Singapore and Philippines Learning Visit of the HRDD Delegates of Sikkim from January 11 to 18, 2015 Headed by the Hon'ble Minister for HRDD Sri RB Subba

1. Overview of Education
System in Singapore and
the Philippines
Study Tour from January 11
to 18, 2015
Thursday 23 April 2015 1

2. HRDD TeamHRDD Team
No. Name Designation
01. Shri Ram Bahadur Subba Hon’ble Minister
02. Shri Ongden Tshering Lepcha Hon’ble Advisor
03. Shri Gyan Prakash Upadhyaya, IAS Principal Secretary
04. Shri Mingma Tempa Sherpa, SCS Director; School Education
05. Shri Bhim Bahadur Thatal, SCS Director; Primary Education
06. Shri Yugal Prasad Nepal, SES Joint Director; Higher Education
Thursday 23 April 2015 2

3. Study Tour to
Singapore and
Learning Points
Thursday 23 April 2015 3

4. • Primary school [6 years GCE(Singapore-
Cambridge General Certificate of Education ) N
level, secondary school [4-5 years GCE O
level, junior college (2 years GCE A level )
• PSLE: most important exam for segregation
of children into three broad categories
(express, normal academic and normal
technical)
Thursday 23 April 2015 4

5. • Philosophy- equipping student with broad
and deep foundation for life-long journey
• Education for employability
• Four phases : survival driven(1959-78),
efficiency driven (1979-96), ability based
aspiration driven(1997-2012) and
innovation driven (2012 till date)
• Education to prepare the children for an
increasingly uncertain and globalised
world
Thursday 23 April 2015 5

6. Core philosophy
• Reducing stress while maintaining rigour
• Education a social leveller
• Upholding professionalism in teaching
• Broadening definitions of success
• Facing economic uncertainty globally
• Involving public, parents and stakeholders
Thursday 23 April 2015 6

7. Core values
• Respect
• Responsibility
• Resilience
• Integrity
• Care
• Harmony
Thursday 23 April 2015 7

8. • Student-centric value driven education
• Life-long learning and learning for life
• Bringing out the best in every child in every
domain in every school, at every stage for a
better future together
• Provision of school based student care centre
in primary centres for working parents
• Retirement age for the teachers: 62 years
Thursday 23 April 2015 8

9. • Annual ceremony for welcoming new principals
and bidding farewell for retiring principals
• Focus on Character and Citizenship Education in
every school
• Niche programme in every school- Each school
has lessons for different skills viz. music, sports,
environment etc.
• Parent support group (PSG), School Advisory
Committee/School Management Committee
(SAC/SMC) in every school
• Rigorous and careful selection process of teachers
from the top 30% of cohortThursday 23 April 2015 9

10. • NIE conducts one to five years programmes for
all selected teachers before they start teaching
• Approach of NIE- Emphasis on mastery of
content (subject matter expertise) and mastery
on subject teaching (pedagogy)
• Teachers learn skills viz. understanding student
psychology (Target Group Approach)
• Focus on 5 P’s : Professionalism, Programmes,
Pedagogy, Practice and Perspective
• Developing education professionals-
knowledge, skills and values
Thursday 23 April 2015 10

11. • Innovative pedagogy- learning beyond the
classroom, self directed learning, enquiry-
based learning and real world learning
• Mentoring of teachers for initial two years by a
senior teacher and evaluation by their peer
group supervised by NIE faculty
• Applied study in polytechnics and ITE
(equivalent of ITI in India) review (ASPIRE)
launched to prepare polytechnic and institute
of technical education children for academic
and career progression
Thursday 23 April 2015 11

12. • Career counselling at junior college level
• Teaching profession highly respected, part of
Singapore Civil Service
• Even professionals like doctors, engineers join
teaching community midway through their careers
• NIE teams have visited Sikkim to Padma Ozer
Choling School, Manjushri, KCC Yuksam
• Great emphasis on teamwork and collaborative
learning- No Top Down Approach
Thursday 23 April 2015 12

13. • Categorization of teachers : senior teacher, lead
teacher, master teacher, principal master teacher
• Imparting global perspective- student exchange,
international practicum, international conferences and
overseas youth expedition project e.g. Engaging China,
and programmes like Chicken with real feather
• Academy of Singapore Teachers provides in-service
short term training to teachers (seven academies for
teacher training).
“when we focus on teachers, our students succeed”
• Quality of education system cannot exceed the quality
of teachersThursday 23 April 2015 13

