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
Level |
Permissible Age Range @ 1st Jan or Year Of Admission |
Primary 1
|
6 to 10 plus
|
Primary 2
|
7 to 11 plus
|
Primary 3
|
8 to 12 plus
|
Primary 4
|
9 to 13 plus
|
Primary 5
|
10 to 14 plus |
Primary 6
|
No
direct admission is allowed to this level as the students will not have
sufficient preparation time for the Primary School Leaving Examination
held towards the end of the year. |
Secondary 1
|
12 to 16 plus
|
Secondary 2
|
13 to 17 plus
|
Secondary 3
|
14 to 18 plus
|
Secondary 4
|
No
direct admission is allowed, as students will not have sufficient
preparation time for the GCE “N” OR GCE “O” Level Examination held
towards the end of the year.
|
Secondary 5
|
No
direct admission is allowed, as students will not have sufficient
preparation time for the GCE “O” Level Examination held towards the end
of the year.
|
Pre-U 1
|
6 to 20 plus
|
Pre-U 2
|
No
direct admission is allowed, as students will not have sufficient
preparation time for the GCE “A” Level Examination held towards the end
of the year.
|
Pre-U 3
|
No
direct admission is allowed, as students will not have sufficient
preparation time for the GCE “A” Level Examination held towards the end
of the year.
|
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