Singapore – Education - Will winds of change be for the better?

SINGAPORE: Education Minister Heng Swee Keat recently announced changes to the education system. But is there a need to change? Aren't we doing fine?

By many accounts, Singapore has one of the best education systems in the world. Singapore students are top performers in international tests. Its curriculum-based textbooks have been adopted by 39 countries.

A common gripe, however, is that our students are only exam-smart and that our education system is very competitive and highly stressful. Such concerns suggest that there is always room for improvement.

Addressing these concerns at the Ministry of Education's Work Plan Seminar, Mr Heng unveiled plans for a "Student-Centric, Values-Driven Education" with four key attributes. At first glance, we may wonder whether these are achievable or a far-fetched vision. Is it possible to engage every student? Can every school be a good school? Will every teacher be a caring educator? Will every parent be a supportive partner?

These, in my view, are not statements of outcomes but statements of strategy. The idea is that actions guided by these principles would lead to a better education system through which our learners can receive a well-rounded education, with positive learning experiences. They also reiterate that the responsibility of educating a child rests not just with the school but also with the student, parents and the larger community, reminding us of the African saying, "It takes the whole village to raise a child".

MEASURING ACHIEVEMENT, TO WHAT END?

In line with this vision, the minister announced the removal of the achievement-oriented school banding, saying that academic results alone cannot be a good yardstick of a good school. While this has been welcomed by some, there is also disappointment expressed that removing competition poses a danger to standards of education.

This makes one wonder about the purpose of the banding.

While the practice has its merits and has served the purpose of identifying schools that have achieved academically, be it in terms of progress or sustained achievement, and spurring innovative programmes to enhance learning, it fails to provide insights on how the school, educators, students and parents have brought out these achievements. So, yes, the banding measures achievement, but the question is, to what end?

Should we simply measure achievement for the sake of measuring, or should we measure achievement to learn and improve? In other words, is measurement going to be of achievement - or for achievement?

COLLABORATE, NOT COMPETE

Interestingly, many of the news articles on this issue have covered only the abolition of the banding but have not elaborated on the alternative that takes its place. This is to recognise key attributes that contribute to a good school, such as best practices in teaching and learning, character and citizenship education, student all-round development, staff development and well-being, and partnership (with parents).

Though banding of schools based on academic results and recognition of good schools based on best practices have the same goal - to improve quality of education - they operate differently.

The awards are suitable as administrative measures of the performance of schools, and therefore push schools to come up with various innovative programmes so as to be the best.

On the other hand, the measures of best practices allow schools to learn from one another and build the overall quality of education in Singapore, while recognising the effort that has gone into this.

So which would be a suitable approach for nurturing our students: Competition (banding) or collaboration (sharing of best practices)? The answer is obvious.

ASSESS STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

What else is needed to make these changes successful?

I hope that there are also changes in ways of assessment. If school assessments continue to be mainly exam-focused and academics-oriented, it is highly likely that this is what schools, educators, students and parents will continue to work on. It stands to logic that what will be delivered is what is going to be measured or counted.

To ensure that the various stakeholders do not go back to the old heavily exam-oriented practices, the way forward would be to assess student engagement as an additional measure.

This would require new tools or tests: We should consider alternative assessments and include more formative tests that support assessment for learning, in addition to the typical summative assessment of learning (such as the final-year exams).

However, as grades in standardised national exams (such as the PSLE, GCE "O" levels, "A" levels) or traditional end-of-year/ module exams have been conventionally used as the "currency of education" to gain admission to higher education or jobs, it is not easy to do away with such exams.

I can hear the murmurs that additional assessment would mean extra work and stress. But this additional assessment will help students learn.

REVIVING 'TEACH LESS'

Another aspect not mentioned in the minister's address was the impact of changes on curriculum.

Student-centric learning activities would require more time, as it involves active engagement and not just passive transmission of information and knowledge to the students.

So the question is, are teachers going to be expected to cover the same curriculum or content to the same extent?

If we expect our teachers to do so, carry on with other teaching-related administrative, co-curricular activities, counselling and mentoring duties and, on top of this, come up with ways to engage students, our teachers are going to be overwhelmed.

Therefore, we may also need to rejuvenate the concept of "Teach Less, Learn More". With a re-scoped, student-centric curriculum, the focus would be on not content coverage but deeper, meaningful and valuable learning for life.

As an educator, I look forward to the changes, for there are numerous advantages to student-centric education. This is evident from the teaching and learning literature. Based on this, I am also confident that our students would enjoy it and am hopeful that they would adapt well.

As a parent, I look forward to connecting with my kids' schools and hope this is not limited to information sharing but purposeful interaction. Perhaps, as a first step, schools can consider creating opportunities for parents to experience the student-centric education. Our experience of school was so different that we may need to go back to school today.

(Dr Nachamma Sockalingam holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and is a lecturer at SIM University's Teaching and Learning Centre)

- TODAY

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