The “Thinking Schools, Learning Nation” (TSLN) vision was launched by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in June 1997. It aims to encourage young Singaporeans to perceive education as a life-long process as well as to develop creative thinking skills and a lifelong ...
In Singapore, vernacular education refers to education conducted in the native languages of the main resident communities, namely Malay, Chinese and Tamil. From the early 19th to the mid-20th centuries, formal vernacular education was started by philanthropists, ...
Bilingualism has been the cornerstone of Singapore’s language policy since the People’s Action Party (PAP) was elected to power in 1959. The policy entails an emphasis on using English and the mother tongue languages, particularly that of the three main ethnic ...
The two-child policy was a population control measure introduced by the Singapore government during the 1970s to encourage couples to have no more than two children. It was part of the second Five-Year National Family Planning Programme (1972–75) that was unveiled ...
The clean-up of Singapore River and Kallang Basin took place largely between 1977 and 1987. Besides the physical cleaning of the heavily polluted rivers, the massive exercise also involved the removal of various sources of pollution, the provision of proper sewage ...
The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) encourages economic growth and creates employment so that Singaporeans can lead better lives. Its strategies are based on a free-market system and outward-oriented economic policies.
The Four National Taps, a term used by then Minister for the Environment Lim Swee Say in 2004, refer to the four sources that Singapore relies on for its water supply. They comprise water from local catchment, imported water, high-grade reclaimed water known as ...
The Corrective Work Order (CWO), which came into effect on 1 November 1992, is an amendment to the anti-littering law. It was a punitive measure that requires the offender to clean up the community instead of paying a fine. The first CWOs were performed on 21 February ...
Education for children (of typical school-going ages) with disabilities is managed by voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs). The National Council for Social Services (NCSS) is the primary overseer with its Programme Evaluation System, while the Ministry of Education ...
The Speak Good English Movement (SGEM) was launched on 29 April 2000 by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong to “encourage Singaporeans to speak grammatically correct English that is universally understood”. The movement was introduced as a response to the growing ...
Lee Yock Suan (b. 30 September 1946, Singapore–) is a former cabinet minister and member of parliament (MP). He served as MP for the Cheng San single-member constituency (SMC) from 1980 to 1988 followed by Cheng San group representation constituency (GRC) from ...
The Vocational and Industrial Training Board (VITB) was formed on 1 April 1979 with the merger of the Industrial Training Board (ITB) and the Adult Education Board (AEB). The functions of the latter two statutory boards in the areas of vocational and industrial ...
For much of the early 19th to mid-20th century, technical and vocational education in Singapore was underdeveloped due to the nature of the economy and the colonial government’s noninterference in education. Technical and vocational education gained importance ...
Lim Chong Yah (b. 1932, Malacca, Malaysia–) is an eminent economist and academic best known for serving as chairman of the National Wages Council for 29 years. Lim is professor emeritus at both the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, ...
The Ministry of Education (MOE) was established in 1955 by the then newly elected Labour Front government headed by David Marshall. Chew Swee Kee was appointed the first minister for education. Since then, MOE has been actively implementing and formulating education ...
The Open University Degree Programme (OUDP) was administered by the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) in a five-year tie-up with the British Open University. The partnership started in 1992, when SIM was invited by the Ministry of Education to run the Open ...
On 8 December 1953, the colonial government in Singapore issued a white paper titled Chinese Schools Bilingual Education and Increased Aid. The white paper proposed the introduction of bilingual education in Chinese schools in exchange for increased financial aid ...
In August 1978, then Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee was tasked to lead a study team to identify problems in Singapore’s education system and propose solutions. The government had felt that a thorough review was crucial to align the education system with the ...
The National Institute of Education (NIE) is Singapore’s only teacher training institution. In addition to engaging in initial teacher preparation, the NIE also provides continuing education and life-long learning to teachers, and conducts extensive, cutting-edge ...
The Queen’s Scholarship was an annual education scheme introduced by the colonial government in 1885 to enable promising students in Singapore and Malaya to enrol at a British university. It was the colony’s most prestigious academic prize until it was replaced ...