Singapore Education
Singapore has a strong educational system. The teachers are well trained and the school facilities are amongst the best in the world.
Singaporean students have constantly done Singapore proud with the many 'A's they churned out at the GCE 'O' and 'A' level each year.
Although Singapore education is good at producing good acadamic results, it is also known as the pressure cooker system where students are faced with immence pressure to excel. Many have to go through long hours of remedial classes, private tutions, enrichment classes etc... to ensure a 'bright' future in Singapore.
Some have argued that this system does not produce all rounder students but students who are only good at passing exams.
Therefore, there are some parents I know opt out of the formal Singapore education and choose to Homeschool their children instead.
An overview of Singapore Educational System
Preschool in Singapore
Preschool starts at 4 yr old. It comprises of Pre-nursery, Kindergarten 1 and Kindergenten 2. Schooling hours are 3-4 hours. There are 4 terms in a year and each term is 10 weeks.
There are also International schools here that expatriate parents can choose to send their children to.
Expatriates in Singapore on employment / professional visit passes could apply for their children for admission to the government or government-aided schools through the Ministry of Education . If there are vacancies, they need to obtain student passes from the Immigration Department.
Primary Education
6 years of Primary Education is compulsory in Singapore. At the end of primary education, the students will sit for Primary School Leaving Exam (PSLE).
Secondary Education
Secondary Education is divided into the Express Stream and the Normal Stream.
Express Stream takes 4 years to complete and at the end of it, students will sit for GCE 'O' level exam.
Normal Stream takes 5 years to complete and at the end of it, students will be required to sit for GCE 'N' level exam.
Which stream the student will get into would depends on their PSLE results.
Pre-University
Junior Colleges - 2 years
or
Centralised Institute Course - 3 years (eg Polytechnics, Vocational Insitutions etc.)
Tertiary / Post Secondary
See Ministry of Education website for more information
CaseTrust for Education
For summary, click here to see the Singapore Education Landscape
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