19 Dec 2005

Admission to schools under DSA is merit-based

1. We would like to thank Mr Liu Qing (“Speaking for neighbourhood primary schools”, ZB Forum, 9/12) for his views on the admission of students from neighbourhood primary schools into schools under the Direct School Admission (DSA).
2. The Ministry of Education 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, and helps broaden the measure of success in our schools. The move towards broader admission criteria has been widely supported by parents, teachers and students.
3. The PSLE remains the centerpiece of the system for placement into secondary schools. 97% of the Sec 1 places in 2006 remain available after the DSA Exercise. Even among the 43 schools conducting the DSA this year, a total of at least 84% of places remain available after DSA.
4. Meritocracy has been and remains the key principle underpinning our education system. Merit, however, need not be based on PSLE scores alone. The purpose of the DSA is to recognise talents beyond what is measured by the PSLE. Students are thus admitted into the school through the DSA process based on their other outstanding qualities in addition to academic performance.
5. Students get into schools offering DSA by presenting evidence of talent of achievement in the areas which they and the schools are interested in developing. The criteria each school uses for selection are based on merit, and are made known before the start of the DSA, on the websites of the respective schools. Some schools also provide briefings to interested students and parents.
6. Mr Liu commented on the lack of opportunities for neighbourhood primary school students to join “premier schools” due to the priority given to students from their affiliated primary schools.  We would like to clarify that affiliation applies only to schools which have close historical links to each other.  There is a good mix of Independent, autonomous and government-aided schools among our premier schools.
7. Mr Liu expressed concern that only a few of the schools with students who were successful in gaining admission under the DSA were neighbourhood primary schools.  Mr Liu would be pleased to know that, on the contrary, the students who were admitted into secondary schools via DSA this year came from a large number (87%) of our primary schools.
8. We would also like to clarify that Gifted Education Programme (GEP) students are not given direct admission into schools participating in DSA. GEP pupils are subject to the various criteria, just like other pupils, for admission to schools through DSA.
9. Mr Liu also suggested that many neighbourhood schools are not financially well-off and thus may not be able to sufficiently fund certain CCAs such as school bands. We assure him that all schools are given sufficient operating grants based on the number of students, number of staff or age of the school buildings. In terms of funding for CCAs like the school band, all schools can apply for musical instrument grants from the Ministry, which is in addition to their normal school operating grant.
10. In most countries, diversity in school admissions is achieved mainly through a private school system, which is open to those who can afford the fees of private schools. 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 recognize 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