New Archives - Page 2 of 2

5 Things Parents Should Know About the Direct School Admission (DSA) Programme in Singapore

March 7, 2023March 6, 2026By ILLAC

Direct School Admission (DSA) Programme is a scheme in Singapore that allows Primary 6 students to apply for admission to secondary schools based on their talent in areas beyond academics. This programme is increasingly popular among parents who wish to secure a spot in a preferred secondary school for their child. Here are five things that parents should know about the DSA programme:

Eligibility Criteria To be eligible for the DSA programme, students need to meet certain criteria, which vary depending on the school and the area of talent. Examples of talent areas include sports, music, art, and leadership. It is essential to check with the individual school to ensure that the child meets the requirements. There are also some schools that accept students purely from DSA scheme. Check out this website for more information: Direct School Admission (DSA-Sec): Explore school choices | MOE
Preparing for the Selection Process DSA selection processes vary from school to school, but they usually include an interview, audition, or trial. Students need to prepare thoroughly for the selection process by honing their skills, building up their portfolio, and practising for the interview.
Balancing DSA and PSLE Preparation DSA applications usually open in May, before the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), which is the national examination taken by all Primary 6 students in Singapore. Parents need to strike a balance between preparing for the DSA selection process and PSLE preparation to ensure that their child does not neglect their academic studies.
The Role of the School Schools have a significant role in the DSA programme as they are responsible for setting the selection criteria and conducting the selection process. Parents should research the schools and their respective DSA programmes to ensure that the programme aligns with their child’s interests and talents.
The Importance of Supporting the Child Parents should support their child’s interest and passion in the talent area they wish to pursue through the DSA programme. It is essential to understand that the programme is not a guarantee of admission and that the child’s academic performance remains a crucial factor in securing a place in the school.

In conclusion, the DSA programme is an excellent opportunity for students to pursue their passion and secure a place in a preferred secondary school. Parents should guide and support their child through the selection process and ensure that they maintain a balance between academic and DSA preparation.

For more information on the DSA programme, please visit the Ministry of Education website:

Direct School Admission for secondary schools (DSA-Sec) | MOE

How will the New Subject-Based Banding in Secondary School Affect Your Child?

March 7, 2023March 6, 2026By ILLAC

Starting from 2024, students in Singapore will no longer be streamed into Express, Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) classes based solely on their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) scores. Instead, a new system known as subject-based banding will be introduced to better recognise and cater to students’ different strengths.

Education Minister Ong Ye Kung announced in Parliament that the current Express and Normal streams would be phased out and replaced with General 1 (G1), General 2 (G2) and General 3 (G3) subject bands. Students with ALs of 4 to 20 will be able to take the G3 suite of subjects, which is the highest level and is similar to the current Express stream. Those who score 23 to 24 will be able to take the G2 suite of subjects, while those who score 26 to 30 will take on the G1 suite of subjects.

Students will be able to take a mix of G1 to G3 subjects. Students who excel in certain PSLE subjects can take them at a higher level from the start of Sec 1, regardless of their total AL score. They will also have the option of taking subjects at higher levels progressively in their secondary schools.

This new system aims to reduce the stigma of being streamed as “Normal” and allow students to learn at their own pace while recognising their different strengths. It also provides more flexibility and opportunities for students to explore their interests and pursue their aspirations.

Watch this video to learn more about the new subject-based banding system:

4 Tips for Choosing a Secondary School

November 25, 2016By Clarice Lim

It’s never easy for any kind of parents. Be it the hands-off type or the “kan cheong” type. Many see it as a determiner of the child’s future, which sort of explains the emphasis placed on the PSLE results. But no matter the results, now is the time to consider what school to choose. Many parents had sought my advice on this and these are the top 4 tips on how to choose a secondary school:

1. What is the level of competition you want your child to face?

To put your child into a good school means competition will be intense. Competition is healthy if everyone studies for the sake of learning, but it becomes stressful and undesirable if it’s all about being Number 1.

