Levelling the playing field: More students with special needs granted accommodations for exams (29 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE - When Dr Geetha Shantha Ram’s daughter Tara was in Primary 3, she struggled to keep up academically.
Simple mathematical questions were a struggle for Tara, not because of poor calculation skills, but because she could not comprehend the questions.
Tara was later diagnosed with mixed dyslexia, a learning difficulty that affects both sound-based and visual processing."
Flat-head syndrome: KKH sees 36% rise in cases; opens Singapore’s first centre for treatment (29 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE – Customised 3D-printed helmets are being used by the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) to treat very young babies with flat-head syndrome, a misshaping of the skull that can occur when babies sleep in one position for long periods.
The helmet, which is worn almost all the time, gently guides the skull to grow into a more rounded and symmetrical shape.
A growing number of parents are seeking treatment to correct this head shape abnormality in their babies, pushing up the number of cases at KKH by 36 per cent in the last two years."
Fun With Kids: Book Bugs cards, free screening at Gardens by the Bay, Hong Kong Disneyland turns 20 (29 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE – Make family time all the more special with these ideas and activities.
Book Bugs cards exhibition
If your kids are avid collectors of the National Library Board’s (NLB) Book Bugs cards, take them to the Book Bugs: Unearthing Memories exhibition, which will showcase all 425 cards from five editions since 2016."
The quirks of Singaporean Chinese names (29 June 2025)
"If you are a Chinese Singaporean of a certain vintage, like me, you would have gone through the days of being known by a hanyu pinyin name.
I grew up in the 1980s, the first decade of the Speak Mandarin Campaign when there was much zeal for all things Mandarin."
Minor Issues: I am my special-needs child’s deputy. Now what? (29 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE – In February, I wrote about how I had submitted an application to be a court-appointed deputy for my daughter with autism, Kate, with my husband as a second deputy.
As Kate is 21 in 2025, she is legally an adult, but lacks the mental capability or awareness to make financial and medical decisions. With deputyship, my husband and I will have the proper authority to make those decisions for her."
Code of honour: Singapore teens embrace making apps and video games (29 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE – Secondary 4 student Jatin Rakesh is the rare teenager who has met Mr Tim Cook.
The famed Apple chief executive briefly interacted with the 16-year-old and other young people earlier in June, during an event at the iPhone maker’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
Jatin and selected students around the world spent a few days at the company’s corporate headquarters Apple Park in Cupertino, California, as part of their prize in an annual competition organised by Apple."
Former NUS law dean Thio Su Mien dies at 86 (30 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE – Former National University of Singapore (NUS) law dean Thio Su Mien died at the age of 86 on the morning of June 30.
Dr Thio died from acute myeloid leukaemia, which she was diagnosed with in early May.
She was the first woman dean of the NUS law faculty, holding the post from 1969 to 1971. At the age of 30, she was also the youngest person to assume the role."
New global Chinese-language literary competition launched (30 June 2025)
"Chinese-language fiction writers around the world now have a new platform to showcase their work, with the launch of the Global Chinese Literary Awards on June 30.
The competition will run annually over a three-year period, and aims to celebrate Chinese-language storytelling while fostering cross-cultural exchange, said SPH Media in a media release on June 30."
Driver who caused teen’s death during expressway race not a student of NUS, says university (1 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE - Jarrett Tee Lee Kiat, the driver who showed no remorse after causing the death of an 18-year-old teen during an expressway race, is not a student at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
In a statement posted on Facebook on July 1, NUS said: “There are no records that this individual has ever been or is currently a student of NUS. He has no affiliation with this university.”
Ex-Cabinet minister Maliki Osman to take up new roles in NTU, charity groups (1 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE – Former Cabinet minister Maliki Osman will be joining Nanyang Technological University as senior adviser in the president’s office, focusing on Asean and other key programmes.
In a Facebook post on July 1, Dr Maliki said he wanted to give an update on the positions he has taken up after getting questions about his plans since retiring from politics.
He added that the programmes he will be involved in include the Indonesia-NTU Singapore Institute of Research for Sustainability and Innovation (Inspirasi), and the Indonesia-NTU Singapore Talent Programme (Instep)."
New *Scape space to fully open in Nov, aims to reach 2 million people yearly with more hang-out spots (1 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE – The revamped *Scape will officially relaunch in November with more dedicated spaces for young people, aiming to reach more than two million people in footfall within a year.
The youth-centric hub, which was established in 2007, underwent redevelopment in the past few years as part of the rejuvenation of the Somerset Belt.
Some spaces in the five-storey building, like dance spaces, are already open for use, while some other spaces are still undergoing renovation."
Returning Singaporean students can, from July 10, apply to join local schools (1 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE – Singaporean students who are relocating back to the Republic can, from July 10, apply for admission to a secondary school, junior college or Millennia Institute (MI) in the 2026 academic year.
They will sit centralised tests under the School Placement Exercise for Returning Singaporeans (Spers) and receive a list of schools they are eligible for based on their performance, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a press statement on July 1."
3,800 private candidates in Singapore to take O- and A-level exams in 2025s (2 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE - At the age of 18, when Ms Katherine Tan received her A-level results in 2016, her score fell short of the cut-off for local universities.
“I was in this very weird limbo because people who retake their A levels go back to school because they failed a subject,” she said.
“But I didn’t fail anything, so going back to school was not even an option for me.”
NUS team taps digital medicine to make treatments more precise for patients (2 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE - Drugs not only work differently on different people, but they could also have different effects on the same person at different times of their lives.
Professor Dean Ho heads biomedical engineering at the National University of Singapore and is director of the Institute for Digital Medicine at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. He and his team are developing ways to take the guesswork out of medication, and to optimise drug doses and combinations for each person."
NUS Medicine hopes to help Singaporeans age more healthily (2 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE - Eternal youth might be a pipe dream, but having healthier bodies as one ages is a reality that the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme hopes to make possible for people.
Its mission is to add healthy years of life by delaying ageing, as well as having people stay free of disease for as long as possible, so they are able to lead physically adept and socially active lives."
NUS Medicine’s focus on research leads to better patient care, raises school’s standing globally (2 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE – Research is a very important facet of working at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, and almost every member of its faculty is involved in scientific or clinical studies.
The school secures more than $100 million in research grants each year to fund impactful research and breakthroughs that shape the future of healthcare, with the money coming from a variety of sources, including the university, the Government, industry partners and private foundations.
In 2024, NUS Medicine researchers published 3,865 papers, which were cited 21,829 times, and this intense focus on research has borne fruit, both in discovering better ways to treat patients and raising the school’s standing in the world, said Professor Roger Foo, vice-dean of research."
Community projects a key part of student life at NUS Medicine (2 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE - It is a purely voluntary exercise, with no marks given for participation, but almost all medical students have helped in one or more community projects during their time at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.
There is a long history of voluntary work among the school’s students, with some projects running continuously for more than 20 years, said Associate Professor Marion Aw, vice-dean of the Office for Students.
“All student projects are self-initiated, empowering students to take ownership and leadership of their initiatives. NUS Medicine provides guidance through faculty advisers for each project and training from the Office for Students,” she said."
15 receive social service honours, including founder of Singapore’s first inclusive pre-school (2 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE - When Awwa chief executive J.R. Karthikeyan first thought about starting Singapore’s first inclusive pre-school, he was sceptical about whether it would last as he thought it would be mistaken for an early intervention care programme.
“I wasn’t sure we had the right playbook to set it up right,” he said.
But he added: “Because there are no existing rules to play by, you have more control over setting standards that are aspirational and possibly meaningful.”
SMU and 4 overseas universities join forces to advance human-focused urban research (2 July 2025)
"VIENNA – The Singapore Management University (SMU) and four universities in other countries have come together to conduct joint research on how city dwellers navigate and shape the environment in which they live.
Apart from SMU, the four other members of the Global Alliance on Sustainable Urban Societies are Boston University in the US, the London School of Economics and Political Science, the University of Melbourne in Australia, and the University of Toronto in Canada.
The partnership was announced on July 2 at SMU City Dialogues, a conference held in Vienna, Austria, which brought together global academics, government officials and corporates to discuss how cities can resist various shocks, from climate change to financial crises."
Over 5,000 pre-schoolers work on SG60 mural made of reused plastic toys at MRT station (2 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE – More than 147kg of old plastic toys have been assembled on a giant mural at Promenade MRT station depicting iconic figures in Singapore’s 60-year journey, including its founder Sir Stamford Raffles, samsui women, and the once-ubiquitous kacang puteh man.
Modern icons like the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and Marina Bay Sands, as well as beloved zoo animals Inuka the polar bear and Ah Meng the orang utan, are also featured.
The SG60 art project, titled Building Our Nation Over Generations, was unveiled on July 2."
SIT’s Punggol campus to become full-scale living lab with new digital network by end 2025 (2 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE - The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) will transform its Punggol campus into a full-scale living lab by the end of 2025 through a campus-wide digital infrastructure called the Living Lab Network.
This system will provide students and companies with real-time access to operational campus data for learning and innovation.
Announcing this on July 2, Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Education and Sustainability and the Environment, said the network will offer a “dynamic, data-rich smart infrastructure” where learners and industry can work together."
From camping to mentorship, Singapore scouts mark 115th anniversary of the youth movement (2 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE – Thirteen years on, Dr Sunil Ravinder Gill still regards a camping trip gone wrong as one of the key highlights of his scouting experience.
During a three-day two-night stay on Pulau Ubin, Dr Ravinder Gill’s scout unit members found themselves caught in a thunderstorm that raged on for a day and night.
“Some of the emptier tents went flying and we had to chase them down... Mud was flowing into tents and bags were being soaked,” the 30-year-old medical doctor said."
‘Writing is thinking’: Do students who use ChatGPT learn less? (2 July 2025)
"PARIS - When Professor Jocelyn Leitzinger had her university students write about times in their lives they had witnessed discrimination, she noticed that a woman named Sally was the victim in many of the stories.
“It was very clear that ChatGPT had decided this is a common woman’s name,” said Prof Leitzinger, who teaches an undergraduate class on business and society at the University of Illinois in Chicago.
“They weren’t even coming up with their own anecdotal stories about their own lives,” she told AFP news agency."
$500 in Child LifeSG credits, Edusave, Post-Sec Education Account top-ups to be disbursed in July (3 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE – Families with eligible children will receive Child LifeSG credits (CLC) or a top-up to their Edusave or Post-Secondary Education accounts (PSEAs) in July.
Singaporean families will receive $500 in CLC for each child aged 12 and below.
About 300,000 students aged between 13 and 20 will each receive a one-off top-up of $500 in their Edusave accounts or PSEAs."
NUS Medicine’s target? To be world’s top medical school for Asia (3 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE – The NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine is one of the world’s best medical schools – and it is not the one saying it.
For the past six years, it has ranked among the world’s top 20 medical schools in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings – at 17th in 2025. In 2024 and 2025, it ranked 18th in the QS World University Rankings for medicine.
But the school’s dean, Professor Chong Yap Seng, wants more than that. He wants it to become the world’s leading medical school to represent Asia on the global stage."
How to deal with challenges and lack of learning opportunities during your internship (3 July 2025)
"Melissa (not her real name), a Year 3 business student at Singapore Management University (SMU), sought and secured a spot as an organisational development intern at a utilities company in December 2024.
