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Overview of Singapore’s Education System and Milestones in the Development of the System and School Mathematics Curriculum

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Mathematics Education in Singapore

Part of the book series: Mathematics Education – An Asian Perspective ((MATHEDUCASPER))

Abstract

The first part of the chapter acquaints the reader with Singapore’s education system, mainly the goals of education, primary school, secondary school and post-secondary schools/institutions. The courses of study at appropriate years of schooling and the relationships between the corresponding mathematics syllabuses in the courses of study are presented. It also illuminates the possible lateral transfers between courses of study at the secondary school and various pathways to post-secondary education and institutes of higher learning. The second part of the chapter traces chronologically the milestones of the education system for the last six decades, which fall into four well-marked phases in the development of the system. The phases are (i) survival-driven phase (1959–1978), (ii) efficiency-driven phase (1979–1996), (iii) ability-based, aspiration-driven phase (1997–2011), and (iv) values-based, student-centric phase (2012–present). Alongside these developmental phases, the milestones in the development of the school mathematics curriculum are also elaborated.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Education Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Berinderjeet Kaur

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  1. Berinderjeet Kaur
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Correspondence to Berinderjeet Kaur .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Tin Lam Toh

  2. National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Berinderjeet Kaur

  3. National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Eng Guan Tay

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Kaur, B. (2019). Overview of Singapore’s Education System and Milestones in the Development of the System and School Mathematics Curriculum. In: Toh, T., Kaur, B., Tay, E. (eds) Mathematics Education in Singapore. Mathematics Education – An Asian Perspective. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3573-0_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3573-0_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-3572-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-3573-0

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

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