We Learn for Life Together: Building a "We First" Society Through Education

At the 2026 Committee of Supply Debate, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced initiatives to enable Singaporeans to learn together and be equipped for an AI-transformed future. These initiatives reflect MOE's commitment to support the learning needs and aspirations of Singaporeans of all ages, as we build a "We First" society together.

Learning Together with Different Strengths and Needs

2. Building on earlier efforts, MOE will broaden access and strengthen education pathways to enable students of different learning profiles to achieve their potential.

Refreshed Approach to Support Primary School Students with Academic Strengths and Talents

3. At National Day Rally 2024, PM Lawrence Wong announced that MOE will discontinue the Gifted Education Programme (GEP) in its current form and will implement a refreshed approach to support primary school students with academic strengths and talents.

4. From 2027, MOE will broaden access to existing school-based provisions in all primary schools to develop students in their domains of strength. These provisions include in-curriculum extensions and after-school programmes. Around 10% of the cohort will be able to benefit, up from around 7% today.

5. In addition, students assessed to benefit from further stretch beyond school-based provisions can choose to attend weekly advanced modules in English, Mathematics, or Science after school at a nearby designated centre. They will no longer need to transfer to one of the nine primary schools that currently host the GEP. These modules will cater to students with strengths in specific domains, benefitting more students as compared to the current GEP cohort, where students are selected based on strengths across multiple domains. The modules will be taught by specially trained teachers.

6. Starting in 2027, 15 primary schools across Singapore will serve as designated centres to host the advanced modules. These schools were chosen to ensure a good geographic spread and are accessible via public transport. The list of designated centres will be reviewed from time to time.

7. Primary 3 students this year will be the first batch of students to undergo a standardised one-stage identification exercise in August 2026, complemented by school-based information of these students. In subsequent years, schools may also nominate suitable Primary 4 and 5 students for the school-based provisions and advanced modules.

[Please refer to info-sheet 1 for more details on the refreshed approach.]

Strengthen School Support for Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds

8. MOE is committed to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve their potential. Beyond financial assistance, MOE has provided additional manpower and funding to schools with higher proportions of such students since 2019, to strengthen school structures, processes and programmes, including after school support. In line with the approach of ComLink+¹, MOE has also fostered partnerships among schools, public agencies and community partners to provide wraparound support for these students and their families.

9. MOE will strengthen the educational and well-being support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, in support of ComLink+. Existing initiatives such as UPLIFT Enhanced School Resourcing² and GEAR-UP³ will be streamlined into one single support package for schools:

1. From 2026, MOE will provide more schools (from 100 to 157) with additional manpower and funding, which will benefit around 20,000 students annually.
2. MOE will also work with schools to better identify students from disadvantaged backgrounds and provide them with customised and coordinated support. This includes school-based interventions, after-school engagements, and collaboration with public agencies and community partners.

Implementation of New Post-Secondary Admissions Exercise in 2028

10. The first cohort of students under Full Subject-Based Banding⁴ will be sitting for the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) examinations at their respective subject levels (i.e., G1, G2, G3) in 2027, and will receive their SEC results at the same time in January 2028⁵.

11. In tandem, MOE will streamline the application process to enable them to use their SEC results to apply for courses in the various Post-Secondary Education Institutions (Junior Colleges, Millennia Institute, Polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education) under a new Post-Secondary Admissions Exercise (PSE) via a common online portal using their Singpass. The PSE will replace separate posting exercises which take place at different times of the year – Joint Admissions Exercise, Polytechnic Foundation Programme Admissions Exercise, and the Institute of Education (ITE) Joint Intake Exercise (2-Year and 3-Year Higher Nitec).

12. To encourage students to prioritise schools and courses based on their strengths and interests, choice order will be introduced as a posting tie-breaker (i.e. when applicants have the same net aggregate scores) for the PSE, in this order: citizenship, choice order, gross aggregate score, and computerised balloting. This is similar to the Secondary One Posting Exercise which also uses choice order as a posting tie-breaker.

[Please refer to info-sheet 1 for more details on the implementation of new Post-Secondary Admissions Exercise in 2028.]

Expansion of Special Education (SPED) School Capacity

13. MOE will work with Social Service Agencies (SSAs) to expand SPED school capacity to cater to rising demand for places for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder with Intellectual Disability (ASD-ID). The expansion will be carried out from the second half of 2026 through the early 2030s, via three measures, and will be able to serve around 30% more SPED students, from 9,000 students today to about 12,000.

a. Expansion with additional campuses​ for three SPED schools	MOE will partner MINDS to expand teaching facilities and resources with additional campuses for three MINDS SPED schools*: From the second half of 2026, the additional campuses of MINDS Fernvale Gardens School and MINDS Lee Kong Chian Gardens School will operate from interim sites in the East and Central regions respectively. From 2027, the additional campus of MINDS Towner Gardens School will operate from an interim site in the East region.
b. Expansion of existing SPED school	The fourth MINDS SPED school, Woodlands Gardens School will relocate to a larger interim site* in the North region from 2027, to continue serving students in the North with increased capacity.
c. Establish three new SPED schools	MOE is studying the establishment of three new ASD-ID schools across the island to enhance geographical accessibility. MOE will be partnering three SSAs (APSN Education Services Ltd., Autism Association (Singapore) and St. Andrew's Mission Hospital), with experience and domain expertise, to set up these schools. More details will be shared when ready. With these three new schools, the number of SPED schools serving students with ASD-ID will increase from 13 to 16, bringing the total number of government and community-funded SPED schools across various disability types to 30^, up from the current 26. ^ Includes the existing 26 SPED schools, the 3 new ASD-ID schools, and Pathlight School 3 in Punggol.

