Channel NewsAsia - 2 hours 54 minutes ago
SINGAPORE: There will be a new secondary school option for primary school leavers come 2010 a new School of Science and Technology will offer students a four—year curriculum, placing heavy emphasis on applied learning.
The Education Ministry is working with the Ngee Ann Polytechnic and the Nanyang Technological University to plan and implement its curriculum.
The move to provide more choice and diversity in the education landscape was announced by Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam in Parliament on Tuesday.
At the School of Science and Technology, students will take courses that incorporate strong elements of technology, media and design.
Lower Secondary students will take broad—based subjects, while those at Secondary Three and Four will pay more attention to O—level subjects.
They can choose from four applied subjects, such as Biotechnology and Design Studies, on top of core O—level subjects in the Humanities, Languages, Mathematics and Science.
The school will also prepare students for post—secondary education in junior colleges or polytechnics before they go on to university.
Mr Tharman said: "They will be able to learn by experimenting, tinkering and by taking a project through all its stages from concept to design to building the models. But the exposure to real—world applications will not be aimed at getting students to specialise early in any skills. The real aim will be to nurture students with inventive minds, people who will keep looking for a different way of doing things."
In line with the applied nature of learning, enrichment courses and attachment programmes will be arranged for students at leading companies such as Creative Technologies and IBM.
Class size will be limited to about 20 to 25 students, and up to 200 places will be available in the school’s first Secondary One intake in 2010.
Students can also apply through the Direct Schools Admission Exercise in June 2009.
Lecturers from Ngee Ann Polytechnic will be seconded to the new school, which will start recruiting teachers this year.
Mr Chua Chor Huat, the current principal of Ngee Ann Secondary, has been appointed as the new school’s first principal.
The School of Science and Technology is the latest specialised independent school here after the NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, the Singapore Sports School and the School of the Arts. — CNA/so