For both private and state schools, there are variations in the extent of autonomy in their curriculum, scope of taxpayers' aid and funding, tuition burden on the students, and admission policy.

[19] In 1997, the Singapore education system started to change into an ability-driven one after then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong outlined his "Thinking Schools, Learning Nations" vision.

Activities include learning language – written and oral – and numbers, development of personal and social skills, games, music, and outdoor play.

The four years, from primary 1 to 4, provide a foundation in English, mother tongue (which includes Standard Mandarin, Malay, Tamil or a Non-Tamil Indian Language (NTIL), such as Hindi, Punjabi and Bengali), Mathematics and Science.

[34] This programme aims to develop gifted children to their top potential and it places a special emphasis on higher-order thinking and creative thought.

With the exception of schools offering the Integrated Programme, which leads to either an International Baccalaureate Diploma or to an A-level exam, most students are streamed into a wide range of course combinations at the end of their second year, bringing the total number of subjects they have to sit at O-level to between six and ten, with English, Mother Tongue or Higher Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics, one Science and one Humanities Elective being compulsory.

[42] CCAs offered at the secondary level are usually categorised as Uniformed Groups, Performing Arts, Clubs & Societies and Physical Sports.

Before the educational reforms in the 2000s, students had to achieve a PSLE aggregate score in the top 10% of their cohort, with an A grade for both mother tongue and English, to be entitled to enter an SAP school under the Special academic stream.

The Integrated Programme, also known as the "Through-Train Programme" (直通车), is a scheme which allows secondary students in Singapore to bypass "O" levels (except for those taking Higher Mother Tongue) and take A levels, International Baccalaureate Diploma or an equivalent examination directly at the age of 18 after six years of secondary education.

As a result, Integrated Programme schools allow their students to skip the O levels at Secondary 4 and go straight into junior colleges (JCs) in Year 5/JC1.

The Integrated Programme with the revised Singapore-Cambridge GCE A levels or the IB Diploma as a terminal qualification has become an increasingly popular alternative to the standard secondary education pathway.

This is because it is perceived as having moved away from the usually heavy emphasis on the sciences, a phenomenon resulting from the post-independence need for quick and basic technical and industrial education; to subjects in the arts and humanities.

Admission to a two-year pre-university course at junior colleges after graduating from secondary school is determined by the L1R5 (English + 5 relevant subjects) scoring system.

These schools receive more than 80% of their funding from the Ministry of Education, but have long waiting lists, according to Member of Parliament Sylvia Lim.

Polytechnics offer a wide range of courses in various fields, including engineering, business studies, accountancy, tourism and hospitality management, mass communications, digital media and biotechnology.

[72] Notable alumni from Polytechnics in Singapore include former NUS President Dr Shih Choon Fong and CEO of Creative Technology Sim Wong Hoo.

Societal prejudice against less academically inclined students and vocational education was regarded low quality and typically out of step with the changing needs of employers.

ITE provides apprenticeships, professional certificates, licences and diplomas in business administration, accountancy, woodworking, metalworking, carpentry, drafting, shipbuilding and repairing, transportation and engineering science.

Because of its large expatriate community, Singapore is host to many international schools, currently numbering 80, across predominantly four main curricula groups: British, IB, American and Indian.

Their intake includes students from countries such as Malaysia, India, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Under the Enhanced Registration Framework, private institutions must meet requirements relating to their managers, teachers, courses and examination boards.

They can often be easily identified by their distinctive traditional Malay uniform, including the songkok for boys and tudung for girls, in stark contrast to national schools that prohibit such religious headgear.

The system places a great emphasis on academic performance in grading students and granting their admission to special programmes and universities, though this has raised concerns about breeding elitism.

[113] Having good academic credentials is seen as the most important factor for the students' career prospects in the job market, and their future economic status.

Students are required to achieve a certain level of proficiency in what the government considers their mother tongue as a pre-requisite for admission to local universities.

[121] Each year, the Edusave Merit Bursary (EMB) is given out to about 40,000 students, who are from lower-middle and low-income families and have good academic performance in their schools.

Heavy subsidies are given to full-time tertiary students in the form of tuition grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per year, depending on their nationality and course of study.

[citation needed] Those defending the current education system point out that Singaporean students have regularly ranked near the top when competing in international science and mathematics competitions and assessments.

[131] In response to such concerns the Ministry of Education has recently discussed a greater focus on creative and critical thinking, and on learning for lifelong skills rather than simply teaching students to excel in examinations.

[citation needed] Supporters of the system assert that the provision of differentiated curricula according to streams since the late 1970s has allowed students with different abilities and learning styles to develop and sustain an interest in their studies.