2013 JJC H1 Econs QP

JURONG JUNIOR COLLEGE PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2013 ECONOMICS Higher 1 8819/01 2 September 2013 3 hours READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your name and class on all the work you hand in. Write in dark blue or black pen on both sides of the paper. You may use a soft pencil for any diagrams, graphs or rough working. Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid. Section A Answer all questions. Section B Answer one question. Start each question on a new piece of paper. Fill in the necessary information on the cover sheet. At the end of the examination, fasten all your work securely with the cover sheet at the top. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question. This document consists of 8 printed pages.

2     Section A Answer all questions in this section. Question 1 Education and its merits Table 1: Government expenditure on education (Thousand Dollars) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Total 6,959,285 7,527,667 8,229,69 8,685,326 9,875,445 10,789,740 Recurrent Expenditure 6,351,717 6,785,625 7,476,521 7,837,909 8,998,709 9,743,977 Primary Schools/ Secondary/Junior Colleges 3,122,956 3,618,288 3,729,318 3,809,233 4,407,659 4,382,909 Institute of Technical Education 249,154 253,506 281,262 262,509 328,067 347,338 Tertiary 2,548,043 2,410,538 2,865,478 3,072,091 3,554,419 4,242,479 Universities 1,719,156 1,491,382 1,808,987 2,014,807 2,305,921 2,944,796 National Institute of Education 100,147 102,243 110,378 112,474 123,625 118,558 Polytechnics 728,741 816,913 946,113 944,810 1,124,873 1,179,125 Others* 431,564 503,292 600,463 694,076 708,564 771,251 Development Expenditure 607,569 742,043 753,173 847,417 876,736 1,045,763 * Includes MOE Headquarters, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Science Centre Board, SIM-Open University Centre, Special Education, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, LASALLE College of the Arts and Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board. Source: Yearbook of Statistics, Singapore, 2012 Table 2: Enrolment in educational institutions by sector (Number) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Total 688,310 700,774 704,117 704,719 698,544 689,060 Primary Schools/Secondary Schools/Junior Colleges 530,423 534,737 528,932 521,594 510,714 498,563 Institute of Technical Education 22,954 23,465 24,367 24,846 24,789 25,279 Tertiary 134,933 142,572 150,818 158,279 163,041 165,218 Source: Yearbook of Statistics, Singapore, 2012

3     Extract 1 Asia spending billions on tutors Asian parents are spending billions of dollars on private tutors for their children, and the practice is growing despite doubts over its e ffectiveness. Private tuition is a lucrative business not only in wealthy countries but also in some of the region's poorer nations as parents try to give their children the best start in life, the Asian Development Bank said. Nearly nine out of 10 South Korean elementary pup ils have private tutoring. It estimated that the costs of private tutoring in South Korea were equivalent to 80 percent of government spending on public education. Japan spent $12 billion on extra teaching in 2010. In Hong Kong, where 85 percent of senior secondary students receive tutoring, companies advertise the services of "star" tutors, on television, newspapers and the back of buses. But despite its popularity, particularly in East Asia, tutoring has had mixed results, said the study, conducted with the University of Hong Kong's Comparative Education Research Centre. The study called for state supervision and regulation of the industry, in part due to the ease of recruiting suitable candidates as private tutors resulting in an influx of players, as well as a review of Asia's educational systems. Source: Adapted from AFP, 5 July 2012 Extract 2 $15m programme to develop student entrepreneurs unveiled THE Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) is teaming up with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to roll out a $15 million Entrepreneurship Programme, which will be rolled out over a three-year period and targets secondary schools, junior colleges (JCs), polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Colleges. Key features of the programme include internship opportunities with entrepreneurial firms and funding support for polytechnic and ITE students to test out their business ideas. For the secondary schools and JCs, an entrepreneur will be attached to each participating school, who will provide guidance and advice to students. It will also comprise learning modules, workshops and competitions that aim to give students a glimpse of the world of business. ACE Chairman Teo Ser Luck said: “We want to inculcate certain values in them. The value of taking risks, the value of trying something new, the value of believing in their passion, and also at the same time understanding about embracing failures because most entrepreneurs would have failed many times, or would have failed before and then finally succeeded. Entrepreneurship is a key driver of Singapore’s economy; they create growth and meaningful jobs. ACE believes that entrepreneurship can drive the renewal of our small and medium enterprises landscape to ensure a pipeline of better and stronger enterprises.” Extract 3 More support for students with special needs In line with the government’s aim to achieve inclusive growth so as to improve the welfare of the disadvantaged and less fortunate, MOE has expanded the school-based dyslexia remediation to 22 more primary schools, bringing the total to 42 primary schools. MOE will also extend its assistance to more parents of children with special needs to enable them to better understand the learning experiences in the Special Education (SPED) schools and help them find a suitable education programme for their child. SPED schools will receive additional resources to promote stronger home-school partnerships and support students from needy families.

4     Extract 4 Post-Secondary Education (PSE) scheme As part of the government’s efforts to encourage every Singaporean to complete post- secondary education, the PSE Account (PSEA) was created to help parents to save for their children’s education in approved tertiary institutions such as the universities and polytechnics. In Budget 2010, the government announced that it would top up the PSEA for every Singaporean child aged 7 to 20 in 2010. The top-up ranged from $100 to $500. It underscores the government’s commitment to support families in investing in further education for their children, and to prepare them for the economy of the future. Extract 5 New degree programmes at polytechnic - lower fees are a big draw The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)-Trinity College Dublin (TCD) undergraduate degree programmes in Occupational Therapy and Ph ysiotherapy is an initiative by MOE offering undergraduate degree programmes mainly to polytechnic graduates. Singaporean students were attracted to the programmes for many reasons. But one main draw was the lower cost compared to similar programmes ov erseas. International students have to pay fees of $45,000 for each programme, but Singaporean students pay only $15,000, due to subsidies from MOE. In addition, the TCD programme will cater more to the Singapore context and teach more analytical skills, which will enable a service provider to better meet Singapore’s health-care needs. Besides the lower cost, the TCD programme offers two modules, Critical Appraisal and Leadership and Management, which are not offered in programmes from other schools. Source: Adapted from MOE Press Releases, 2012-2013 Questions (a) (i) Compare the change in government ex penditu