The 23-year-old SMU student, who asked for anonymity, said she could not remember much of what she was told during the pre-internship interview.
But she did recall being given a “vague” outline of her expected tasks, with the aim of improving company culture."
Is using Gen AI for schoolwork and tests cheating? (3 July 2025)
"Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests.
In June, three students at the Nanyang Technological University after they were found to have used generative artificial intelligence tools, or Gen AI, in their work.
They were penalised for academic misconduct as the assignments contained non-existent academic references and statistics or broken web links, the university said."
Healthcare facility planned for site of Ang Mo Kio Public Library after it moves to AMK Hub (3 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE – The site of Ang Mo Kio Public Library is set to house a healthcare facility after the library moves to AMK Hub shopping mall in 2026.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, a spokeswoman for Link Asset Management, which manages AMK Hub, said the library will be located on the fourth storey of the mall, without elaborating.
Cathay Cineplexes was located on the fourth storey before it shuttered on June 30.
The current site of Ang Mo Kio Public Library has been zoned for health and medical care use, under the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) Draft Master Plan 2025, which was unveiled on June 25."
It’s never too early – or too complicated – to teach children nutrition (4 July 2025)
"When my son was in preschool while we were living in Dubai, he came home one day beaming with excitement. He had just learned about dinosaurs.
“Did you know the Stegosaurus had 17 bony plates along its spine, to help manage body temperature and for protection?” He spoke with the animated energy only a five-year-old can bring to the subject of ancient reptiles. This moment sparked a delightful chapter in our home – our “dinosaur era”."
Mistakes interns make have consequences, but are also learning opportunities (4 July 2025)
"It is not surprising that interns make mistakes when they join a company, given that they have little to no work experience.
But committing a blunder might cause frustration and add to the workload of other employees.
During his final-year polytechnic internship in the creative industry, Andre was tasked with setting up a website – a month-long project on which he worked on his own.
The 20-year-old, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “The website creation software was a new software (the company) was trying, so I had to figure everything out myself."
Universities like NUS need to be open, to become a sanctuary for global talent: Vivian Balakrishnan (4 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE - Universities like the National University of Singapore (NUS) play a critical role, given the current volatile state of the world, said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on July 3.
Singapore and NUS need to be open and willing to work with people regardless of where they come from, in order to be a “sanctuary for global talent”, he said, amid increased geopolitical tensions, such as the rivalries between superpowers, which have been accelerated by technological advancements.
He was speaking at the official launch of NUS’ 120th anniversary celebrations held at Marina Bay Sands."
Students spend ‘A Day in Court’ to learn more about Singapore’s justice system (4 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE – Some secondary school students took over the State Courts on July 4, stepping into the shoes of judges, lawyers, witnesses, court officers and interpreters as part of mock trials for a harassment case.
It was not all serious. A “judge” waved playfully from his bench at his classmates in the courtroom, and students cheered as their peers acted out a script based on a harassment case study they had discussed earlier.
The role-play sessions were part of a “A Day in Court”, an annual programme started in 2014 by the Singapore State Courts to give students insights into Singapore’s justice system. As with the previous three years, this year’s programme focused on harassment, in the light of harassment and cyber bullying on social media."
New youth space at *Scape to give over 3,000 disadvantaged young people a leg-up in life (4 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE – A new youth space in the heart of town is aiming to support more than 3,000 disadvantaged young people over the next three years, and give them a leg-up in their career.
Located in the revamped *Scape in Orchard Road, The Trampoline will be home to mentoring programmes for young people, and act as a place for them to network, said Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo on July 4.
The space is a partnership between *Scape and local social mobility charity Access Singapore, and is part of broader efforts to develop the Somerset Belt as a vibrant youth precinct, he said, speaking at a launch event of the space."
TBR (To Be Read): Books about bookshops seem to have lost their bite (5 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE – Book-lined spaces are the closest analogues to temples in a secular context. Especially when one is a bookworm.
Throughout my reading life, there have been favourite book-lined spaces, beginning with the old red-brick National Library building in Stamford Road and the similarly red-hued MPH Bookstores across from it, to the floral-scented hush of London’s Hatchards bookshop and the bad gym stink of the old Forbidden Planet bookstore in Tottenham Court Road."
10-year-old who volunteered with parents since she was three wins award for compassion (5 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE – When she was just three years old, Chia Sze En was already accompanying her parents to visit seniors living in rental flats in MacPherson to check on their well-being as part of volunteer work for Lions Befrienders.
At seven, inspired by her mother who works in the social service sector, she began her formal volunteering journey with the Singapore Cancer Society.
There, at the society’s yearly fund-raising runs, Relay For Life and Race Against Cancer, and other events like Cancer Survivors Day, she helped in the set-up, packing and registration."
CDAC honours 264 volunteers and partners at inaugural combined appreciation day (5 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE – Dr Chang Shin Yi started questioning her self-worth when her elder daughter started secondary school in 1992.
“Coming from Taiwan, my English was not up to par, making it difficult to find a job in Singapore,” Dr Chang told The Straits Times.
She eventually brushed up on the language and, determined to help others overcome their fear of the Chinese language, Dr Chang jumped at the opportunity when she found out from a friend that the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) was looking for volunteers to help give tuition to less privileged students, workers, seniors and families within the Chinese community."
It’s a hard slog for Gen Z job seekers. They can do without the derision (6 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE - The tough job market facing Generation Z has been in the news in recent months, with data and reports painting a bleak picture.
But it was a TikTok video a colleague sent me earlier this past week that put a human face to the story."
Graduates are not screwed if they study engineering: James Dyson in response to Economist article (6 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE - Today’s graduates are not doomed if they study engineering, despite a poor job market.
This belief has long been held by British inventor James Dyson, 78, who has been thinking of bringing to Singapore his company’s degree apprenticeship programme in engineering, where undergraduates earn a salary and pay no fees.
“A country’s wealth is established by engineers and scientists,” the British inventor and billionaire entrepreneur told The Straits Times in a rare one-on-one interview on June 30 at the former St James Power Station, now the global headquarters of Dyson, the consumer electronics company he founded."
Tank bumps into traffic light during National Day Parade National Education show (6 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE - Mobile columns – where a country’s military hardware such as tanks are displayed during celebrations such as Singapore’s National Day Parade (NDP) – often attract attention, awe and admiration from members of the public.
However, one tank garnered more attention than its operators had bargained for during an NDP National Education show on July 5.
While making a right turn outside Parliament House and the Supreme Court, the leopard tank ended up bumping into a nearby traffic light."
5 perks of being in polytechnic I was not ready for (11 April 2025)
"No uniforms. Four-hour breaks. These were just some of the perks that I was looking forward to when I entered Polytechnic. Turns out, freedom does take some getting used to.
It’s a rite of passage for those who are sitting their O Levels to talk about where they want to go after secondary school. I was at the same crossroads three years ago, together with a lot of my friends, deciding between enrolling in a junior college and polytechnic. My friends and I spoke to everyone – from older siblings to teachers to tuition teachers – just to find out which choice was better for us.
In my case, ultimately, I chose to go to polytechnic as I felt that its hands-on curriculum suited me better, as I was more of a “need to experience to learn” person than a “read and memorise” student. Besides, there were many perks that polytechnic life offered that sounded great – until I experienced it for myself. Here are five freedoms that took me a while to get used to.
1. No uniforms = more freedom or more thinking?
Having the freedom to wear whatever I wanted to school sounded amazing. But as it turned out, I wasn’t ready to think about what I had to wear to school every single day. There were days when it felt nice and was a no-brainer to wear my new clothes or shoes, but oftentimes, I found myself staring at my closet for more than 10 minutes and saying to myself, “I have nothing to wear!”
As the school year progressed, I realised no one really cares about what we wear; I’ve even seen people going to school in shark slippers. After three weeks, I then started to warm up to this relaxed and casual lifestyle, and threw on whatever I felt like wearing that day, be it a new top or an overworn oversized shirt. This taught me it does not matter what I wear to school, as long as I feel comfortable and confident in it."
Watch: Plant a bookmark? Discover cool sustainability projects in schools (17 April 2025)
"These winning projects at this year’s School Green Awards prove that sustainability education can be hands-on, creative, and downright fun.
By Sabrina Lee
A garden bursting with vegetables, colourful student-authored books on food waste, and handcrafted seed paper bookmarks – these creative initiatives from our schools demonstrate that environmental education can be both rewarding and engaging.
Schoolbag explores how schools are weaving sustainability into everyday learning, inspiring students to become environmentally conscious citizens through hands-on experiences.
At Fengshan Primary School, students create paper that bloom
For students at Fengshan Primary School’s Environmental Science Club, paper recycling takes on a cool twist as they learn to make paper that can later sprout into plants.
The process begins with collection. Students gather old, used papers from various points around the school including the General Office, Staff room (with teachers’ assistance), recycling bins, and directly from their peers.
“We shred these papers before turning them into pulp by blending the paper with water,” explains Primary 5 student Ishaan Kaustubh. “Then we collect fallen leaves and flowers from the school’s garden, tear them into small pieces, and mix them with seeds and water.”
Meet the transformers (17 April 2025)
"What do a marketer, broadcast journalist and a train engineer have in common? All of them made a mid-career switch to teaching and not only found a different sense of purpose, but also that the skills they honed in their previous jobs now help them in the classroom.
Former marketer Mohamed Zubir Osman unpacks the art of the sell in the classroom
Five years into his sales and marketing job, Mr Mohamed Zubir Osman was doing well – the money was good, he enjoyed his work, and he felt a sense of achievement. At that point, he was also about to become a father for the first time. But it was right then that he decided to switch careers to become a teacher. “I realised something was missing,” he remembers.
As a secondary school student, he had fallen in love with History thanks to his teacher’s engaging style of teaching this subject. That same teacher’s motto of “connection before correction” also inspired him. “That means getting the teacher-student relationship right is paramount,” he explains. That was when Mr Zubir first thought about becoming a teacher. He ultimately decided to try out the private sector first. By the late 2000s though, he realised that his earlier dream was still alive.
“I wanted to make a direct impact on students, and build that connection with them,” he says. He also felt that his experience in sales and marketing would be helpful in teaching. “I had learnt a lot of problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills, which I thought would be transferable to the classroom setting.” With the support of his wife, he decided to take the plunge."
From shooting bullseyes at the pasar malam to winning gold at the National School Games (24 April 2025)
"West Spring Secondary’s Teo Wee Woon was just eight years old when she started playing shooting games at the pasar malam. Now in Secondary 4, the Captain of the school’s Shooting CCA is gunning to pursue the sport further at the junior college level.
Secondary 4 student Teo Wee Woon looks the picture of calm and composure at West Spring Secondary’s shooting range. As Captain of the school’s Shooting CCA, she is currently soaring at the sport, though the story of how she got into shooting is a rather humble one.
Trading her toy guns for an air pistol
Wee Woon was around eight years old when she began playing shooting games at the pasar malam, or night bazaars, around her neighbourhood. It started out as a fun and casual hobby, but she quickly became good at it.
When it was time to select a secondary school, her parents encouraged her to pick one nearby that offered the Shooting CCA since she enjoyed shooting games so much.
She ended up choosing West Spring Secondary, and went through several selection trials before joining the CCA. Even though she didn’t know anyone else in the CCA initially, she settled into it easily and quickly got the hang of shooting with an air pistol. Her shots were often on target, and her seniors would jokingly ask if she was shooting using auto-aim, a feature in video games that helps players aim.