Note: * MINDS schools' expansion plans will increase capacity and reduce commuting time for some existing students. MINDS schools' additional and larger campuses will operate at the interim sites for at least five years. MOE, with the relevant agencies, is studying the longer-term infrastructure plans for these schools, including their permanent locations. Details will be shared in due course.

Adapting Together for an AI-Transformed Future

14. AI literacy is rapidly becoming a necessary skillset for our workforce to remain competitive and for Singapore to remain relevant to the world. MOE will help learners to harness AI and thrive in an AI-transformed future, by developing AI capabilities across our education system suited to their age and learning stage and providing opportunities for AI upskilling throughout their learning journey.

Strengthen Students' AI Literacy Throughout their Education Journey

15. We are committed to help students "Learn about AI" and "Learn to use AI" in an appropriate manner, so that they can harness AI effectively and ethically for learning and work. Students will also "Learn with AI" to augment their learning process, and "Learn beyond AI" to strengthen foundational domain knowledge and hone soft skills and human-centric values which AI cannot replace.

16.To ensure that students from Primary to Pre-University education engage with AI in an age- and developmentally-appropriate manner, MOE will enhance efforts to help students harness AI to benefit learning while mitigating education-specific risks:

1. We have integrated AI literacy into curriculum, co-curriculum, and self-directed learning resources, with defined developmental milestones to develop our students' digital literacy and technological skills;
2. The "Code for Fun" programme in primary and secondary schools will be updated to strengthen students' AI skills and made available to all schools in 2027; and
3. In 2026, Cyber Wellness lessons in the Character and Citizenship Education curriculum have been updated to include validating information from generative AI and identifying deepfakes.

17. Currently, most full-time undergraduate students at the Autonomous Universities (AUs) and full-time students at the Polytechnics and ITE are taught the basic principles and applications of AI, so that they understand what it is, how it works, its limitations, and its impact. Our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) will continue to enhance their AI curriculum to keep pace with AI advancements and adoption in the workplace, and provide students with more opportunities to learn AI competencies in their specific domains and disciplines.

18. The IHLs will also help their students build soft skills and core competencies that will equip them to thrive in an AI-pervasive world. Since 2022, the revised LifeSkills framework implemented in all IHLs has strengthened focus on developing 10 key competencies, including innovation, critical thinking, interpersonal and collaboration skills, and communication and engagement skills. These enduring skills will enable students to effectively harness AI to amplify their impact at the workplace.

Enhancement of Support for AI Upskilling

19. To help workers assess their AI readiness level and training needs, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), in partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), will develop a self-diagnostic AI readiness tool, which individuals can access via the MySkillsFuture (MySF) portal. Through this tool, users will be able to gauge their AI readiness level based on various worker archetypes and receive course recommendations appropriate for their readiness level. As part of SSG's enhancements to the MySF portal⁶, the curation and signposting of SSG-supported AI-related courses will be improved, with courses tagged by archetype to help workers identify relevant courses.​ The self-diagnostic tool, together with the enhanced MySF portal, will be rolled out by 2Q 2026.

20. All IHLs will offer selected AI-related courses for their alumni at a significant discount for one year starting in the second half of 2026, to better support their alumni in accessing AI upskilling post-graduation. More details will be released by the individual institutions.

21. SSG will also introduce the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) AI Skills Launchpad by working with its industry partners to support SMEs in elevating AI awareness and facilitating the adoption of AI solutions and training. SkillsFuture Queen Bees and Skills Development Partners will offer free AI masterclasses and advisory services to SMEs. SMEs will also have access to a comprehensive AI resource page on the SkillsFuture for Business Portal, as well as curated AI skills and courses on the TalentTrack⁷ platform. These initiatives will be progressively rolled out from March 2026.

Growing Together Through Lifelong Learning

22. MOE will continue to deepen our commitment to lifelong learning by supporting working adults to develop their potential throughout their careers to help them stay competitive.

Taking SkillsFuture Forward

23. The SkillsFuture movement started in 2015 to enable Singaporeans to learn for life, pursue skills mastery, and grow meaningful careers. We have since built a vibrant, high-quality, and market-responsive Training and Adult Education (TAE) ecosystem, together with our IHLs, and over 700 registered training providers and industry partners. We have made good progress in deepening the culture of lifelong learning.

