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Clarity on impact of Higher Mother Tongue in new PSLE system needed

I am happy to learn about the new Primary School Leaving Examination scoring, and that the Ministry of Education has provided good details about the system and the method of selecting pupils in the event of a tie.

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Simon Wee Kok Cheng

I am happy to learn about the new Primary School Leaving Examination scoring, and that the Ministry of Education has provided good details about the system and the method of selecting pupils in the event of a tie.

How this will reduce stress and unnecessary competition among our children will be known a few years after its implementation, so we should not be quick to judge.

One part of the scoring requires clarity, however, since it will affect the current Primary 1 cohort: The impact of Higher Mother Tongue.

Under the current system, Higher Mother Tongue pupils get one to three bonus points added to their T-score. These points are seemingly insignificant compared with a score of 200-plus. But what impact will the subject have as a tie-breaker criterion?

While it is good to give pupils a platform to advance learning of subjects they excel in, something they already do well in should not provide them with undue advantage over their peers. If that is the intent, then those who are gifted in English, Mathematics or Science should be given additional platforms too.

The ministry should take a serious look at the value of Higher Mother Tongue across all major examinations and the impact of the bonus.

This impact may affect the level of attention or stress imposed on pupils to do the subject, and on school selection during the Pri 1 registration.

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