Regardless of whether we have faith in our children, we need to remind ourselves that the universal truth is that there is always only one who is Number 1. The rest of the thousands of students are not. To strive for excellence in comparison with others guarantees failure 99% of the time, adding on unnecessary pressure and developing the hatred for learning.

Of course, you wouldn’t know the culture of the school before you step into one. It’s the attitude and mindset before you enter that matters. If you and your child have chosen a school because it’s a good school where students with high aggregate enter, then you have inevitably stepped into the realm of unhealthy competition. Your child will already feel the “pressure” even before the first step into the school.

2. Choose a school that value-adds

We have to admit that not “All schools are good schools”, because different schools have different focus and direction and if they don’t align with the values we embrace, they cannot be ideal schools.

Therefore, choose a school that could value-add to your child’s current strength. Value-adding can come in different forms, like CCA, values, culture, subjects offered etc. Bear in mind that your child is still developing and growing, he/she needs all the opportunities to learn new things or to further a skill. For example, if your child is already playing violin, enrol him into a school that has an orchestra. If you want your child to become more immersed in the Chinese culture, send him to those with an emphasis in Chinese culture e.g. All Secondary 1 students in Chung Cheng Sec will undergo a tea chapter under the Appreciation of the Chinese Culture (ACC) education.

3. Choose a school that doesn’t require long hours of travelling

As a little red dot, how far can a school be right? But do consider the time taken to walk to the nearest bus-stop, waiting time of the bus, traffic jams, transfers required etc. A school that is 4km away that doesn’t have a direct route to your house can require more than 1hour of travelling time to and fro on a daily basis. This time could have been better used.

4. Don’t leave the choice entirely to your child

I’m not saying you shouldn’t consult them, rather, you should discuss with them and talk about it at length. It’s a great opportunity to teach your children how to decide on life events. Use decision-making tools like a matrix, pros and cons listing to help him learn prioritization of different factors. This whole process can open up a whole horizon of analytical skills which he can use in any other situation that may pop up in future.

In a nutshell, discuss the school with your child based on point 2 and 3 above, don’t focus too much on the aggregate even if it is of utmost concern to you. When using the decision-making matrix, aggregate should only be discussed because it affects the chance of getting into that school, do not address it in the form of the O Level results he will get.

This is an important decision that the family has to make together, make sure it is properly analysed and discussed as a family. Ultimately, a family that works out an issue together bonds closer together, and that’s already a good start for better things to come.

Injustice of an ADD boy

October 29, 2016By Clarice Lim

I was cleaning the windows of my center due to the huge amount of finger prints left behind after a busy weekend of classes. It was Monday afternoon and there usually ain’t any enquiries. Then she appeared. I noticed how lost she looked in her eyes and almost thought she was just asking for directions.

“I would like to make an enquiry please,” the lady began.

OK, I was wrong. I quickly led her to a seat at our counter and put away my rag and glass cleaner. I asked her how old her kid was so I could recommend the right program to her. To this question, she told me it was a long story… I was bewildered. Age had never occurred to me to possibly contain a “long story”. I straightened my seat and got myself ready for it. I noticed how beautiful her eyes were yet sorrowful at the same time as she related her story to me.

She had recently received her son’s psychological report that he was suffering from ADD. My judgemental self told myself that, “Alright, small issue…”. She continued, “He was kicked out of kindergarten because of the report.”

I was aghast and immediately cast the question, “What school is that?”. To be exact, in my mind, I was screaming at the absurd and disgusting reaction of the school. That was the first I’ve heard of schools that would be so blatant in ostracizing children with special needs to the point that they would openly ask the parents to withdraw their children immediately. The forgiving mother, though, did not wish to disclose the name of the school to me and I knew, I had to collect myself to continue offering the professional advice that I am capable of providing her.

