http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/292058/1/.htmlSINGAPORE: There will be no more Special course for students entering Secondary One, starting from next year.
The Education Ministry has decided to merge it with the Express stream and called it "Express Course".
"This is in recognition of the diminishing differences between the Special and Express Courses, following the relaxation of the eligibility criteria for students to offer Higher Mother Tongue Language (HMTL)," said an MOE statement.
The Special course was started nearly 30 years ago.
It was initially offered to students who were at the top 10% of the PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examinations) cohort and who were taking Higher Chinese in exclusive Chinese-medium schools, also known as SAP (Special Assistance Plan) schools.
But over the years the course has expanded to include students taking Higher Malay and Higher Tamil.
And with more Express stream students taking Higher Mother Tongue subjects, the differences between Special and Express courses have faded over the years.
The merger of the two courses will not change the status of SAP schools, which MOE says continue to play an important role in preserving the best traditions of Chinese medium schools and nurturing able students to study both Chinese and English at first language level.
This means that students who are in the top 30 per cent of the PSLE cohort and pass Higher Chinese Language will continue to be eligible for bonus points for admission to SAP schools.
12-year-old Brenda Tan, a head prefect and a straight-A student at First Toa Payoh Primary School, is expected to do well for her PLSE, perhaps even among the top 10% of her cohort.
This means she will most likely qualify for the Special course in Secondary One.
But that will not happen, with the merger of the Special and Express courses kicking in next year.
Still, Brenda is not the least affected.
"I will still continue to study hard as I really want to excel in my Mother Tongue language and all my other subjects," she said.
But some students expect things to get tougher with the merger.
"It will be more competitive, because more people will join our classes and study with us every day....But I will continue to work harder in these combined classes," said Yang Jin, also from Toa Payoh Primary.
MOE says all 53 schools currently offering the Special course already have mixed classes in place.
About 50,000 students qualify for secondary school education each year.
And, more than half of them are eligible for the express or special stream. - CNA/ir
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Hmm... I wonder if it's a good or bad move. Doesn't look like primary school kids are happy over the move.