Adjustment to Textbooks and Curriculum to De-emphasis Academic Outcomes in Schools

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for Education (Schools) to what extent are the textbooks and curriculums in primary and secondary schools adjusted to align with our goal of de-emphasising the outcome focus on academic scores and emphasising more on broad-based learning.

Mr Speaker, the national curriculum is designed to prepare our students for life and work. To achieve this, the national curriculum is broad-based and based on four important principles: holistic education, strong fundamentals, engaged learning and future readiness.

Our holistic education equips our students with a broad range of competencies needed for life and work. Besides the cognitive aspect, we also focus on the aesthetic, moral, physical and social domains.

We ensure our students gain strong fundamentals in literacy and numeracy, as well as develop good values and their social and emotional competencies. These essential areas form the bedrock our students are able to draw from for their continual and lifelong learning beyond school.

To bring about engaged learners, teachers design lessons that use different pedagogies to help students develop a strong mastery of the discipline, appreciate the relevance of their learning and then apply it in life.

Our curriculum is forward-looking. It is regularly reviewed to ensure that the learning outcomes remain appropriate for our students and are responsive to future needs.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) textbooks are closely aligned with the objectives of our curriculum and are, therefore, designed to support our students’ holistic development and not just for them to pass exams. Our teachers use a wide range of teaching resources to ensure that students learn from different modalities and immerse them in varied experiences. They also participate in outdoor learning and are given the chance to apply their knowledge in authentic situations. At times, they need to draw on technology to synthesise concepts in new contexts.

For example, in our Science textbooks, students learn about the lives of scientists and the passion and perseverance they demonstrate in pushing the frontiers of scientific knowledge. The youngsters also get to appreciate and discuss the impact of science and technology on the environment. In Geography, students go on field trips to experience how theoretical concepts come alive.

Even though these learning outcomes may not be tested in examinations, they are equally important aspects of development and they are given due emphasis in our curriculum.

I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for her comprehensive answer. While I understand the importance of fundamentals and MOE is trying to develop a holistic approach for the students, the question that a lot of parents have is: are we doing too much and too early?

At a recent education award ceremony, I had quite a lot of parents coming to tell me that they find that if they do not send their children in Primary 1 and Primary 2 for tuition, they are already left out of the train, and they find it very hard to catch up. Even the parents have difficulties following the methodologies to teach their own children. So, do we need to break that cycle in order to help the students, or are we teaching them too much?

Mr Speaker, I want to thank the Member Miss Cheryl Chan for her supplementary questions. I would like to assure her that in recent years, we have been moving towards an education system that is more flexible and diverse, an education system that offers our students more choices and the chance to take greater ownership for their learning, not just in school, but beyond school.

I also want to reassure Miss Chan that in reviewing and adjusting our curriculum, MOE is always mindful of the support that our students need for their learning journey, and that different students have different needs and varied abilities. MOE works with teachers, Heads of Departments (HODs), and school leaders. Teachers have been reminded not to over-test and not to over-teach. To that end, MOE provides support to help HODs and teachers set test papers at the level that is appropriate for students, and at the level that meets the learning objectives.

I want to add that, for national examinations, the majority of students will be able to answer the bulk of the questions.