“Strong Fundamentals for Future Learning” – Key Directions for the Future of Primary Education

From Ministry of Education Singapore Press Releases:

Retain the strong fundamentals of our education system but place greater emphasis on the development of lifeskills and values to ensure that pupils are well prepared for the future, recommends the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) Committee which shared its preliminary recommendations today.

2 key highlights of this review:  A more holistic lower primary (Primary 1 and 2) assessment and moving all primary schools to single-session by 2016.

Singapore still top in science

From The Straits Times:

SINGAPORE has retained its top position in a worldwide study of young students’ performances in science, but fallen to second and third position for Primary 4 and Secondary 2 respectively in mathematics.

The results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which involved more than 400,000 Grade 4 and 8 students – aged 10 and 14 respectively – across 59 global education systems, were released yesterday.

Great news for educators and students in Singapore. I was wondering what are Singapore students’ positions in languages and ICT skills. Any studies?

Music and Life

Very wise words by Alan Watts. Amazingly, this speech was made 70s (?), yet it is still so true today.