Compulsory Education in Singapore

In July 2000, the Committee on Compulsory Education, chaired by Senior Minister of State for Education, Dr Aline Wong, presented its recommendations to the Government. These recommendations have been accepted by the government and compulsory education will be introduced in 2003.

The following is an outline of the recommendations:

  • Compulsory Education (CE), defined as education in national schools for Singapore citizens residing in Singapore, should be introduced.
  • CE has two objectives:
    • To give our children a common core of knowledge which will provide a strong foundation for further education and training to prepare them for a knowledge-based economy.
    • To give them a common educational experience which will help to build national identity and cohesion.
  • CE should be up to Primary 6. The duration of CE defines the minimum period of education for all Singaporean children rather than the ideal duration from an educational perspective.
  • The following categories of children should be exempted from CE:
    • Those attending 'designated institutions', viz, the six madrasahs offering full-time religious education for children of primary-school going age and San Yu Adventist School
    • Those receiving home-schooling
    • Those with special needs
  • A range of penalties would be introduced to deal with cases of non-compliance. Penalties will be imposed on the parents and not the child. However, legal enforcement will only be used as a last resort, after extensive efforts in counselling and community mediation have been exhausted.
  • A Board for CE, with representatives from various community groups will be set up. The Board should have investigative powers for specific cases to require parents to produce information and turn up for counselling. Where necessary, the Board will refer cases to the Director-General of Education, who can then raise it to the Subordinate Courts for legal action.
  • Under CE, schools can still exclude and expel pupils if they are found unsuitable for school.
  • The Committee proposed that CE be introduced only from the age cohort entering Primary 1 in 2003. This would give 2 years for the madrasahs and San Yu Adventist School to review their curriculum and train their teachers before CE is implemented.
The introduction of CE reaffirms the Government's commitment to provide an equal head start to all children. However, CE can only succeed in meeting its objectives with the strong commitment of parents and the various communities. Every Singaporean will have a part to play in ensuring the success of CE.

More Info can be found at Ministry of education (search for compulsory  education)

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