Wee Woon became the only Secondary 1 student selected to represent the C Division women’s air pistol school team at the NSG – alongside three Secondary 2 students. Even though her individual score was the lowest out of her teammates, the team still came in first at the national level."
How a PE Teacher went from sepak takraw newbie to coach of the sport (29 April 2025)
"When Yuying Secondary School needed someone to take charge of the sepak takraw Co-Curricular Activity (CCA), Mr Iskhandar Abdul Talib had to figure out how to teach a game he had never played before.
By Sabrina Lee
How does someone coach a sport they’ve never played? For Mr Iskhandar Abdul Talib of Yuying Secondary School, the answer was to lean on the fundamentals he already knew as a PE teacher – then learn alongside his team.
To build skills quickly, he first turned to the Game Concept Approach, which teaches core tactics through modified games rather than repetitive drills.
“When students need to improve their sideline shots (a serve, kick, or spike that lands just inside the side line, making any return a tough sideways reach), I create a simple incentive – three points instead of one for scoring there,” he explains. The extra reward nudges them to attempt tougher plays and think strategically about positioning.
Beyond game design, Mr Iskhandar also relies on Differentiated Instruction, matching challenges to each player’s ability. “Beginners focus on five consecutive juggles, while more experienced players aim for 20 or more. This way, nobody’s bored or overwhelmed,” he says.
These methods proved vital when the school suddenly had no sepak takraw coach just before a major competition. Mr Iskhandar stepped up. “As one of the teachers-in-charge of the CCA, I was already handling court bookings, jersey orders as well as training supervision then. I couldn’t let these students enter unprepared,” he recalls."
Hospitality meets career guidance in this partnership programme (29 April 2025)
"Beyond picking up industry skills, students from Boon Lay Secondary School learnt to chart their career path and build healthy friendships through a meaningful mentorship initiative between their school and the Pan Pacific Hotels Group.
“It took some convincing to get some of the students on board, because they were reluctant about the almost-year-long commitment to participate in the mentorship programme,” says recalls Ms Bhavaniswari D/O Batumalia. “But once they saw the value in it, we saw a visible increase in their commitment through the effort they put into their tasks and how they looked forward to meetings with their mentors. This engagement spread to other aspects of school too.”
The Head of Department for Partnerships and Engagement in Boon Lay Secondary School (BLS) was responding to a question about the changes she observed in her students after undergoing the mentorship programme. Acronymised as FLEX (Fulfilling Lives through Experience), it is born out of a partnership between BLS and the Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG).
“We wanted to better engage our students outside of school,” explains Ms Bhavani. “And we thought of tapping on PPHG’s expertise in hospitality to give our students exposure to the industry and get to know what a career in the hospitality industry might be like.”
Learning out of the classrooms, in the hotels
The FLEX mentorship programme with PPHG, which has been running since 2022, comprises a four-day externship where students shadow their mentors. The mentors show them the ropes of working in a hotel, followed by three months of fortnightly mentoring sessions. Every year, over a dozen students are paired with mentors who are industry veterans. The teenagers gain career insights and newfound confidence from the mentorship, among other skills.
Anson Ho, who graduated from BLS in 2023 and is an alumnus of FLEX 2023, says that the programme was “a transformative and eye-opening experience”. He chose to pursue a post-secondary course in Tourism Management, and he secured a part-time role as a concierge at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering, a hotel under the Pan Pacific Hotels Group, where he further deepened his knowledge of the industry.
“I gained better clarity of what I want to do when I graduate. And it also instilled in me a sense of purpose and responsibility, encouraging me to become a positive influence in my community,” adds Anson.
Open House for Primary Schools 2025 (5 May 2025)
"What do you need to know before visiting open houses with your child? Read on for more details on how you can support your child in choosing a primary school that’s suitable for them!
Getting a peek into the school grounds, meeting the teachers and students, experiencing each school’s culture – open houses provide opportunities for you and your child to choose a primary school most suitable for them. Here are some points to keep in mind as your child embarks on this exciting new chapter.
While attending the virtual/physical open houses for primary schools, consider the following pointers:
1. Your child’s strengths and interests
Observe and discuss with your child bout what they enjoy doing, including their hobbies, be it playing sports, making music, creating art, or even gaming. Have conversations about their kindergarten experiences to understand which subjects and activities they like or dislike. As there will be many new learning opportunities during primary school years, ask them what else they would like to learn and try. Then, read up on and find out more about the primary schools that can provide your child with the opportunities to nurture their existing strengths and interests or explore new areas of interest.
2. Distance between home and school
The daily journey to and from school is an important consideration. Consider the means of transport your child will be using. Regardless of the mode of transport, be it by car, school bus, or public transport, what is the fastest and safest way for them to commute to and from school? A long commute can affect your child’s energy level and readiness to learn and participate in school activities, which can impact their overall school experience.
3. School Environment and Culture
Each school has its distinctive culture, which you can experience firsthand at their open houses. You can get a preview of what each school has to offer in terms of its programmes, Co-Curricular Activites (CCAs), facilities, school staff, values, and school culture. Before going for open houses, browse through the schools’ websites to learn more about them.
Open House for Secondary Schools (5 May 2025)
"What do you need to know before visiting open houses with your child? Read on for more details on how you can support your child in choosing a secondary school that’s suitable for them!
Getting a peek into the school grounds, meeting the teachers and students, experiencing each school’s culture – open houses provide opportunities for you and your child to choose a secondary school most suitable for him/her. Here are some points to keep in mind as your child embarks on this exciting new chapter.
1. Have a conversation with your child about their strengths and interests
Find out from your child about what they look forward to in secondary school and what worries them most about their secondary school life. Have them share their favourite lessons and activities in primary school and what they think their strengths and interests are.
In your conversations with them, you can also have them list what they enjoy about their school experiences in order of preference. This could range from the learning environment to academic programmes to CCAs and even the canteen food! Their insights will give you a better understanding of what matters to them and identify schools that align with their strengths and interests, ensuring a more meaningful secondary school experience.
2. Think of different aspects of the school experience
When discussing possible secondary school options with your child, consider the school’s distinctive electives and programmes, culture and ethos, subjects and CCAs offered, as well as the distance from home. These will all impact your child’s school experience.
3. Shortlist a range of schools
After having a conversation with your child, use the checklist on SchoolFinder to explore and shortlist the options together. Find out what each school can offer your child and whether it seems to be a good fit for your child’s strengths, interests, and abilities. This exploration can better inform the 6 choices that you and your child indicate after the release of the PSLE results. If you need help navigating SchoolFinder, read this article for tips."
It takes a village (5 May 2025)
"Who can kids turn to when they’re feeling blue? Here’s how schools are supporting student well-being.
In the early hours at Greendale Primary School, students, teachers and the school leaders gather in the canteen over a simple breakfast. Laughter and light-hearted chatter fill the space. This is a get-together of the Breakfast Club, which takes place once or twice per term.
“The Breakfast Club was started last year as part of our efforts to promote social interaction in school, nurture social bonds and peer support,” shares Mdm Siti Zulaikha Bte Zainal Abidin, Head of Department (HOD) for Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) of the school. “We want every student to feel that we care about them, beyond their academic performance.”
This casual meal is just one of the various layers of support woven into schools today to boost students’ mental well-being. Behind the scenes, a circle of care works together – the peer support leaders, teachers, Year Heads and school counsellors – to ensure that students who need help don’t fall through the cracks.
Strengthening the student-teacher bond
As teachers are often one of the first to notice when something is not right with a student, they are key figures in supporting students’ well-being. At CHIJ St Theresa’s Convent, for example, it is common to see form teachers or school leaders having one-on-one morning chats with students to check in on how they are doing.
Mrs Amanda Tan, HOD of CCE of the school, shares, “We might take a walk around the school, go to the canteen or simply sit on a bench around the school compound and strike up conversations with students. These chats give us a glimpse into the child’s life, how she is doing and help us understand the kind of support she may need.”
EdTech can be a gamechanger for more engaged learning (8 May 2025)
"While EdTech tools can support more engaging lessons for more diverse students, learning how to use these tools effectively can be challenging. Here’s how three educators are doing it.
Using tech to dispel the fear of learning
Forgotten how to calculate the area of a trapezium? Fret not. Because Senior Teacher Mr Charles Yip at Tampines Secondary School has a simple and catchy melody to which he sings, “Half the sum of the parallel sides, and times the height between them.”
Using music to help students remember mathematical formulas is something Mr Yip, who has been teaching for 20 years, has been doing for a while. He used to make up these tunes himself, and also used songs found on YouTube. More recently, however, he’s been tapping on Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically, the Generative AI (Gen AI) tool Suno, to craft these jingles. And that’s just one way technology is helping him make his Mathematics lessons more engaging.
“I always question myself: why can’t the students remember or understand the concepts?” he says. Very often, he realised, it was simply because these concepts were not presented in ways that were interesting and accessible to them. For some, there is also the very real obstacle of fear.
Take algebra, for example. “Some students approach this topic with an unfounded fear, maybe because it’s a more abstract concept. If I tell them the next topic I am teaching is algebra, they will say ‘it’s so difficult’, even though they have not encountered it before.”
To dispel this fear, he decided this year to use the framework of an adventure story to introduce students to algebraic expressions. He used Gen AI tools, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to come up with the plot of students getting lost in a jungle while trying to reach a mysterious city. To get directions to their destination, they had to tap on their understanding of algebra to answer questions.
Mr Yip used Adobe’s Firefly AI tool to generate the accompanying illustrations for this story. To craft the questions, he drew from lessons that other teachers had shared on the Community Gallery in the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS), MOE’s online teaching and learning platform for students and teachers."
Designing a platform to stretch imaginations and build communities (13 May 2025)
"For Mrs Judy Swee, teaching is a calling. And when her interest in Design Thinking was sparked, it kindled in her a desire to bring like-minded students and teachers together.
“Educators are designers too. When I encounter a problem, I define it, scope it, then brainstorm solutions and test them one by one,” says Mrs Judy Swee, drawing the link between her passion for teaching and enthusiasm for Design Thinking. And it is this connection that led the Head of Department of Discipline at Bedok Green Primary School (BGPS) to initiate and organise the inaugural Design Thinking Conference for primary schools in the East Zone.
The event, which took place on 3 April this year, was attended by 170 teachers and students from 18 schools – a resounding turnout that far exceeded Mrs Swee’s expectations.
A casual chat that ignited a passionate cause
Despite its success, the conference’s origin was humble. It all started from a chat between Mrs Swee, who also heads the Student Leadership committee, and her fellow teacher Miss Chin Ching Shia.
Mrs Swee recalls the two of them being at the Design For Change Challenge last year. This is an annual competition where students meet and engage with industry and community partners to come up with impactful solutions to solve real-world problems. “I asked if she would mind hearing me out on this idea that I had, and since she was my captive audience, she couldn’t say no,” jokes Mrs Swee with a hearty laugh.
Mrs Swee’s “Instead of sending students out for competitions, why don’t we organise it ourselves?” pitch captured Miss Chin’s imagination, and by the end of the conversation, the both of them had brainstormed a bunch of ways to make this happen. The major objective: fun."
