Students Who Dropped Out of the Integrated Programme

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Murali Pillai, Bukit Batok

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) for each of the past five years, how many students who were originally enrolled in the Integrated Programme (IP) had dropped out of IP; (b) what are the main reasons for the same; and (c) what steps have been put in place to help students opting to drop out of IP after completing Secondary Three to join schools offering "O" level examinations as Secondary Four students.

Response

1. Over the past five years, 3,900 students were admitted into the Integrated Programme (IP) on average each year. Around 200 students or 5% of each cohort left the programme before completing Year 4. The majority of these students chose the O-Level pathway while a large proportion of the remaining students relocated overseas.

2. As most IP schools also offer O-Level classes, students moving out of the integrated programme can choose to remain in the same school. For those transferring to other secondary schools, transfers are typically completed before the end of Year 3, to give students sufficient time to prepare for the O-Level examinations in the new school environment. The receiving schools provide academic bridging and social emotional support to help the student cope with the changes and adjust to the new school environment.