The ground experience on the reduction in offerings is very apparent to me.

I know of many kids who could not take full History or Literature in upper Sec, because the School doesn’t have teachers to teach those subjects. I believe full Literature is not even offered in some Secondary Schools now for O levels.

Students also need to ‘qualify’ for triple Science or A maths and it is not always open to all students. This has possibly always been the case.

If not in secondary school, when then do our kids get breadth exposure when our primary school syllabus is already narrower than in many countries?

Anyway, when the kids enter universities like NUS, many degree programmes require students to read a core or common curriculum which require you to take subjects you may be weaker in.

I don’t see trying out subjects or being made to study subjects as a bad thing - you can’t only be doing what you like in life - it is a life lesson. It’s the stakes of it all.

The stakes are now reduced - you only need to include 5 subjects in the L1R5. So I hope the options to pursue more subjects for interested students (without having to count in L1R4) will remain.

Many IP students take 9 or even 9+1 subjects in upper sec. I can imagine this is a different intellectual and academic training, be it in breadth or capacity, compared to an O level student who read 6 subjects. Not saying that the O level student cannot do well for A levels, of course the student can do well subsequently. But there may be a difference in the way a more widely trained student can make cross inferences for GPs, and they can relate to a wider range of knowledge and issues in interviews and the list goes on. I hope O level students who are able and interested, continue to have the opportunity to read more subjects as well.

@slmkhoo said in New L1R4 system for JC entry:

@bbbay said in New L1R4 system for JC entry:

I do not think it will reduce stress level. Currently with L1R5, many students are still take more than 6 O level subjects and working towards best grades they can achieve in all subjects, as safety net. This same safety net mindset will still prevail with the new L1R4 system.

I agree that stress may not reduce, at least for the more competitive students/parents. Stress is to a large extent self-induced. But those who are willing to let go a bit should find it less stressful.

What caught my eye in the ST article I read this morning was the statistic that only 27% of O level students went to JC, while 43% went to poly. I recall that it was intended that about a third would go to JC and another third to poly - at least that is what I remember from some years ago. My concern is that poly education is more applied and hands-on (which is good for many), but does it mean that fewer students are reading widely, thinking deeply, and getting practice in writing well, more extensively, and investigating issues more rigorously? And universities are leaning that way too. What does that say for the future of thought and discourse in Singapore?

I share the same concerns. No wonder adult literacy is declining in Singapore - the language acquisition and practice is insufficient during the schooling years as fewer students are putting themselves through the rigour of reading widely, thinking deeply and critically and getting practice in writing well.

This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I actually see a lot of value in taking more subjects at the secondary school level, than fewer subjects. Given that you already take few subjects and specialise at the post secondary stage, I feel wide exposure is needed at the secondary school level so as to build broad based competencies and intelligences across different subjects, before making a decision.

My fear with L1R4 is that more and more secondary schools will teach to meet the requirements of the exams, and fewer schools will give students the option to read 8 or 9 subjects, which in itself, is valuable to me if the child is keen on doing so. (The option to do 5-7 subjects will be prevalent in the new system.) Now it seems like to be able to do 8-10 subjects, the PSLE becomes all the more important, because it is the IP kids who will have these opportunities. In other words, I think it’s also a good stage to build a capacity to learn. Already, our PSLE and post secondary school education are fairly narrow so I would prefer a broader exposure at secondary school level.

Going by the COP to the Poly courses, it is evident that there is a sizable group of students with single digit L1R4 who qualify for JC opting instead for the Poly route. It also explains the fairly large proportion of Poly students in all the local universities nowadays. With Poly, there are no GP or MT requirements to contend with for local university entry.

the landscape and options now are so many I think its hard to keep up. Will leave it to the kids to explore and discover, and I wait to be informed of the outcomes and decisions. lol

All I know is that my kids want to live at home and are not / did not explore halls or residential colleges or whatever.

I’m slightly confused with the local university scholarships.

Looks like there are different tiers? So the top tier scholarships will cover tuition fees, allowance, hall stays, exchange programmes etc - I guess the most comprehensive? And then the subsequent tiers cover fewer items?

Do you automatically get considered for the top tier ones, then next tier if you don’t get the top tier scholarship?

NUS Open House on Sat! Anyone going?

@Imp75 said in Singapore universities historical IGP/RP by courses:

@slmkhoo
Thanks for the advice. Yes she’s travelling with two other girls afaik and was told to take public transport to the dorm in the land of the rising sun where lifts and escalators are a rarity. Will just get her to Pack a suitcase suitable for her size and a backpack. The rest mommy will take care upon arrival. We probs go lots of shopping cos SG appliances cannot fit in there due to the plug or socket difference.

Before buying any appliances, check if there are rooms in the dorms on appliances. In the UK, a ton of things are not allowed to prevent smoke and fires. There are checks and enforcement especially during the check in period.

Land of the rising sun - food should not be an issue and I think costs of living are not too prohibitive. In Scandinavia, US or UK, one can feel miserable quite easily when eating out as there aren’t many options within a student’s budget range.

I think the 2FA authentication for most banking functions are pushed out through their apps than SMS nowadays. It’s troublesome when you change phones though, as you need to re-install and authenticate the device.

A trusty reliable luggage bag, easy to handle and wheel, is important as it must be able to take 20 kg (or however much you are filling it) and travel well on trains, uneven pavement or whatever mode of transport the kid is taking to reach the destination. The last thing you want to happen is to handle a broken or burst luggage bag.

@Imp75 said in Singapore universities historical IGP/RP by courses:

Practical question. For child who’s going to study overseas, do u still keep their local mobile number so they can stay contactable with their SG friends? Right now the plan they subscribe to is quite high cost with unlimited data. Any idea if we switch provider to those simba or low cost carrier, can we still number port with low or minimal fee?
Also do you pack light for the child and get the child to buy all necessities locally or send boxes over? My child is leaving end mar so getting a bit anxious

My kid kept the Singapore number - just port to a cheap $10 plan - it won’t cost much to port, and also using an e-sim overseas number.

It is not uncommon to send boxes over but I think the usual option for most is just riding on parents’ luggage allowance (if parents are sending kids off).