Crossing levels, gaining perspectives (26 May 2025)
"These three teachers made the deliberate move to teach at a different level – from junior college to secondary to primary – driven by a passion to better understand and support student development. They share with Schoolbag the insights and skills they have gained on their journeys to become more masterful educators.
Ms Nicole Law leapt from academic-driven excellence into applied education to support a different student profile
It is a given that academically inclined students often enter schools with a strong academic focus. But what Ms Nicole Law observed at Hwa Chong Institution (College), where she taught Economics for four years, was that some studious students may thrive even better in environments that emphasise practical hands-on application of classroom knowledge and skills to real-world settings.
“I’ve had students who transferred to polytechnics and were much happier for it. That really opened up my thought process about the applied education pathway and I wanted to learn more about it,” she explains of her decision to apply to teach at NorthLight School, which has a non-mainstream curriculum. The school has an experiential approach to teaching and learning, as well as an added emphasis on students’ social-emotional development.
“I was drawn to the school’s mission. It’s not about chasing a particular grade, but rather giving students back the confidence to continue to develop themselves,” she elaborates.
She was also keen to make a direct impact on a group of students whom she had encountered while working at MOE HQ, where she had to reply to appeal letters from parents whose children had not met the entry requirements for polytechnics and ITEs. Ms Law shares that the letters often shed light on the personal family circumstances, such as the home environment, that had impacted a child’s studies. And she also saw first-hand the effect policies had on people’s lives.
In her current role as the Subject Head for Info-Comm Technology at NorthLight School, Ms Law has learnt to build strong teacher-student relationships by scheduling one-on-one time with each of her students. Like other form teachers at NorthLight, she also makes periodic home visits to engage her students’ parents."
A school and a tech start-up gamify the learning experience to bring sustainability lessons to life for students (27 May 2025)
"Gan Eng Seng Primary School and Move Technologies teamed up to enhance students’ learning experience within the school’s Applied Learning Programme through a Virtual Reality game. Read about how this partnership has benefitted students, the school and the company alike.
Imagine a game where you explore your surroundings, encounter a talking cat, and solve puzzles to search for an elusive treasure.
This is how Primary 5 students at Gan Eng Seng Primary School (GESPS) are deepening their understanding about sustainability, thanks to their school’s partnership with Move Technologies, a social enterprise that aims to tackle real-world problems with virtual products.
Enhancing the existing Applied Learning Programme
The immersive gamified experience, where students learn about food packaging while exploring a simulation of their neighbourhood, is a recent addition to the suite of learning experiences within GESPS’s Applied Learning Programme (ALP) on food sustainability, From Farm to Table. According to Ms Brina Tan, the Head of Department of Science at GESPS and the school’s ALP coordinator, the ALP aims to develop “confident communicators, critical and creative thinkers, as well as students who are more curious about their learning.”
For Primary 5 students, the programme focuses on the topic of food packaging – understanding properties of materials suitable for use as food packaging, distinguishing between biodegradable and non-biodegradable options, as well as exploring ways to reduce food packaging waste.
“Students at this age may be starting to pack food to bring to school or from hawker centres to bring home to their family,” Ms Tan explains. “We want them to be role models and positive influences on those around them by making more sustainable choices in food packaging.”
While existing learning experiences within the ALP enabled students to learn the content, the initial rollout of the programme – Move Technologies hadn’t come into the picture then – didn’t quite get the response intended. “Students had in-class discussions and projects, and went on a learning journey on upcycling,” says Ms Tan. “Some of our students, being very hands-on and kinaesthetic in nature, found the classroom portions a bit dry.”
While considering how to make the programme more engaging for all students, the teachers in the ALP team wondered: what if students could learn through a self-paced game with puzzles to keep them motivated and actively involved? This way, their understanding of the content could be assessed too."
Wayfinding through the secondary school years (28 May 2025)
"The teenage years can be some of the most tumultuous ones. Three resilient teens give us a glimpse into their lives and how they navigate the pressures of their growing-up years.
Secondary school represents the beginning of teenage years and an important stage of growth, where students are exposed to new experiences and academic, social and personal stresses. The challenges faced during this time can be significant for teens, so we speak to three secondary school students to learn about how they are overcoming these hurdles by understanding their needs and finding support in the people around them.
Ruth Kan unwinds with books and art, and says managing the boundaries between school responsibilities and play is a delicate balancing act
Like many students, the things that dampen Ruth’s everyday mood revolve around studies, such as seemingly endless piles of homework or lagging behind in revision. The Secondary 4 student at Kent Ridge Secondary School admits that managing the increased academic difficulty at the Secondary 4 level, while juggling her Student Council and floorball CCA commitments, is no small feat.
To unwind from the pressures of school, Ruth reads and sketches at home. “Since young, I have always been interested in drawing animals.” For four years now, she has allocated consistent time to practise drawing, resulting in the highly realistic animal art she produces today.
Ruth manages to juggle her hobbies alongside all her other responsibilities thanks to a keen sense of how to delineate time. While she has Student Council duties before or after school hours, “I try not to let that affect my studies,” she explains. By completing her homework and studying in school, she keeps her time at home free for recreational activities.
Besides that, Ruth also dexterously adjusts the amount of time she spends on recreation during busier seasons. For example, she allows herself time to do one piece of art before going back to her studies. This way, she effectively sets boundaries between work and play to keep a good balance between the two. “When I study, I study very hard. When I’m not, I don’t touch my textbooks at all.”
Ruth also credits her school’s Character and Citizenship Education programme with helping her cope with the challenging teenage years. She gives the example of how teachers have offered advice on time management to help students revise effectively and feel less overwhelmed. “In this way, we are able to learn how to navigate through our feelings and problems,” she says."
Where sports meets syntax (3 June 2025)
“The football field and the classroom aren’t as different as they appear,” says this English Teacher who applies the same winning techniques in coaching and crafting lessons.
By Sabrina Lee
In Bartley Secondary School, Mr Lee Guo Sheng moves seamlessly between two seemingly different worlds: the football field and the classroom. His systematic and measurable approach to both coaching the sport and teaching English relies on the same principle – breaking complex skills into measurable steps. Here’s how this educator scaffolds learning on and off the field.
Breaking down success on the field
In Mr Lee’s Football Co-Curricular Activity (CCA), he uses a goal setting approach where he establishes clear, measurable targets for players: “This week, focus on making 10 successful passes to teammates. Next week, we’ll aim for 15.” For shooting practice, it’s equally concrete: “Today, try to score once within the penalty area. By month’s end, let’s work toward scoring two times from the same position.”
Alumnus Kendrick Hiang, who is currently pursuing coaching qualifications through the Singapore Coach Excellence (SG-Coach) Programme, is proof of just how well this approach works.
Mr Lee recalls, “When Kendrick first joined the CCA, he would kick the ball as hard as he could and hope for the best.” So, he started working with Kendrick one-on-one at the start and end of every practice session, repeating the basics to build confidence."
Why choosing the JC Arts stream was the best decision for me (17 June 2025)
"I was torn between passion and pragmatism when I entered Catholic Junior College, but I decided to go with my heart and am glad to say that I have no regrets.
By Yee En Xue
Like many of my junior college schoolmates, I wrestled with the idea of choosing the Arts stream over the Science stream when I entered Catholic Junior College (CJC). Society often champions STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) pathways for their perceived stability, which leaves students like us, who gravitate toward the humanities, questioning whether following our interests is practical. Eventually, I gave in to my love for literature and writing, and after a year of studying the Arts, I can confidently say it has been one of the best decisions I’ve made.
A surprisingly pragmatic journey of passion
While there is a prevailing perception that choosing the Science stream is more pragmatic, embarking on an education pathway that does not align with one’s passion can be demoralising too. Many of my humanities-inclined friends who opted for the Science stream tell me that they look back at their decision with regret and now wonder if they would feel more fulfilled had they chosen to follow their interests instead.
Now that I’m in JC2, I can surprisingly say that the Arts stream, besides being a path of self-expression, is also one that is practical and filled with opportunities. From Day One in JC, I have been exposed to a rich tapestry of learning experiences that goes beyond textbooks. And that has led me to discovering that my passions have real-world examples and applications.
For example, “language change” is not only a linguistic concept I learnt in English Language and Linguistics (ELL), but also a reality that underpins the global linguistic landscape as proven by the famous evolution of the word “Google” from a proper noun to a verb. We see it in social media too, with the coinage of new words like “doomscrolling”, and the broadening of the meaning of the word “story” beyond simply being a narrative or account of events."
All in a night’s work: How sleep shapes tomorrow’s learning (19 June 2025)
"From bedtime battles to moody mornings, two local researchers help unpack what parents need to know about their children’s sleep health. They also debunk adult myths about sleep that may be keeping our young ones from restful slumber.
As part of the Grow Well SG movement, families are encouraged to build strong daily habits that help children thrive. Research shows that children need more rest than adults often realise; it supports brain development, emotion regulation and the ability to focus in school.
But as children grow more independent, sleep can slip down the priority list. That’s why it’s important for parents to help build healthy routines early. To support parents in doing that, we asked two experts – Associate Professor Joshua J Gooley, a sleep scientist at Duke-NUS Medical School, and Professor John Wang Chee Keng, a chartered sport and exercise psychologist and physical activity and sedentary behavioural researcher at the National Institute of Education – to tackle some common sleep myths and share research-backed advice for families.
1. “My child seems okay on just 6 hours of sleep.”
Children might power through the day, but that doesn’t mean they are thriving. “Just one night of inadequate sleep will result in a drop in attention performance the next day,” says Assoc Prof Gooley.
Lack of sleep also shows up in different ways for kids. For example, they could struggle to focus or manage their impulses and become more irritable. When sleep deprivation becomes chronic, it takes a toll on their mental well-being. “It’s a vicious circle,” says Prof Wang. “In the long term, moodiness may kick in. If you’re not in a good mood chronically, then it’s also hard to have positive relationships with others. On top of that, their academic performance may drop. Then they’ll feel anxious trying to improve their grades, but they can’t, because their cognitive functions are hindered.”
Biologically, children need more sleep, notes Assoc Prof Gooley. “Their brain just needs more sleep to grow, recover and retain new information,” he explains. “We know that when you’re well-rested, your attention is much better. And attention is the starting point for everything else that follows.”
As a father of two children, he knows it isn’t so straightforward, of course. “It doesn’t matter that I’m a sleep researcher. My kids also want to go to bed later than they should,” he muses. “So, there is a struggle sometimes. But we try to get them into a routine from an early age: that going to bed late is not what we do as a family.”
Levelling up students’ resilience with CCE lessons (23 June 2025)
"From mending broken pottery with gold to engaging in bonding activities, students share how CCE lessons have shaped them.
By Eveline Gan
What do you do when confronted by setbacks, failure and disagreements? For students at Crest Secondary School, Deyi Secondary School and St Anthony’s Canossian Primary School, these challenges aren’t seen as obstacles – they are opportunities to grow stronger, more resilient or become a better friend.
Schoolbag chats with teachers and students to learn how Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lessons help students level up their social-emotional skills and tackle life’s ups and downs.
Seeing the value and beauty in failing at Crest Secondary School
Failure is often seen as something to be avoided, but for a group of 14-year-old students at Crest Secondary School, a Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lesson inspired by Kintsugi has reshaped the way they view and respond to failure.
