Pilot Increase of MTL Exposure in MOE Kindergartens (MK)

From 2026, four more MKs will pilot the increase of Mother Tongue Language (MTL) exposure that MK@Hougang and MK@Elias Park have been piloting this year.

Under the pilot, the daily MTL curriculum duration will increase from 1 hour to 1.5 hours, providing more opportunities for MK children to learn and use their MTL with their peers and teachers.

Cultivating Positive Reading Habits from Young

A structured reading programme, MTL SOAR will be progressively rolled out to all primary levels by 2029.

Teachers will use age-appropriate supplementary readers and schools will be provided with resources such as reading passports, guides for teachers, students and parents, as well as recommended reading lists curated with the National Library Board, to enhance existing efforts in developing to develop positive reading habits in students from young.

Increased opportunities to offer Higher Mother Tongue Language (HMTL)

At the National Day Rally 2024, it was announced that more students will have the opportunity to offer HMTL in secondary schools. Currently, HMTL eligibility is tied to students' overall PSLE score to ensure that students can cope with the overall curriculum load.

This will better recognise and develop students' unique strengths and interests and allow more students to learn their MTL to as high a level as possible.

Expansion of Strategic Partnership Co-Curricular Activity (SP-CCA) to include more sports

In partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), MOE has expanded the current sports SP-CCA from Athletics and Water Polo to include:

SP-CCA aims to broaden CCA options for students beyond their school’s offerings, and allow students from different secondary schools to come together to pursue a common interest, develop skills, build character and forge friendships.

Revised Junior College (JC) Admission Criteria

From the 2028 Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE), MOE will reduce the number of subjects required for JC admission from six to five, by shifting from the current L1R5 (six subjects) gross aggregate score to L1R4 (five subjects).

This allows students to free up time from offering one fewer subject, to strengthen their development of 21st Century Competencies and pursue other interests.

Subject requirements for Junior College admission under revised L1R4 criteria

The computation of the L1R4 aggregate continues to require three subjects from both the Mathematics/Science and Humanities subject groups.

Millennia Institute (MI)’s L1R4 subject requirements will also be updated to require these three subjects, while the qualifying threshold will remain at L1R4 ≤20.

Subject requirements for Millennia Institute (MI) admission under revised L1R4 criteria

Bonus Point System

The cap on bonus points for JC admission will be lowered from a maximum of 4 to 3 points to account for the reduction in the number of subjects included in the L1R4 aggregate computation.

The bonus points cap for admission to MI will also be aligned with that for JC admissions.

JC Rejuvenation Programme (JCRP)

Announced in 2019, these four JCs would be rebuilt or upgraded under Phase 1 of the JCRP:

• Anderson Serangoon Junior College
• Jurong Pioneer Junior College
• Temasek Junior College
• Yishun Innova Junior College

The rejuvenated campuses will see enhanced facilities such as configurable spaces that cater to different class sizes and pedagogies (e.g. seminar style teaching and project work discussions), as well as students’ interests and niche programmes (e.g. STEM activities).

Staff will also have multi-functional workspaces to facilitate interactions and collaborations.

The four JCs under Phase 1 are on schedule to operate from their rejuvenated campuses from January 2028.

More details on the development plans of these four JCs will be shared in due course.

Updates on ITEʼs Enhanced Three-year Curricular Structure

Starting with selected courses from AY2022, ITE introduced an enhanced three-year curricular structure leading directly to a Higher Nitec certification.

This streamlined the 2-year Nitec plus 2-year Higher Nitec structure, providing a more integrated pathway to equip our ITE students with deeper skills and a stronger foundation for further upskilling.

Extension of ITE Progression Award (IPA) to include Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) diplomas

The ITE Progression Award (IPA), introduced in March 2024, supports ITE graduates to upskill to a diploma earlier in their careers to secure more progression prospects in their chosen professions.

