Abolition of Publication of Student's Academic Position in Student's Report Book

Ms Ellen Lee asked the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider abolishing the practice of publishing a student's academic position (internal ranking) in the student's report book and, if so, what will be the effective date.

Mr Heng Swee Keat: Schools currently have the autonomy to decide whether a student's academic ranking is printed in the report book. The only exception is at the Primary 1 level, where schools do not conduct examinations. At Primary 1, schools adopt bite-sized assessments to provide students and parents with information on the progress of learning and mastery, as well as feedback to improve learning.

At the higher levels, some schools publish academic ranking as parents find it useful to know their children's overall position.

Some schools, however, may not reflect academic ranking, but provide information on the highest, lowest and mean marks obtained for each examinable subject. At the upper Secondary levels, schools may also reflect the student’s aggregate based on the admission criteria for post-Secondary education institutions. These different approaches have, over the years, served the various stakeholders in our schools well, and our schools will continue to adopt the appropriate practices.