Gerald Giam calls for education reform as National exams induce tremendous amounts of stress on students

SINGAPORE: In Parliament on Monday (Apr 17), Workers’ Party MP Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) reiterated the call for a reform in the country’s educational system, specifically in the area of testing, which he called a central feature of the system.

While he acknowledged that exams have positive effects, he underlined the tremendous stress they subject students to. “When stress becomes toxic, it can have negative effects on learning and knowledge retention and, in extreme situations, could become chronic,” Mr Giam, a father of two who has helped his children through the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), said.

Mr Giam added, “We need to make our education system less of a sorting mechanism for identifying students’ abilities and more of a launchpad for students to discover their strengths and interests, and develop deep skills in their areas of interest.”

He cited the through-train programme fellow WP MP Jamus Lim proposed in Parliament last month to allow students to bypass the PSLE.

The 10-year through-train programme from Primary 1 to Secondary 4 would be an option for parents who do not wish their children to take the PSLE, but instead gives students ten years to prepare to take their first major test when they are in Secondary 4.

This would allow students to learn at a pace best suited for them as they develop particular areas of interest.

“The 10-year through-train programme will pair up existing primary and secondary schools and complement, but not replace, the non-through train tracks in these schools,” added Mr Giam, who also talked about financial literacy as another educational topic system should focus on.

While Singapore is a major financial hub with investors bringing in billions in investment funds, “Singaporeans generally lack the financial know-how and confidence to manage their own personal finances and plan for their future,” he said.

“To improve our financial resilience as a nation, there is a need to plug the current financial literacy gap among Singaporeans and empower Singaporeans with the knowledge and confidence to take greater ownership of their financial well-being,” the Aljunied GRC MP added.  /TISG

In Parliament: Jamus Lim tackles testing anxiety; proposes alternate ‘through-train’ programme allowing for bypass of PSLE