TAO NAN SCHOOL (Admission of non-Chinese GEP students)

Mr Imram bin Mohamed asked the Minister for Education if Tao Nan School, a Special Assistance Plan school in Marine Parade, which is to be designated as a Gifted Education Programme (GEP) school next year, will admit non-Chinese GEP students.

The Minister for Education (Mr Lee Yock Suan): Mr Speaker, Sir, as Tao Nan School is a Special Assistance Plan (SAP) School, its Gifted Education Programme (GEP) and non-GEP classes will only teach Chinese as a mother tongue language. It will not admit non-Chinese GEP students unless they happen to be studying Chinese as a second language, eg, for children of mixed marriages. SAP schools have been designated as such to preserve the Chinese ethos, culture and discipline of the schools. It is difficult for non-Chinese students to be assimilated into such an environment.

Mr Imram bin Mohamed (Nominated Member): Sir, would the Minister consider another school in the eastern zone for the GEP programme?

Mr Lee Yock Suan: Sir, the answer is yes, we will look into the possibility.

Tao Nan School is the first of several primary schools which will be designated as GEP centres. Maybe I should give the Member some data on the distribution of GEP students. The current distribution is that about 97% of the students are Chinese. In fact, the number of non-Chinese students in the GEP programme is very small. Tao Nan School is therefore in a good position to cater to the vast majority of GEP students who live in the eastern part of Singapore.

In establishing subsequent GEP centres, my Ministry will ensure that the needs and requirements of GEP students offering Malay and Tamil are also met.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, would the Minister assure the House that it is a wise move to sequester the GEP students in SAP schools? Would the Minister not agree that it would be more representative of multi-ethnic Singapore if our brightest GEP students, although 97% are Chinese, are located in non-SAP schools?

Mr Lee Yock Suan: Sir, let me explain why Tao Nan School was chosen as the first GEP school in the eastern zone. The reason is that it has many students who qualify for the GEP programme. It also has a good standing. It is very popular among parents and has produced good results. It is also a mixed school for boys and girls. Considering all these factors, it is considered to be a good choice, especially since 97% of the GEP students are Chinese.

We have deliberately placed the GEP stream within an ordinary primary school so that the GEP students are able to mix with the other students. But in this particular case, it so happens that Tao Nan School appears to be the best choice. Most of the other primary schools offering GEP programmes are, in fact, non-SAP schools. Tao Nan School happens to be a SAP school in the eastern zone and it matches the bill in terms of requirements for boy/girl ratio and so on.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, could I request the Minister to reconsider his decision in line with the fact that we do want to have our brightest students in a multi-ethnic environment? Since we already have SAP schools to promote Chinese ethos and culture, would the Minister reconsider his decision because it could be setting a precedent which is a little worrying?

Mr Lee Yock Suan: Sir, I understand that the Member has been concerned about this point for some time and she has never failed to bring up this particular angle. But our experience has been that SAP school students are able to mix with other non-Chinese students. It has not been a problem. They live in HDB neighbourhoods. Later on, they will be going to universities and polytechnics where the environment is a multi-racial one. The SAP schools also have programmes where the students inter-relate and socialise with other students to appreciate the culture of the other races. So it has not been a problem and I see no reason why we should reconsider our decision on designating Tao Nan School as a GEP centre starting from next year.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, with due respect, could I ask the Minister to consider the feelings of the 3% GEP students of the minority groups who are not able to get to Tao Nan School?

Mr Lee Yock Suan: Yes, we will consider that factor. As I said, we will look into this angle when we designate future GEP centres. In fact, of the four existing primary schools offering GEP programmes, namely, Raffles Girls Primary School, Anglo Chinese Primary School (Barker Road), Nanyang Primary School and Rosyth Primary School, only one is a SAP school. So Tao Nan School will be the second SAP primary school offering the GEP programme. There are places for these other children.