GEP no longer fits values of S’pore

In the debate about education since the National Day Rally, nothing has been said about the elephant in the room, the Gifted Education Programme.

As long as it remains in our education landscape, it will be a key source of pressure and inequality in the system. It should be reviewed, if not removed, for several reasons.

First, the scheme no longer fits the values Singapore now aspires towards. The creation of a group of nine-year-olds separate from other peers for the next three years is elitist. The selection is exclusive, based on test results and no other criteria.

This elitism is reinforced when families with ample financial resources and time prepare their children for the screening tests through expensive enrichment lessons. Over time, it perpetuates the “closed circles” the Prime Minister warned about.

Second, the nine GEP schools will forever be perceived as top primary schools. Places in these schools are coveted because of their GEP status.

The setting aside of at least 40 places for families without prior links to these schools is a good start. If parents are to drop their idea of what is a top school, though, the Education Ministry must drop the notion of GEP schools.

Third, while many of the GEP schools are not affiliated to the top secondary schools, a welcome mat has practically been laid for their pupils in the form of the Direct School Admission (DSA) scheme, through their mathematics and science grades.

So coveted are the remaining DSA places that the pressure on non-GEP students has increased, and thus for doing well in the Primary School Leaving Examination.

Do GEP pupils, who should be scoring well in the PSLE, need a DSA route into top secondary schools? Why should we perpetuate their advantage when much taxpayer money has already been invested in them since age 10?

Fourth, the amount of paperwork, interviews and correspondence with schools in the DSA process usually means parents must take an active role. It is unsurprising that families with time and money would be more actively seeking entry via the DSA.

These are the realities of the DSA. To become a fairer, more inclusive and compassionate society, we must take a hard look at the outdated GEP, and divert more DSA places towards those who are deserving but not in the GEP.