http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/292058/1/.html
SINGAPORE: There will be no more Special course for students
entering Secondary One, starting from next year.
The Education Ministry has decided to merge it with the Express
stream and called it "Express Course".
"This is in recognition of the diminishing differences between the
Special and Express Courses, following the relaxation of the
eligibility criteria for students to offer Higher Mother Tongue
Language (HMTL)," said an MOE statement.
The Special course was started nearly 30 years ago.
It was initially offered to students who were at the top 10% of the
PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examinations) cohort and who were
taking Higher Chinese in exclusive Chinese-medium schools, also
known as SAP (Special Assistance Plan) schools.
But over the years the course has expanded to include students
taking Higher Malay and Higher Tamil.
And with more Express stream students taking Higher Mother Tongue
subjects, the differences between Special and Express courses have
faded over the years.
The merger of the two courses will not change the status of SAP
schools, which MOE says continue to play an important role in
preserving the best traditions of Chinese medium schools and
nurturing able students to study both Chinese and English at first
language level.
This means that students who are in the top 30 per cent of the PSLE
cohort and pass Higher Chinese Language will continue to be
eligible for bonus points for admission to SAP schools.
12-year-old Brenda Tan, a head prefect and a straight-A student at
First Toa Payoh Primary School, is expected to do well for her
PLSE, perhaps even among the top 10% of her cohort.
This means she will most likely qualify for the Special course in
Secondary One.
But that will not happen, with the merger of the Special and
Express courses kicking in next year.
Still, Brenda is not the least affected.
"I will still continue to study hard as I really want to excel in
my Mother Tongue language and all my other subjects," she
said.
But some students expect things to get tougher with the
merger.
"It will be more competitive, because more people will join our
classes and study with us every day....But I will continue to work
harder in these combined classes," said Yang Jin, also from Toa
Payoh Primary.
MOE says all 53 schools currently offering the Special course
already have mixed classes in place.
About 50,000 students qualify for secondary school education each
year.
And, more than half of them are eligible for the express or special
stream. - CNA/ir
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Hmm... I wonder if it's a good or bad move. Doesn't look like
primary school kids are happy over the move.
