There are four general levels of education in Singapore which are Primary School, Secondary School, Pre-University and Tertiary.

Primary School
Primary level consists of 6 years of compulsory schooling and at the end of the sixth year, students must take the national examination known as the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). The first 4 years of the primary level are dedicated to strengthen the foundation of student’s skills and knowledge while the 5th and 6th years are orientation years to prepare them for the secondary level.

The overall objective of primary education is to allow students to have good knowledge in English, their Mother Tongue and also Mathematics. Co-curricular Activities (CCAs) and Community Involvement Program (CIP) participation are encouraged among students.

Secondary School

Based on how students perform in their PSLE, they are graded and placed in Special, Express, Normal (Academic) or Normal (Technical) courses accordingly in Secondary Schools. Different curriculum are used in each courses and are designed to suit the interest and learning abilities of these students.

Students under the Special or Express courses take the GCE ‘O’ levels while students under the Normal (Academic) or Normal (Technical) take the GCE ‘N’ levels after 4 to 5 years of education. All students are required to participate in at least one CCA. CCA performance is an admission requirement for further studies.

Pre-University

Pre-University education is 2 to 3 years of education in Junior Colleges or in centralised institutes. Upon completion of their studies, students will sit for the GCE ‘A’ levels examination and upon passing, they are awarded a School Graduation Certificate. CCA participation is also required as it is a consideration factor for admission into University.

Tertiary Education

There are 4 different areas of tertiary education in Singapore and they are ITE, Polytechnics, Universities and Special Schools.

ITE
They are the national authority in determining the skill standards and certification of skills in Singapore. Its main role is to ensure that graduates from ITE have the necessary technical knowledge and skills relevant to their industry.

Polytechnics
These institutions were set-up to train mid-level professionals to provide support to the technological and economic development of Singapore. Polytechnics train students on relevant and specific skills that give Singapore a competitive edge in the knowledge-based economy.

Universities
Its undergraduate courses serve as a preparatory step towards challenges in the working world.

Special Schools
Managed and owned by private schools/organizations, these schools have curriculum tailored for handicapped children.

ADMISSION OF EXPATRIATE STUDENTS INTO LOCAL SINGAPORE SCHOOLS
Children of expatriates in Singapore can apply to local government or semi-government schools through the Ministry of Education (MOE). The Immigration Department will need to give them student passes before admission.

Most local government or semi-government schools consist of local children with Singaporean origin, as compared to private or International schools which have students come from all over the world. School fees in local schools are much cheaper as compared to private or International schools. Information and procedures of enrolling into local schools are listed as follows: -

ADMISSION OF EXPATRIATE STUDENTS LOCAL SCHOOLS
There are a few types of local schools in Singapore. They are government schools, semi-government schools, independent schools, junior colleges and centralised institutes.

There are stipulated forms to be filled up for school admission for expatriate students or foreign students. These forms can be obtained from the student information website or from the school offices.
Information on school admission can be obtained from the website http://www.moe.gov.sg/esp/foreign/ or at MOE Customer Service Centre at DID (65) 6872 2220, Fax No (65) 6776 4617. MOE email address is contact@moe.edu.sg

Application Procedures

Qualifying Exam

1 – For a child whose parents’ holds an S Pass or Work Permit (R Pass), they are required to pass a qualifying exam before starting their application. Civil Service College Consultants will conduct the exam called Assessment of General Ability. If a student fails the exam, he/she cannot be considered for admission at all. The results of the exam will be sent via post. If the result is positive, then the student can start to approach the school of their choice with the letter to apply for admission.

Information on the requirements can be obtained through the Ministry of Manpower’s website –
http://www.mom.gov.sg
               
Application for the qualifying exam can be done online via – 
http://www.cscc.gov.sg/gat.htm

Applying to School of Choice – Placement Exam, Letter of Acceptance & Student Pass

2 – Parents or guardians need to submit the completed forms together with the relevant original documents directly to the school they have chosen. Schools will conduct a placement exam for applicants that they have short-listed according to vacancy availability. If the student passes the exam, the school will issue a Letter of Acceptance (LOA).