Kintsugi is a traditional art form originating from Japan, where broken pottery is repaired with lacquer dusted with gold. To simulate this process in class, the students were tasked with creating art out of torn pieces of paper. Mr Ooi Heng, who led the CCE lesson with his form class, explains that the goal was to show students how broken things can become something even more valuable and beautiful.
“Just as pottery becomes stronger and more beautiful with its gold-filled cracks, failure is an opportunity for the students to grow into more resilient individuals,” says Mr Ooi, who is also the Subject Head for Science and Environmental Education."
‘I can read a whole paragraph now!’ (25 June 2025)
"In this second instalment on the School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) programme, let us find out how SDR has been making a difference in the students’ literacy journey, and how some of the techniques can be applied at home.
“Last time I couldn’t read any words, but now I can read a whole paragraph!” exclaims Keira Lim. The Primary 3 student at Singapore’s Xishan Primary School is not just celebrating a personal victory; she is articulating quiet breakthroughs happening in mainstream classrooms across the island.
During the thrice-weekly hour-long sessions after school, teachers trained in the School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) programme patiently guide small groups of 4 to 5 students, systematically build reading skills through phonics, sight words, and reading comprehension strategies.
“The challenges are as diverse as the students themselves,” reflects Ms H’ng Hwee Shi, Senior Teacher, Learning Needs. She explains that some students struggle to read individual words but still grasp the overall meaning, while others read fluently yet have difficulty understanding what they have read.
Teachers tailor their approach for each student by turning their learning challenges into stepping stones for success. For Keira, who once struggled with reading materials meant for her age, the strategies she learnt during SDR sessions not only helped her progress but also enabled her to help her classmates.
“In regular classes, they’re the silent ones,” Ms H’ng says, describing her students with dyslexia. “But in these small SDR groups, they come alive.” She observes how the intimate setting transforms her students’ willingness to take risks, to stumble through difficult words, and to raise their hands. “When they stop fearing mistakes,” she adds, “they start believing in themselves.”
“Watching a child go from struggling to read to being able to read to learn – it makes every challenge worth it,” says Ms H’ng. “With three lessons a week, each lasting about 45 minutes, the SDR is rigorous and demanding for the teachers to implement, but it is rewarding to witness students grow in confidence as they progress in their literacy skills.”
‘Ma, I’m not JUST a goalkeeper’ – how my child taught me a parenting lesson (25 June 2025)
"Sports can bring out the competitive spirit in our children, but who is the one in the spotlight? This writer weighs in on how she learned a thing or two about supporting her child’s strengths and interests.
By Linda Lee
When it comes to team sports, the goal is simple: win as a team. But there’s always an MVP or two, right?
Which is why, in football, the spotlight usually lands on the strikers. Not the goalkeeper. The goalie rarely gets cheers for doing his job. But if he dives the wrong way or misses a penalty? Cue the groans.
So, my son has been playing football for a while. He’s tried out various positions but recently chose to settle on goalkeeping.
Being the involved (read: slightly meddling) mum I am, I gently suggested he consider a position with more visibility—and more running. Not going to lie, I thought it might help him shed some baby fats.
But more than that, I didn’t want him to feel like a spare part while his teammates dashed around. With his naturally “chillax” nature, I worried he might have just accepted a role no one else wanted. I nudged him to speak to his coach. “Or I could talk to him, if you prefer,” I offered.
He hemmed and hawed, and I silently wished he’d just speak up for what he wanted.
Then one day, he did.
“I want to be a goalkeeper because I don’t think I can outrun my friends,” he said, in a very demure, very thoughtful manner. “And I enjoy the wind in my hair when I dive for the ball. So, I think this position works for the team and me.”
That was my moment of clarity: It’s not about what I want. It’s about what he wants."
13 and ready for social media… or not? (26 June 2025)
"Ever wondered why social media apps are rated as 12+ on the Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store? Is 13 the ‘magic age’ when children can be on social media? Aside from age, what else should parents be looking out for in terms of whether their children are social-media ready? Ministry of Education’s Senior Guidance Specialist Hendriawan Selamat shares more in this article.
Your child has been telling you that they want to sign up for a social media account. Their 13th birthday has recently passed and that’s the minimum age social media platforms require users to be. So, it should be ok, right?
Hold on.
13 – the magic number?
Are 13-year-olds really mature enough and ready for social media? And why is the age restriction up to 13 years of age?
The minimum age of 13 for social media accounts comes from the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a 1998 law protecting children’s privacy. When users sign up for social media accounts, they must declare that they are 13 or older, allowing platforms to collect their information. However, this age requirement is based on privacy law rather than whether teens are actually ready for social media.
To ensure that children are protected by the safety features that have been built into the various platforms, it is important that the age provided when setting up the account is accurate. For example, social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram automatically make accounts for users 13- to 16-year-olds private by default and prevent strangers from direct messaging them. Parents need to be aware that lying about children’s age when signing up for social media accounts bypasses important safety and privacy features designed to protect young users.
Sensitive content that may be considered upsetting, offensive or sensitive are often restricted for younger users. Hence by not providing their actual age, children have higher risks of exposure to inappropriate and sensitive content."
Reaching out with regular check-ins and heartfelt chats (26 June 2025)
"Educators across three schools share how they help students who are facing challenges feel seen, supported and understood.
Can you recall a time when a reassuring pat on the shoulder or a few encouraging words from a teacher lifted your spirits? In school, besides close friends, teachers are often the first to notice when something’s not quite right.
Mr Rajiv Jude Illesinghe, Subject Head of Student Well-being at Northland Primary School, believes that educators play a crucial role in supporting student well-being. “Times have changed, and with everything being online, the adversaries students now face are not as visible. That’s why it’s so important for students to see teachers as people who care about them, who want to hear their voices and say, ‘I’m here for you’,” he says.
From casual chats to insights drawn from tools such as check-in surveys, teachers from three schools share the ways in which they connect with and reach out to their students.
Northland Primary School
When one of his students began acting out in class, Mr Jude sensed that something was wrong. But the student clammed up and insisted that everything was fine when the concerned teacher checked in with him. Undeterred, Mr Jude turned to the Termly Check-in survey data that the student had completed earlier. Combing through the responses, his worry deepened.
“For questions such as ‘Are you excited about school holidays?’ and ‘Do you have friends in class?’, my student answered ‘No’. The responses unravelled a bigger picture of what the student was going through,” Mr Jude shares.
Mr Jude then reached out to the student’s parents, who were unaware of the impact certain changes in the family were having on their child. “The child’s father was moving overseas, but the parents did not realise that it was affecting their child. I advised the parents to have an open conversation with their child.”
Mr Jude shares that the student has since returned to his cheerful self. “He has moved on to secondary school but came to visit me on Teacher’s Day. He looks really joyful again,” says Mr Jude."
Beyond drawing and painting: How art teachers inspire our children and help them see the full picture (27 June 2025)
"Three Master Teachers with decades of experience in teaching art share their perspectives on how art education and art teachers, in a rapidly evolving world, are now more crucial than ever to help us thrive in future.
1. Ms Chun Wee San’s approach to teaching art is informed by neuroscience. She purposefully uses anecdotes to spark conversations and curiosity in her students, so that they learn and remember better. She shares three ways in which she fosters this curiosity in students, and helps them grow comfortable with uncertainty – a key trait of the world today."
Thriving Together: Maximising the Potential of Education (6 March 2025)
"At the 2025 Committee of Supply Debate, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced initiatives to strengthen students' holistic development and maximise their potential, extend greater support to working adults to upskill and learn for life, as well as deepen partnerships across the education ecosystem to enhance teaching and learning. These initiatives will further advance our Forward Singapore agenda, to develop multiple pathways to success, and embrace learning beyond grades."
Infosheet 1: Revised Junior College (JC) Admission Criteria (6 March 2025)
"As part of the Ministry of Education's (MOE) efforts to broaden definitions of success beyond academic achievements and encourage holistic development in our students, MOE will revise the JC admission criteria from the 2028 Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE), by reducing the number of subjects required for JC admission. With this change, students will have more scope to recalibrate their curriculum load by offering one fewer subject, and to use the freed-up time from offering one fewer subject to strengthen their development of 21st Century Competencies and pursue other interests."
Infosheet 2: Enhancing Support for Mid-career Individuals under the SkillsFuture Level-up Programme (6 March 2025)
"The SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme (SFLP), jointly introduced by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) in 2024, is a significant commitment by the Government to make SkillsFuture as a key pillar of our social compact. It supports Singapore Citizens aged 40 and above, who are at higher risk of skills obsolescence, to pursue upskilling and reskilling to stay relevant and competitive amidst a rapidly changing economy."
New "Xin Kong Xia 2024" Album Showcases Students' Musical Talent Through Chinese Songs (14 March 2025)
"The Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL) has released an album featuring 13 original songs composed by student winners from the 2024 National Schools Xinyao Singing and Songwriting Competition. Titled "Xin Kong Xia 2024", the album was launched today by Minister of State for Education and Chairperson of the CPCLL, Ms Gan Siow Huang, at the National Schools Xinyao festival. The annual festival aims to promote xinyao as a vital part of our cultural heritage, and deepen students' understanding and appreciation of the Chinese language and culture."
Singapore Youth Festival 2025: Students to Showcase Aspirations for Our Nation's Future Through Diverse Art Forms (21 March 2025)
"In celebration of Singapore's 60th year of independence, the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) 2025 will showcase youth artistic talents through performances and artworks from March to July. As part of the celebration, students will express their interpretations of our nation's cultural heritage and their aspirations for building our shared future together."
Second Minister for Education Dr Maliki Osman to Attend the 15th International Summit on the Teaching Profession in Reykjavik, Iceland (23 March 2025)
"Second Minister for Education, Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, will attend the 15th International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) in Reykjavik, Iceland, from 24 to 26 March 2025."
World Book Day 2025 Opening Ceremony and Launch of New National Chinese Reading Contest to Cultivate Love for Reading (12 April 2025)
"More than 800 secondary and pre-university students participated in this year's World Book Day Opening Ceremony at Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) on Saturday, 12 April 2025. Jointly organised by the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL), National Library Board (NLB) and HCI, the event aims to promote a culture of reading among youths."
MOE’s Statement on School Holiday and Designated Day Off-in-lieu on Monday, 5 May 2025 (16 April 2025)
"As Polling Day (3 May 2025) is a public holiday and falls on a Saturday, Monday, 5 May 2025 will be a school holiday and a designated day off-in-lieu for all staff in MOE Kindergartens, Primary and Secondary schools, as well as Junior Colleges and Millennia Institute. Classes will resume on Tuesday, 6 May 2025."
Start of 2025 Direct School Admission Exercises & ITE and Polytechnic Early Admissions Exercise (6 May 2025)
"The Direct School Admission (DSA) Exercise for admission to secondary schools and junior colleges (JCs) in 2026 will open for application from 7 May 2025. Separately, applications for early admission to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and polytechnics based on course-specific aptitude and interests will start from 20 May and 2 June 2025 respectively."
2025 Primary One Registration Exercise to Start from 1 July 2025 (14 May 2025)
"New and Relocating Primary Schools to Meet Shifting Demand
The registration period for children's admission to Primary One (P1) in 2026 will be from 1 July 2025 to 31 October 2025."
