Education Systems

The wealth of a nation lies in its people - their commitment to country and community, their willingness to strive and persevere, their ability to think, achieve and excel. Our future depends on our continually renewing and regenerating our leadership and citizenry, building upon the experience of the past, learning from the circumstances of the present, and preparing for the challenges of the future. How we bring up our young at home and teach them in school will shape Singapore in the next generation.

We want to nurture young Singaporeans who ask questions and look for answers, and who are willing to think in new ways, solve new problems and create new opportunities for the future. And, equally important, we want to help our young to build up a set of sound values so that they have the strength of character and resilience to deal with life’s inevitable setbacks without being unduly discouraged, and so that they have the willingness to work hard to achieve their dreams.

Control over the education system was devolved to Wales when the Welsh Assembly came into being in 1999. One of the few education matters that still rest with central government in England is terms and conditions for teachers.

Each council or local authority in the UK has a Local Education Authority and they are primarily responsible for public spending on schools. The government is very keen for authorities to distribute money directly to schools to spend as they wish. So education authorities have a more strategic than operational role within schools.

Scotland has a comprehensive education system. It is distinctive particularly for its flexible curriculum, which isn’t set by law. What and how students are taught based on guidelines prepared by Learning and Teaching Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Executive.

Northern Ireland's education system has an extremely complex structure. There are 10 official bodies involved in the management and administration of the system as well as a number of voluntary bodies that play a significant role.