21 Oct 2005

Title: Schools’ Admission Remains Merit-Based

1. Mr Huang Shoou Chyuan’s commentary ("Field still level for students?", Today Voices, Oct 18) expressed concern about the Direct School Admission (DSA) exercise.
2. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has in recent years expanded the autonomy that schools have to select students who demonstrate talents and interests in diverse areas. This widening of admission criteria supports a more holistic view of our students, encourages those with a special talent or passion in various fields, and helps broaden how success is measured in our schools and valued by students and their parents. The move toward broader admission criteria was strongly supported by parents, teachers, and students.
3. For admission into Sec 1 from 2006 onwards, Independent Schools and Autonomous Schools are able to select students on their own criteria for up to 20% and 10% of their Sec 1 enrolment respectively, compared to the previous limits of 10% and 5% respectively. Other mainstream secondary schools seeking to develop niche programmes will be allowed, with MOE approval, to take in 5% of their students based on their own criteria. MOE has approved 9 such schools this year. Further, schools offering the Integrated Programme (IP) have had full autonomy over their admissions since the IP was introduced last year.
4. All these schools will offer places to students through the DSA. Students do not get into these schools by "pulling strings" as Mr Huang suggested, but by presenting evidence of talent or achievement in the areas which they and the schools are interested in developing. The criteria each school uses for selection are based on merit. They are made transparent before the start of the DSA, through briefings by each of these schools to interested students and parents, and the web-sites of the respective schools.
5. Mr Huang was concerned that the DSA exercise had "dimmed the hopes" of students aiming to enter schools offering the IP based on their PSLE results.
6. We would like to assure him that the PSLE remains the centrepiece of the system of placement into secondary schools. 97% of the Sec 1 places in 2006 will be allocated based on PSLE performance. Even among the 43 schools conducting the DSA exercise this year, a total of at least 84% of places will be allocated based on PSLE results.
7. Furthermore, even though the IP schools have autonomy over their admissions, 7 of the 8 IP schools intend to admit no more than 50% of their Sec 1 places through the DSA. This year, the 7 schools will admit 48% of their Sec 1 students through the DSA. This means that more than 1,500 places in these schools will be available for postings after the PSLE results. Students, who are unsure about their suitability for the IP at this point, or those who are "late bloomers", will also have another opportunity to enter these schools, at Secondary 3 and Junior College 1.
8. NUS High School of Mathematics and Science is the exception amongst the IP schools in that it admits most of its students under the DSA. It selects its students through a variety of methods aimed at identifying those with strong abilities and interests in mathematics and science. NUS High School has widely publicised this since its setting up in 2004.
9. Meritocracy has been and remains the key principle underpinning our education system. This principle is both for the students admitted through the DSA and those admitted based on their performance in PSLE.
10. In most countries, diversity is achieved mainly through a private school system. The private schools often apply stringent selection tests, but are only open to those who can afford their fees. What the Singapore system provides is diversity in the mainstream, state-funded school system, accessible to all students on the basis of merit.
11. We believe this is the right way to go in our education system - to preserve the central importance of examinations while providing flexibility for our schools to recognise more measures of ability and achievement, and for students to carve out alternative paths to develop their talents and interests.

Lim Huay Chih (Ms)
Director, Corporate Services
Ministry of Education