Student Dancers Reimagine "Growth" Through Chinese Street Dance Competition 成长 -- 2025年第六届爱上华文街舞比赛 (17 May 2025)
"Over 200 students from 19 schools participated in the sixth edition of the Chinese Street Dance Competition. Jointly organised by the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL) and local media content company MCC, the competition aims to promote the learning of Chinese language and culture through music and dance. The Finals and Awards Ceremony were held at Our Tampines Hub's Festive Plaza today."
180 Students Take Part in Chinese Riddle Competition that Showcases their Language and Problem-Solving Skills (17 May 2025)
"180 students from 24 secondary schools participated in the fourth National Chinese Riddle Competition (全国中学生灯谜比赛) on Saturday, 17 May 2025, at Hwa Chong Institution (HCI). Jointly organised by the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL), Tung Ann District Guild, Riddle Association (Singapore) and HCI, the competition aims to engage students in the art of solving Chinese riddles and foster their appreciation of Chinese language and culture."
Singapore Students Clinch Record 11 Awards at International Science and Engineering Competition (29 May 2025)
"The Singapore student delegation clinched eleven awards at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2025 – the highest number of awards won since Singapore's first participation in ISEF in 2001. The delegation of eight students competed against more than 1,700 students from over 60 countries, regions, and territories. In total, four individual projects and two team projects were submitted to ISEF, which was held in Columbus, Ohio, USA, from 10 to 16 May 2025."
More than 650 Students Showcase News Reporting and Language Skills at Annual Competition (30 May 2025)
"This year, 652 students from 60 secondary schools participated in the fourth edition of the Young Reporter News Challenge (《我来报新闻》挑战赛). Jointly organised by the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning, MediaCorp 8world and Speak Mandarin Campaign, with support from the Singapore Centre for Chinese Language, the competition aims to develop students' interest and ability to communicate and present in Mandarin, as well as their media literacy skills."
MOE Teachers' Conference and ExCEL Fest 2025 (3 June 2025)
"The Teachers' Conference and ExCEL Fest (TCEF) is organised biennially by the Ministry of Education (MOE) for teachers to learn together as a fraternity. Held from 3 to 5 June 2025, TCEF2025 will welcome over 18,000 participants and presenters, including teachers from Special Education schools who will be sharing their insights and practices for the first time at TCEF."
Pre-University Seminar 2025 – Re-imagiNATION (5 June 2025)
"552 student participants from 30 pre-university institutions participated in the Pre-University Seminar 2025 Closing Ceremony held at Nanyang Technological University. Into its 56th edition, the annual seminar, which was co-organised by the Ministry of Education and Tampines Meridian Junior College this year, was themed 'Re-imagiNATION' to encourage students, as stewards of the future, to explore innovative and improved solutions to various challenges facing the nation. Through rich discussions and interactions with people of diverse backgrounds, students explored the future of Singapore across three sub-themes, "Thrive, Connect, Grow", and were given insights into a range of issues, policies, and perspectives to build a stronger Singapore."
Senior Minister of State for Education Janil Puthucheary to Visit Malaysia for ASEAN Education Roundtables on 19 June 2025 (18 June 2025)
"Senior Minister of State for Education, Dr Janil Puthucheary, will attend the ASEAN Ministers of Education and Higher Education Roundtables in Langkawi, Malaysia, on 19 June 2025."
Minister for Education Desmond Lee to Attend the 53rd Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) Council Conference (30 June 2025)
"Minister for Education, Mr Desmond Lee, will attend the 53rd Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) Council Conference in Brunei Darussalam, from 1 to 2 July 2025."
2025 School Placement Exercise for Returning Singaporeans (1 July 2025)
"The Ministry of Education (MOE) welcomes Singaporean students who are overseas to join our primary and secondary schools, junior colleges (JC) and Millennia Institute (MI) upon their return."
Disbursement of Child LifeSG Credits and Top-Ups to Edusave Account or Post-Secondary Education Account in July 2025 (3 July 2025)
"In July 2025, families with eligible children will receive a one-off disbursement of the Child LifeSG Credits (CLC) and/or a one-off top-up of $500 to their children's Edusave Account or Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA). These are part of the suite of household support measures to support families with children in managing their child-raising costs, which were announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at Budget 2025."
Teenage students often use AI to do homework, a survey finds. This is the impact on their grades (23 May 2025)
"SINGAPORE: In an age of ChatGPT, are students actually doing their homework any more? Even if they are, they would be using artificial intelligence tools, a local survey has found.
This is not only at the university level, where their usage is allowed with rules in place. All of the secondary school students surveyed said they used AI tools.
They are frequent users too: 84 per cent of secondary school respondents use AI for their homework at least weekly, while 29 per cent do so several times a week. The rest of them use it at least monthly."
This mental wellness app from SHINE offers round-the-clock support to youths (23 May 2025)
"Developed with support from the National Council of Social Service, SHINE’s eBuddy app equips youths with the tools to manage their mental health anytime, anywhere.
The Social Service Sector Strategic Roadmap (4ST) is the National Council of Social Service’s (NCSS) guide for empowering individuals, strengthening communities and fostering a more caring and inclusive society. It comprises four strategic thrusts that provide actionable steps and best practices for stakeholders to drive organisational growth and sector-wide impact.
SHINE aligned with three of these strategic thrusts: Empowered and included individuals, families and communities; effective and impactful social service entity; and future-directed social service sector."
Singaporeans at Harvard face uncertainty after Trump blocks international students (23 May 2025)
"SINGAPORE: Singaporean students enrolled at Harvard are grappling with confusion and anxiety following the Trump administration's move to revoke the university's ability to enrol international students.
Under a directive announced on Thursday (May 22), Harvard will no longer be allowed to enrol foreign students for the 2025-2026 academic year. Existing international students must either transfer to other schools or risk losing their legal status in the US.
Around 6,800 international students – including 151 Singaporeans – are enrolled in Harvard's current academic year, making up 27 per cent of its total enrolment, according to university statistics."
CNA Explains: Trump's standoff with Harvard and how it affects international students (23 May 2025)
"President Donald Trump's administration escalated its standoff with Harvard University on Thursday (Mar 22), revoking the school’s ability to enrol international students.
Existing international students at the university must also transfer to other schools, or risk losing their legal status.
The conflict between Trump officials and Harvard had been building for months over demands that the university submit conduct records about foreign students, as well as change its admissions and hiring practices to combat antisemitism on campus.
The move could significantly affect the university, which enrolled nearly 6,800 international students this academic year. Other universities could also be in the firing line."
Judge temporarily halts Trump's block on foreign students at Harvard (24 May 2025)
"BOSTON: A US judge on Friday (May 23) suspended the Trump administration's move to block Harvard from enrolling and hosting foreign students after the prestigious university sued, calling the action unconstitutional.
The order provides temporary relief to thousands of international students who were faced with being forced to transfer under a policy that the university called a "blatant violation" of the US Constitution and other federal laws, and said would have an "immediate and devastating effect" on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders.
"Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard," the 389-year-old school said in its lawsuit filed earlier on Friday in Boston federal court. Harvard enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in its current school year, equal to 27 per cent of total enrollment."
I worry that I’m raising my kids to be complainers. Here’s what I’m doing about it (24 May 2025)
"Singaporeans are well-known for complaining. It’s even said to be one of our national pastimes, alongside eating, shopping and queuing.
On Facebook alone, Complaint Singapore has more than 244,000 group members, with dozens of fresh posts daily documenting some new (or old) gripe about living in Singapore.
Singaporeans made more than 1.7 million municipal and estate complaints in 2023 alone, many of them relating to daily living irks such as overflowing trash bins."
Trump defends block on foreign students at Harvard (25 May 2025)
"WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump defended on Sunday (May 25) his administration's move to block foreign students at Harvard after a judge suspended the action, branded by the top university as unlawful.
"Why isn't Harvard saying that almost 31 per cent of their students are from FOREIGN LANDS, and yet those countries, some not at all friendly to the United States, pay NOTHING toward their student's education, nor do they ever intend to," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
"We want to know who those foreign students are, a reasonable request since we give Harvard BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, but Harvard isn't exactly forthcoming."
Gallery Children’s Biennale returns with inclusive spaces and new baby-friendly artworks (26 May 2025)
"National Gallery Singapore’s Gallery Children’s Biennale will be returning from May 31, 2025 to Mar 29, 2026 with eight interactive and larger-than-life artworks by artists from Singapore and Asia, aimed at championing accessibility and inclusivity for all audiences.
For the first time, all artworks at the Biennale will include baby-friendly experiences to stimulate their auditory and visual senses in a safe environment, according to a press release by National Gallery Singapore.
The Biennale will also feature thoughtfully designed spaces for persons with disabilities to enjoy and participate in art activities."
Recycle or give away? How some libraries deal with unwanted books (26 May 2025)
"SINGAPORE: As part of managing libraries, there is a system to review the books to ensure they remain relevant and in good condition.
Unwanted books may be redistributed or recycled depending on several factors, according to Singapore's National Library Board (NLB).
The issue of recycling books became a talking point recently after hundreds of books from the Yale-NUS College library were sent to a recycling plant before they were offered to students, sparking an uproar among students and alumni."
Singapore embassy in Washington DC engaging US authorities on Harvard international student ban (27 May 2025)
"SINGAPORE: Singapore’s embassy in Washington DC has engaged the US Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security about Donald Trump’s revocation of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) certification.
Singapore is also monitoring the impact of the measures on the academic prospects of Singaporean students, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Tuesday (May 27) in response to CNA queries.
A ministry spokesperson added that Singaporean students at Harvard should remain in contact with its International Student Services for updates."
Probation for boy, 16, who repeatedly trespassed into junior college toilet to peep at women (27 May 2025)
"SINGAPORE: A 16-year-old boy who repeatedly trespassed into a female toilet at a junior college to peep at women was given 18 months' probation at the State Courts on Tuesday (May 27).
The teen, who cannot be named due to a court gag order, said he had been curious about the female anatomy.
Apart from the probation, he was ordered to perform 60 hours of community service and attend psychological or psychiatric treatment if necessary."
Did not 'feel right': Yale-NUS students say they were asked to destroy DVDs (28 May 2025)
"SINGAPORE: Yale-NUS students who worked as student associates at the college library said they were asked to render DVDs unusable by library staff in April - about a month before the final cohort graduated.
Two of them who spoke to CNA on condition of anonymity said they had not known beforehand that they were to scratch DVDs until they were assigned to do so during their respective shifts.
Both recalled using penknives to scratch the discs. One of them, Janet (not her real name), said a librarian had instructed her to make four cuts on the discs so they could no longer be read."
Josephine Teo unveils enhanced Singapore AI language model, encourages workers to boost basic AI skills (28 May 2025)
"SINGAPORE: An enhanced version of a locally developed large language model now understands more Southeast Asian languages and possesses code-switching and emotion recognition capabilities.
The updated version of the Multimodal Empathetic Reasoning and Learning in One Network (MERaLiON) is able to handle Malay, Tamil, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia and Vietnamese, on top of English, Mandarin and Singlish.
Developed by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), the upgrades were announced by Singapore's Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo at tech event ATxSummit."
'Anxious, uncertain': US study plans for Singaporeans derailed by halt on new student visas (29 May 2025)
"SINGAPORE: Music teacher Sharon had long dreamed of studying piano in the United States. With her children now grown, she finally pursued that goal – auditioning in person, enduring multiple screening rounds and securing offers from two American universities.
