42 secondary schools to offer new programme for students to learn science and technology

Shuqun Secondary School students helping out in a community garden located beside the school. Forty-two secondary schools will soon offer a programme for students to deepen their knowledge and skills in science, mathematics and technology. -- PH
Shuqun Secondary School students helping out in a community garden located beside the school. Forty-two secondary schools will soon offer a programme for students to deepen their knowledge and skills in science, mathematics and technology. -- PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER FILE

SINGAPORE - Forty-two secondary schools will offer a programme for students to deepen their knowledge and skills in science, mathematics and technology.

By 2017, half of the 124 mainstream secondary schools will offer the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (Stem) Applied Learning Programme.

Students will learn skills such as reasoning and problem-solving, scientific inquiry as well as pick up new uses of technology such as programming skills.

To support schools in implementing this, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has partnered STEM Inc., a unit newly established this year under the Science Centre Singapore.

The unit will help schools in developing lessons, resources and supporting tie-ups with industry partners so that students will better understand the Stem industries.

The applied learning programme, which aims to help students see the relevance of what they learn in the classroom in the real world, is one of two programmes that MOE announced at its workplan seminar last year.

The other is a learning-for-life programme that will help students develop character and values.

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat had said that all secondary schools would have these two programmes by 2017.

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