| Pre schools, kindergarten and nursery schools are | | | | by private sector, community foundations and |
| aiming for new heights today. The Child | | | | business groups etc. Primary education is divided |
| development program and orientation process has | | | | into two stages Foundation and Orientation. |
| been discovering new ways to train the best. To | | | | Foundation stage is a four year programme |
| what extent these efforts are effective and | | | | (Primary 1 to Primary 4) and Orientation stage is |
| innovative? Can we add more value to their | | | | for two year (Primary 5 to Primary 6). Primary |
| upcoming projects? How relevant these initiatives | | | | education is compulsory and tuition fees in |
| are for their great endeavour? | | | | Singapore are free of cost up to this level. But |
| Before coming to the criticism part let us have a | | | | monthly SGD 13 is being charged as miscellaneous |
| quick look on the Kindergarten and Primary | | | | costs. |
| education facilities of Singapore. Ministry of | | | | At the end of Primary 6, National Primary |
| Education (MOE) primarily controls the | | | | Schools leaving Exam is being held to determine |
| development and monitoring activities for state | | | | whether the student is good enough to leave |
| schools and private schools. There are differences | | | | primary school and apply for secondary education. |
| on autonomy, funding, course curriculum, tuition | | | | Home tuition Singapore is considered as an |
| fees and admission procedure between these two | | | | additional help for the parents seeking to improve |
| levels of schools. Voluntary Welfare Organizations | | | | their children’s grade and attain complete |
| (VWO) partially funded by MOE run Special | | | | private assistance. Education policies are favouring |
| education (SPED) schools for children with | | | | meritocracy, the ideology to identify and nurture |
| disabilities. For Singapore citizens expenditure in | | | | young students for leadership positions. Financial |
| education sector comprises of 20% of annual | | | | Assistance Scheme (FAS) programme provides |
| national budget. This serves state education and | | | | financial help to low income families having |
| government aided private sectors. For | | | | household income less than SGD 1500 or SGD |
| homeschooling also exemptions are allowed. English | | | | 1800. Even every year Edusave Merit Bursary |
| being the primary language for children which is | | | | (EMB) is provided to about 40,000 students born |
| being taught from pre school stage. | | | | in poor families. Ministry of education conduct |
| Kindergartens provide 3 years education to | | | | exchange programmes with 120 primary and |
| children aged between three and six. These are | | | | secondary schools in Singapore. Through this |
| termed as Nursery, Kindergarten 1 and | | | | students get chance to visit overseas schools in |
| Kindergarten 2. There are more than 200 | | | | ASEAN countries like China, India etc. |
| kindergartens registered with MOE. These are run | | | | |