To enhance their students’ understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture and contemporary China, SAP schools will provide their students with more opportunities for immersion in China, including extended programmes of up to six months in key Chinese cities. Hwa Chong Institution, for example, has started a satellite campus in Beijing since September 2007, and will be offering places for other SAP school students.

Nanyang Primary School, Nanyang Girls’ High School, Nan Hua Primary School and Nan Hua High School will be piloting local CL residential immersion programmes for some of their students, lasting between two to four weeks, to immerse them in a Chinese-speaking environment.

MOE will support and encourage SAP schools to each develop a CL-related flagship programme that adds to each school’s educational identity, and exposes students to enriched learning in Chinese language and culture.

Some of the SAP schools that have already started doing so include Tao Nan School with its Bi-Cultural Elective Programme and Chung Cheng High (Main) with its Chinese Special Programme. (See details in Annex B)

To deepen values education in SAP schools, traditional Chinese values will be incorporated into the teaching of the Civics and Moral Education curriculum where appropriate. This will be piloted in 8 primary 2 and 7 secondary[3] schools in 2009. If successful, this approach could be adopted by more SAP schools subsequently.

SAP schools will also give their students more opportunities to interact with other ethnic groups to help them develop a better understanding of other races, and a strong sense of responsibility to the nation. For example, SAP schools could partner non-SAP schools to develop Co-Curricular Activities and community service programmes that facilitate sustained interaction and friendship between their students.

As school leaders are key to shaping and maintaining the school ethos, MOE will continue to ensure that SAP schools are led by suitable leaders. As part of their professional development and training, current and potential SAP school leaders will be exposed to a range of structured development opportunities, including Masters or executive programmes in Chinese and longer overseas attachments to Chinese schools abroad.

SAP schools will establish stronger networks among themselves to nurture the SAP school ethos and create opportunities for professional development and resource sharing. SAP schools will work together on issues of common interest and provide effective platforms for their students and teachers to share their experiences.

MOE will recruit suitable teachers to teach non-examination subjects such as Music, Arts and Physical Education in Chinese. Immersion and other development programmes for serving CL teachers in SAP schools will also be organised.

MOE will provide SAP schools with the necessary support to implement these initiatives. This includes providing curricular consultancy support to SAP schools.

The SAP scheme was introduced in 1979 to preserve the best traditions and ethos of the old Chinese medium schools, and to nurture a core group of students who are proficient in both English and Chinese. Currently, there are

SAP secondary schools and 15 SAP primary schools (see list in Annex C).

11 February 2008

2 The primary schools are CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School, Hong Wen School, Holy Innocents’ Primary, Nan Hua Primary, Nanyang Primary, Pei Chun Public, Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary and Poi Ching School.

3 The secondary schools are Anglican High, CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School, Chung Cheng High (Main), Dunman High, Hwa Chong Institution, Nan Hua High and River Valley High.