97.6% of students pass PSLE

SINGAPORE: 97.6 percent of students who sat for this year’s PSLE are eligible to progress to secondary school.

A total of 48,333 Primary 6 students sat for the PSLE this year.

47,163 of them passed the examination.

63.1% qualify for the Express course, 23.1% for the Normal (Academic) and 11.4% for the Normal (Technical) course.

There are 1,170 students (or 2.4%) who are assessed to be not yet ready for secondary school.

Students collected their PSLE results from their respective schools from noon on Thursday.

Result slips obtained by Channel NewsAsia showed that the highest aggregate score for this year’s Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is 285.

Students eligible to progress to secondary school could select their school and submit their forms before 3pm on 28 November.

The Secondary One posting results will be released on 19 December.

Ahead of the release of this year’s PSLE results, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said it will stop the practice of listing the top students for PSLE.

This is in line with the importance of recognising the students for their holistic development and all—round excellence.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the Primary School Leaving Examination is far from the only thing which counts.

In a posting on his Facebook page, Mr Lee said students must also develop good moral values, strong social skills, and a sense of duty to their families and nation.

He said these are not in the PSLE syllabus, but they are important to a fulfilling and productive life.

He said Singapore’s education system offers many pathways and opportunities, and students should make the most of them.

They should study hard, but also make time to play and pursue their passions.

One parent MediaCorp spoke to said the move may be a good start to changing parents’ mindset.

But Jean Lai, a mother whose child has just completed her PSLE, believes there’s still some way to go before the desired outcome can be achieved.

She added that "probably, this is not the only way to change the mindset of parents. This is not stopping the root of the problem. Actually I feel a little sad for children who have done really well, because I think they should be honoured for what they have done for their good results."

Mrs Lai believes there are other more important ways to manage students’ stress about the PSLE.

She said: "The system has to change to cater for a mindset shift in the future, especially the way we are testing children in schools. PSLE is a way to get into a good secondary school education. Probably they also have to change the (secondary school admissions system)."

— CNA/ir