Education in Singapore forms a significant part of my life journey. In this article, I will share my experience going through one of the world’s best-designed education systems. I hope this article will be handy if you want to pursue further education in Singapore.
Preschool in Singapore
The preschool education in Singapore consists of Infant Care, Pre-nursery (Playgroup), Nursery 1, Nursery 2, Kindergarten 1 and Kindergarten 2. Parents can register their children into infant care as early as when the baby reaches two months old.
There are two options when choosing a preschool in Singapore, either ECDA-licensed preschools or privately-run preschools.
The main benefit of choosing ECDA-licensed preschools is they are more cost-effective. Should you decide to send your child to ECDA-licensed preschool, you may register your interest 3 months prior to the EDD.
Primary School Education in Singapore
Primary school is the start of compulsory education in Singapore. It is a six-year program beginning with Primary (P1) Registration and concluding with students sitting for Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).
In Singapore, a child begins his primary one when he turns 7 year old. That means for children born in 2017, they will be starting their school in 2024. However, the parents will have to register for the school a year before, i.e. in 2023.
Primary 1 registration is an important event that will decide which primary school your child will attend. It is therefore crucial to understand the process of Primary 1 Registration, including the different types of phases and how the balloting system works.
In general, there are five phases in Primary 1 Registration process: Phase 1, 2A, 2B, 2C and 2C Supplementary. Should there be more applicants than available seats, balloting will take place.
Secondary School Education in Singapore
Secondary school days are one of the most memorable parts of my educational journey. It was also a period when I realised that knowledge is the key to having a better future.
In Singapore’s education system, students in secondary school follow either one of the three available streams. They are Express, Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) streams.
After completing the O-Level, I decided to further my study at Junior College (JC).
Post-secondary Education in Singapore
Study hard, play hard. That was my motto back then. I indeed love my JC days!
JC curriculum is quite into science and mathematics. When it comes to the business-related subject, there was only economics. While I love studying at JC, I struggled with the science and mathematics subjects.
Polytechnics (Poly) were not as popular back then. Things are different now. As an accounting practitioner now, I would have decided to join Poly and study accountancy. The lesson learnt is to follow your passion.
My first degree in engineering at NTU
University life is simply amazing. It was part of my life that I would never forget. Unfortunately, I was pursuing a course that may not align with my talent.
I didn’t know what I wanted to do after my A-Level. So I decided to select a popular course for my university study. I chose engineering and eventually specialised in electrical and electronic engineering.
Realising that engineering was not for me early in my university life allowed me to pivot into business study. By the end of the four years, I probably knew more about the business world than engineering principles.
My second degree in accountancy with ACCA
One of the most popular questions I received during job interviews was why I pursued a second degree in accountancy. The answer was simple. I follow my passion. But I acknowledge it was not a walk in the park to work full-time and study part-time concurrently.
It takes a lot of self-discipline to ensure you can perform well in your career and study. If you wish to know more about how I manage my part-time study in ACCA, kindly check out this article. It might not be easy, but the reward is satisfying. Completing ACCA opens up career opportunities that may not have been possible previously.
Conclusion
That was a brief article on the journey of my education in Singapore. If you want to learn more about how I navigated the first decade after I left school, check out this article. I hope you can learn a thing or two to apply to your professional journey.
Thank you for reading my blog. Each of you may have different circumstances. If you have any questions about education in Singapore, you may email me at hello@yantowong.com. I will do my best to share any information I may know.
– Yanto Wong –
