The Republic of Singapore has achieved a youth literacy rate of 100 per cent for both males and females and has reduced primary school dropout rates to less than 1 per cent. These results correlate with Singapore’s strong commitment to make primary education free and compulsory through the Compulsory Education Act passed in 2003. Through investments in universal primary education, Singapore aims to equip students with the necessary skills to be productive citizens in a knowledge-based economy. Universal education is administered by the Ministry of Education (MOE), which manages 133 schools and 33 institutions that receive government support.
Singapore’s primary education system is compulsory for all children six years of age and above and born after 1996. Singapore’s compulsory education system maintains a ratio of 18.6 students per teacher and charges a monthly fee of SGD 6.50, or USD 4.55 per student. In order to ensure affordability and equal access, the universal education system is complemented by an "Edusave Scheme", which is a yearly cash transfer of SGD 200, or USD 158, for full-time students from poorer families who maintain good merit. In 2005 the Government of Singapore also launched ComCare, an income support scheme that is implemented in partnership with community organisations to provide financial assistance to boys and girls from poor families, or with disabilities, in order to meet educational expenses. Failing to enroll a child in primary education is recognised as a criminal offense in Singapore with a fine up to SGD 5000 or up to 12 months imprisonment. More than 99 per cent of children in Singapore currently attend the State’s primary education facilities.
Singapore’s educational system was restructured and strengthened to meet the demands of fast paced economic growth in the 1970s and 80s. Singapore has continued to make great strides in making education accessible for all and, in doing so, has fulfilled Millennium Development Goal 2, achieving universal primary education before 2015. According to the Singapore’s Ministry of Education, primary school level attendance amount to 239,102. Singapore’s compulsory education system makes a solid investment in the next generation and forms part of a social protection floor that is essential to ensuring the full potential of all in a knowledge-based economy.
Further Reading:
- Ministry of Education, Singapore (2013). Education Statistics Digest 2013. Accessed from http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/education-statistics-digest/files/esd-2013.pdf on 31 August 2013.
- Ministry of Education, Singapore (2016). Education Statistics Digest 2016. Accessed from https://www.moe.gov.sg/docs/default-source/document/publications/education-statistics-digest/esd-2016.pdf on December 2016.