Singapore Best Education System Ranked 79 in Adult Literacy

last SG · 2008-07-09T01:42:07+00:00

Well, singapore is probably the only country tat include the independent thinking into its curriculum while the other countries just concentrate on teaching...

maurizio13 SG

Does Singapore have a good educational system?

According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Singapore has an adult literacy rate of 92.5% and is ranked 79th in the world. So Singapore has 7.5% of the population who are illiterate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_literacy_rate

foxtrout8 SG

Not to say that our education system is the best. I like to ask which group do the bulk of our illiterates belong to. The post independence generation whom should benefit from MOE or elderly people whom are still alive but lived their youth under the leadership of a different time?

maurizio13 SG

Hong Kong ranked 68th which was a British Colony till 1997 has achieved a literacy rate of 94.6%.

Has the British Education System surpassed that of Singapore's MOE? Since Hong Kong was free from British rule for 10 years, while Singapore severed her relationship with the British approximately 50 years ago.

I heard from my parents that during colonial days, education was free, you don't have to pay for schools fees, all you have to do is get yourself to school.

eagle SG

Don't you already get a rough idea when you see forumers like Gazelle and clones?

foxtrout8 SG

Hong Kong ranked 68th which was a British Colony till 1997 has achieved a literacy rate of 94.6%.

I heard from my parents that during colonial days, education was free, you don't have to pay for schools fees, all you have to do is get yourself to school.

And yes by ur list, Cuba has a better education system than HK and Singapore and even Japan.

I tried to think along the line on our population having a portion belonging to the old era then i found out literacy rate may not be a direct indication of the efficiency of a country's education system. I believe many factors play a part such as history and culture.

domonkassyu SG

singapore best education system??

whoever says that can sICK my dUCK.

mayb if rephrased to singapore has the best failed education system.

charlize SG

NUS graduation is now known as commencement.

Following the US example.

eagle SG

NUS graduation is now known as commencement.

Following the US example.

Heh... I was at the main commencement ceremony today...

Sialution SG

I think if we are talking abaout Education, we should consider not only academic advancement, but also overall development. Today, we see childrens scolding their parents, scolding their maids, ignoring their grandparents...

To me, if learning to read and write is considered education, how about respect, understanding or even filial piety? My take is that Singapore DO NOT have an good education system, but our literacy system is definately up to mark.. Maybe it's time MOE look into THIS aspect of education.

kramnave SG

Yeah...get the teachers to adopt the kids too..

foxtrout8 SG

I believe respect is an issue that should be dealt at home and on a larger scale, be well demostrated and emphasized in our society. Teaching respect in school is very much as empty as national education whereby after so many years, people are still ashame to sing their national anthem.

maurizio13 SG

And yes by ur list, Cuba has a better education system than HK and Singapore and even Japan.

Your initial contention was that of Singapore being under British rule, therefore it wasn't able to achieve a higher literacy rate, that's why I brought up Hong Kong (which was under British rule till 1997), it achieve a higher level of literacy rate than Singapore.

Don't get confused with adult literacy rate with tertiary education, it's two totally different issues. I have no doubts that Cuba has more literate adults, but they might not be graduates.

Literacy rate might not play a 100% role in a country's education system, but it does play some role in determining a country's education system. If say the percentages are 50%, would you still think that our country's education system is doing a good job?

maurizio13 SG

When you said issues like social education should be dealt with at home, you might be wrong. A holistic education system is one that encompasses a wide range of subjects, from learning to be healthy, being good citizens, playing a part in society, etc. Maybe that is what's wrong with our MOE system of education.

Attached below is a transcript of the National Curriculum for UK.

Young people will understand:

Young people will:

understand the multiple roles individuals play (personal, learning and thinking skills: effective participators)

http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/personaldevelopment/index.aspx

Fantagf SG

Don't you already get a rough idea when you see forumers like Gazelle and clones?

Hiak hiak hiak. Can't help but laughed when I read your post.

Fantagf SG

Singapore education system still has lots of room for improvement.

Beautiful951 SG

Singapore education system still has lots of room for improvement.

Are you reffering to stressful workload if I may ask?

foxtrout8 SG

Don't get confused with adult literacy rate with tertiary education, it's two totally different issues. I have no doubts that Cuba has more literate adults, but they might not be graduates.

What i meant in my initial post was not to imply that the british education system is at fault. Reminding everyone including myself that the GCE system exist now in our country is from the british. What was lacking at that time was the promotion of education which is evident by the fact that alot of schools at that time were privately funded and scholarships were limited.

What i meant from my post was to imply that education wasnt emphasized and made available as much as in pre independence as compare to post independence in which alot of funds and efforts were made to promote educating our nation by MOE. The main recipent of the education movement is the post 65 people but not the pre 65 generation whom were at that point of time stop schooling. Considering that u brought MOE into the discussion, i was mainly trying to point out that the wand MOE carrying was unable to touch a considerable number of people then and therefore these group of people may form the bulk of the illiterate now.

I didnt say that the literacy rate is not an indication of the country's education system. I said that it is not a direct indication and therefore implying that there are many other factors that are at play.

If the literacy rate is a direct indication to the country's education system, Cuba as demostrated in that list might possibly possess a better education system that alot of the other countries like Singapore, Hongkong and Japan.

Fantagf SG

Are you reffering to stressful workload if I may ask?

No.

maurizio13 SG

What i meant in my initial post was not to imply that the british system is at fault. Reminding everyone including myself that the GCE system exist now in our country is from the british.

Ermmm...the GCE is just an examination, it's not the British Curriculum per se. GCE is like the SAT exams, they don't have topics teaching you how to be good citizens.

Both Hong Kong and Singapore adopted the British system, but Singapore evolved into something different, whereas Hong Kong continued with the British system till 1997. So here we have Singapore with MOE system resulting in 92.5%, whereas Hong Kong ended up with a higher 94.6%. I wonder how many of the post independence Singapore are illiterates, maybe you can look around the hawker center and gauge for yourself. Maybe we should have remained a British colony, our achievements might have surpassed the current.

foxtrout8 SG

Attached below is a transcript of the National Curriculum for UK.

Thank you for the curriculum. Your posts are always filled with good findings and information.

I like to point out that while curriculum directs the education process, it is not a sacred cow in which it alone cannot shape the whole education result.

For example, the liberal approach in the sex education curriculum seen in the west may not yield the same result if put in place in China. The curriculum may be shaped for the best interest of educating the society but the approach may not fit into the culture of the society. The conservative society of china may too apprehensive to accept that approach in teaching.

Sex education, moral education, national education are not something new in our curriculum but yet we are not moving far as anticipated. My take is that our society is still way back in our cultural understanding. You can definitely teach students to give up their seats for the people whom need them most. These are little cultural introductions will work little by little within our generation but not in large broad steps because our society on the whole doesnt practise such courtesy. Learn all you can at school about giving ur seats but people around you including your family members are not practising it. How much impact can the school alone bring about on such issues?

The curriculum and society must work hand in hand. As much as the school can teach us on courtesy, only our parents have the true authority to tell us to behave ourselves.