14 Nov 2005

PSLE Remains Centrepiece of Placement into Secondary Schools

1. Ms Charis Mun’s letter (“How relevant is the PSLE to school entry?”, 31/10) expressed concern on the relevance of the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) to secondary school entry.
2. We wish to reiterate that the PSLE remains the centrepiece of the system of placement into secondary schools. The vast majority (i.e. 97%) of Secondary 1 places in 2006 continue to be allocated based on their PSLE performance.
3. Meritocracy has been and remains the key principle underpinning our education system. Merit, however, need not be based on PSLE score alone. The purpose of the Direct School Admission (DSA) is to recognise talents beyond what is measured by PSLE score. Students are thus admitted into the school through the DSA process based on their other outstanding qualities. These qualities include not only sporting talents but other talents too. The criteria for admission under DSA are transparent and well-publicised.
4. Affiliated schools serve their respective communities such as religious missions and clan associations, and have been part of our educational system for many years. Their affiliation policies enable the respective school communities to foster a stronger spirit of camaraderie, loyalty and a sense of belonging to the school and parent community. These schools allow students to study and grow together in the same school environment throughout their primary and secondary education. The presence of strong support from their community has added value to the educational experience in these affiliated schools over the years.
5. We also wish to assure Ms Mun that schools are not allowed to admit students on the basis of monetary donations by parents. MOE will investigate if Ms Mun has evidence of schools admitting students based on parents’ donation.
6. We thank Ms Mun for her feedback and invite her to contact us if she has any further queries.

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