The mission of MOE is to
mould the future of the nation. This is done through
a flexible education system that brings out the best
in our young by developing them into useful and responsible
individuals and citizens, and providing them with a
strong foundation in the knowledge and skills necessary
to earn a living. A total budget of $6,165 million has
been voted to MOE in FY2005 to achieve this mission.
MOE heavily subsidises the operations of schools and
tertiary institutions: |
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$2,669 million to subsidise
the operations of primary schools, special education
schools, secondary schools, independent schools, centralised
institutes and junior colleges. |
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MOE is introducing greater
diversity of educational pathways, and creating more
space, time and opportunity for students to discover
their unique talents, nurture their strengths, and realise
their potential.
People
MOE will provide more resources to schools in FY2005
to better support our teachers, so that they have more
time and space to reflect on their teaching, experiment
with new pedagogies and upgrade themselves professionally.
This will enable them to come up with new and innovative
ways of teaching their students, so as to deepen understanding,
spark interest and cultivate a passion for learning.
$19 million will be provided for hiring additional teachers
to improve the pupil-teacher ratio in schools in FY2005.
MOE will also increase the manpower grant given to all
schools to buy more support services to ease the workload
of teachers. With an additional total budget of $12
million, we will increase the annual manpower grant
per primary school by 78% and per secondary school/JC/CI
by 27% from 2005. Schools can use the additional funds
to engage clerical support for data entry, bring in
external providers to organise and manage school events,
or provide logistics and manpower support for out-of-school
activities. Schools can also use the grant to enhance
the educational experience of their students by employing
experts in their respective fields of excellence to
conduct specialised training.
Programmes
MOE will introduce more programmes to give students
further options and opportunities to develop their strengths.
MOE will launch the school-based excellence programme
for primary schools from Jan 2005 to support schools
with strong niche programmes. Under the Bicultural Studies
Programme, which seeks to nurture interest in students
for the Chinese Language and to encourage those who
are able to master the language to go as far as they
can, students will have an extended period of immersion
in China. MOE is also working on Twinning programmes
between China and Singapore schools. By the end of 2005,
we aim to have 100 schools with links to good schools
in China. These schools will establish exchange programmes
with their China partner schools to allow students and
teachers to gain a better appreciation of China and
Chinese culture.
Infrastructure
 As
part of MOE’s effort to create a learner-centred
school environment, MOE will also upgrade and re-develop
existing schools. In addition, MOE will develop new
educational infrastructure for Institutes of Higher
Learning (IHLs) to cater to the needs of a larger student
population. These developments are elaborated below.
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Special Education
MOE will enhance support for Special Education (SPED)
schools to improve the quality of SPED schools. For
FY2005, an additional $12 million will be provided to
recruit more teachers, provide better professional development
for staff in SPED schools and improve SPED curriculum
design. Another $23 million will be provided to improve
the infrastructure in SPED schools. |