Under the IPA, eligible ITE graduates receive a $5,000 top-up to their Post-Secondary Education Account when they enrol in a diploma issued by an MOE-funded institution, and a $10,000 top-up to their CPF Ordinary Account when they complete their diploma.

In FY2024, we awarded:

As a one-time arrangement, the IPA will also be awarded to the following groups:

• all Singaporean ITE graduates already enrolled in a WSQ diploma as at 1 June 2025, regardless of age, will receive a $10,000 top-up to their CPF-OA account upon completion of the WSQ diploma; and
• Singaporean ITE graduates aged 31 in 2025 (born between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994) who enrol in a WSQ diploma from 1 June 2025 to 31 December 2025.

Expand Internship and Employment Support for Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in ITE

The ITE-SG Enable (SGE) Internship and Employment Support Programme will be expanded to support more ITE students with SEN as they transit from ITE to employment.

Started in mid-2024, students under the programme:

• receive training in areas such as résumé and interview preparation, as well as workplace communication, to better prepare them to join the workforce
• are placed in suitable internship or job roles, and supported by a job coach to help them adapt to the workplace

New Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) Campus

We will support SUSS to build a new campus at the site and vicinity of the former Rocher Centre by the mid-2030s.

The central location will increase the universityʼs accessibility for:

• the diverse student body of SUSS, including students before they start work and adult learners
• SUSS’s partners in the industry and the social sector

We will provide more details on SUSSʼ new campus when ready.

Enhancing support for mid-career individuals under the SkillsFuture Level- Up Programme (SFLP)

The SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme (SFLP) supports mid-career Singapore citizens aged 40 and above to upskill and reskill to stay competitive and relevant amidst a rapidly changing economy.

Mid-career workers who take time off work to pursue full-time long-form training can tap on the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Training Allowance to partially address the loss in income.

Overview of SkillsFuture Mid-Career Training Allowance

Leveraging Technology to Ease Teacher Workload

To streamline administrative duties, MOE is piloting a feature in Parents Gateway to allow parents to submit documents for their child’s absence electronically. As such, teachers do not need to manually collect and track these documents.

The pilot is ongoing in 10 schools and 2 MKs before the feature is progressively rolled out to all schools by end 2025.

Parenting for Wellness

To empower parents in building strong parent-child relationships, supporting their child’s mental health and emotional resilience, and parenting effectively in the digital age, MOE has worked with MSF and HPB to develop the Parenting for Wellness Initiative as part of Singapore’s National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy.

The Parenting for Wellness Initiative comprises three different resources to cater to parents from different backgrounds, family contexts and parenting styles. It includes:

National Special Education (SPED) Curriculum

With the introduction of the remaining two SPED Teaching and Learning Syllabuses (TLSs) in 2024, MOE has established a National SPED Curriculum with seven TLSs, to uplift the quality of curriculum, teaching and learning in SPED schools.

The National SPED Curriculum also promotes stronger collaborations between educators and allied professionals, and partnerships with families and the community.

It informs the professional development roadmap for teachers and provides the basis for quality assurance and benchmarking across the SPED sector, so that all SPED students can work towards the desired outcomes, regardless of the school they attend.

Further Use of Technology to Enhance SPED School Processes

MOE has been working with Social Service Agencies (SSAs) and SPED schools to further leverage information technology and digitalisation to enhance SPED school processes, enhancing efficiency and facilitating seamless data sharing.

Updates on SPED Communities of Practice (COPs)

MOE has engaged SSAs and SPED schools to set up SPED COPs and cross-schools Networked Learning Communities to deepen disability knowledge, foster professional collaborations and share good practices across the SPED sector.

The inaugural SPED COP on Multiple Disabilities, established in 2024, convened in February 2025. 14 practitioners from Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore, AWWA and Rainbow Centre came together to share insights and reflect on their practices to improve student outcomes.

Internship and employment support for students with Special Educational Needs in ITE

The ITE-SG Enable (SGE) Internship and Employment Support Programme will be expanded to support more ITE students with SEN as they transit from ITE to employment.