By IPS Correspondents
SINGAPORE, Apr 15 1998 (IPS)

In order to excel in the information age, Singapore is instructing its schoolchildren to go easy on hitting the books.

From next year on, pupils in this tiny island republic will have their workload cut by almost a third, to free them from the old book-bound routines that leave too little room for thinking and creativity.

These, education officials say, are the skills Singapore’s youth needs to develop to make the country a regional hub for the information age, and prepare it for the 21st century.

Singapore has made information technology (IT) an integral part of its education system. The first phase of its 1.23 billion U.S. dollar IT masterplan has been implemented in 22 high schools and the second phase is underway in another 100 high schools.

By year 2000, 240 high schools in Singapore would be fully- incorporated into the IT world.

“The introduction of the new technology at such a pace is a little daunting. But this is the pace at which the IT industry is moving,” said Education Minister Teo Chee Hean.

“Our schools, which must prepare our students for the world of tomorrow, cannot be behind what is already commonplace in the world of work,” he said.

Announcing the education reforms in Parliament recently, Teo Chee Hean said the lighter academic load would leave schools more time to develop creativity, including through more project work.

His announcement followed a review of the school curriculum and assessment system by the National University of Singapore’s deputy vice chancellor, Hang Chang-Chieh. His report, submitted in August 1997, recommended slashing current syllabi to allow more time for discussion and creative thinking.

In its overhaul of the education system, Singapore is veering away from the current system that puts too much emphasis on paper- learning and regurgitation of facts, and too little on individual reasoning and creativity.

Through a programme called ‘Vision’, the education ministry seeks to implement a two-stage scheme to encourage critical thinking.

The first stage will involve, from next year onwards, a decrease in the workload of students in secondary schools and junior colleges by 10 to 30 percent. Parts of the syllabi deemed superfluous or irrelevant to real-world situations will be cut.

More changes away from rote learning will be made in the year 2001, the second or “curriculum” stage.

Officials hope these reforms will produce students that are confident of relying on their thinking, reasoning and creative skills for answers, instead of being heavily dependent on books or spoonfed by teachers.

Such students should turn out to be efficient and quality workers in an information-based society later on, they say.

Officials say the decrease in the academic workload does not mean a decrease in curriculum time. Instead, 70 to 90 percent of course work would be taught within the time ascribed to the full load currently. This should give students more time to absorb what they learn, and enjoy the learning process as well.

“Creative and critical thinking cannot occur in a vacuum, they can only be learnt and applied in the context of some knowledge,” explained Teo.

Project work is a good starting point, teachers say. “Projects are a process where you can afford to make mistakes — and that’s where the teachers are there to guide you,” Chang Chieh, a professor, said in a recent television programme.

The education ministry is also studying changes in university admission criteria, from the present emphasis on exam scores to a wider scope that includes extra-curricular activities too.

The changes in the education mindset go to the very depths of the academic process in Singapore. In the end, they should cultivate in pupils a “sense of ownership of what they learn” in school, Chan Jee Kun, director of curriculum planning and development of the education ministry, said in an interview.

Still, the proposed changes are not without its critics. High school teacher Hamimah Abu says the changes may be less effective than intended.

“I think whenever a policy’s made, we’re afraid that we’re just paying lip service to whatever new reforms and new policies have been recommended. Teachers will still teach to test, teach to produce results,” she told Singapore television’s ‘Talking Point’ programme.

But others argue that Singaporean students need to be brought up to par with their peers in other countries, and that can only come about if the learning environment becomes less restrictive.

“To me, creativity cannot be learned, but it can be absorbed. If the environment is conducive enough for you to be creative, you can be creative. Singapore should take steps to instill creativity in students,” said Clement Choo, a 20-year old student at a local polytechnic.

Finally, teachers have some learning to do too. The National Institute of Education plans to set up a centre to train teachers in bringing out students’ thinking skills. Instead of referring to text-based questions, they will turn to asking questions to provoke debate.

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