Voices Of Youth

Teach govt and politics in JCs

In the light of Singapore's maturing political landscape, the time has come to introduce the subject of government and politics into the Singapore education system at the junior college level.

While there are subjects in the arts stream - such as history - into which political concepts have been infused, there does not yet exist a subject based solely on understanding and analysing political concepts and theory, contemporary political debate in Singapore and around the world, and appreciating the distinction between political theory and "political reality".

The presence of such a subject in the formal education system would allow more young Singaporeans to enhance their level of understanding of politics in Singapore and the world. It also acts as a signal to cement the importance of such knowledge among the general populace.

As a suggestion, the assessment of government and politics at the Higher 2 level could involve two papers.

Paper 1 could test students on political theories, such as libertarianism, conservatism, democracy and socialism, while Paper 2 could focus on contemporary political debates both in Singapore and abroad.

This subject should also be introduced for the International Baccalaureate programme to ensure parity of assessment.

Ng Chia Wee, 18, awaiting A-level results

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 16, 2015, with the headline Teach govt and politics in JCs. Subscribe