Singapore has been recognised globally as a successful nation that has prospered since its days of independence, due in part to its robust education system. The emphasis in education has led to many of our students outperforming their counterparts from other countries over the years, especially in the field of Mathematics and Sciences, and Chemistry is no exception.
Upholding high quality education standards for all subjects such as Chemistry
One may wonder how has the high standards of education in Singapore been upheld over these years. Our Ministry of Education has been constantly revising the education syllabus and Chemistry classes of today are a pale resemblance to those a few decades ago. The syllabus taught in classes involve many concepts being depicted visually using many diagrams and pictures. The Chemistry concepts are also structured in a progressive manner so that students start off with easier topics before the difficulty is ramped up gradually. With the growing demand for pharmaceutical and medical products and procedures, it is no wonder that Chemistry is still a core science elective at secondary and JC level.
A lot of resources have been poured into the development and training of our school teachers, as new and innovative teaching methodologies and techniques are being imparted. This ensures that our school teachers are highly qualified professionals best at doing what they do. Amenities have also been set up to try and inspire our local students to discover Chemistry from a fun and relaxing approach.
What are the other contribution factors towards success in learning Chemistry?
Let us not forget that another core element to the excellent results that our students are achieving is thanks to supplementary classes conducted outside of school, more commonly known as tuition to parents and children. Chemistry tuition is seen as a stepping stone to accelerate a child’s progress in learning and understanding of the subject. It is also known to be effective in bridging of gaps in understanding of Chemistry theories since many of the concepts are interrelated to one another. This will not set off a domino effect, where students find themselves piling up with unanswered questions as the school syllabus progresses. Many of these Chemistry tuition classes also cater to the pace of learning of the students involved. This targeted approach helps students to be fruitfully challenged at their own level so that they will not be put off and get demoralised should they be given questions out of their league.
In Singapore, there is no shortage of assistance for students to receive an all-rounded education due to the different measures in place. The main concern is that students may personally not feel the need or are reluctant to seek help when it is needed. This is due to the packed schedule that they are already facing or they are not interested in the subject. Intervention of parents and teachers is necessary for the latter but regardless, Chemistry tuition is no doubt an important aspect towards the success of our student population taking Chemistry at ‘O’ or ‘A’ levels in Singapore.