To focus on values - Mr Heng Swee Keat

http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2011/09/22/work-plan-seminar-2011.php

Hi all, i have provided the link to the speech by Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Education, at the Ministry of Education (MOE) Work Plan Seminar. I think all teachers or teachers-to-be should take a look at what was mentioned in the speech so that we know where we should be working towards or at least where the education system is heading to. Basically, he calls for a more holistic, student-centric education system which is very relevant to what we have been looking at in our course.

"In 2009, MOE launched the 21st Century Competencies Framework. These competencies are harder to teach and their outcomes even harder to measure, but we must do it. At the heart of what you know as the “Swiss Roll” is values. But just as important, are the competencies we want our children to exhibit.

Many of you have asked for support to be more student-centric, to see to the total development of the person rather than to build up just the academics. You also want to see a more collegial and collaborative environment among schools. And you want to know how we can bring parents and the community with us. Our schools and teachers will need time and space, to engage in the more demanding type of educating – values and 21st century competencies.

For this Work Plan Seminar, I want to focus on two key emphases for our next stage of development. We want to make our education system even more student-centric, and sharpen our focus in holistic education – centred on values and character development. We could call this Student-Centric, Values-Driven education. Another way of putting it, value in our learners and learning values... "

Mr Heng also mentioned about how to make schools themselves models of 21st Century Competencies in creativity, innovation and collaboration. He expects networks of schools as centres of innovation in delivering student-centric education and see that schools are already coming together to find solutions to common issues, especially at the cluster and zonal level.

"In 2008, St Hilda’s Secondary, Temasek Secondary and Xinmin Secondary, who had similar student profiles, saw a common challenge in imparting thinking skills. They came together and implemented a thinking skills curriculum over a larger student base. Today, all three schools have continued with the programme and are now looking at further collaboration and sharing. We want to encourage more of such efforts."

I think it is more effective to have schools pooling resources together and promote learning among teachers. I am glad that for a start, Mr Heng Swee Keat and his team are gathering feedbacks from parents,teachers and students to review on the current education system. Read more on the speech to learn about the initiatives he will be rolling out :)