Education for Social Mobility

Sir, our education system seeks to provide strong support to all students to enable as many as possible to complete 10 years of general education, and to go on to post-Secondary education, via multiple pathways.

Our system recognises that students differ in their interest, aptitude and pace of development. Through the building of good foundations, and through providing multiple pathways and curricular options, our students can progress through appropriate development routes to successfully complete secondary schooling and progress further to post-Secondary institutions. For instance, at the Secondary level, Normal (Technical) and Normal (Academic) students are offered elective modules to enrich their learning experience through practice-oriented approaches. To further enhance the link between Secondary and post-Secondary education, we have introduced additional pathways, most recently, the Polytechnic Foundation Programme and the Direct Entry Scheme to Polytechnic for Normal (Academic) students which will begin next year.

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For weaker students, we have customised teaching and assessment methods to help them build a good foundation early. For instance, at lower Primary, our Learning Support Programmes (LSP) provide specialised support in literacy and numeracy for students who need it. At upper Primary, subject-based banding enables students to offer a combination of Standard or Foundation subjects based on their strengths.

Today, less than 1% of the Primary 1 cohort did not complete Secondary education, an improvement from 4% 10 years ago. Moreover, some 94% of the Primary 1 cohort, or about 46,000 students, progress to post-Secondary education institutions. This is an increase from 86% 10 years ago. These are significant achievements. Further, consistently over the last 10 years, more than 40% of students from the lowest socio-economic quintile progressed into our Polytechnics or Universities, and this has increased to 47% for the latest cohort.

Many factors affect the performance of students. Worldwide, one important factor is the socio-economic and education background of parents. Other factors include the presence of positive peer influence, the commitment of parents to their children's education and the support from schools and the broader community.

For these reasons, our efforts to help students make progress need to be multi-pronged, and to involve parents and the broader community.

To help needy students, we have enhanced the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme this year. We have also, since 2011, enhanced the scholarships and bursaries provided for ITE, Polytechnic and University students. MOE is also expanding student care centres in Primary schools to provide additional supervision and guidance after school for students who may require stronger learning support.

MOE's efforts have been well supported by parents and volunteer groups who provide additional support, such as reading and remedial lessons. Community self-help groups, such as CDAC, MENDAKI and SINDA, also provide strong support in various ways. It is important that we continue our multi-pronged approach so that we can continue to help students progress better.

Sir, I have one supplementary question. I wonder whether MOE has analysed the reasons for the decline in the passing rate for Mother Tongue and what can be done to arrest the decline further.

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Sir, with regard to the social mobility question, recently, we read in the newspapers the report that about 40% of students living in HDB flats are studying in the top schools. Knowing that more than 80% of our population are living in HDB flats, is this trend worrisome for MOE? Have we seen more of the students living in better conditions progressing into top schools as an indication of difficulty faced by the low-income families?

Sir, on the contrary, we should be happy to see that many of our students from low-income families progress through their education, complete their Secondary education, and move into post-Secondary institutions. Instead of looking at the development the way the Member had, I would suggest that we look at it this way. About one in two students from the bottom third SCS families scored in the top two-third at PSLE. This proportion has remained stable over the past decade.

Second, about one in six students from the bottom third SCS families scored in the top third at PSLE. This proportion has also remained stable in the last decade. It basically means that students from lower SCS families have made good progress and have moved into the different Secondary school level or post-Primary, based on their interest and ability. But, broadly, I would say, we should have a broader definition of social mobility and move away from purely academic or monetary achievements. Rather, I would say, the social mobility is about striving for each successive generation to have more opportunities to pursue their interests and aptitudes and, in so doing, realise their full potential and to live better and more fulfilling lives than their parents. I think all of our students, irrespective of their social background, have made progress and do better than the current generation. In general, I would say, we are doing well.

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