3 things I admire about the Singapore education system

1. In recent years, the narrative in Singapore has evolved to “teaching is a team sport”. I don’t think it’s mere rhetoric because I have witnessed firsthand how the collaboration between personnel from the Minstry of Education, Headquarters and ordinary teachers has grown from strength to strength. Take for instance, the Virtual Meet, an online seminar initiated by the Educational Technology Division. When I co-presented with another teacher in 2020, it was a fledgling initiative, with an ETD staff actually conferring with us individually before our presentation. Fast forward to my presentation 4 years later, the Virtual Meet now spans across two days, featuring more than 40 groups sharing on a multitude of topics. No more 1-to-1 conferring with HQ staff! A mass briefing will have to do these days. While I miss the personalised touch of those cosy early days, I have come to be awed at the impressive scale of the Virtual Meet. It lets me interact and swap ideas with fellow teachers I wouldn’t have met otherwise. Teaching in Singapore is  increasingly a less insular pursuit, for better or for worse.
2. Our education system encourages travel, and as an educator, I have been a beneficiary of such a forward-looking initiative. In my two years with Singapore Polytechnic, an institution that prepares students either for the workforce or for further studies in university (depending on their GPA), I have had the privilege to bring students to China (cultural immersion program), Indonesia (leadership development program), the Philippines and Vietnam (community service trips). This was such a fruitful and rewarding period of my life that the first question my friends came to ask me after not seeing me for some time became, “So where have you visited recently? Commendably, educational institutions partner external organisations to bring such trips to fruition for our youth. For the China trip, I collaborated with the Confucius Institute; as for the Philippines and Vietnam trips, I worked with Mercy Relief. Hence, I not only got to broaden my worldview by interacting with people from other countries, but also expanded my professional network in Singapore. Education was a great way to feel that I was contributing to something larger than myself.
3. I quite like Singapore’s primary school Science curriculum. I think it teaches young minds to be observant and empower them with the scientific terms to explain the everyday phenomena occurring around them. Several big themes are introduced to the kids, namely Diversity, Cycles, Systems, Energy and Interactions. Spiral progression is then used to great effect to explore these five themes throughout four years. With basic ideas are taught in the middle primary years, young learners will then be ready for more advanced concepts being built onto their rudimentary understanding like hardened layers of soil stacked on top of each other. I had fun teaching Science at a primary school!