SINGAPORE \u2013 How can we distinguish between different purposes of exams and pay more attention to the ones that count? How can we shift from the fixation on academic grades to life skills and other values that are more important?<\/p>\n
These were some questions raised by participants at the Education Ministry\u2019s (MOE) first public engagement session on June 27, to gather views and ideas on education policies.<\/p>\n
In closing remarks after the three-hour session held at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, Education Minister Desmond Lee said his ministry will study all suggestions carefully and provide an update when ready.<\/p>\n
This series of education conversations started by MOE aims to spark discussions as part of a broader effort to relook the system and curb the education arms race.<\/p>\n
The first public engagement session, led by Lee and closed to media, involved about 160 participants comprising parents, educators, students, academics and industry leaders.<\/p>\n
They discussed topics like moderating examination stakes, such as the\u00a0use of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) for Secondary 1 posting.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Other topics included reviewing the Direct School Admission scheme, strengthening Character and Citizenship Education, and co-curricular activities.<\/p>\n The MOE said its political office holders will contact partners and stakeholders through different public engagement sessions, which will run till 2027.<\/p>\n The public can sign up for in-person sessions on the ministry\u2019s Education Conversations microsite<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n Prior to this inaugural public session, the MOE began preliminary conversations in April, with focus group discussions involving educators, parents, students and young working adults.<\/p>\n While some participants in those sessions said they appreciated the way schools have evolved to emphasise holistic development, Lee said others raised concerns about high-stakes exams like the PSLE.<\/p>\n Education Minister Desmond Lee (second from right) participating in the Education Ministry’s first public engagement session at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre on June 27.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: GIN TAY<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n These included the pressure that builds around these assessments, what they test and how they are used.<\/p>\n Said Lee: \u201cThey asked whether every child, regardless of background or resources, can get a fair chance to develop their strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n Darryl David, Ang Mo Kio GRC MP who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, was at the June 27 session.<\/p>\n Speaking to The Straits Times, David said discussions from his group centred on revamping the current school curriculum and supporting teachers in these efforts.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cWe need to really relook and revamp our curriculum… such that it\u2019s relevant to the skill sets students need to have in the real world.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that students need to be equipped with skills like collaboration, resilience, communication and adaptability.<\/p>\n His group also discussed the need for high-stakes exams like the PSLE so early on in a child\u2019s life. While group members recognised its use as a marker of attainment, David said they felt more discussions should be had about its implications when young children have to go through it.<\/p>\n Darryl David (third from right), who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, in a conversation with participants on June 27.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: GIN TAY<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cSometimes parents place the pressure on their children, and children themselves understand this is a high-stakes exam. But at 12, kids aren\u2019t fully emotionally and mentally formed yet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Another participant, Constance Han, 23, a second-year environmental science student from Nanyang Technological University, said she is an example of how PSLE results do not define educational pathways and outcomes.<\/p>\n From the Normal Academic stream in secondary school, Han studied at the Institute of Technical Education before pursuing applied chemistry at Singapore Polytechnic. She said: \u201cWe are in school to learn, not to compete with each other. When we remove the pressure from exams, we then have space to explore and pursue our strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n Elina Gwee, 48, an administrative executive and mother of two children, aged 20 and 13, attended the session as she was curious to hear perspectives on how the education system can be improved.<\/p>\n She said she had a rather relaxed approach to the PSLE as her two children had different learning inclinations and took different paths.<\/p>\n Her son, a hands-on learner, went to Tampines Secondary School after his PSLE, where he discovered and honed his passion for mechatronics. After completing National Service in two years, he will pursue mechatronics at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.<\/p>\n Her daughter is a Secondary 1 student at Raffles Girls\u2019 School, and has always been academically motivated.<\/p>\n She said her children\u2019s mental health and happiness come first.<\/p>\n Gwee added: \u201cI hope more parents see that there are many pathways, and children will still do well in life despite the route they take.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n SINGAPORE \u2013 How can we distinguish between different purposes of exams and pay more attention to the ones that count? How can we shift from…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":64240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/64240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/picture><\/div>
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