According to andyeducation, the educational system in Singapore is highly developed and comprehensive, designed to meet the needs of all students regardless of their socio-economic background. The system consists of six levels: pre-primary, primary, secondary, pre-university, university and technical/vocational. Pre-primary education is provided for children aged 3 to 6 years old and is free for all. Primary education covers grades 1 to 6 and focuses on the development of literacy and numeracy skills. Secondary education covers grades 7 to 10 and allows students to choose either a three-year academic track or a four-year technical/vocational track. Pre-university education covers grades 11 and 12 which prepares students for university entrance exams. The university level consists of four main types of institutions: polytechnics, autonomous universities, private universities and foreign universities. Technical/vocational courses are offered at polytechnics or private institutions specializing in vocational training. The curriculum at each level follows national standards set by the Ministry of Education (MOE) which includes core subjects such as Maths, English Language Arts, Sciences, History/Social Studies etc., as well as optional electives such as music or foreign languages. In addition to traditional classroom instruction, students have access to various extracurricular activities such as field trips or sports teams. At the end of each level of schooling (except pre-primary), students take exams that assess their knowledge in their chosen subjects; successful completion allows them admission into higher levels of study within the same institution or elsewhere in Singapore depending on their results and interests. The government provides financial aid (scholarships & grants) for those who cannot afford tuition fees; however these are limited in number and availability varies from year-to-year depending on government funding levels. The government also runs several programs aimed at providing quality education opportunities for all citizens regardless of socio-economic background such as providing basic learning materials (e.g., textbooks) and improving infrastructure (e.g., building new classrooms). See educationvv for Singapore educational systems.