Before coming to me, she had in fact enquired at all the nearby kindergartens and was turned away either due to a lack of vacancy or they were not willing to take in a child with ADD.

At this, I couldn’t help but interrupted her to let her know that many researchers had already agreed that ADD doesn’t exist, that there is even an institution dedicated to “treating” children with ADD by putting their parents through parenting courses.

She held my hands and said, “Thank you for telling me this, it’s really nice talking to you.”

“He was really upset, he kept asking me why he was not sent to school. He loves learning and wanted to attend school so much. Does your center accept ADD children?” the lovely mother continued.

Tears welled up in my eyes. The poor chap had to suffer because the society had sought the easy way out in labeling these beautiful souls with a nasty name that causes nothing but suffering.

Without hesitation, I told her, “Mdm, ADD children does not exist in my center.” She looked at me with bewilderment, as if already accusing me of hypocrisy in her mind. I continued, “Children who are diagnosed with ADD blends in perfectly in our classes, one wouldn’t be able to tell he’s an ADD.”

She could not believe what she was hearing and asked me to explain how we have managed to do that.

It’s very simple actually. At ILLAC, all our lessons are activities based, customised to the learning ability of the child. Students aged two to six goes through a “sorting” activity to determine his learning ability before being allocated into a class. Inside, learning is extremely hands-on, fast-paced, challenging and filled with fun, music and movement to stimulate their working memory, mental flexibility and inhibitory control. We also do breathing exercises and self-awareness activities to help students improve in their self-regulation so that they can blend easily into a big class setting in primary 1. Students aged 7 to 13 are given worksheets appropriate to their ability and customised to their needs. Students are challenged and motivated to achieve greater heights with our goal-setting activities, speed reading training and character education discussions, all within the two hours time frame of each lesson. Most interesting of all, our Primary 1-Secondary students sit on gym balls and they are free to bounce and waggle all they like while working in ILLAC. There is never a dull-moment in the classroom of ILLAC and none of our students would end up walking around restlessly or drifting out of task.

At this point, I could see sparkles in her eyes. She could already envision her child in our classroom and not feel let down by the society again.

She held my hands and shook it with gratitude for my sharing with her.

She and her son are the reasons why I run my center, to make a difference in the lives of those who were academically-rejected and to shed light to point the right direction when all seem lost.

I went back to cleaning my windows as soon as her registration was done, with a different sense of accomplishment and purpose.

A teacher’s viewpoints of the new PSLE grading system in 2021

July 14, 2016By Clarice Lim

Many websites have written about it, netizens have criticised it, but of course, some defended it as well. As a teacher of 14 years and a private educator of 3 years, I would like to present the changes and the impact it might have on children, their parents and the industry from a teacher’s point of view.

Everyone knows, every child is unique. Each of them have their own learning preferences, cognitive ability and achievement motivation etc. To analyse the new PSLE grading system, I will broadly categorise the children into 3 groups: The High Ability (HA), Middle Ability (MA) and Low Ability (LA). (Every teacher who has been through NIE will find these terms extremely familiar 😉 ).

From 2021 onwards, “pupils’ scores will not be benchmarked against their peers. Instead, they just have to do the best they can in each subject. Their marks will be converted according to the new scoring bands of Achievement Level (AL) 1- AL8.” (Straits Times, 13 Jul 2016)

(Source: MOE Press Release)

My analysis:

HA (AL1-2)

Before 2021, in order to get into a good school like Raffles Institution with cut-off point of 264 in 2015, a HA student can afford to get 85-89 raw score in any two of the subjects (given an average cohort score of 65, a standard deviation of 20 and that the other two subjects are 90 and above) and safely qualify for entry into RI.

After 2021, assuming RI’s cut-off maintains at the same standard which is around 6 (AL1 + AL1 + AL2 + AL2), the child will still need to work extra hard to score that 90 marks.

Conclusion: No difference for the HAs.

