An initiative by The Law Society Pro Bono Services and sponsored by the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation, Project Schools aims to engage, enable and empower our youth: creating a greater awareness of the law, highlighting their rights and obligations, and informing them of the consequences of juvenile delinquency. We hope this will promote a greater level of civic-mindedness amongst youth, whilst enabling them to better protect themselves.
Since its launch in July 2012, 30 schools have taken part in the programme, impacting over 15,000 students. The programme's syllabus, developed in collaboration with teachers, law students and practitioners, is designed to facilitate the effective communication of the material by non-legally trained educators.
Targeted at youth, the lessons support and reinforce aspects of learning from the Character and Citizenship Education curriculum; participating schools can choose to integrate the programme into these lessons, or delivered as standalone activities like post-exam or after school workshops, to ensure the programme remains engaging, relevant and sustainable.
Would you like your school to get involved? Read on, and get in touch, at
ProjectSchools@lawsoc.org.
The two videos below illustrate the empowering impact of Project Schools on our youths.
Lessons on the Law in our Classrooms
Project Schools takes an innovative approach where teachers facilitate lessons on the law in the classroom, discussing contemporary and youth-centric issues. Lessons include:
1. Know the Law
2. Gangs & Rioting
3. Domestic Violence (Spousal & Child Abuse)
4. Cyber Offences
5. Illegal Moneylending
6. Sexual Offences
7. Property Theft
8. Substance Abuse
Curriculum Designed For Teachers
The Project Schools syllabus has been specifically designed for the teacher. The Pro Bono Services Office collaborated closely with teachers, specialist practitioners, law undergraduates from NUS and SMU, and the Pro Bono Services Office to develop the curriculum.
Supporting and reinforcing aspects of the Character and Citizenship Education curriculum, the programme can either be integrated into these lessons, or delivered as standalone activities like post-exam or afterschool workshops.
Preparing & Supporting Teachers
Teachers’ Workshops help prepare teachers to facilitate the lessons. Project Schools holds multiple teacher's trainings every year. teachers’ training a year. The latest session was held on 23rd January 2016 with another one tentatively scheduled in the second quarter of the year. Teachers who will be facilitating Project Schools in class are highly encouraged to attend, and to share their learning with the rest of the teachers in their schools.
The workshops aim to:
• Guide teachers on effective ways to use the resource materials; and to
• Provide a platform for teachers to ask questions and seek clarification on the lessons and/or legal issues with the trainer and legal practitioners who are on-hand to assist.
Volunteer lawyers are also available to answer email queries by teachers during the course of the programme. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) will be shared with teachers via a dedicated website.
The suggestions and feedback we receive from both teachers and students is also key as we continue to develop and improve the programme. Teachers complete a Teacher’s Survey form, and compile the responses from their students based on the Student’s Feedback forms provided. The time needed to complete the administrative aspect of the programme should not exceed 30 minutes.
Continuous Engagement
Legal Talks
We work with lawyers who are keen to reach out to students, educators and parents. Schools involved in Project Schools can approach us for lawyers to speak on general legal topics, or for discussions on various scale settings.
Dialogue Sessions
We also hold dialogue sessions such as the closed-door dialogue session at the State Courts between teachers involved in the programme and judges from the Juvenile and Community Courts on 25 October 2012. Our lawyers were present at the MOE Guidance Seminar involving more than 950 educators on 30 October 2013, along with District Judges from the Criminal, Community and Juvenile Courts. These sessions are intended to foster a better understanding of the juvenile justice system and of the Community Court amongst educators.
‘Plug & Play’ Toolkit
The teaching and learning resources provided as part of the Project Schools package are designed to be easily accessible to teachers, and include scalable class activities. The package comprises:
Teacher’s Manual
i. Quick Facts- Answers to frequently asked questions
ii. Lesson Plans- Adaptable - depending on the duration of the lesson and class composition
iii. PowerPoint slides- Slides providing visual instructional cues
iv. Learning videos- Realistic dramatizations for each of the topic to set the context for learning and discussions
v. Law & Its Applications- Background information to the topic
vi. Activities- Differentiated, with varying levels of difficulty to suit the students’ abilities
vii. Additional case studies
viii. Pro Bono Guide (where available)- Information on the types of free legal services available to the public
Student’s Folder
i. Incredible Helplines- A contact card listing important helplines for key organisations
ii. Overview of Project Schools- Definition of pro bono, synopsis of the topics, list of useful websites for further research
iii. Pamphlets on pro bono legal services: Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS) for legal representation in criminal proceedings, Community Legal Clinics where members of the public may seek basic legal advice and Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) which covers a range of civil matters (where available)
iv. Notebook from the “The Incredible Lawyer” campaign- Notebook covers feature an adaptation of actual cases by our pro bono lawyers
The inclusion of three topics – Property Offences, Substance Abuse, and Sexual Offences is one of the new developments available as
Project Schools enters Phase II of the initiative, in 2017. Mr Josephus Tan was interviewed and has shared more about the objectives of
Project Schools and what the lessons entail. A principal,
Ms Mabel Leong, and a student from Assumption English School, a school participating in
Project Schools, were interviewed by
Channel News Asia and had shared that the lessons were very important as the students learnt more about Singapore’s laws and how they came about.
To read up on the informative and engaging news piece, highlighting the benefits of
Project Schools in generating awareness and knowledge of certain relevant laws, as well as gaining an understanding of how and why laws are made in Singapore, click
here to read the article for more information.
Life Lessons: Getting Involved
We believe that Project Schools will have a positive impact on both students and educators, with learning and sharing on the programme transcending the classroom walls.
On behalf of The Law Society Pro Bono Services, we would like to invite your school to be a part of Project Schools.
Do write to us to let us know of your interest in Project Schools and we will come to your school for a short presentation and attend to queries that you may have. We can be reached at
ProjectSchools@lawsoc.org.sg.
Thank you. We look forward to hearing from you soon.