14. Visit to National University of
Singapore (NUS)
• Education not for Degree but for Competency
• Intensive Focus on Research
• Provision for Lateral Entry Even From ITE and Polytechnic
Level to Higher Degrees
• Fellowship Exchange Programme
• Bring the World to NUS and take NUS Students to the
World- Global Education and Partnerships
• Students and Faculty from 100 Countries
• 18% Undergraduate 60% Graduate Students from Abroad
• Partnership with Overseas Institutions, Inbound Student
Exchange
Thursday 23 April 2015 14

15. • 26 University Level Research Institutes
• NUS in Top 30 Ranking in the World
• Nurturing Leaders for Singapore- Presidents,
Prime Ministers, Industry Captains,
Community Leaders
Thursday 23 April 2015 15

16. Visit to Lee Kuan Yew School of
Public Policy
• Interaction with Team Headed by Prof Mukul
Asher, the Seniormost Professor
• Disconnect between Policy and Administrative
Skills
• Weak and Unreliable Data Base
• Loss of Trust between Government and
Governed
Thursday 23 April 2015 16

17. LKYSPP Visit (continued)
• Serious Technological Disruptions
threatening Jobless Growth
• Urgent Need to Build Capacities of Lower
Level Bureaucracy which are the Weakest
Links in the Chain
• Knowledge of Economic Reasoning and
Public Financial Management a must to bring
in the Elements of Efficiency and
Effectiveness
Thursday 23 April 2015 17

18. • Small Changes in Policies which can make Big
Differences on the Ground
• Diagnostic Approach to do Away with
Regional Unevenness
• Identification of Future Public Policy Issues
which may Have Serious Implications
LKYSPP Visit (continued)
Thursday 23 April 2015 18

19. • Very healthy and intensive interaction
between the HRDD Sikkim and Singapore
Teams
• This visit was first of its kind from India was
emphasised again and again
• Question on PM Modi Effect!!
• HM aptly elaborated about the vision of HCM
and that it preceded PM Modi effect.
Thursday 23 April 2015 19

20. Study Visit to the
Philippines
Thursday 23 April 2015 20

21. • Philippines has adopted K to 12 system of
education since 2012
• The K to 12 is Kindergarten and 12 years of
basic education (six years of primary
education, four years of Junior High School,
and two years of Senior High School [SHS])
for mastery of concepts and skills,
development of lifelong learners, and
preparation of graduates for tertiary
education, middle-level skill development,
employment, and entrepreneurship.
Thursday 23 April 2015 21

22. • Philippines has a similar system like India of
free and compulsory basic education.
• Highest budget for education (27 billion php)
• Retirement age of teachers- 65 years
• Special emphasis on teacher training and
licensing of teachers by a national regulatory
body
• In-service training for teachers before school
reopens every year
Thursday 23 April 2015 22

23. • Field study for students at secondary level
• Similar system like Singapore of mentoring of
newly appointed teachers
• Master teacher 1, 2, 3 and 4.
• Principal of a School has to be a Master
Degree Holder
• Involvement of Community Leaders for
Continuous Improvement
Thursday 23 April 2015 23

24. • Teacher Uniform for Every day of the Week
• Teacher Quality Circle- Community of
Professional Teachers for Healthy Exchange of
Ideas
• Focus on Group Learning
• Meticulous Maintenance of Records of All
Events School Wise
• School Based Management System-
Decentralisation of Decision Making
Thursday 23 April 2015 24

25. • DAP of the Philippines conducts PMDP (Public
Managers’ Development Programme),
partially funded by the government, generates
its own resource.
• Managed by CESB (Career Executive Services
Board)
Thursday 23 April 2015 25

26. • Vision, mission, objective and target setting
for every school
• Attitude in action
• Devising delivery mechanism for the target
group
• Respecting own values and practices
• Professionalism in workplace
• Study India Project as Part of Curriculum
Thursday 23 April 2015 26
Implementing points

27. • Consistency in job performance
• Citizenship vis-a-vis consumerism
• Career-based, need-based and employability-
based education system
• Management over development
• Time-bound delivery of service
• Development of Specialised Schools for
Science, Maths and Humanities
Thursday 23 April 2015 27

28. • Preparing seed teachers for quality education
• Training of such teachers in batches in Singapore
• Resource Persons to be developed
• Strengthening SCERT and Capacity Building of
Teachers
• Reorganisation of Recess Time for deeper
bonding and bonhomie
• Provision of Day Care Center in Primary Schools
Thursday 23 April 2015 28

29. Gratitude
• Honourable Chief Minister and Government of
Sikkim
• Indian High Commissioner Singapore and her
team of officers
• Indian Ambassador, Manila, Philippines
• Executive Director, CESB, Ms Tonette
• Ministry of Education, Government of
Singapore
• Ministry of Education, Government of
PhilippinesThursday 23 April 2015 29

30. 30Thursday 23 April 2015