Interlocking Policies Facilitating ICT Integration in Education

Abstract

Starting from Chap. 3, we begin to zoom into the focal point of this book, ICT integration in Singapore’s education system. This chapter explains interconnected policies in Singapore that set the stage and facilitate the effort in bringing ICT into classrooms. Following the multi-perspective analysis of the global situation in Chap. 2, we first examine policies that relate economy, R&D, and education from the 1960s to the present. We then trace the national technology policies in Singapore before describing in more details, the three phases of ICT policies in education that were implemented. The mp1, from 1997 to 2002, focused on establishing a baseline human and technology infrastructure. This allowed the mp2, from 2003 to 2008, to put in place structures and mechanisms to encourage innovative practices that pushed the limits in the use of ICT in T&L. The mp3, from 2009 to 2014, aimed to push the boundary, particular in the assessment of 21st-century skills and, most importantly, put in place processes and structures to scale up good practices through the system. We analyse the rationales behind each Masterplan and identify the impact that each has on the education landscape.