This archive report was first published on 18 December 2019.
Singapore's Shift from Grades to Entrepreneurial Spirit ¶
Published on December 18, 2019
Two years ago, Singapore embarked on a significant educational reform, easing its long-standing obsession with grades and shifting focus to teaching students to be entrepreneurs.
Experts noted that exams alone could not produce one crucial ingredient for economic success: new ideas. The overemphasis on exam results, they argued, detracts students from the broader purpose of learning – discovery and exploration.
Cindy Khoo, a director with the Ministry of Education's Planning Division, emphasized the need for a mindset shift in society to celebrate a multitude of talent and successes achieved via varied paths. Parents in Singapore were reportedly paying up to $491 for four-session courses with tutors who had become millionaires from their trade.
According to the ministry official, the pressure to perform has created an education arms race, with the private tuition industry being one of the main beneficiaries. Students attend after-school activities in the afternoon and tuition in the evening, often finishing homework past midnight.
In 2017, new changes were announced in the Singapore curriculum, including courses with no grades, at least a tenth of admissions to universities based on aptitudes rather than results, and the scrapping of classifying officers by educational qualifications.
The changes were part of a broader government effort to boost innovation and technology. Today, Singapore has what they call Desired Outcomes of Education (DOE) that guide teachers on what to prioritize in class.
Each educational level – Primary, Secondary, and Post-Secondary – lays the foundation for DOEs in the subsequent one. The key stage outcomes for education in Singapore are:
- Primary School: Be able to distinguish right from wrong, know their strengths and areas for growth, and have a lively curiosity about things.
- Secondary School: Have moral integrity, believe in their abilities and be able to adapt to change, and be creative and have an inquiring mind.
- Post-Secondary 2 Education: Have moral courage to stand up for what is right, be resilient in the face of adversity, and be innovative and enterprising.
