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 Comparison between Singapore’s education system and the Finnish education system.  Comparison between Singapore’s education in the Past and Present. 2

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 Highly different from the education in Singapore  One of the top ranking countries with a good education › OECD’s Education Study › Higher literacy rates in reading, mathematics and the sciences › Narrowest gap between highest and lowest performers 4

 Egalitarian system › in which the education favours equality and provides equal opportunities for students  Nordic education system › Emphasises on equality and excellence without tracking or streaming  "We don't divide at an early stage between students who do well and those that don't manage so well in schools," she says, speaking at Finland's education ministry in Helskini.

 Interactive learning style › In Finland, educators believe that learning is not only linked to rankings etc., however, their education system rather emphasizes a lot on cultivating their students’ interest and passion in learning through interactive teaching and materials. › They believe that having happier attitudes is beneficial to the students’ learning as with an interest in a particular subject, the students will usually do and understand better with an intrinsic motivation to work harder. 6

 Emphasizes respect for each child’s individuality and the chance for each child to develop as a unique person  Encourage students to more people- oriented and develop interpersonal and intrapersonal skills 7

 9-year basic education in comprehensive schools › Randomly allocated or selected, no streaming occurs  Students at 16 can choose to continue their education in the: › Academic track › Vocation track (prepares trainees for manual or practical activities) 8

 Hierarchy › Pre-school education › Kindergarten › Primary School (compulsory 6-year education) › PSLE Examinations › Secondary Education (Normal-Academic, IP) › O’Level Examinations › Polytechnics › Junior Colleges 9

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 Meritocratic in nature › Provide more opportunities for students who perform better  Sports  Academics  Arts › Streaming occurs  PSLE examinations  Gifted Education Programme  Selective School system 11

 Both countries place large emphasis on education as they are very small with little natural resources › Human resource › Competition in the education sector  Attracts investments

Finnish Education SystemSingapore’s Education System 9 year comprehensive school6 year primary and 4/5 secondary education Egalitarian (equal opportunities)Meritocratic (streaming occurs) Comprehensive school systemSelective school system Free educationSubsidised education No mandatory tests and examsFrequent tests and yearly exams

 Finnish students only start their education when they are 6, formal schooling at 7  Students go to school for only half a day › 4 hours a day  10-week summer break  Singapore students may find themselves spending 6 hours in school, sometimes even longer for CCAs › However, we score still score lower than Finland in the literacy test by PISA

 Finnish teachers are all prepared in academic universities and need a master’s degree to qualify for a permanent job › can have considerable independence in the classroom to choose their preferred appropriate pedagogical methods; › are very willing to continuously update their professional skills via post-graduate studies; › are more willing to work on themselves, are open to new ideas and developed broader perspectives  Full autonomy to plan curricular

 In Singapore, teachers undergo a series of test and even training in the NIE  However, most teachers are confined to teaching with conventional methods – textbooks, worksheets

 In Finland, 3 books are given to the family of a newborn child › Cultivate a culture of reading from young › Encourage parents to influence their children to read  In Singapore, there could be a lack of family involvement as many parents complain of the long working hours › Lack of family interaction and commitment

 "It's like ice hockey. We let all the girls and boys play, not only the best ones. With this fair play, we can give everyone the same chance to practise their skills - and this also gives us the way to find the best ones." ~ Ms Haatainen, Finnish Minister

 In Finland, talents would not be lost › Education facilitates talent spotting  Students are in the same school for nine years (7 – 16 years old)  Ample time to explore and find their niche areas  In Singapore, streaming happens at the age of 10 for the GEP and PSLE at the age of 12 › Some students may be late developers

 The Finland comparison seems the most constructive: › Both Singapore and Finland place tremendous emphasis on their education mechanisms, have comprehensive networks in place, and have achieved equal levels of scholastic excellence.  However, it has been asserted that our Finnish counterparts have been able to attain that level of success with significantly lower stress levels, and where actual processes of teaching-learning take precedence over mutual rankings, results or grades.

 Education in Singapore is mainly shaped by the changing economical needs in the country › E.g. In the 1960s, there is a need to shift into the manufacturing sector. Implementations such as technical courses were implemented

› Different language medium schools › Late 1960s made bilingualism compulsory, but was not successful › Technical Education

› Streaming at primary level according to linguistic abilities › Weakest stream took Primary School Proficiency Examination (PSPE) instead of PSLE › Religious Knowledge classes (deemed inappropriate as Singapore is a secular state)

 English-medium schools › No more different language medium schools  Bilingualism › English (1st lang.); Mother tongue (2nd lang.)  Co-curricular activities › LEAPS

 IP Programme › “Through-Train” – Bypasses GCE ‘O’ Level › Project-based › Independent learners  Filters students and places them in niche schools › i.e. SSS, SST, SOTA, NUS High › Allows room for development of talent  Not necessarily academic-based

 Both still focus on academics  Streaming still occurs › Though at different levels

PastPresent Different language medium schools English-medium schools Linguistic streaming – PSPE or PSLEGEP & PSLE streaming Technical EducationAcademic-based Pri-Sec-Technical-University Pri-Sec-JC/Poly-(University) SSS, SOTA, SST, NUS High

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Thank You! 30