By Laura Elizabeth Philomin, TODAY, 3 Sep 2014
“I don’t see any contradiction,” Mr Heng said to reporters during a visit to Greendale Secondary School, where he announced the ramping up of a programme for students to deepen their knowledge and skills in science, mathematics and technology.
He added: “In fact, what we want to do is to provide many opportunities for students and for Singaporeans who are working to continue to learn and to learn in different ways, to use different modes of learning and be able to apply this learning to different contexts. So the general goal is very clear.”
In an interview with TODAY last week, Professor Andersson was asked to weigh in on the spirited public discussion about the value of a degree. Among other things, he said the current proportion of each cohort here who go on to study at local universities is low by international standards and that the Republic needs more graduates to stay ahead of the global competition. He also pointed out that there is a false dichotomy between specialised training and pursuing a degree.
The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Applied Learning Programme (STEM ALP) will be rolled out to half of the 124 mainstream secondary schools by 2017. The rest of the schools will offer applied learning programmes in a variety of other areas.
Currently, 42 secondary schools offer the STEM applied learning programme. Responding to a reporter’s question on whether the initiative was aimed at shifting education away from academic learning to applied learning, Mr Heng said: “We should not create a dichotomy between one form of learning and another form of learning.”
Currently, 42 secondary schools offer the STEM applied learning programme. Responding to a reporter’s question on whether the initiative was aimed at shifting education away from academic learning to applied learning, Mr Heng said: “We should not create a dichotomy between one form of learning and another form of learning.”
He added: “What we need to do is to be able to integrate different modes of learning to help students see the impact of what they learn and to be able to apply this knowledge and ideas in many different ways.”
Mr Heng noted that while the recommendations of the Applied Study in Polytechnics and ITE Review Committee (ASPIRE) focused on polytechnic and ITE education, they go beyond it. “In fact at every level of our learning journey, the ability to learn something and then to apply it skilfully is very important, whether in the pre-school, university or secondary school context.”
Separately, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean noted that a degree is not quite the “one-way ticket to success” it once was. Speaking at an alumni dinner for the University of Manchester, he pointed out that only 4 per cent of his cohort went to university in 1972. But by 2020, there will be enough places for public universities here to take in 40 per cent of each cohort. Universities must provide their graduates with the necessary knowledge and skills to prepare them for the working world, he said.
“Otherwise, they may be graduates, but they may not be suited for the job market,” Mr Teo added.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
During an eight-week pilot, about 320 Secondary One students at Greendale Secondary recently completed the STEM applied learning programme. Among them was Jolyn Teo, who said she was excited to learn more complex coding and programming for automated water pumps and light sensors in her team’s vertical farming project.
Another student, Christstela Kai En Ravikumar, and her team members worked on wearable electronics and designed a jacket with LED lights for cyclists to signal their intention when changing lanes on the road.
After receiving positive feedback from students and teachers, Greendale Secondary principal Mark Gerard Minjoot said he intends to enhance the STEM applied learning programme into a year-long initiative embedded in the curriculum next year for both Sec 1 and 2 students.
To support schools’ STEM applied learning programme, a new unit has been set up at the Science Centre Singapore. Called STEM Inc, the collaboration between Science Centre and the Ministry of Education will see 50 members of the unit working with teachers to develop content for the curriculum.
Science Centre CEO Lim Tit Meng said: “We recruit a team of specialists — retired engineers, scientists, professors — and they create content that is not found in textbooks.” STEM Inc will also look into opportunities to link schools up with industry partners.
Science Centre CEO Lim Tit Meng said: “We recruit a team of specialists — retired engineers, scientists, professors — and they create content that is not found in textbooks.” STEM Inc will also look into opportunities to link schools up with industry partners.
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