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Overview of Singapore's Education System

Singapore's education system mandates six years of primary, four years of secondary, and one to three years of post-secondary education, with preschool being voluntary. Students' academic paths are determined by performance on school-based tests and the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). The document also discusses the economic success of the Four Asian Tigers, highlighting their rapid industrialization and the debate over the impact of neoliberal policies versus state intervention on their growth.

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Emmanuel Genoso
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5 views1 page

Overview of Singapore's Education System

Singapore's education system mandates six years of primary, four years of secondary, and one to three years of post-secondary education, with preschool being voluntary. Students' academic paths are determined by performance on school-based tests and the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). The document also discusses the economic success of the Four Asian Tigers, highlighting their rapid industrialization and the debate over the impact of neoliberal policies versus state intervention on their growth.

Uploaded by

Emmanuel Genoso
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Education System Structure

In Singapore, compulsory education includes six years of primary school, four years of secondary
school, and one to three years of post-secondary school. Preschool, called kindergarten, is voluntary
and offered both by the Ministry of Education and by private providers. The instructional system is
centrally controlled with a well-developed curriculum and syllabus for each course aligned to an end-
of-course exam. At the end of the fourth year of primary school, students take school-based tests
that determine what level (band) students will study for English, mathematics, mother tongue, and
science during the next two years. At the end of the sixth year of primary school, when students are
about 12 years old, students take the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in English,
mathematics, mother tongue, and science. Based on these results, students are admitted to one of
four pathways in secondary school.

The Four Asian Tigers (also known as the Four Asian Dragons or Four Little
Dragons in Chinese and Korean) are the economies of South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong
Kong. Between the early 1960s and 1990s, they underwent rapid industrialization and maintained
exceptionally high growth rates of more than 7 percent a year.
By the early 21st century, these economies had developed into high-income economies, specializing
in areas of competitive advantage. Hong Kong and Singapore have become leading
international financial centres, whereas South Korea and Taiwan are leaders in
manufacturing electronic components and devices. Their economic success have served as role
models for many developing countries, especially the Tiger Cub Economies of southeast Asia.[1][2][3]
In 1993, the World Bank report The East Asian Miracle credited neoliberal policies to have caused
the economic boom, including the maintenance of export-oriented policies, low taxes, and
minimal welfare states. Institutional analyses also state some state intervention was involved.
[4]
However, others argued that industrial policy and state intervention had a much greater influence
than the World Bank report suggested.

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