19 March 2019
From 2015 to 2017, of the graduates from the six local universities, about 1 per cent had come from the Normal (Technical) route and 5 per cent from the Normal (Academic) stream.
Of those who graduate yearly from Singapore’s five polytechnics, 5 per cent are from the N(T) stream, and 35 per cent from the N(A) stream.
When subject-based banding is implemented, more students can be expected to have access to higher education opportunities than would otherwise be the case.
Ms Denise Phua, MP for Jalan Besar GRC, who for years has argued against streaming, says that while in the past, a student could have been limited in his choice of subjects due to the stream he was placed in, there is now more flexibility to take subjects based on his strengths.
Ms Phua says that there will be “knee-jerk reactions” from some parents who define success as doing well academically, or want to have their children mix only with others of the same socio-economic status or academic ability. But she notes that it is significant that for now, MOE has decided to replace streaming with full subject-based banding.