Education is managed by the Ministry of Education which controls state schools and supervises the development of private schools. Since 2000 it has been compulsory by law to send a child to school at least in the primary years (up to age 12). Almost all classes are taught in English.
Students have to complete a primary school leaving exam before moving on to secondary school. There are the different educational streams that students choose to follow. ‘Special’ and ‘Express’ lead to the completion of Cambridge-Singapore O Levels. The focus of these courses is on languages. In the ‘Normal’ streams (either technical or academic), students also work towards O Levels with a broader curriculum. Some schools also offer an ‘integrated’ stream reaching A Levels or the International Baccalaureate. Other students take their A levels at ‘pre-university’ or ‘junior college’. Students are also strongly encouraged to choose from a range of after school clubs, such as for example, cadets, sport or drama.
The Higher Education system is divided into polytechnics, which offer a range of vocational qualifications, and universities. There are four in Singapore: National University, Nanyang Technological University, SIM University and Singapore Management University.
