Ministry of Education (Singapore)

Ministry of Education Kementerian Pendidikan 教育部 கல்வி அமைச்சு
Website	www.moe.gov.sg
Ownership type	Government agency
Founded	7 April 1955
Headquarters	1 North Buona Vista Drive, Singapore 138675 , Singapore

The Ministry of Education (MOE) is a ministry of the government of Singapore responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies related to the education in Singapore.

In Malay, it is Kementerian Pendidikan. In Chinese, it is 教育部. In Tamil, it is கல்வி அமைச்சு.

History

List of ministers

The Ministry is headed by the Minister for Education, who is appointed as part of the Cabinet of Singapore. The incumbent minister is MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC Chan Chun Sing from the People's Action Party.

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Political Party	Cabinet
Minister for Education (1955–2015)
	Chew Swee Kee MP for Whampoa (1918–1985)	6 April 1955	4 March 1959	LF	Marshall
					Lim
	Lim Yew Hock MP for Havelock (1914–1984)	5 March 1959	3 June 1959	SPA
	Yong Nyuk Lin MP for Geylang West (1918–2012)	5 June 1959	18 October 1963	PAP	Lee K. I
	Ong Pang Boon MP for Telok Ayer (born 1929)	19 October 1963	10 August 1970	PAP	Lee K. II
					Lee K. III
	Lim Kim San MP for Cairnhill (1916–2006)	11 August 1970	15 September 1972	PAP
	Lee Chiaw Meng MP for Farrer Park (1937–2001)	16 September 1972	1 June 1975	PAP	Lee K. IV
	Toh Chin Chye MP for Rochore (1921–2012)	2 June 1975	15 June 1975	PAP
	Lee Kuan Yew MP for Tanjong Pagar (1923–2015)	15 June 1975	20 October 1975	PAP
	Chua Sian Chin MP for MacPherson (1933–2014)	20 October 1975	11 February 1979	PAP
					Lee K. V
	Goh Keng Swee MP for Kreta Ayer (1918–2010)	12 February 1979	31 May 1980	PAP
	Tony Tan MP for Sembawang (born 1940)	1 June 1980	31 May 1981	PAP
					Lee K. VI
	Goh Keng Swee MP for Kreta Ayer (1918–2010)	1 June 1981	1 January 1985	PAP
	Tony Tan MP for Sembawang (until 1988) MP for Sembawang GRC (from 1988) (born 1940)	2 January 1985	1 January 1992	PAP	Lee K. VII
					Lee K. VIII
					Goh I
					Goh II
	Lee Yock Suan MP for Cheng San GRC (born 1946)	2 January 1992	24 January 1997	PAP
	Teo Chee Hean MP for Pasir Ris GRC (until 2001) MP for Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC (from 2001) (born 1954)	25 January 1997	31 July 2003	PAP	Goh III
					Goh IV
	Tharman Shanmugaratnam MP for Jurong GRC (born 1957)	1 August 2003	31 March 2008	PAP
					Lee H. I
					Lee H. II
	Ng Eng Hen MP for Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC (born 1958)	1 April 2008	20 May 2011	PAP
	Heng Swee Keat MP for Tampines GRC (born 1961)	21 May 2011	30 September 2015	PAP	Lee H. III
Minister for Education (Schools) (2015–2018)
	Ng Chee Meng MP for Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC (born 1968) Interim until 31 October 2016	1 October 2015	30 April 2018	PAP	Lee H. IV
Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) (2015–2018)
	Ong Ye Kung MP for Sembawang GRC (born 1969) Interim until 31 October 2016	1 October 2015	30 April 2018	PAP	Lee H. IV
Minister for Education (from 2018)
	Ong Ye Kung MP for Sembawang GRC (born 1969)	1 May 2018	26 July 2020	PAP	Lee H. IV
	Lawrence Wong MP for Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC (born 1972)	27 July 2020	14 May 2021	PAP	Lee H. V
	Chan Chun Sing MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC (born 1969)	15 May 2021	Incumbent	PAP

Education institution

Below are education institution under the purview of the Ministry of Education.

Polytechnics:

• Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)
• Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP)
• Republic Polytechnic (RP)
• Singapore Polytechnic (SP)
• Temasek Polytechnic (TP)

Singapore have two types of autonomous university according to Ministry of Education:

• Research-intensive universities that are more academic in nature.
• Applied-degree pathway, where students receive more hands-on experience and industry exposure as part of their university education.

Autonomous universities:

• Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
• National University of Singapore (NUS)
• Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)
• Singapore Management University (SMU)
• Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS)

Others:

• Institute of Technical Education

Controversy

MOE teacher sexual misconduct

On 13 August 2022, a male Ministry of Education (MOE) primary school teacher was dismissed after he was convicted for sexually exploiting a 14-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 8 months' jail in May 2021 after pleading guilty to 2 charges under the Children and Young Persons Act. He was reportedly also worked as a freelance tuition teacher, and the victim was his former tutee, the victim was kissed and private parts touched by the teacher.

International students admission cap

On 24 March 2009, The MOE made a parliamentary reply to respond questions and claimed that there is a 20% cap on the number of international students the autonomous universities in Singapore can admit, and claimed that "they are in practice subject to more stringent entry criteria than Singaporeans".

However in 3 July 2017, MOE made a parliamentary reply stating that there has been online articles peddling a claim that there is a minimum 20% quota for foreign students in Singapore's autonomous universities and claimed that is no such minimum quota. Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) at the time, Ong Ye Kung, claimed that foreign students make up only around 10% of the universities’ total undergraduate intake.

Attribution

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