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SINGAPORE: It is the first day of school and the much talked about NorthLight school opened its doors on Wednesday.
NorthLight offers vocational training with a strong social emotional element.
It is one of the main ways in which the Education Ministry hopes to reduce school dropout rates.
There was a very special lesson in singing the school song for some 200 pioneer students of NorthLight.
Their teacher was regional music star Jai Wahab, who made a guest appearance so as to serve as a role model to the students, most of whom failed their primary school leaving examinations 2 times.
Another unique feature of NorthLight is the free shuttle bus service it provides between the Kallang MRT station and the school.
The school has put this system in place because the school bus service is costly for many of the students who come from lower income groups.
Gestures of thoughtfulness like these permeate the entire school system.
In fact, every day, students spend the first 1/2 an hour of school in class family time - a period set aside to put them in the right attitude for learning.
"These students probably come from the tail end social economic background and therefore may not have started the day well; they do not feel happy coming to school. So during the class family time, it is a time for teachers to identify such students, work with them and slowly bring them back into proper learning mood," said Kit Lee, Teacher, NorthLight School.
Unlike many schools where students are grouped in classes according to their results, at Northlight, they are grouped according to their months of birth.
The school does this because it does not want students to feel stigmatised and also because it believes that by labelling the worst class as such, it may become a self fulfilling prophecy.
Character education forms 50 percent of the curriculum at NorthLight.
To prepare for teaching here, all teachers went for emotional intelligence and financial literacy courses.
A professional counselor has also been employed to cater to the students. The school will eventually have 3 professional counselors, one for students of each level.
The school currently offers a 3 programme, but it is considering the setting up of a 4 year programme to cater to those who fail their PSLE for the first time.
An endowment fund for the students is also being set up.
"I like this school, because the teachers, principal, our discipline master and my friends were kind to me," said Siti Nurfiana, a Year One student at NorthLight School.
The first day of school was also welcomed by over 1300 students at Millennia Institute who moved into their new campus.
The school, which offers a 3 year A-levels plus diploma programme, was previously operating out of 2 campuses.
About 10 percent of its students take on the A-level plus diploma programme, while 90 percent just concentrate on the A-levels.
The diploma programmes are in the fields of accountancy, business and entrepreneurship.
"When we were in 2 campuses, we had a problem of identity; now that we are one together, it will be easier for us to project ourselves, and I think our students will feel very proud with the modern facilities. We don't have to see ourselves as lesser than other institutions," said Tan Chor Pang, Principal, Millennia Institute.
The students will also see a change in the curriculum - from content based to skill based - which means greater focus on communications skills, information literacy, and overseas exchange programmes. - CNA /dt
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