With the LOA, the student can continue to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to apply for a student pass. Acceptance into the school is subjected to the student obtaining the student’s pass from the ICA within 2 weeks from the issuance date of the LOA. The LOA produced must be the original copy, and the student must produce the ICA within 2 weeks or the offer for admission will be forfeited.

Students who hold a Dependant’s Pass (DP) or an Immigration Exemption Order (IEO) is not required to apply for a student’s pass from ICA. He or she can be admitted immediately if they pass the placement exam.
For more information refer ICA website – http://app.ica.gov.sg/serv_visitor/index.asp

Placement Exam
English, Mathematics and Mother Tongue Language (where applicable) will be the subject tested in the placement exam.
                               
Exemption from Chinese, Malay, or Tamil as Mother Tongue Language
Exemptions can be given on a case-to-case basis after the student has been admitted into the school. This exemption is made through the school principal office. The principal office will then refer to the Languages & Literature Branch, Ministry of Education for consideration.

Donation to the Education Funds

3 – Upon successful admission, the Ministry of Education will send a letter to the student to seek for biennial donation to the Education fund once every two years. The donation is approximately S$1,000 and must be donated within the stipulated period in the Letter of Donation.

Subsequent donations must be made in advance every two years. This is required for foreign students seeking admission to local schools, junior colleges, and centralised institute for academic year beginning in January each year. This biennial donation replaces the previous donation rates of S$3,000 for Malaysians and S$5,000 for other nationalities that was requested once during the primary education level and again during the secondary education level.

Even if the foreign student’s parents are Singapore Citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents or holders of work passes (P1, P2, Q1, S, R, and other work passes) they are required to make this donation if they are admitted from 1st January 2001 onwards.
These donations are tax-exempted thus an official receipt will be given. Donations are non-refundable except when the foreign student is awarded a Singapore Government Scholarship in the year of admission or when he/she has not attended any classes in the school.

Other Information of Application Procedures

Application Period
Application can be made anytime throughout the year, however the admission is subjected to vacancy availability, and that there are no Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents on the school’s waiting list.

For admission to Primary One in the subsequent year, the student may register at the school they have chosen during or after the Phase 3 of the annual Primary One Registration Exercise. For more info, please refer to http://www.me.edu.s/esp/schadm/p1/

Particulars of Guardians
All foreign students need to provide the information of their guardian for contact purposes. The guardian must be a Singapore Citizen or a Singapore Permanent Resident above 21 years old OR the parents of the foreign students who are working/staying in Singapore. Any changes in the guardianship must be reported to the school’s principal immediately.

Level of Admission
Level of admission will be assessed based on documentation proof that the student has completed and passed the previous level. The age criteria is also considered. Foreign students who have been admitted to the primary level must complete the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) before proceeding to the secondary level (see Age Criteria below).

Boarding Facilities
There are many boarding schools or hostels. They are all listed in the Yellow Pages of the Singapore Telephone Directory.

School Fees
For government and semi-government schools, a monthly fee is applicable. S$80 for primary level, S$130 for secondary level and S$250 for pre-university level.

For children of Singapore Citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents and dependants of Employment Pass and Skilled Work Permit Holders, the monthly fees payable for the first 2 years are S$3 for primary, S$5 for secondary and S$6 for pre-university. For the third year onwards, the school fees payable will be according to the citizenship status.

Other than school fees, students have to pay miscellaneous fees too. The maximum monthly miscellaneous fees are S$11 for primary, S$16 for secondary, and S$22 for pre-university levels. Each school have different rates and therefore it is good to check directly with the school of choice for the fee schedule.

The Ministry of Education reviews the fees structure regularly.

Age Criteria

General Info
The Directory of Schools and Educational Institutions, Singapore can be obtained from Customer Service Centre for S$3.50 excluding postage at:

Ground Floor, Podium Block,
Ministry of Education

This directory contains the addresses and telephone numbers of all schools in Singapore. Information can also be obtained through http://www.moe.edu.sg/schdiv/sis