Every school to have a niche by 2017, funding by MOE
MOE to fund teacher training and facilities, to help build expertise
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St Anthony's Canossian Primary pupils (from left) Hylde Van Den Hooven, Olivia Yeo and Qistina Dimaria, all aged seven, at a Primary 2 performance arts class conducted by senior teacher Suszan Joseph, 52. The school hopes to get performing arts approved as its niche. -- ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
- ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH ST PHOTO: TED CHEN
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Edgefield Primary's Ballroom Sinfonia members performing at the 2012 MOE Work Plan Seminar last week. The school's niche is dancesport. -- ST PHOTO: TED CHEN
St Anthony's Canossian Primary pupils (from left) Hylde Van Den Hooven, Olivia Yeo and Qistina Dimaria, all aged seven, at a Primary 2 performance arts class conducted by senior teacher Suszan Joseph, 52. The school hopes to get performing arts approved as its niche. -- ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Edgefield Primary's Ballroom Sinfonia members performing at the 2012 MOE Work Plan Seminar last week. The school's niche is dancesport. -- ST PHOTO: TED CHEN
By 2017, every school in Singapore will have a niche of its own.
To help them along, schools will get money from the Education Ministry (MOE) starting next year to train teachers, build facilities, buy equipment and run programmes to build expertise in their chosen area.
Schools can also work with external organisations and tap other sources of funding. For example, they can look for grants from arts or sports promotion agencies, or link up with tertiary institutions to do research.
The MOE will also work with schools to ensure a good spread of niche areas, it told The Straits Times on Wednesday when giving more details of its niche programme.
Background story
Only 191, or about half of all schools here, have recognised niches under a programme that started in 2005.
