An important segment of the new Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) syllabus is family time, and parents should play an important role in inculcating the right values in their children, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Thursday.

Mr Heng, who was at Rivervale Primary in Sengkang, launched the new CCE textbooks, which will be rolled out to Primary 1 and 2 pupils from this year. The syllabus will be introduced to Primary 3 to 6 pupils next year.

The new CCE syllabus will be rolled out to all secondary schools from this year, but the students will learn from school-based activities, instead of textbooks. This allows secondary schools to design and implement programmes most suitable for their students.

One highlight of the new textbooks for primary pupils are activities parents can do together with their children. The textbook for Primary 1 pupils, for example, encourage parents to share their own experiences about school with their children, such as how they felt on the first day of school, to help the young ones adapt to the new environment. It also encourages parents to share time management tips with their children.

Students will learn values from three overarching ideas of identity, relationships and choices.