Why is the Singapore School System World-Class?

Posted by Aaronwatson on April 21st, 2021

Education is a paramount on the list of essential needs and services in this age. In this era of technology and gadgets, the speed of advancement is rising rapidly. And the education system is one of the prime organisations to thank for this escalating headway. Think about it, without a decent education system there would be no great minds to pave the path of the future. No future Einstein’s and Mozart’s to  blow the minds of the world at large and take the entire platform of what is known to another level.

Such advancement is not one that is easily achieved overnight. It takes years of hard work and research and effort, and this starts during the early days of a child’s schooling. While the credit goes to the individual for his/ her accomplishments, a huge chunk of the credit also goes to the people that have supported, encouraged and guided these minds, schools and teachers included. 

The Singapore School System

When it comes to Singapore’s education system, it is second to none and it speaks for itself. Ranked the highest around the world by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co – operation and Development), and the top rank for international education. Singaporean pupils make up half of the perfect scorers in the IB (International Baccalaureate) exams globally. The education system was also titled “world – leading”. It was also hand – picked for acclamation by the former United Kingdom Education Secretary Michael Gove. Singapore is even known as the “Global Schoolhouse” and accounts for more than 3 % of the state’s total economy. And the range of curricula - IB, Cambridge IGCSE, Indian CBSE - is mind-boggling too. 

Reasons For Academic Success

With so many successes under its belt, it is easy to see that the Singapore school system is admirable. But what specifically led to these triumphs? Let’s have a look at the reasons: 

For one, the teachers focus on specific subjects and explain them with great depth. This ensures a thorough understanding of the topic by the student. The teachers only move to the next after the subject has been explained to the best of their abilities and have covered everything there is to cover. Numerous education policies such as, Meritocracy, Bilingualism, Financial assistance, etc contribute to the excellent school system. Let us look at these with some more detail.

Meritocracy refers to the concept in the education system that strives to find and train talented and gifted youngsters for positions of leadership in the society. Having a good academic standing is extremely important in this scenario. 

Bilingualism is something that is actively in effect in the schools of Singapore. All schools have English as their first language, and their Mother tongue as the second. This is usually Mandarin, Malay or Tamil. Private and international schools have an even wider range of language options; Spanish and French to name a few. The focus on bilingualism is so that the students are groomed to be citizens of the world.

Financial assistance, this is something that there is no lack of in the schools of Singapore. The public schools have fees that are highly funded by the government and other organisations. The primary years of school are free! Well except for the minimal amount that is to be paid every month. Besides this, there are a wide range of scholarships and funds that are made available to the students. This guarantees that every child is given class education despite their financial backgrounds. 

Lastly, the Skills future Earn and Learn initiative. This lets vocational students find jobs and be paid while they are still involved in the job training structure. It is a lot like an internship experience. 

To conclude, there is nothing that the schools in Singapore are a step behind in. They have advanced in almost every aspect there is, and if you’re looking to enrol your child in a Singapore school then you can be rest assured that your child will be learning from the best.