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Source:
www.moe.gov.sg |
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SCHOOL ADMISSION FRAMEWORK
MADE EASIER FOR RETURNING SINGAPOREANS |
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Singaporean parents who work abroad can look
forward to easier re-entry into the local education system for their
children when they return to Singapore, under the Ministry of
Education¡¯s (MOE) enhanced school admission framework for returning
Singaporean children. |
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The enhancements were first announced
through MOE¡¯s reply to a parliamentary query on 3 Apr 06. |
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Those involving Secondary and Junior College
levels will be implemented with immediate effect, while those involving
the Primary levels have already been in effect from mid 2006. Annex A
summarises the enhancements. |
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Placement into Primary Schools |
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Currently, Singaporean children staying
overseas can register for admission to Primary 1 just like other
Singaporean children. |
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After registration, they can apply for leave
of absence from the school. A place will be reserved in the school for
them until such time when they return to Singapore. |
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Likewise children who are already
studying in our primary schools and who are following their
parents overseas may apply for leave of absence and have a place
reserved for them in the school. |
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Under the enhanced school admission
framework, returning Singaporean children who are not on the Leave of
Absence Scheme (LOA) may approach MOE at any time of the year for
assistance to be admitted into a primary school. |
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MOE will offer returning Singaporean
children a place in a primary school nearest to their home with
vacancies at the level/s appropriate to their age cohort. |
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The children will not have to sit for
any placement test for admission to primary schools. |
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However, schools may conduct assessment
tests after admission to ascertain the child¡¯s current attainment
level and provide the appropriate assistance to help the child settle
back into schools. |
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Returning Singaporean children can choose
not to take up the places offered by MOE. If so, they can approach other
primary schools directly to seek admission with them, as is the current
practice. |
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MOE will be happy to provide information on
vacancies in schools they are interested in. The schools which they
choose to approach will continue to have the discretion to decide on
whether to accept their application for admission. |
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Placement into Secondary Schools, Junior
Colleges and Millennia Institute |
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As with current practice, returning
Singaporean children seeking admission to secondary schools may do
so at any time during the year. |
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They can either approach the school of
their choice directly, or seek assistance from MOE. They can
obtain from MOE names of schools with vacancies near their home. |
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The secondary schools may conduct
school-based placement tests to decide whether or not to admit the
children based on their performance. |
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School Placement Exercise for
Returning Singaporeans (SPERS) |
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In addition, MOE will conduct a
centralised School Placement Exercise for Returning Singaporeans (SPERS)
near the end of the year for any returning Singaporean children
who wish to join schools at the beginning of the next academic
year. |
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This will obviate the need for
returning Singaporean children seeking admission to take multiple
school-based tests with no certainty of getting a place. |
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SPERS is applicable for Secondary 1,
2, 3, and JC1 levels only as Secondary 4 and JC2 are critical
years and returning Singaporean children generally would not
re-join at these levels. |
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SPERS comprises three phases: |
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(i) Eligibility Phase
(ii) School Option Phase
(iii) School Posting Phase |
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Eligibility Phase |
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Under the Eligibility Phase, returning
Singaporean children will sit for English and Mathematics papers. |
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Besides assessing literacy and
numeracy skills, the papers will include questions that test
reasoning and thinking skills. The use of some non-language based
and non-content based items will help minimise the disadvantage
currently faced by Singaporean children who would have attended
overseas schools with curricula different from Singapore¡¯s. |
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School Option Phase |
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Based on their performance, the
candidates will then be provided with a list of schools that they
are eligible for. |
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This will ensure that returning
Singaporean students are of similar abilities1 as the
students in the school that they are admitted to. |
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The candidates seeking admission to
secondary schools (Secondary 1 to 3) will be required to indicate
a maximum of six choices. |
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As the number of returning Singaporean
children seeking admission to JCs/MI is usually small, there is no
necessity for MOE to conduct a centralised posting exercise, and
thus, there will be no School Option Phase for this group. |
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They will only need to undergo the
Eligibility Phase. Thereafter, they can approach any of the JCs/MI
that they are eligible for, for direct admission. |
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School Posting Phase |
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Secondary schools will admit a small
number of returning Singaporean children, over and above their
planned capacity, at the School Posting Phase. |
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This recognises that overseas
Singaporean children may have similar abilities as the local
cohort in these schools, although they have been away and were
thus unable to seek admission into these schools together with
other Singaporean children who had taken the PSLE. |
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This change will not reduce the
chances for students in Singapore to get into the school of their
choice as there will be no reduction in the number of school
places available to them. |
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The School Posting Phase will take
into account the returning Singaporean children¡¯s performance at
the Eligibility Phase, their school choices, and the places
available in these schools. |
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In instances where a child may not be
successfully posted to any of the schools that he has opted for,
MOE will assign him a place in a secondary school with a vacancy
and as near to his home as possible. |
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After receiving their postings,
returning Singaporean children will need to complete admission
procedures at the school that they had been posted to. |
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If they choose not to accept the
posting, they can still approach another school directly to apply
for admission. |
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The child will be admitted if the
school approached is on his school eligibility list and there is a
vacancy in the course that he is eligible for. Otherwise, the
school has the discretion to assess the child, including setting
school-based assessment tests, and decide on whether to admit the
child. |
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More..... |
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1
As students in secondary schools are admitted based on their PSLE
performance, the general ability of the student population in
different secondary schools would differ. |
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Source:
www.moe.gov.sg Press Release
25 Aug 2006 |
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Related Article: |
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-
Easier for returning Singaporean children to re-enter local
schools |
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FrontPage Edition: Sat 26 August 2006
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