Students in Direct School Admission Programme Who Applied for Transfer of Schools after PSLE Results

Mr Ang Hin Kee asked the Minister for Education (a) for the past three years, what is the number of students in the Direct School Admission (DSA) programme who appealed for transfer to other Secondary schools upon the release of their PSLE results; (b) what are the reasons cited for wanting to leave the programme; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider reviewing or tightening the application process for the DSA programme.

Mr Heng Swee Keat: The DSA scheme, introduced in 2004, seeks to promote holistic education by recognising a more diverse range of student achievements, abilities and interests as criteria for school admissions, other than performance at the national examinations. Under the DSA scheme, participating schools are given the flexibility to admit students on the basis of their strengths in stated niche areas where the school has programmes to further develop the DSA students in these areas.

Schools which make a DSA offer to a student are committed to admit the student even if a student does not meet the cut-off points for admission to the school, so long as the student meets the minimum requirements for a course of study available in the school. Similarly, students who have accepted an offer from a DSA school are expected to honour their commitment to that particular school. Transfers to other schools after the release of PSLE results may only be considered under extenuating circumstances. For example, a transfer would be considered sympathetically if a student suddenly sustains an injury such that he is no longer able to honour his commitment to be developed further in his DSA niche sport. MOE does not track the number of such transfers as they are generally made at the school level.

Page: 365