MOE worries that our younger generation will be a bunch of spoiled-brats. 没有家教!
Character and Citizenship classes for schools
Syllabus to be introduced at primary, secondary levels in 2014 and will be conducted in Mother Tongue
by Sharon See
Nov 15, 2012
SINGAPORE - From 2014, all primary and secondary schools will offer the new Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) syllabus.
Education Minister Heng Swee Keat, who said this during a visit to Yangzheng Primary School yesterday, said the new syllabus is linked to the life experience of students so that they can relate to it more readily.
Identity, relationships and choices - core concepts of the new syllabus - will be delivered through different activities like storytelling and discussions, such as a mini version of Our Singapore Conversation, where students discuss current issues.
The CCE lessons will be conducted in the Mother Tongue, but it will also be taught through interactions with the form teacher. Schools will also be able to customise lessons that reflect their school values.
One new component is Family Time, which has suggestions for activities that allow parents to bond with their children and support the CCE.
Mr Heng believes this component will complement the efforts from the schools. "It provides for better bonding as well as greater involvement of parents and the community, and this is a very important effort because I think schools alone cannot succeed without the support of the parents and the community," he said.
As for core values like responsibility and integrity, these would not just be taught through formal lessons.
Ms Elena Tan, a teacher at Yangzheng Primary School, said teachers will also try to seize on "teachable moments" during other lessons to explain these values.
"For example, in terms of Science, through these experiments, I can teach them values such as perseverance - where sometimes, you do not get the first try right all the time," she said.
Some teachers said the challenge is to get students to internalise these values and apply them to their daily lives. This could be done by frequently recognising and showing appreciation for the effort made by students who do the right thing, as that would then encourage them to continue to do more good, they said.