Singapore's public schools come under the purview of the Ministry of Education. Singapore has many primary schools and secondary schools, as well as junior colleges, centralised institutes, polytechnics and universities providing tertiary education.
Under the Compulsory Education Act which came into effect on 1 January 2003, all children have to start attending primary school at the age of 7.[1] It is a criminal offence to fail to do so;[1] however, parents may apply for an exemption from the Ministry of Education for their child to be homeschooled or to attend full-time religious institutions.[2]
Primary schools
Secondary schools
Junior Colleges and Millennia Institute
Below is a list of schools offering a two or three-year pre-university education in Singapore, along with the special programmes offered by the schools. The year of establishment in this article reflects the year in which the pre-university programme is implemented, particularly for the Integrated Programme High Schools. All pre-university programmes in Singapore are mixed-sex in tandem with the Ministry of Education's (MOE) requirements. These schools can be divided into two groups: junior colleges and centralised institutes.
Junior colleges (JC)
These offer two-year courses leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE 'A' Level or International Baccalaureate examinations.
| Code | Planning Area | Planning Subzone | College name | Established | Address | Type | Special programmes | Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Chinese | Abb. | ||||||||
| 0715 | Ang Mo Kio | Yio Chu Kang | Anderson Serangoon Junior College | 安德逊实龙岗初级学院 | ASRJC | 1984 (AJC) 1988 (SRJC) 2019 (ASRJC) | 4500 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 | Government | TLEP | Formed from the merger of Anderson JC and Serangoon JC |
| 0803 | Queenstown | Dover | Anglo-Chinese Junior College | 英华初级学院 | ACJC | 1977 | 25 Dover Close East | Government-aided | ELEP, HSP, MEP, DEP | |
| 7001 | Queenstown | Dover | Anglo-Chinese IB Junior College | 英华自主中学 | ACS(I) | 1886 | 121 Dover Road | Independent | MEP, HSP, RSP | International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme |
| 0802 | Novena | Malcolm | Catholic Junior College | 公教初级学院 | CJC | 1975 | 129 Whitley Road | Government-aided | ELEP | |
| 3101 | Kallang | Tanjong Rhu | Dunman High School | 德明政府中学 | DHS | 1956 2005 – IP | 10 Tanjong Rhu Road | Autonomous | BSP, CLEP, MEP | Accepting first batch of JAE students from 2019 |
| 0714 | Queenstown | Ghim Moh | Eunoia Junior College | 诺雅初级学院 | EJC | 2017 | 2 Sin Ming Place | Government | MSP, HSP, BSP | |
| 0806 | Bukit Timah | Coronation Road | Hwa Chong Institution | 华侨中学 | HCI | 1974(HCJC) 2005(HCI) | 661 Bukit Timah Road | Independent | AEP, CLEP, HSP, BSP | |
| 0718 | Choa Chu Kang | Teck Whye | Jurong Pioneer Junior College | 裕廊先驱初级学院 | JPJC | 1981 (JJC) 1999 (PJC) 2019 (JPJC) | 21 Teck Whye Walk | Government | CLEP, MLEP | Formed from the merger of Jurong JC and Pioneer JC |
| 0805 | Serangoon | Serangoon Central | Nanyang Junior College | 南洋初级学院 | NYJC | 1978 | 128 Serangoon Avenue 3 | Government-aided | AEP, CLEP | |
| 0701 | Bukit Timah | Hillcrest | National Junior College | 国家初级学院 | NJC | 1969 | 37 Hillcrest Road | Government | AEP, CLEP | |
| 3009 | Bishan | Marymount | Raffles Institution | 莱佛士书院 | RI | 1982(RJC) 2009 (RI) | 1 Raffles Institution Lane | Independent | ELEP, HSP, MEP, RSP | |
| 3103 | Jurong West | Boon Lay Place | River Valley High School | 立化中学 | RVHS | 1956 | 6 Boon Lay Avenue | Autonomous | BSP | Accepting first batch of JAE students from 2019 |
| 0804 | Toa Payoh | Potong Pasir | Saint Andrew's Junior College | 圣安德烈初级学院 | SAJC | 1978 | 5 Sorby Adams Drive | Government-aided | ||
| 7020 | Novena | Malcolm | St. Joseph's Institution | 圣若瑟书院 | SJI | 1852 | 38 Malcolm Road | Independent | International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme | |
