NDR 2024: How the Gifted Education Programme has evolved through the years

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In: South-East Asia

SINGAPORE: Back in 1984, the Ministry of Education ( MOE ) implemented the Gifted Education Programme ( GEP ) to nurture higher-ability&nbsp, students.

The second GEP sample had 100 Major 4 children and 100 Secondary 1 kids. Now, 370 to 400 key school children, or 1 per share of the population, are accepted to the GEP each month.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that the program would be updated to include students with higher-ability across all primary schools at his inaugural National Day Rally on Sunday ( Aug 18 ). &nbsp,

Every major institution will have its own programs to help these students develop in their areas of strength and curiosity, he said. &nbsp,

GEP has evolved over the past 40 times, as TODAY demonstrates. &nbsp,

1981: &nbsp, Then-Minister of State for Education Tay Eng Quickly leads a group to examine product training programs in Russia, Germany and Israel. They decide the Jewish model, which features rooms certain for academically-inclined kids, is the most appropriate for Singapore. &nbsp,

1983: &nbsp, The” Gifted Project” idea document is drawn up, which details the goals of GEP among other things. &nbsp, MOE&nbsp, then&nbsp, sets up the Gifted Education Branch&nbsp, in May 1983&nbsp, to find teachers and students for GEP, do teacher teaching classes and make the GEP education.

At the end of the time, &nbsp, about 40, 000 Key 3 pupils go through the second choice test, of which 100 students are selected for the pilot at Raffles Girls ‘ Major and Rosyth School.

The top 5 per cent of Primary School Leaving Examination&nbsp, ( PSLE ) pupils are also tested, of which 100 students are selected for the pilot GEP in Raffles Institution and Raffles Girls ‘ School.

1984: &nbsp, The GEP starts and is expanded to more institutions over the years. &nbsp, By 2003, nine key and seven secondary colleges offer the program.

2004: &nbsp, MOE introduces the Integrated Programme ( IP ) for secondary school students who are allowed to skip the&nbsp, GCE O-Level examination as part of a through-train six-year programme. These kids graduate with a GCE A-Level document, &nbsp, International Baccalaureate Diploma or NUS High School Diploma, depending on which Internet school they attend.

2005: A study finds that many GEP individuals struggle with coping and are perceived as hostile by their peers. A TODAY report finds that GEP students are &nbsp, segregated from other students &nbsp, and as such have problems relating to the everyday person.

2008: &nbsp, To alleviate growing criticism that the program varieties elitism, GEP kids start spending half of their curriculum time with non-GEP individuals. As the Internet rises in reputation, MOE discontinues GEP in secondary institutions due to low registration. Otherwise, gifted students can enroll school-based GEP in Internet schools.

Aug 18, 2024:   Mr. Wong makes the announcement that major universities will have their own programs to help children “grow in their places of strengths and passions” and that GEP will no longer be offered in its present form. More information are anticipated to be made by Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing at a later time.

This content was first published in Now.