At the risk of falling into the trap of instant expertise, let me offer some impressions-brought home from a recent trip-about why Singapore keeps coming in at the top on international tests of student achievement, at least in science and math. This week, I sketch the basic structure of that small but vibrant country's education system. In next week's Gadfly, I'll try to draw some insights from what I learned during my brief visit.
We do well to remind ourselves just how well Singapore's education system already does, routinely ranking first or second in the world. In the 1999 (8th grade) TIMSS-R, for example, on which the international average math score was 487 and the U.S. had 502, Singapore led all participating nations with a score of 604. In science, the international average was 488, the U.S. score was 515, and Singapore, with 568, was essentially tied for first place with Taiwan (569).
What's more, their kids get stronger in these subjects as they stay in school. One useful gauge is a comparison of how 4th graders fared on TIMSS in 1995 with the performance of 8th graders in 1999-that being the same cohort of children four years later. In math, where the U.S. went from average (for 4th graders) to 22 points below average (in 8th grade), young Singaporeans went from 73 points above the mean to 80 points above. In science, while the U.S. went from 28 points above average to 9 points below, Singapore rose from 10 to 44 points above.
Remarkably, one of the first things I learned about education in Singapore is that the national curriculum doesn't even include science in the first two grades. Children start studying it in the 3rd year of primary school. So it's not surprising that they make big gains in science between 4th and 8th grades. More noteworthy is that they already exceed the world average by 4th grade.
As you might suppose, along with other Asian countries that typically perform well on international measures (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, etc.), as we have long known from the work of Harold Stevenson and others, Singapore takes education very seriously. This tiny nation (about the size and population of Chicago) has essentially no natural resources (save for a world-class harbor) and thus pays close attention to cultivating its human resources.
That emphasis has paid off. Three decades ago, when I visited for the first (and only other) time, it was a newly independent ex-British colony with many of the usual ramshackle features of tropical third-world countries. It was plenty picturesque but none too advanced. Today, though shorter on raffish charm, it's a model of modern, high-rise, air-conditioned modernity and efficiency, spic, span and prosperous. Everything seems to run on time. You can drink the water. (A taxi driver remarked that Singaporeans now get diarrhea when they visit nearby Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.)
I didn't see anyone get caned, either, though it's evident that there are many rules, that they're enforced, and that the government is more intrusive-and given to social engineering-than Americans would likely tolerate. To avoid traffic jams, for example, the government imposes heavy fees on car ownership and also charges you every time you drive downtown. (On the other hand, there's a spanking new subway and taxis are ubiquitous, air-conditioned and cheap.) U.S. politicians would likely be voted out if they intruded thusly into private property rights and personal freedom. But we pay a different price: cities with horrid traffic.
Careful management also characterizes Singapore's education system. It's essentially a government system, save for a few idiosyncratic private schools. Half a million kids are enrolled in 370 schools. The first six grades are compulsory and free. Four more years are not yet required but are universally accessible and, though small fees are charged, the Ministry of Education says the high school dropout rate is down to 2.4 percent. This is a remarkable gain from 1980 when just six youngsters in ten completed secondary schooling.
Tracking is the rule, however, beginning in 5th grade. Everyone takes a placement test at the end of 4th grade, which determines whether one enters the advanced program (about 21% of kids), the regular program (71%) or a remedial program (about 8%). The curricular content is very similar in all 5th and 6th grade tracks, however. The main difference is that youngsters in the advanced program study their "mother tongue" (Chinese, Malay or Tamil) more intensively. Besides "mother tongue," everyone in primary school studies English ("the language of commerce, technology and administration," says the Ministry's overview) as well as math and (from 3rd grade) science. Also included are health, social studies, music, art, and much emphasis on "civics and moral education"-a course with a distinct nationalistic flavor.
Everyone takes another test-the "primary school leaving examination"-at the end of 6th grade, which determines the high school track one enters. This gets a mite complicated, but picture two main tracks, one pointed toward higher education, the other toward technical/vocational training. Within the more academic track (where you find 60% of secondary students) are two sub-tracks, an elite "special" program (10% of the cohort) and the broader "express" program (50%). These are four-year programs, at the end of which youngsters sit for British-style "O-level" exams (in fact these tests are jointly operated by Singapore and Cambridge University), after which they ordinarily head into a junior college (27%) or a polytechnic (38%). University follows for about 21% of the cohort.
For the 40% who enter the technical-vocational path, there are also two sub-tracks, one called "academic" (22%), the other "technical" (18%). These are followed by "GCE N-level" exams and then, for about half the group, entry into an Institute of Technical Education. Some go to junior college and a few make it to university.
I was told that there are opportunities at several points for movement among tracks, both upward and downward, initiated by student and parent or by teacher and principal. I don't know how much of this actually occurs.
That's the basic structure. It's free (as well as compulsory) at the primary level. There are small fees for secondary schools, junior colleges, etc., most of the pre-university cost being absorbed by the government. University attendance is pricey, however, unless one qualifies for a scholarship or enters a field (such as teaching!) where the government picks up the tab. In the latter case, there's an obligation then to serve in the chosen field for a prescribed period, which is 3 to 5 years for teachers, depending on which university program one has completed.
For additional observations about education in Singapore, please watch this space next week.
