Singapore Maths Tuition - University and JC

Individual and small group maths tuition in Singapore - University and Junior College

More students from the Normal stream in Secondary School qualify for entrance into universities and local polytechnics

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06 January 2019

There are now more students from the Normal streams in secondary school who are able to qualify for entrance into the polytechnics and into universities.

According to the Ministry of Education, more than 10 per cent of Secondary 1 Normal (Academic) students move on to publicly funded universities.

More than 20 per cent of students in the Normal (Technical) stream have made it to at least polytechnic diploma courses.

Five in 100 students who graduated from polytechnics between 2015 and last year were from the N(T) stream. For students from the N(A) stream, they made up 35 per cent of those finishing with a diploma, and 5 per cent with a degree.

Ministry of Education decisively ramps up aptitude-based admissions for institutions of higher learning

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28 December 2018

The Ministry of Education has decisively implemented aptitude-based admissions for institutions of higher learning in Singapore.

Three autonomous universities – Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore and Singapore Management University – will raise the intake of students through their discretionary admission exercises from 10 per cent to 15 per cent.

The intake of students entering polytechnics through the Early Admissions Exercise has also been increased to 15 per cent for this year’s academic intake.

More students can now gain early admission into the Institute of Technical Education based on their talents and interests, as the courses will no longer have a cap limiting the number of students admitted through this processs.

The Ministry believes that switching to aptitude-based admission schemes and programmes will encourage Singaporeans to build on their unique strengths instead of chasing after grades and qualifications.

More students from Normal stream qualify for higher education in Singapore

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18 December 2018

More students from the Normal streams in secondary school have qualified for entry into publicly funded universities as well as polytechnic diploma courses.

The Ministry of Education said that streaming has helped students learn at a pace suited for them because educators are able to customize their teaching and learning approaches for the benefit of these students.

This has led to better educational outcomes and a lower attrition rate.

Most observers and educators said Singapore’s decades-old method of streaming has benefited students, but the problem is the social stigma attached to those on the Normal streaming path.

A spokesman for MOE said: “Contrary to the misperception that streaming at the secondary school level limits the academic progression of certain groups of students, evidence has shown that a great majority of students have actually been able to continue with post-secondary education, and their further progression is not limited by the stream they started with.”

Singapore’s Discretionary Admission scheme for university entrants

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29 November 2018

When admitting polytechnic applicants, the Singapore Management University, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore Institute of Technology, and Singapore University of Social Sciences consider factors such as polytechnic GPA, aptitude tests and interview performance.

GCE O-level results are considered only where applicable.

Second Minister for Education Indranee Rajah said current admissions standards set by the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University perpetuates the impact of the GCE O levels results on polytechnic graduates, even though many of these students go on to do very well.

NUS, NTU and SMU can offer up to 15 per cent of their yearly undergraduate places through the Discretionary Admission scheme.

Polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education fees to be increased next academic year

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29 November 2018

Students entering the polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education next year will be paying higher fees.

Annual fees for newcomers in 2019 will increase by between 3 per cent and 7 per cent. Singaporeans entering Singapore’s five polytechnics next year will pay an annual tuition fee of $2,900.

Tuition fees for higher education have been going up yearly in the past few years. In response to this trend, government bursary amounts were also raised last year, with polytechnic students being able to get up to $2,350 a year, and ITE students up to $1,400 a year.

“The household per capita income cut-off to qualify for the bursaries was also increased from $1,900 to $2,250 per month,” said the Ministry of Education.

Improved Direct Schools Admission scheme aims to assist students from disadvantaged families

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09 November 2018

Singapore’s Direct Schools Admission scheme has been revised and improved in order to give students from disadvantaged families a better chance at getting into the schools of their choice, on their own merit.

The Ministry of Education has allowed all schools to increase their intake through the scheme.

Additionally, schools have also discontinued the general ability test and high ability selection test. Previously, those tests were meant for students who applied for academic programmes under the DSA.

And to top it off, students do not need to pay any fee for the applications, which are done through a centralised portal. Previously, some schools charged a fee ranging from S$20 to S$50 for each application because they deploy external resources — such as manpower — to conduct assessments.

As a result of these revisions, more students secured places in secondary schools through the Direct School Admission exercise this year. This year, 3,000 students secured places, up from 2,500 last year.

Critics have long pointed out that the scheme — introduced in 2004 — has deviated from its original objective of recognising and admitting students based on talents in areas such as sports and arts instead of just superior academic potential.

Second Minister for Education Indranee Rajah admitted that students from well-off families are in a better position to take advantage of the Direct School Admission scheme, and that affluent parents have been gaming the system by sending their children to a shadow network of preparatory schools.

Ms Indranee said that the latest refinements to the DSA scheme aim to “close the gap”.

National University of Singapore awards bonus admissions points for first-choice courses

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23 July 2018

The National University of Singapore has a new policy of awarding 1.25 bonus admissions points for a university applicant’s first choice course.

As a result, this year, 9 per cent more A-level applicants landed a place in a course they listed as their top choice and 3.2 per cent more A-level applicants accepted NUS’ offer of a place in the university.

The bonus points applied only to courses where entry is based purely on converting a student’s grades into points, and not to courses such as medicine and law where students are assessed on a broader range of criteria including both hard and soft skills.

NUS’ initiative is in line with the Ministry of Education’s move to expand aptitude-based admission into post-secondary institutions and universities.

Singapore polytechnics to take into account job experience of working adults who apply for full-time diploma courses

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10 July 2018

Starting next year, Singapore polytechnics will take into account the job experience of working adults who apply for full-time diploma courses.

Currently, only part-time courses which give credit to work experience, while admission to full-time programmes is based only on academic results.

Polytechnics will also pay more attention to the use of interviews and other methods of assessment to evaluate work experience and performance.

From academic year 2020, working adults will also be able to apply to polytechnics via the Early Admissions Exercise.

Working adults who do not meet the minimum entry requirements will be given an opportunity to show they have certain required skillsets for their chosen course through supplementary assessments.

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