Strategies in Schools to Ensure Children Spot Signs of Disinformation and Online Falsehoods
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the strategies used in schools to help students identify disinformation and the age at which these skills are introduced. Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim inquired about instructional methods and the age-appropriateness of teaching children to be discerning readers. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing stated that literacy skills are integrated into subjects like Social Studies and English from Primary to pre-University levels. Students learn to distinguish facts from opinions and verify source credibility, with deeper explorations of POFMA and scams occurring at secondary levels. These efforts are reinforced through the refreshed Character and Citizenship Education curriculum, which teaches cyber wellness starting from the Primary level.
Transcript
27 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Education (a) what are the strategies applied in schools to ensure that our children become discerning readers to spot signs of disinformation and online falsehoods; and (b) what is the age of the children for schools to start imparting this skill to them.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: In schools, information and media literacy skills are taught through different subjects from Primary to pre-University levels, to nurture our students to be discerning users and producers of information.
In English, History and Social Studies lessons, students learn to critically evaluate different sources of information, both online and offline, when examining real-world issues in the local or global contexts. From upper Primary levels, teachers use reading and thinking strategies that are age-appropriate to guide students in distinguishing fact from opinion, understanding context, establishing purpose, and verifying the credibility of information. During this process, students cross-check the information and views presented with other sources to determine their reliability and to spot signs of incomplete information and falsehoods. At the pre-University level, teachers build on these skills to guide students to be discerning readers of information as they explore a range of key issues of local, regional and global significance in General Paper.
Students are also taught how to discern online information as part of Cyber Wellness (CW) education within the refreshed Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) Curriculum implemented progressively from 2021. Starting from Primary level, students are taught to verify the credibility of online information sources to safeguard themselves in cyberspace. At the Secondary and pre-University levels, students deepen their understanding of the factors contributing to the spread of online falsehoods as well as its consequences. Through class discussions on related contemporary issues, such as Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) and the rise in the number of scam cases, the importance of being discerning of online information is reinforced.