More Places in Direct School Admission Programme and Mainstream Avenues for Students to Pursue Interests
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the potential expansion of Direct School Admission for Secondary Schools (DSA-Sec) places and mainstream avenues for students to pursue interests. Dr Wan Rizal asked if more spaces would be provided due to rising applications, while Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling inquired about additional avenues for sports and humanities. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing responded that schools can admit up to 20% of their intake, and as only 10% of the 2022 cohort received offers, there are no plans to increase places. He emphasized that existing capacity is sufficient and that the Ministry continues to offer diverse development opportunities through Co-Curricular Activities and specialized school curricula. These avenues, including Applied Learning and Learning for Life Programmes, ensure all students can access talent development regardless of their participation in the DSA exercise.
Transcript
27 Dr Wan Rizal asked the Minister for Education in view of the increase in this year's applications for Direct School Admission for Secondary Schools (DSA-Sec), whether more spaces will be provided for students to be admitted via DSA-Sec.
28 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for Education in view of the steady rise in direct school admission applications, whether the Ministry is considering more mainstream avenues for students with abilities in sports and humanities to pursue their interests.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: The Direct School Admission exercise for Secondary Schools (DSA-Sec) provides a pathway for students to enrol in Secondary schools based on their diverse talents and potential, beyond their academic performance demonstrated at PSLE. The number of DSA applications has increased over the years, in line with MOE’s efforts to broaden the definition of merit beyond academic results and increase the accessibility of DSA.
Since 2018, we have increased the number of DSA places, allowing Secondary schools to admit up to 20% of their Secondary 1 intake. In the 2022 DSA-Sec exercise, around 3,900 students or 10% of the 2022 Primary 6 cohort received offers. As such, there remains sufficient DSA places for eligible students to enrol in schools, and MOE currently has no plans to expand the number of places.
At the same time, MOE will continue to ensure multiple avenues for students to discover and develop their diverse talents and interests. These include Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs); art, music and PE curriculum; and Applied Learning Programmes and Learning for Life Programmes. These enable every student to access opportunities to support their development, regardless of whether they participate in DSA.