Debated in Parliament on 16 Sep 2013.
Mr Baey Yam Keng asked the Minister for Education (a) what is the objective of introducing Knowledge and Inquiry (KI) as a subject in junior colleges (JCs) eight years ago and whether this objective has been met or changed over the years; (b) what are the challenges that JCs face in offering KI including staffing and training issues; (c) what is the number of JCs offering, and the number of students taking, KI in each of the last eight years; and (e) whether the Ministry has plans to review this course.
The objective of Knowledge and Inquiry (KI) is to provide students with a better understanding of the nature of knowledge, how knowledge is constructed and to apply this understanding to the different areas of knowledge they may be engaged in.
Feedback from teachers and students has indicated that students found the skills acquired in KI a valuable asset to their University studies. In particular, KI students are known to have demonstrated strong conceptual thinking and to have enriched classroom discussion through the depth of their contributions.
Since the introduction of KI, enrolment has declined from about 360 students in 12 JCs to 141 students in seven JCs. The key challenge is the lack of trained teachers. Unlike other subjects drawn usually from a single discipline, KI cuts across a number of disciplines. This poses a demand on teachers who would typically have read particular disciplines during tertiary education. In addition, KI teachers are drawn from the same pool of teachers teaching well-established subjects with larger candidatures like the General Paper and Humanities subjects. MOE recognises the challenge and has taken steps to address the shortage of teachers by providing training and professional development.
KI is, currently, under a full-term review as part of the review of the "A" level curriculum.
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