INCA Education around the world
Singapore : Education Structure (ages 3-19)
3.1 Compulsory education
There is an average of ten years of formal general education, comprising six years of compulsory primary school education and four years or more in the secondary sector (the latter is not compulsory, although attendance is generally universal). 25, 38 Primary education commences in the January of the year in which a child reaches the age of 7; for example, a child whose date of birth fell between 2nd January 1996 and 1st January 1997, would have begun primary education on 1st January 2003. In addition, most parents would consider some form of pre-school education to be an essential part of the lives of their young children and would register children aged 3 to 6+ in kindergartens or childcare centres.50
Six years of primary education became compulsory for children entering primary school from the new school term commencing 1st January 2003. Prior to this, primary education, although not compulsory, was universal, with almost 100 per cent school enrolment of all eligible students. The requirement for children to attend primary education became compulsory under the Compulsory Education Act, which was assented to by the President of Singapore in October 2000. According to this Act, a child of compulsory school age is one who is above the age of 6 years and who has not yet attained the age of 15 years.68
Children of compulsory school age have to attend a national primary school, unless they fall into one of the following categories and are therefore exempted:
- Children attending so-called 'designated institutions', typically institutions which provide full-time religious education to children of primary school age.
- Children receiving home schooling.
- Children with special educational needs who are unable to attend mainstream schools because of physical and other disabilities. 54
The responsibility for sending children to school and ensuring that they attend is that of parents. A range of penalties is provided for in law to ensure compliance. Such penalties, extending from fines to jail terms in extreme cases, are imposed on parents only. Various levels of counselling and mediation are in place, however, to ensure that legal enforcement is the last resort. 54
Further information about compulsory schooling is available online.
Home schooling
Parents are granted an exemption to teach their child or children at home if they are able to satisfy the Ministry of Education (MOE) that the two key objectives of education can be achieved at home. These key objectives are that children should be provided with:
- A common core of knowledge which provides a strong foundation for further education and training to prepare them for a knowledge-based economy.
- A common educational experience which will help build national identity and cohesion. 54
Parents are also required to provide information on the curriculum and educational outcomes of the home schooling programme, and primary age children educated at home are expected to take and a reach a set level on the the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).54
