SINGAPORE: The new school-based high-ability programmes are not designed to help students perform better in mainstream examinations, Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing said on Tuesday ( Sep 10 ).  ,
He continued,” Neither is the intention to create higher theme levels in the future, which would still be constrained by the core curriculum and evaluation requirements.”  ,
In response to parliamentary inquiries regarding the recently announced overhaul of the Gifted Education Programme ( GEP), Mr. Chan stated that the programs are intended to instill in students curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning.  ,
In accordance with the overhaul announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his first National Day Rally talk in August, high-ability educators will now be enrolled in about 10 % of the main school class.  ,
One in five of the nine main schools that offer the program from Primary 4 is currently selected for the GEP, making up 1 % of the population. Another 7 per share of the population is part of the school-based schemes for higher-ability educators.
The overhauled programme will be implemented from 2024’s Primary 1 cohort, the Ministry of Education ( MOE ) said in August.
It is proper to release Singapore’s strategy on developing higher-ability trainees, said Mr Chan.  ,
Instead of a consistent program designed to cater to specific individuals based on their general abilities in various fields, the new model allows opportunities to be given to those with higher abilities, he added.  ,
Instead of having to take only the selection tests from Key 3, students can enroll in the high-ability programs at any time during their upper primary years.  ,
With the new system, students can leave the program or components at any time if they feel inadequate or want to pursue different interests, according to the education secretary.  ,
They can keep the shows without fear of falling short of expectations because they were portrayed as brilliant, he said.  ,