Parliamentary Question

Not Naming the Top Scorers for 2012 PSLE Examinations

14 Jan 2013

NAME AND CONSTITUENCY OF MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
Mr R Dhinakaran, Nominated Member of Parliament

QUESTION
To ask the Minister for Education what factors tipped the balance in favour of the Ministry’s decision not to name the top scorers for the 2012 PSLE examinations.

NAME AND CONSTITUENCY OF MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, MP for Potong Pasir

QUESTION
To ask the Minister for Education whether the decision not to publish the top PSLE scorers or the primary schools with the top PSLE scores is a temporary measure and whether there are broader policy reasons behind the decision.

RESPONSE
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has reviewed and decided to stop the practice of releasing the names of the top Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) scorers. Instead, MOE provided the media with a list of students from various schools who have performed well in both academic and non-academic aspects and/or have shown resilience and determination in overcoming the odds to excel in their education. The change is aimed at recognising students for their holistic development and  all-round excellence, and not just their academic performance only.

Education is a long journey. The PSLE marks the conclusion of one stage of a child’s learning journey and the beginning of another. It is important to help our students to develop the stamina to embark on this long journey. We want to encourage them to persevere, to pursue learning along appropriate pathways and help them to succeed in each milestone. We want parents to join us to encourage their children to develop a love for learning and become life-long learners.

The decision to stop releasing the list of top scorers is not to address PSLE stress per se or to move away from merit. It is to signal and align our practices with the emphasis on holistic development and  all-round excellence.