But on Tuesday (May 27), her plans were thrown into turmoil.
An internal cable obtained by Reuters revealed that US President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered consular offices worldwide to stop scheduling new visa interviews for students and exchange visitors. The move comes as the State Department prepares to expand its vetting of applicants' social media activity."
'Art should be for everyone': She started Senisini for youths to meet, create art and make new friends (30 May 2025)
"The lights in the room are dim, but the walls burst with bright, vibrant colours, vivid shadows, and beautiful patterns – a montage of batik, tie-dye, shadow puppetry and more. I was at an art jamming session, or an art club, as Senisini calls it, and I was floored.
Senisini means "art here" in Malay, and the ground-up organisation, founded by Iffah Syafiqah Yusof, provides a creative space for youths.
A commercial analyst by day but an artist at heart, the 26-year-old Singaporean told CNA Women that Senisini began as a passion project with a few friends in August 2024."
Commentary: Yale-NUS library outcry was never just about rehoming books (30 May 2025)
"SINGAPORE: It is an oddity in our world of fast fashion and disposables that we’re reluctant to dispose of books. While I’m unsentimental about discarding old clothes and furniture, books give me pause: Those that did not move out with me still form a disorderly pile in my parents' place, eliciting occasional mild distress.
I'm clearly not alone: The active Facebook group Books Don't Throw (Singapore) is 117,000-strong and growing. Community libraries have flourished, run out of Housing Board void decks or like the Casual Poet Library, where individual shelves are rented and curated by different owners. The outrage over the ill-considered and unceremonious disposal of books from the Yale-NUS College library is more evidence of how many of us feel strongly about books.
One of my most prized possessions is a second-hand copy of How the Hills Are Distant, a poetry collection by the late pioneering Malaysian poet Wong Phui Nam, published in 1968. Mr Wong was a beloved friend and mentor, a friendship that bridged our difference in years, before he passed in 2022."
An underreported problem? Survey finds 30% of Singapore secondary school students claim they have been bullied (30 May 2025)
"SINGAPORE: A survey by CNA's Talking Point programme has found that student bullying could be more pervasive than official figures suggest, with about 30 per cent of secondary school students in Singapore claiming they have been bullied.
Among these, almost half said the instances took place in the past year.
A total of 1,010 students aged 13 to 17 and spread across 149 secondary schools were surveyed on their experiences with bullying in 2024."
Having always struggled to make friends at school or work, this is how I started seeking out real connections on my own (30 May 2025)
"I had few friends while growing up. Throughout my schooling years, I felt like an outsider whenever my peers on campus talked animatedly about football or their favourite K-pop idols.
I didn’t particularly enjoy any of the same activities or interests, so I didn’t really know how to have extended conversations with them.
Watching my peers interact easily with each other, I always figured I was socially inept. “Something must be wrong with me,” I thought. For years, loneliness was a constant shadow looming over me."
'Too hot to think': Rising heat leaves Singapore students cranky and distracted (30 May 2025)
"With temperatures soaring during Singapore's hottest months of May and June, 43-year-old Clement Tan is concerned about how the heat is affecting his children in school.
“Their school is in an older building and I’ve been there for meet-the-parents sessions. The fans do not provide ventilation throughout the whole classroom and it can be really uncomfortable at certain parts of the classroom,” Mr Tan, a litigation lawyer, said. He has three children aged 10, seven and five.
He has equipped his two older children, who study at Fairfield Methodist School (Primary), with handheld fans to give them some reprieve from the weather. The school has also allowed students to wear their physical education (PE) attire throughout the day, which has helped keep them cool and complaint-free."
Final-year polytechnic student Georgina Dobson wins Mediacorp's 987 STAR competition (1 June 2025)
"A new voice may soon grace the airwaves: The winner of Mediacorp's 987 STAR 2025 competition, final-year psychology studies student from Temasek Polytechnic Georgina Pattarida Dobson.
Dobson on Saturday (May 31) beat out the other three finalists – Lex Whitlock, Nicolette Callie Wee and Shaniah Kiew – in a two-hour grand finale to win the S$5,000 cash prize, courtesy of Fisherman's Friend, and a contract with Mediacorp 987.
According to Dobson's LinkedIn profile, she is also president of her polytechnic's emcees club."
ECDA investigating potential breach over abrupt closure of Little Paddington Preschool's Bishan branch (3 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) is investigating a preschool for giving parents just one day's notice of a branch closure.
Parents of children enrolled at Little Paddington Preschool's Bishan centre were only informed on May 30 that the school’s lease of its premises would be expiring on May 31.
The school later delayed the closure to Jun 10, and offered enrolment in another branch, and transport for affected children."
NIE's postgraduate teacher training programme to be shortened by four months: Desmond Lee (3 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: The National Institute of Education's 16-month postgraduate programme for teachers-in-training will be shortened to a 12-month course, Minister for Education Desmond Lee announced on Tuesday (Jun 3).
Speaking at a teachers' conference on his ninth day at the ministry, Mr Lee said the refreshed programme will have a stronger focus on integrating theory and practical application.
After graduating from the Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme, the new teachers will also have more support for professional learning, which will be grounded in authentic classroom experiences, he said."
Woman charged with giving false information during P1 registration to have daughter enrolled in school (5 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: A 41-year-old woman was charged in court on Thursday (Jun 5) with giving false information in order to enrol her daughter in a school in the north of Singapore during the Primary 1 registration in 2023.
The Singaporean woman was handed one amalgamated charge of giving false information to a public servant and two counts under the National Registration Act and National Registration Regulations.
She cannot be named due to a gag order imposed by the court to protect her daughter's identity."
Quality of teacher training matters more than duration of NIE programme, aspiring educators say (5 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: Reducing the duration of postgraduate teacher training in Singapore from 16 months to 12 could make a difference in attracting applicants, but won't be as important as making the programme both effective and efficient, aspiring educators said.
Earlier this week, Education Minister Desmond Lee announced that the training period for the National Institute of Education’s (NIE) Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) would be shortened by four months.
This is part of a regular review of teacher preparation programmes, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE) and NIE."
Singapore exploring 'worst-case scenario' solutions for its Harvard students: Vivian Balakrishnan (7 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: Singapore is trying to find solutions to deal with the "worst-case scenario" where Singaporean Harvard University students are not able to study in Boston, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said on Saturday (Jun 7).
His ministry will continue to seek clarification on international student visas with the US State Department and Department of Homeland Security, he told reporters, though he made no promises that the matter would be resolved in time.
Dr Balakrishnan on Saturday completed a four-day working visit to Washington DC. This was the first ministerial visit to the US since both countries elected new governments."
Mandatory measles immunity for maids working in households with young children who are not fully vaccinated (10 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: From Sep 1, maids working in households with young children who are not fully vaccinated against measles must be immunised against the disease.
This mandatory immunisation is aimed at protecting "unvaccinated young children who are at higher risk of serious health complications from measles infections", said the Ministry of Manpower on Tuesday (Jun 10).
The measure also comes amid a recent jump in infections in the US. Ten cases have also been recorded in Singapore this year as of the week ending May 10, according to the Ministry of Health’s weekly infectious disease bulletin. That is just one short of the 11 cases logged throughout all of 2024."
School holiday enrichment classes see surge in demand, including for preschoolers (11 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: Enrolments for holiday enrichment classes have more than doubled during the June school break, with education providers attributing the surge to tighter travel budgets and parents seeking meaningful ways to engage their young ones.
This rising demand is not limited to older children, with preschoolers now diving into programmes ranging from robotics to public speaking."
As a child, I thought my dad was ‘boring’. As a new parent, I’m learning that the boring stuff is often what matters most (13 June 2025)
"In March 2024, I became a father. Now, one year and three months on, I’m still figuring things out day by day. Curiously, I now find myself looking back more often than ever before – back to my own childhood with my own father.
In my secondary school years, I had a close friend who was both my classmate and teammate in our co-curricular activity, basketball. My friend’s father would come to watch all our basketball games and, afterwards, would talk extensively and openly about how he felt our team and my friend had performed.
Whenever father and son had differing opinions, they would have a healthy debate about it, and were comfortable doing so even in front of others. They shared a rapport that seemed so vibrant and dynamic."
Why I use Gen Z and Gen Alpha lingo with my kids, even when they roll their eyes (14 June 2025)
“Alright, I think I totally nailed that and aura farmed, am I right?” I said, beaming with pride at the back-cam wefie I’d just taken that had actually turned out well.
My 16-year-old daughter Kirsten, bless her, fought off every instinct to roll her eyes – an effort I appreciated deeply – and replied with a straight face: “No, actually. Just by saying that, you lost aura points.”
“Huh, so it wasn’t sigma?” I asked, grinning. “You didn’t like the rizz-sults?”
This time, her eye roll came not as a conscious decision but a gag reflex."
Preschool teacher admits to deliberately tripping toddler, who fell and bled from nose (16 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: A preschool teacher who deliberately swept her legs under a toddler several times, causing her to fall flat twice, admitted to her charges on Monday (Jun 16).
As a result of her fall, the 20-month-old girl bled from her nose and bruised her face.
Saiidah Kamarudin, 34, pleaded guilty to one out of two counts of ill treating the girl, causing her unnecessary pain and injury. Saiidah initially claimed trial but decided to plead guilty on the first day after some delay."
Rise in youth gaming addiction due to more enticing games and smart devices, say counsellors (17 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: Therapists and counsellors said more enticing games developed in recent years and the prevalence of smart devices have led to a rise in gaming addiction cases.
Mr Chai Binhua, a counsellor at addiction recovery centre We Care Community Services, told CNA he has seen a 30 per cent increase in people seeking help for video game and device addictions since 2019.
He added that youths make up more than 80 per cent of the cases the centre is receiving."
Jail for private tutor who filmed himself in lewd acts as he stood behind young female students (17 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: A man who tutored female students at his flat would commit sexual acts as he stood behind the teen girls, even touching them with his private parts.
The girls would be unaware of these acts as Michael Martin Lee Teck Heng, now aged 58, would place his hand on the back or shoulder of the girl to disguise the contact.
His offences came to light after the private tutor was caught exposing himself in public."
IN FOCUS: In Singapore's Scrabble scene, 'phenoms' and casuals unite on the quest for word domination (18 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: They sit across each other, staring intently at the tables in front of them. Some clutch their heads, frowning; others are relaxed. No one speaks.
The only sounds come from ticking clocks and small, plastic square tiles being sifted in small velvet bags before they take up positions on a board.
This was not quite the level of intensity I expected to observe at the Millennium Cup, an annual Scrabble tournament in Singapore.
Here at a multi-purpose hall in Nanyang Technological University (NTU), over 50 players young and old engaged in 16 rounds of hour-long matches over two days. The concentration was relentless; the effort total."
Boy, 17, accused of deceiving ex-schoolmate into degrading acts, such as drinking own urine (18 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: Two 17-year-old boys were charged in court on Wednesday (Jun 18) for alleged crimes against their former schoolmate, with one accused of deceiving the male victim into soaking his genitals in chilli oil and consuming his own urine.
The two accused youths are also said to have extorted money from the alleged victim by threatening to distribute compromising videos of him.
The teenagers and the alleged victim cannot be named as their identities are protected under a gag order imposed by the court. The victim's age was not revealed in court documents."
