A raft of changes will be made to the education system,
as part of efforts to emphasise talent and skills over grades and
ensuring secondary schools are open to students of all
backgrounds.
At the tertiary level, aptitude-based admissions will
also be ramped up, with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE)
to be allowed to admit students based on talents and other
achievements.
Speaking at the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Committee
of Supply debate yesterday, Education Minister (Schools) Ng Chee
Meng outlined his ministry’s plans, which include a revamped Direct
School Admissions (DSA) scheme.
From next year, all secondary schools will be allowed
to admit up to 20 per cent of their Secondary One intake under the
scheme. This is an increase from the current 5 per cent cap for
schools with distinctive programmes, and 10 per cent cap for
autonomous schools. Independent schools will not see an increase as
they already have a 20 per cent limit.
Schools will also have to do away with general academic
ability tests as part of their selection process, with Mr Ng
noting: “While they allow for a comparison of students’ abilities,
they also inadvertently put undue focus on general academic
abilities, rather than identifying specific strengths.”
Schools can continue to screen and select students
based on interviews, trials, auditions and subject tests. They can
also consider the applicant’s overall portfolio and
achievements.
This change in intake, however, will not apply to
schools offering the six-year Integrated Programme (IP) leading to
the International Baccalaureate certificate or specialised
independent schools such as NUS High School of Maths and Science —
they will continue to have full discretion in admission.
The changes aim to bring the DSA, introduced in 2004,
back to its original objective of recognising and admitting
students based on talent in areas such as sports and arts, rather
than just Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) scores.
Announcing a review of the DSA last year, Mr Ng had
said there has been “some unevenness” in how different schools
select their DSA students. The scheme has been criticised as
another way for schools to admit students based on academic
excellence.
Stressing the intent of the scheme yesterday, Mr Ng
noted that some parents have pointed out that students with strong
general academic abilities would already be able to qualify for the
school with their PSLE results. “DSA should not be seen as an entry
ticket to popular schools,” he said.
Meanwhile, to give students with strengths in different
subjects the scope to challenge themselves academically, all
secondary schools offering Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical)
courses from next year will allow students to take subjects at a
higher level from Secondary One.
This is if they perform well at the PSLE or in school
exams, and the subjects are limited to English, Math, Science and
Mother Tongue languages.
And from 2019, all affiliated secondary schools will
have to reserve 20 per cent of their Secondary One places for
incoming students who do not have any affiliation priority —
similar to the policy introduced in primary schools after Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned of top schools becoming “closed
circles” in his 2013 National Day Rally.
Currently, 27 secondary schools offer students from
their associated primary schools priority in the Secondary One
posting exercise. In recent years, most schools took in more than
20 per cent of affiliated students each year, according to the MOE,
adding that only six to eight schools take in less than that
figure.
While affiliation has its merits, Mr Ng stressed the
need to ensure that “our schools are open to all students,
regardless of their backgrounds or connections”.
At the tertiary level, ITE will be able to admit 15 per
cent of its annual intake through a new aptitude-based admissions
scheme from next year’s intake. Currently, only 3 per cent of ITE’s
annual intake comes from two discretionary admissions exercises:
The Special College Admissions Scheme and the Special Admissions
Exercise. They will be dissolved, replaced by a new Early
Admissions Exercise (EAE), which was introduced for the
polytechnics last year.
Under the ITE EAE, secondary-school students can apply
for conditional admission to Nitec and Higher Nitec courses before
their N- and O-Level examinations.
One-third of ITE courses — 36 courses — will be allowed
to admit up to half of their students based on aptitude-centric
assessments. These are courses where “a range of qualities beyond
academic grades, and where passion for the field is especially
important”, such as nursing, and design and media, said the
MOE.
For polytechnics, the allowed intake under EAE will be
raised from 12.5 per cent to 15 per cent, totalling an additional
500-plus places.
Noting that times have changed, Education Minister
(Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung said during his speech
that the younger generation do not want to be on “a treadmill
constantly chasing after grades”.
“We are perhaps at the starting line of a time of
change and transformation. It is up to us today, to create these
multiple paths and new opportunities, which will take us to
multiple places, yet arrive at a common future — a Singapore of
many talents, on a united yet multi-faceted journey of one people
and one country,” he said.
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