24. SSG and Workforce Singapore (WSG) will merge into a new statutory board jointly overseen by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and MOE. In an increasingly complex economic landscape, the merger of SSG and WSG will strengthen the SkillsFuture movement by tightening integration between skills training and employability, to support Singaporeans in seizing new opportunities, and build a more seamless, end-to-end training, career and employment services ecosystem.

25. MOE will continue to work with our IHLs, to provide high-quality, industry-relevant, and accessible training for Singaporeans that support career development for individuals, and workforce transformation outcomes for employers.

Expansion of SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme (SFLP) Course Catalogue

26. To provide more options for mid-career Singaporean learners, we will expand the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme⁸ course catalogue to include Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) full qualification courses. As part of a national skills credentialing system, WSQ-accredited courses are designed to impart skills needed to perform various work tasks that are in line with industry manpower needs. Around 200 WSQ full qualification courses are expected to qualify for the SFLP from Q4 2026. These courses will span a wide range of sectors such as Healthcare, Information and Communications, Engineering, Media and Early Childhood. More details will be released at a later date.

Enhancements to ITE's Work-Study Diploma Employer Incentives

27. MOE will enhance the ITE Work-Study Diploma, a key diploma upgrading pathway for ITE Nitec and Higher Nitec graduates. Since its launch in 2018, the programme has grown significantly from 4 courses and 100 trainees to 45 courses and 1,600 trainees in 2025. To encourage more employers to come onboard and provide training opportunities to learners, MOE and SSG will enhance the employer incentives for the ITE Work-Study Diploma for new cohorts from April 2026 by increasing the quantum from $15,000 to $20,000 per eligible trainee whom employers hire and train, and simplifying the process for disbursing the incentive. The new $20,000 incentive will be disbursed at several milestones over the course duration.

[Please refer to info-sheet 2 for more details on the enhancement to ITE's Work-Study Diploma employer incentives.]

MySkillsFuture Portal Enhancements

28. SSG will launch a revamped MySF portal by 2Q this year to provide a more customised user experience and encourage industry-relevant upskilling. Users can search for courses covering in-demand skills more easily and receive personalised training recommendations through an AI-powered digital advisor. Users can also expect a more seamless course enrolment process on the MySF portal.

Working Together for a Stronger Education System

29. A stronger education system depends on the collective efforts of our stakeholders. MOE will continue to support educators and work with key partners including parents and community partners to support and strengthen our students' learning experience.

Expand Support for Mother Tongue Language Learning and Promotion Committees (MTLLPCs)​ to Strengthen Bilingualism

30. The MTLLPCs were formed by MOE in 2005 (Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning, CPCLL) and 2006 (Malay and Tamil Languages Learning and Promotion Committees, MLLPC and TLLPC) as a recommendation from the MTL Curriculum and Pedagogy Review Committee. The committees seek to rally the support of community organisations to create an environment conducive for the use of MTLs beyond schools. The MTLLPCs will receive a funding of $33 million from FY2026 to FY2030 (up from $30 million for FY2021 to FY2025) to support a wider range of activities and programmes for students and parents.

31. The MTLLPCs will extend their reach and impact by empowering families as the primary language learning partners. We will support young parents in strengthening early childhood MTL immersion for their children. MTLLPCs will also establish stronger partnership with community groups to enhance existing programmes, and scale community outreach by tapping on digital platforms to reach wider audiences.

We Learn for Life Together

32. MOE remains committed to working together with our stakeholders including educators, parents, and the wider community, to create a conducive environment where students can thrive and reach their full potential regardless of their starting points. We will continue to strengthen our education system by enhancing support for diverse learners, preparing for an AI-transformed world and strengthening lifelong learning opportunities.

Footnotes

1. ComLink+ brings together different stakeholders to uplift selected lower-income families with children towards stability, self-reliance and social mobility (3S). Under ComLink+, family coaches and volunteer befrienders journey with ComLink+ families on their customised action plans to support their needs and aspirations.
2. UPLIFT Enhanced School Resourcing (UESR) provided selected schools with additional resources to support whole-school approaches and targeted interventions for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
3. Guiding and Empowering Students for Affiliation & Resilience to Unlock their Potential (GEAR-UP) was implemented in secondary schools to strengthen after-school support for students.
4. MOE has implemented Full SBB in secondary schools from 2024, which saw the removal of stream labels and the broadening of educational experiences and pathways. Students now take a more diverse combination of subjects at different subject levels in their secondary schools, enabling greater flexibility to customise their learning suited to their strengths, interests, and learning needs.
5. Under the current system, the examination results of the GCE Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) Levels are released in December in the examination year, and GCE Ordinary Level in January of the following year.
6. Refer to para 28 for more details
7. TalentTrack is a free workforce planning tool that helps businesses keep up with industry skill trends, find industry-relevant courses, and benchmark training grant consumption.
8. The SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme (SFLP) was introduced in 2024 to support mid-career Singapore Citizens aged 40 and above to upskill and reskill to stay competitive and relevant amidst a rapidly changing economy.

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For more information on MOE COS 2026: http://cos.moe.gov.sg/2026