Former teacher who molested 7-year-old student in classroom jailed for 9 months (20 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: A former Chinese language teacher who touched the inner thigh of his female student, then around seven years old, was given nine months' jail on Friday (Jun 20).
The molestation was in 2019 but left a mark on the young girl's mind until she reported it three years later.
The 38-year-old Malaysian national and Singapore permanent resident pleaded guilty to a count of aggravated molest of a victim under 14."
Jail for part-time tutor who filmed young students, own sisters in toilets over 10 years (20 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: In 2011, a man began illicitly filming females in their private moments, beginning with his sisters.
While he used his mobile phone initially, the man, now 31, started buying spy camera pens for the purpose and widened his net in the course of a decade to include scores of other victims, including his ex-girlfriend, cousin, and students and staff from an education centre he taught at part-time.
Investigators who went through his recordings established that they were filmed at the education centre, at the residences of relatives, friends and tutees, and in shopping centre toilets. No fewer than eight victims were identified in his videos."
‘Kids with no future?’ 3 teens in Singapore share why they quit school and how they’re rebuilding (20 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: Two years ago, Mohd Sulaiman Mohd Lizam became a father and officially withdrew from secondary school to support his young family — taking on night shifts at warehouses and working as a delivery rider.
As he turned 17, he believed school dropouts like himself were seen as “kids with no future”.
But that outlook recently changed when he learnt that he had received S$4,187 in donations, far beyond the S$1,500 goal his social worker had set in a Give.Asia campaign."
US social media screening for visas: Should foreign students simply delete 'hostile' posts? (20 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: The United States' move to tighten social media screening for visas has left some foreign students perplexed and contemplating deleting their online accounts.
Experts meanwhile have highlighted the challenges in scrubbing digital footprints, as well as the potential chilling effect of the new requirements.
President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday (Jun 18) ordered the resumption of scheduling appointments for international student visas after nearly a month-long pause. But all applicants will now be required to make their social media accounts public for review."
From troubled teen to caring teacher: How this 31-year-old educator found his calling helping children with special needs (20 June 2025)
"Physical education (PE) teacher Kumaran Arumugam described himself in his younger days as someone who was impatient, temperamental and often “gets into fights with just about anyone”.
“My younger self would not have imagined what I am doing right now,” the 31-year-old said. He has since spent a decade coaching sports to children with special needs.
For the past six years, he has been teaching PE at Lighthouse School in Toa Payoh and he is also the co-founder of Fitty Witty Sports, an organisation that teaches sports to underprivileged and special needs children."
Commentary: No bruises, no visible signs of distress - child abuse often hides in plain sight (24 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: From Umaisyah and Megan Khung to the unnamed boy who was caged and scalded to death, several high-profile child abuse cases in recent years have captured public attention, not only for their severity, but for how long the harm went undetected. Each time, the same questions echo: How could so many eyes miss the signs? Why didn’t someone step in sooner?
The uncomfortable truth is that most abuse doesn’t look the way we expect.
It is rarely loud or dramatic. More often, it hides in silence, in carefully rehearsed responses, or in small changes in behaviour."
Former Pasir Panjang English School, NatSteel pavilion and 20 Turf City buildings to be conserved (25 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: The former Pasir Panjang English School, the NatSteel pavilion in Jurong and 20 buildings at Bukit Timah's Turf City will be conserved under the country's latest land use master plan.
This expands on an earlier list of five sites announced in May – including the Singapore Badminton Hall and Jurong Hill Tower – that were earmarked for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
“We will continue to incorporate greenery and heritage considerations into our planning processes, and balance these carefully with developmental needs,” National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said at the launch of an exhibition for URA’s Draft Master Plan 2025 on Wednesday (Jun 25)."
From tutorbots at Harvard to talent strategies at Micron, AI is reshaping the future of work and learning (26 June 2025)
"At this year’s Adult Learning Xchange, educators and industry leaders explored the ways in which artificial intelligence is transforming learning and work by empowering employees to focus on their strengths.
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into nearly every facet of modern life, the conversation has shifted from what AI can do to how people can thrive alongside it.
AI is no longer confined to automating processes or improving efficiency. Increasingly, it is reshaping how people learn, work and collaborate, which raises urgent questions about the future of human roles in an AI-powered world. In particular, how can AI be harnessed to amplify how people think critically, solve complex problems and create with purpose?
These questions took centre stage at this year’s Adult Learning Xchange (ALX2025), the Institute for Adult Learning’s (IAL) flagship biennial symposium, held on May 29 and 30 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre. The event brought together leaders in education, business and technology to explore how AI can be applied ethically and meaningfully to support lifelong learning and unlock human potential."
NTU to convene panel with AI experts to consider appeal of student accused of academic fraud (26 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will convene an appeal review panel that will include artificial intelligence experts following accusations that a student committed academic fraud by using generative AI tools.
A spokesperson from the university said on Thursday (Jun 26) that the school met two out of the three students who were accused of academic misconduct for face-to-face consultations this week. The objective of the consultation was to assess the grounds for appeal, and no conclusions were made.
One student’s appeal was processed following the consultation, while the other student’s was rejected, the spokesperson said."
2,000 children to take part in food allergy study as clinic cases rise in Singapore (26 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: Ms Amanda Chan's son Corey was about four months old when she learnt that he had food allergies, setting off an "incredibly tough" first year of his life.
"Three meals a day became a bit of a traumatic experience, because at that point, he couldn't speak. So anything I put in his mouth, I didn't know whether I was going to be harming him," said Ms Chan.
Corey, now 10, has been allergic to eggs, dairy, peanuts and dust mites since infancy. In the early years, the lack of awareness and information on food allergies in the local context was a challenge for Ms Chan."
Arts groups boost offerings as NAC expands arts education programme to all preschools by 2027 (26 June 2025)
"SINGAPORE: The National Arts Council (NAC) plans to expand its Arts Education Programme (AEP) to include all preschools by 2027.
The AEP currently serves more than 500 government-assisted preschools.
It offers about 1,400 programmes led by 300 artists and arts groups, supported by about 2,000 registered arts educators."
In 2018, I lost my IT job and thought I’d never be in tech again. Now I teach AI to students and adult learners (27 June 2025)
"In late 2018, I was the head of IT in a firm I had dedicated many years of my life to. One afternoon, I was called into a meeting, handed an envelope, and told that my role had been made redundant. Just like that, 18 years of hard work, late nights and quiet sacrifices went up in smoke.
The first thing I did was call my wife. She didn’t say much, just “Come home first. We’ll figure it out.”
Her words grounded me in that moment. Because truthfully, my mind was completely blank – I had no idea what to do next."
'Affordable, safe and rigorous' – but are Singapore’s universities truly elite? (27 June 2025)
"When Mr Martin Ruzicka first applied to universities in 2022, Asia was not even on his radar. But after his first semester at University College London (UCL), he withdrew and transferred halfway around the world to continue his studies in Singapore.
The 20-year-old from the Czech Republic is now in his second year of business school at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Why the switch from UCL – widely considered as one of the best universities in the United Kingdom – to NTU?"
'A pioneering figure': Former NUS law school dean Thio Su Mien dies at 86 (30 June 2025)
"Singapore (NUS) law faculty and co-founder of TSMP Law Corporation, died on Monday (Jun 30) at the age of 86.
In a statement, TSMP called her a "pioneering figure" in Singapore’s legal landscape and lauded her "trailblazing role" in legal academia.
"The partners of TSMP Law Corporation are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our esteemed founder Dr Thio Su Mien. Dr Thio’s contributions to the profession and society have left an indelible mark," said the boutique law firm."
Driver who caused death of pillion rider not NUS student; police looking into his claim (2 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE: The police are looking into the claim by a driver who caused a pillion rider's death that he was a student of the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Singaporean Jarrett Tee Lee Kiat, 30, had been identified as an NUS student at the time of the incident, in reports on court proceedings based on official court documents.
However, after Tee's sentencing, NUS posted a statement on Facebook saying that Tee "has no affiliation with this university"."
New AMK Hub library will be more accessible but may be more crowded, library patrons say (2 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE: Retiree Betty Goh visits Ang Mo Kio Public Library every morning from Monday to Friday. She lives two bus stops away and visits the library to read the newspapers and books as part of her daily routine.
Come 2026, Ms Goh and other regular patrons of Ang Mo Kio Public Library will have to go to AMK Hub for their fix of books and a quiet, air-conditioned space. The National Library Board (NLB) confirmed on Jul 1 that the library branch will relocate next year.
The 67-year-old told CNA that she had already heard rumours about the move before it was officially announced, adding that other regulars at the library had discussed it, too."
Families with eligible children to get S$500 in Child LifeSG credits in July (2 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE: Families with eligible children will get S$500 (US$393) in Child LifeSG credits later this month, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) jointly said on Thursday (Jul 3).
Those with older children will also get S$500 in top-ups to their Edusave or Post-Secondary Education accounts in July, the ministries added. These one-off support measures were first announced in February's Budget speech by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to support families with children in managing their child-raising costs.
CHILD LIFESG CREDITS
The Child LifeSG credits for children born between 2013 and 2024 are set to be disbursed during the week starting from Jul 7, while for those born this year, the expected disbursement is in April 2026.
More than 450,000 children are expected to benefit from the credits, said the ministries."
From rejection to reinvention: Some fresh graduates, retrenched workers find their way out despite sluggish job market (4 July 2025)
"For many fresh graduates today, landing a job right out of university may feel like a pipe dream given the tough labour market.
Mr Dylan Sim, 26, who graduated as a valedictorian from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a degree in Southeast Asian Studies in June last year, had expected to secure full-time employment within four months.
But nearly a year after graduation, he found himself still hunting for a job, having already encountered “countless rejections, failed interviews and even an offer being rescinded”."
The ex-scholar who took a risk and booked a one-way ticket to the US during COVID in search of a job (5 July 2025)
"When Debbie Soon arrived in Los Angeles at the start of 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic had brought the world to a standstill.
While family and friends were hunkering down in Singapore, Ms Soon had other plans.
Leaving behind a stable role at mixed martial arts organisation ONE Championship – where she worked after completing her scholarship bond and also at Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC – she packed her bags and moved halfway across the world to the United States without a job waiting for her on the other side."
I don’t want to micro-manage my kids’ schoolwork. But as a PSLE parent, do I have any other choice? (5 July 2025)
"In October 2024, I declared that I would be easing up on pressuring my five kids to do well in school.
I wrote: “Sometimes our kids need to fall before they can decide to pick themselves up and keep walking. As parents, we can guide and support – but we can’t live their lives for them.”
I received mixed responses to that piece from friends and family, who largely fell into two camps: “Their Grades, Their Choices” and “I’ll Do Anything It Takes To Help My Child Succeed”."
Technical issue causes tank to collide into traffic light during National Day Parade education show (6 July 2025)
"SINGAPORE: A tank experienced a technical issue on Saturday (Jul 5) during a National Day Parade 2025 education show, causing it to come into contact with a traffic light.
In response to queries from CNA, a Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) spokesperson said the incident took place at about 7.20pm.
The Leopard 2SG Main Battle Tank (L2SG) experienced a technical issue following the Mobile Column segment of the National Day Parade 2025 National Education (NE) Show 2.
“This resulted in an incident along North Bridge Road, where the tank came into contact with a traffic light,” said the spokesperson.