SINGAPORE: On Wednesday ( Feb 7 ), Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing stated that the Ministry of Education ( MOE ) will thoroughly look into any claims of unfair practices in the direct school admission ( DSA ) exercise.  ,
In response to a query from Member of Parliament Jamus Lim ( WP- Sengkang ) about unfair practices in the DSA process, he added that over the previous five years, an average of seven sets of parents have questioned the results of their child’s selection.
According to the Education Minister,” Based on MOE’s evaluation of each situation, we have found the schools to have carried out their selection processes thoroughly, honestly and professionally.”  ,
Assoc Prof. Lim explained that the problem was motivated by “anecdotal proof” on potential instances of unfair practices in a secondary question.  ,
For instance, the coach’s recommendation perhaps “hold a particular undue weight” when it comes to the selection criteria for applicants, particularly in the case of sports, he said.  ,
According to Assoc Prof. Lim,” there is a problem that some coaches, possibly within the program, are making inherent promises that exposure to specific spots in specific schools would be favorable because they also happen to be the coaches for those schools.”  ,
He added that he was” not making any charges” of fraud and demanded greater accountability in the DSA practice.  ,
Additionally, Assoc Prof. Lim questioned whether MOE intends to survey the entire DSA approach in greater detail rather than just each individual case.  ,
In his reply, Mr. Chan said,” We welcome you to move it to MOE and we’ll take a look at it if we believe that the program is correct and you have empirical data that you think requires our attention.  ,
However, if you believe that the entire program is malfunctioning, I would also advise you to let us know where your areas of concern are so that we can look into this. nbsp
Mr. Chan noted that this percentage is actually lower than that of PSLE pertains with seven cases out of 4, 000 programs, emphasizing the distinction between anecdotal information or isolated instances and a systemic issue.  ,
He continued,” There may also be instances where the parents and students “did not getting their selection” of schools, which would raise concerns about unethical behavior.  ,
But please let us know if there are any such items. And I can assure you that MOE may carefully examine each and every one of these situations.
Mr. Darryl David ( PAP- Ang Mo Kio ) enquired as to whether MOE would think about expanding the range of DSA-applicable areas into secondary schools.
In his response, Mr. Chan stated that some schools have suggested to Dick the DSA selection areas they would like to concentrate on.  ,
He continued,” For instance, some schools have strong beliefs in some locations.” And we permit the institution to have the variety of subjects that we want our students to excel in.
According to the Education Minister, these topics may be openly communicated to anyone, and a method must exist for evaluating the potential of each child in that field objectively.  ,