PRIMARY ONE ENROLMENT (Minimum literacy and numeracy skills)

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PRIMARY ONE ENROLMENT:

(Minimum literacy and numeracy skills): 10.

Ms Braema Mathiaparanam asked the Acting Minister for Education (a) what are the minimum literacy and numeracy skills needed for a child to be successfully enrolled into Primary 1; (b) what programmes are there to prepare the child, who has fallen short of these standards, for Primary 1; and (c) what is the rationale for such minimum requirements in Primary 1.

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Mr Speaker, Sir, Ms Braema Mathi's question is on what the minimum literacy and numeracy skills are for a child to be successfully enrolled in Primary 1 (P1) and what are the support programmes at the pre-school to help children acquire these skills. MOE's approach to pre-school education is to encourage pre-school operators to prepare children for learning rather than for the primary school curriculum specifically. This means arousing children's curiosity about the world around them, teaching them social skills such as learning to work and play with others, and the ability to express their thoughts and ideas. To nurture children's motivation and interest in learning, we encourage a holistic approach during the pre-school years, aimed at developing children in all domains: the emotional, physical, moral, social and cognitive. There is thus no need for support programmes at the kindergarten level aimed at preparing children for the Primary 1 curriculum.

Pupils do not have to meet any academic prerequisites in order to be enrolled in Primary 1. Neither do the Primary 1 English Language and Mathematics syllabuses assume that pupils have any prior literacy or numeracy skills. However, the reality is that pupils

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do enter Primary 1 with different levels of readiness and skills in literacy and numeracy.

Schools therefore tailor their instruction appropriately to meet the needs of their pupils, taking into consideration the experience that they bring with them. There will be some pupils who will need more support initially compared to their peers at the entry point in Primary 1. To enable teachers to support such learners more effectively, a set of Primary 1 supplementary materials for Mathematics and English Language has been developed by MOE and distributed to schools. These materials guide teachers in conducting small group teaching to help pupils understand Mathematical concepts, and acquire the basic skills in reading and writing so that they can keep pace with the class. Further, we have in place, as Members know, the Learning Support Programme, an early intervention programme in all primary schools, that provides additional support in language and literacy to pupils at Primary 1 and Primary 2.

Ms Braema Mathiaparanam: Sir, could the Minister please clarify on why some kids, as reported in the newspapers, have been asked to take a year off to increase their competency in literacy and numeracy skills before being enrolled in Primary 1? What is the Ministry's mandate where principals are concerned in taking in children who perhaps cannot read or write at all?

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Sir, I am not aware of students being asked to take a year off. We have a number of students who are particularly weak in numeracy and literacy skills when they enter Primary 1 and they are placed in the Learning Support Programme. I have visited many of these classes and observed for myself the level of competency of the students, and some of them, because they may have either missed pre-school education or attended

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irregularly, are rather weak. But through the Learning Support Programme, we are able to bring them up to a level where they are able to, by and large, participate and benefit from the Primary 1 and Primary 2 classes after a few terms.