closing remarks to students at the Pre-University Seminar 2021 Virtual Closing Ceremony, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing exhorts them to embrace a global mindset while treasuring their local identity. The minister was heartened to see their ‘determination and desire to co-create a vision for the future of our country’. Here’s the excerpt from […]
Class size reduction: who wants to be a teacher?
Everyone loves a small class. In Australia, the student-teacher ratios fell from 25-to-1 in 1964 to 14-to-1 in 2015. Most of the fall occurred in the 1960s and 1970s as unions and school reformers pushed for smaller classes. Did the fall in the student-teacher ratios in Australia schools lead to the expected improvement in students’ […]
No relationship between class size and learning outcomes: OECD
The culture of seeking tuition is coded into our people’s DNA. This phenomenon has little to do with the efficacy of school teachers. It has got more to do with the mentality of wanting to be ahead, to have an edge over others. This, in itself, is not a bad thing because that is how […]
In defence of teachers: let’s acknowledge their dedication to encourage them
I was shocked to hear A/P Jamus Lim belittle the hard work and dedication of teachers in Parliament. He attributed the success of our students to the ‘supplementary education’ (tuition) they received and implied that our teachers and education system has failed our students. I write in defence and support of our teachers, the vast […]
Jamus Lim suggests reduced funding for primary schools that are popular
In a parliamentary question to the Minister for Education, Workers’ Party Jamus Lim asked the Minister for Education if he will make funding for schools ‘inversely proportional to the number of students accepted in Phase 2A. What does it mean for funds to be ‘inversely proportional’ to the number of students in Phase 2A? It […]