1. What are the governmental ministry and agencies that oversee the policy?
- Compulsory Education (CE) was implemented in Singapore from the new school year commencing 1st January 2003 by the Ministry of Education
- Compulsory Education Act is practiced, under which parents could face fines or jail if they do not send their children to national schools or government-approved Muslim schools.
2. Who are the direct parties involved in the transaction? Are there any indirect (external) parties that are involved or affected by the transaction?
- The first cohort of pupils coming under CE are Singapore Citizen children born between 2nd January 1996 and 1st January 1997 who are residing in Singapore
- Singapore Citizen children born between 2nd January 2001 and 1st January 2002 will be due for Primary 1 for the school year commencing 1st January 2008. The Primary 1 Registration Exercise for this cohort of pupils will take place from July to August 2007
3. Are there any other supporters or critics of the policy? Examine their views.
- Compulsory education is strongly supported by the Committee on Compulsory Education and organizations that they consulted for various reasons:
1. To give the children a common core of knowledge which will provide a strong foundation for further education and training
2. To give the children a common educational experience that would help to build national identity and cohesion.
- There are no critics towards compulsory education.
- However, there are some exceptions for those who attend designated institutions, home-schooling and those with special educational needs
4. Do you think that the good or service is being under or over produced/consumed?
- Compulsory education is under-produced
- Reasons:
1. Compulsory education should not only cover until primary school education, but also include up to secondary.
2. In today’s society, having a PSLE certificate is not enough to earn a living. Statistics have shown that graduates even ave difficulties finding jobs in the society now, what more about those students with their PSLE certificate?
5. Do you agree with the Singapore government’s policy in addressing the issue?
- Yes, we do.
- Compulsory education provides students with the basic knowledge they should obtain. However, it is not sufficient to for the students to enter the work force. A higher education is required to substantiate the higher living standard in Singapore.
- Compulsory education is a positive externality. However, it might give rise to free-riders who do not appropriate compulsory education and take advantage of it. For example, a student studying might play truancy and not get worried as no matter what he/she does, he/she still has a place in school and has to complete his/her compulsory primary education.
- Compulsory education is a means to move Singapore towards a knowledge-based economy.
Credits: Margareth Salim, Reuben Chan, Adeline Goh and Nguyen Quynh
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3 comments:
since it's a positive externality, should give examples on how the government encourages consumption. for example the EDUsave account, bursery to encourage students achieve better results, and various financial plans for the needy students.
kaiyan
The group has well evaluated on the issue of compulsory education. Also, linked the issue with a some related theories learned from our syllables. this includes the idea of positive externalities.
Compulsory education does cover up to secondary education, but only since recent times. I don’t quite understand the free-rider problem scenario brought up in the last paragraph. Doesn’t it apply when the graduate goes out into the workplace and other people hinge on his or her knowledge, thus making them free riders?
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