Discussion: In fact, the usual gauge parents use to determine if their child is doing well is usually their performance in school, which is not measured using T-scores. Many parents do not know the details of the calculation of T-scores and hardly talks about how the school cohort is performing compared to their own child because such information is not readily available. Therefore, to say that parents are pushing their kids for that one extra mark because T-scores are used is not accurate in my experience. Rather, parents are pushing their kids because they want their HA kids to safely land a spot in the best school and not risk a borderline performance. Thus, removing the T-score would not make a difference to the HA kids and their parents.

MA (AL3-5)

Before 2021, children who are scoring 65-84 are considered ‘A’ and ‘B’ grades in school and are usually treated as potentials for entry into good schools. All they need is a little pushing and they might just fall into the ‘A’ or ‘A*’ category, thus, these are usually the kids who are sent for tuition.

After 2021, these children will no longer be ‘A’ or ‘B’ but AL3, AL4 and AL5. Let’s say they wanted to go into Victoria School (2015 cut-off was 247), if they maintain the standard, and assuming the new established cut-off becomes 8 (using the same assumption as the calculation above for consistency), students scoring 84 will no longer stand a chance to enter schools such as ACS (I), Cedar Girls’, Anderson, Nan Hua, River Valley etc. Because at 84, they are merely an AL3. If they get AL3 for all subjects, they are only a 12, they would have missed the cut-off point by a lot. Unless they can score an AL 1 for 2 subjects and AL3 for the other 2 (=8), they could still make it. Of course, there are many possible combinations that can be tabled, but the point is, an average score of 84 for all subjects will not get you into Victoria under the new system.

Conclusion: More stressful times ahead for the MAs.

Discussion: But what about the lower MAs (those scoring 65-74)? They will be choosing schools with previous cut-offs of around 200 and postings will be based on order of choice rather than by their aggregate score. They were previously at least able to choose schools of a higher cut-off (around 218).

Yes, the range of choice has increased for these lower MAs so in a way it’s a good news and parents can indeed relax a bit if their kids are in this category. However, from the parents whom I have spoken to, “kiasu” and “non-kiasu” ones, the one common thing they talk about is to give their children the best that they can afford. Still holding the mindset that a good secondary school makes a whole lot of difference to the child, none of the parents I know will say “It’s ok, just maintain at this level will do, no need to work so hard.”

Therefore, the group of parents that the new changes are targeted at might just end up giving their children more help by sending them to more tuitions, buy more assessment books etc.

LA (AL 6-7)

Before 2021, scoring 60 would fetch the child a ‘B’ and a T-score of 190 (assuming the same is scored for all 4 subjects with the same calculation assumptions as above). The child is still eligible for Express Stream in 45 schools (according to 2015 cut-off points).

After 2021, scoring 60 would fetch the child an AL6. Assuming the same for all subjects, the child would have accumulated a total of AL24, thus failing the criteria of a minimum of AL22 for the Express Stream in the new system.

Conclusion: An average score of 60-64 will land you in Normal Academic in 2021

Discussion: To some parents, going to the Normal stream is unacceptable. They will do everything they can to prevent that from happening. Without any other changes to the current education system, they will simply have to resort to what had worked for most students in the past, tuition, tuition and more tuition…
*There is no change to the old system for students scoring below 20. Therefore it is not included in the analysis above.

As a caveat, a lot of assumptions had to be made for the analysis above. For e.g., in order to calculate the T-scores and it’s aggregate, the cohort average is assumed to be at 65, the standard deviation is 20. Many other combinations of these numbers can easily fetch many different outcomes.

The above analysis is purely subjective. They are based on my experience as an educator (both government and private) and my day-to-day interactions with parents. Everyone has their rights to their own opinions and do feel free to leave your comments below if you feel otherwise.

