| School of Science and Technology, Singapore
新加坡科技中学 |
|
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 5 Clementi Ave 6, Singapore 129835, | |
| Information | |
| Type | Specialised Independent School |
| Established | 2008, started operating in 2010 (First Batch) |
| Principal | Mr Chua Chor Huat (2008-Present) |
| Vision | A Globally Connected Institution of Science and Technology |
| Website | http://www.sst.edu.sg |
The School of Science and Technology, Singapore or (SST) was established in Singapore in 2010. It offers a four-year curriculum which leads to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE O Level examination. Students in the school learn through a learning style focusing on hands-on activities which teaches them how to apply what they have learned in real life. The school has 398 students as of January 2011. The school uses Direct School Admission (DSA) to obtain its cohorts. The application includes a selection camp and several academic tests.
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In March 2008, SST was announced in Parliament that a new Specialised Independent School with an emphasis on applied learning will be set up. SST, a subsidiary under Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) with Ministry of Education as a parent ministry, is targeted at University bound students with an interest in applied learning. It offers a four-year programme leading to the O levels, including offering new Applied Subjects, as well as incorporating applied learning approaches into the regular O level subjects. SST adopts innovative teaching approaches that leverage on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and is the sixth school in the FutureSchools@Singapore project.
The SST Board of Directors, chaired by Dr Su Guaning, Former President of Nanyang Technological University(NTU) convened the first SST Board of Directors meeting on 3 March 2009. The inaugural meeting was followed by the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between NTU, NP and SST
SST's inaugural Open House was held on 23 May 2009 and the Guest of Honour was Dr Ng Eng Hen, the Minister for Education and Second Minister of Defence.
The pioneer cohort of SST students started school on 4 January 2010.
On 29 March 2010, Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State, Minister for National Development and Education was the Guest of Honour at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for SST's new campus. On the same occasion, Ngee Ann Kongsi announced a donation of S$8.1 million to SST.[1]
The Second Batch of 200 Secondary 1 SST Students started their school on 4 January 2011. On the same day, SST's Robotics Team went to their future Permanent Campus, which is currently still under construction as of Jan 2011, to thank the 180 construction workers building the campus. They also had brunch with them.[2]
On 25 January 2011, 30 students and some teachers from the Ren Da Fu Zhong Xishan School(RDFZ Xishan School) came to SST and signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the two schools. The teachers and students form the RDFZ Xishan School also looked around and interacted with the SST students and teachers.
From 4–6 March 2011, A group of students and teachers went to SOTA to attend the Apple Education Leadership Summit 2011.
Initial admission to the SST is done via Direct School Admission (DSA) exercise with interviews, portfolio assessment and selection tests. Also, the minimum PSLE score must be above 188 to qualify into the Express Stream. The school will admit up to 200 students for its first Secondary 1 intake in 2010. In addition, from 2012, the school will admit up to 50 students at the Secondary 3 level each year.
Applied Learning forms the core of the teaching and learning approach in the SST to provide learning opportunities for students to draw connections between the concepts taught in the classroom and real-world applications.
Year 1 and 2 students will take the following subjects: English Language, Mother Tongue, Mathematics, Science, Integrated Humanities and Art, Design, Media & Technology (ADMT). At Year 3 and 4, students will take a combination of conventional and applied subjects. He may take conventional subjects such as English, Mother Tongue, Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Humanities together with one or two Applied Subjects such as Design Studies, Fundamentals of Electronics, Media Studies, Biotechnology and Environmental Science & Technology.
At the lower secondary levels, the SST adopts an integrated approach to learning while providing a firm foundation for upper secondary levels. Students studying a topic on terrorism in Integrated Humanities will be able to view it from different perspectives to gain an understanding of national, regional and global issues. The approach involves different disciplines and allows the students to view issues from multiple perspectives.[3]
Besides academic curriculum, the SST also provides a holistic education with subjects on Character, Citizenship, Leadership and Lifeskills. Students are also provided with a strong network of support through pastoral care programmes.[3]
SST uses innovative teaching techniques and curriculum design to nurture the innovative and enterprising aspects of students. The latest information and communications technologies (ICT) as well as Interactive Digital Media (IDM) will be incorporated into various subjects to provide an interactive conducive learning environment.
SST will be temporarily housed at 5, Clementi Ave 6, for two years until the permanent campus is ready in 2012. The holding site has been retrofitted with design studios, laboratories places for collaboration and discussion and a work display area. Certain facilities (e.g. laboratories) at Ngee Ann Polytechnic are available for student use also.[4]
The nearest MRT station to the holding side is at Clementi, which is Clementi MRT Station. The buses that are accessible to SST are SBS Transit bus service 185 and SMRT bus service 189.
SST will move to the new site at 2012, which is located at Dover, where Commonwealth Avenue and Clementi Road meet, near Dover MRT Station and Singapore Polytechnic.[4]
The SST works in partnership with NTU to provide learning opportunities to students in the form of attachments, internships, and special programmes.
SST works in partnership with leading players in the industry such as Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), Exploit Technologies (ETPL) and DSO National Laboratories to provide learning opportunities to students.
SST offers a range of Co-Curricular Programmes (CCPs) that includes sports and games, performing arts, clubs and societies. They are:
• Floorball
• Basketball
• Soccer
• Cross Country
• Badminton
• Robotics
• Guitar Ensemble
• Media Club
• Drama Club
• Wushu
• Cricket
• Fencing
• Taekwondo
• Singapore Youth Flying Club