strategic management of educational development in singapore 1965 - 2005

19 June 2006 David NgNational Institute of Education Singapore

1

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN

SINGAPORE 1965 - 2005

19 June 2006 David Ng

National Institute of Education Singapore2

“We are not what we hope to be

But we are not what we used to be”

John Newton



1st Industrialization and Educational Reforms

1st Industrialization Phase

1st Educational Reform

1965 – 1973:

1. Investment-oriented;

2. Labour-intensive manufacturing

1. Integrated Educational System;

2. Growth of Technical Education



Table 2: Social Development Expenditure 1961 – 1965 (40% of Total Development Expenditure

Singapore $ million(Equivalent US $)

%

1. Health

2. Education3. Social Welfare4. Housing5. Sewerage6. Community Services7. Culture

35.80

94.48 1.77153.60 47.36 6.07 10.80

10.23

27.00 0.5143.9013. 54 1.73 3.09

349.99 (205) 100.00

1st Strategic Industrialization & Educational Reform




• Challenges

• Economic Strategy- Economic Development Board (EDB)

- Employment Act




• Educational Reform

• Strategy 1: Centralization of Primary and Secondary Education

• Strategy 2: Growth of Technical Education




• Strategy 3: EDB Training Centres

• Strategy 4: Company-based Training Centres



1st Industrialization Phase & Reform: Achievements

• Economic Achievements

- Average growth 10%

- Manufacturing 24% share of GDP

- Unemployment rate 3.6%



1st Industrialization Phase & Reform: Achievements

• Educational Achievements

- Student enrolment

- Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) 61% - 83%

- General Certificate of Education (GCE ‘O’) 53% - 69%



2nd Industrialization and Educational Reforms

2nd Industrialization Phase

2nd Educational Reform

1974 – 1985:

1. Capital intensive industries

2. Foreign workers

3. High wage policy

1. New Education System (Efficient management sys)

2. Certification and Training in Technical Education



2nd Strategic Industrialization & Educational Reform

1978 - 1979 1982 - 1983

Expenditure on education:

$32.75 million

Expenditure on education:

$374.68 million




• Challenges

• Economic Strategy- Wage Correction Policy

- Higher Value Technological Industries





• Strategy 1: Standardizing School Work Procedures and Processes

• Strategy 2: Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore




• Strategy 3: Certification through part-time training in Technical Education

• Strategy 4: Foreign Company Participation in Institutes of Technology



2nd Industrialization Phase & Reform:Achievements


- Average growth 7.3%

- Nominal value-added $18,400 in 1979 to $27,000 in 1985

- Skilled manpower 11 % in 1979 to 22 % in 1985



2nd Industrialization Phase & Reform: Achievements


- PSLE from 83% - 88%

- GCE ‘O’ from 69% - 88%

- VITB certified 9% of existing workforce



3rd Industrialization and Educational Reforms

3rd Industrialization Phase

3rd Educational Reform

1986 - 1997:

1. Services as engine of growth

2. Regionalization

1. Holistic Education

2. Quality Schools, Leaders, Teachers

3. Setting up Institutes of Technical Education (ITE)



3rd Strategic Industrialization & Educational Reform

National Technology Plan

$2 billion (1991 – 1995)

National Science and Technology Plan

$4 billion (1996 – 2000)




• Challenges

• Economic Strategy- Developing Industries Cluster Niche Areas

- Twin Pillars of Economic Growth: Services and Manufacturing





• Strategy 1: School Leadership Training and Development

• Strategy 2: Excellence in Education through Quality Schools




• Strategy 3: Setting up of Institutes of Technical Education

• Strategy 4: Total Training Concept of ITE



3rd Industrialization Phase & Reform:Achievements


- Average growth 8.6%

- Financial & business services in total GDP from 21 % in 1986 to 26 % in 1997



3rd Industrialization Phase & Reform:Achievements


- Enrolment of ITE students grew 84%

- GCE 5 ‘O’ Level from 70% (1991) – 82.7% (2004)

- Research scientists & engineers – 3,361 in 1987 to 11,302 in 1997



4th Industrialization and Educational Reforms

4th Industrialization Phase

4th Educational Reform

1998 onwards:

Knowledge-based economy; Entrepreneurship

1. ‘Thinking Schools Learning Nation’

2. ITE Breakthrough Plan



4th Strategic Industrialization & Educational Reform

Table 10: Singapore Educational Budget Allocation

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Budget (S$billion)

23.90 27.20 29.20 29.00 28.05 28.33 29.92

Percent to education

19.7 21.0 19.5 20.7 22.4 24.0 21.9




• Challenges

• Economic Strategy- Multilateral, Regional, Bilateral, FTAs

- Flexible Wage System; Low Taxes & Central Provident Fund

19 June 2006 David NgNational Institute of Education Singapore

27

ECONOMIC CHALLENGES



Singapore’s economic growth slower and more volatile…

-4

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001

% Change y-o-y Asian Financial Crisis

Average growth rate before crisis Average growth

rate after crisis

-4

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001

% Change y-o-y Asian Financial Crisis

Average growth rate before crisis Average growth

rate after crisis



China pulling lion’s share of FDI in Asia

Source: UNCTAD

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Inward FDI, US$bn

India

Singapore

Asian Financial Crisis

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Inward FDI, US$bn

China

ASEAN9

India

Singapore

Source: UNCTAD

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Inward FDI, US$bn

India

Singapore


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Inward FDI, US$bn

India

Singapore


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

Inward FDI, US$bn

China

ASEAN9

India

Singapore



Develop Human Capital

• Flexible and diverse education system

• New Buzzwords: creativity, innovation, intellectual curiosity

and risk taking, entrepreneurial, broad-based education, passion, R&D, global mindset, rootedness, continual learning





• Strategy 1: School Excellence Model

• Strategy 2: Singapore Quality Class (SQC) Award



SEM




• Strategy 3: ITE Breakthrough Plan



4th Industrialization Phase & Reform: Achievements


- Average growth 4%

- Strong growth in per capita GNI US$24,560 (2004)



4th Industrialization Phase & Reform:Achievements


- Enrolment of ITE students surpassing the 25% annual school cohort

- Continuing Education Training Programmes: trained 58,989 adult learners

- industry training partners trained 131,401 people





- TIMMS:

1st in Mathematics and Science

(1995, 1999,2003)




- International Olympiads (2003):

Biology: 1 gold; 3 silver and 5th team placing out of 41 countries

Chemistry: 1 gold; 2 silver; 1 bronze and 10th team placing out of 59 countries

Mathematics: 2 bronze; 3 honourable mentions and 36th team placing out of 82 countries



Life begins at 40

Thank You

strategic management of educational development in singapore 1965 - 2005

Documents

th industrialization

school leadership training

parttime training

edb training centresstrategy

secondary educationstrategy

total gdp

o level

centralization of primary