Ultimately, it is really up to the parents to decide what is the next best course of action for their children but I personally feel that knowledge is what allows everyone to make informed and wise decisions. Even if tuition is the way forward for at least another 5 years till 2021, please make sure it is a center/tutor that knows how to motivate your child, knows how to bring out the love for learning in your child, and knows how to keep you informed of their progress for your decision-making. Tuition, can make or break your child’s future, just like the school that he/she attends.

Tuition – Social evil or confidence booster?

July 14, 2016By Clarice Lim

I read with great concern as more and more articles surface addressing the “social evil” of tuition; how this industry should be considered a bane to the happiness of children and thus should be eradicated.

I have been running a tuition center for 3 years now. I was previously from MOE teaching for the past 14 years, I was even awarded the best trainee teacher in my time and a medalist in my university days. When I first decided to venture into the business, I barely dared announce it to my friends and relatives, feeling like I had decided to join the “dark side” and should be treated with disdain and loathe. That I had abandoned what I was taught in NIE to join the money-spinning industry that feeds on the fear and kiasuism of parents and strips away the happiness of children.

Quite the opposite. I have joined the much-needed-yet-negatively-recognised industry because I still remember what I have learnt in NIE. It is precisely because I want to put what I have learnt into practice that I have joined the “dark forces”. I want to put the smile back onto the faces of children and tell their parents that grades are not everything.

Children have different learning preferences, from kinesthetic to audio and visual combined with many different permutations and combinations. Children also have many different learning obstacles from short attention span to low cognitive ability. They need the option to learn in small groups, to have different methods used in teaching and learning, to have teachers who act as mentors to listen to them and to guide them. Schools, unfortunately, doesn’t provide such a channel to 100% of the students. In a big class of more than 30, teachers hardly have the time and attention span for all of them, usually only the top and the bottom kids get the attention. If tuition is not available or easily accessible, who is going to attend to these “middle-child”?

No puns intended, the “middle-child” syndrome applies even in the classroom. How do u think the child feels about not getting attention in class? They either act up or sink low, depending on their personality. Tuition provides the attention these children require and gives them the guidance they need apart from their busy parents.

To say that the public education system is sufficient in catering to all children in classes of 30 to 40 is equivalent to thinking that all coffee is perfect without the need for additives. Sadly, this is not the case. Coffee is perfect only to a few individuals who knows how to appreciate it neat, but to many, additives of various amount are preferred.

Part of my job running a center includes talking to parents, giving them the much-needed advice in ensuring a great education for their kids, teaching them how to teach concepts, sometimes even correcting their grammar so they know how to correct their kids. Most of the time, I also take on the role of counsellors teaching parents how to best manage their children to ensure both academic and non-academic performance. I will also not hesitate in telling them to put less focus on grades and give the child more exposure in the outdoors and other interests.

It is true that certain parents are overdoing it. They deprive their children of their needed childhood. However, see it this way, if you are not performing at work, are always producing results that are mediocre compared to your co-workers and your boss does not show much interest in you, would you feel happy about your work and wish to focus instead on travelling and enjoying yourself outside of work? Children are sensitive to their own achievements and how others see them. To ask them to ignore their inability to perform is equivalent to asking them to “switch off” for the entire 8 to 10 hours in school and only “switching on” again to enjoy playtime and childhood after school. Human beings are competitive by nature because it’s innate in us to want to progress as a species, as a civilisation. Children, unfortunately, cannot ‘switch’ on and off as easily as adults and tuition, therefore, is the saving grace to help them regain their confidence in school and increase their self-esteem.

Tuition, if to be seen as an evil, is a necessary evil that helps children reach their maximum potential. However, evil as it is, it also helps to boost a higher confidence level in learning and in life. Furthermore, it helps to comfort parents in areas where they need assistance with. Of course, I don’t speak for all tuition teachers and centers but neither do articles that try to cast a shadow on this industry.

Calling all parents whose children are receiving tuition, do not be ashamed by these “forces” that wants you to stop stressing your kids. Be a proud parent who is genuinely seeking help for your child just as you would when they are having a cold.

New

Explore

Contact Us