| 0717 | Pasir Ris | Pasir Ris West | Tampines Meridian Junior College | 淡滨尼美廉初级学院 | TMJC | 1986 (TPJC) 2003 (MJC) 2019 (TMJC) | 21 Pasir Ris Street 71 | Government | DEP, MLEP | |
| 0702 | Bedok | Bedok South | Temasek Junior College | 淡马锡初级学院 | TJC | 1977 | 22 Bedok South Road | Government | CLEP, HSP. MEP | |
| 0706 | Bedok | Siglap | Victoria Junior College | 维多利亚初级学院 | VJC | 1984 | 20 Marine Vista | Government | HSP, DEP, RSP | |
| 0716 | Yishun | Yishun West | Yishun Innova Junior College | 义顺星烁初级学院 | YIJC | 1986 (YJC) 2005 (IJC) 2019 (YIJC) | 3 Yishun Ring Road | Government | MLEP | Merged with other JCs |
Millennia Institute (MI)
The only centralized institute in Singapore is Millennia Institute (MI), which offers a three-year course leading to the GCE A-level examination in arts, science, and commerce.[3]
Abbreviations
MOE-based programmes:
- AEP = Art Elective Programme
- MEP = Music Elective Programme
- RSP = Regional Studies Programme
- HSP = Humanities Scholarship and Programme
- CLEP = Language Elective Programme (Chinese)
- MLEP = Language Elective Programme (Malay)
- TLEP = Language Elective Programme (Tamil)
- ELEP = Language Elective Programme (English)
- BSP = Bicultural Studies Programme
Polytechnics
| Founded | Polytechnic | Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Abbrev. | ||
| 1954 | Singapore Polytechnic 新加坡理工学院 Politeknik Singapura சிங்கப்பூர் பலதுறைத் தொழில்நுட்பக்கல்லூரி | SP | 16,871 (2022)[4] |
| 1963 | Ngee Ann Polytechnic 义安理工学院 Politeknik Ngee Ann நீ யான் பலதுறைத் தொழில்நுட்பக் கல்லூரி) | NP | 13,637 (2021)[5] |
| 1990 | Temasek Polytechnic 淡马锡理工学院 Politeknik Temasek தெமாசெக் பலதுறைத் தொழில்நுட்பக் கல்லூரி | TP | 14,248 (2019)[6] |
| 1992 | Nanyang Polytechnic 南洋理工学院 Politeknik Nanyang நன்யாங் பலதுறைத் தொழில்நுட்பக் கல்லூரி | NYP | 14,715 (2019)[7] |
| 2002 | Republic Polytechnic 共和理工学院 Politeknik Republik ரிப்பப்லிக் பலதுறைத் தொழில்நுட்பக் கல்லூரி | RP | 11,668 (2022)[8] |
Institute of Technical Education (ITE)
The Institute of Technical Education campuses were reorganized under the "collegiate system" into three major colleges around the island, a regrouping and renaming exercise which took effect on 1 January 2005. ITE College East was the first to open in Simei in January 2005, and the existing "ITE East Network" campuses were renamed as "ITE College Central" campuses, to be replaced by a new campus in Ang Mo Kio. "ITE West Network" campuses were renamed "ITE College West" campuses, and their new campus will be at Choa Chu Kang.
- ITE College Central (Regional Campus at Ang Mo Kio)
- ITE College West (Regional Campus at Choa Chu Kang)
- ITE College East (Regional Campus at Simei)
University of the Arts Singapore
In March 2021, Minister for Education Lawrence Wong announced that Singapore’s first arts university will be established in an alliance between the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and LASALLE College of the Arts, in a system akin to the University of the Arts, London.[9] The formation of the University of the Arts Singapore (UAS)[10] will see both colleges under the umbrella university be given degree-awarding powers independent of their current foreign partners, where the current long-distance degrees are issued through foreign universities. Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs) enrolled in the approved degree programmes at the university of the arts will pay subsidised fees, comparable to those at autonomous universities here.[11]
The seventh local university of Singapore will be the only publicly-funded private university other than the now defunct and restructured UniSIM in Singapore, and also the only university of the arts with its own degree-conferring power in Singapore slated to open in 2024.[10]
Constituent colleges:
Universities
Specialised tertiary schools
Language Centres
Special education schools
International schools
Supplementary schools
The Japanese Supplementary School Singapore (JSS; シンガポール日本語補習授業校 Shingapōru Nihongo Hoshū Jugyō Kō)[13] - a Japanese supplementary school[14]