Proportion of Secondary School Students Admitted Through Direct School Admission Across Various Domains, and Complaints Received Regarding Selection Process

Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Education (a) for each of the past three admission exercises, what proportion of students admitted through Direct School Admission (DSA) to secondary schools were for talents in (i) sports, (ii) performing arts, (iii) leadership and uniformed groups, (iv) languages, humanities, mathematics or science and (v) other domains; (b) how many complaints relating to DSA selection processes were received each year; and (c) what were the principal complaints.

The Direct School Admission for secondary schools (DSA-Sec) provides a pathway for students to gain admission to secondary schools based on their interests, aptitude and potential, beyond their performance at the Primary School Leaving Examination.

The proportions of applications and admissions have been comparable in the past three years. For the 2026 DSA-Sec Exercise, about four in 10 applications were for Sports and Games, two in 10 for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and two in 10 for Performing Arts. The rest were spread across Leadership and Uniformed Groups, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Language and Humanities, and Visual Arts, Design and Media.

Over the past three years, an average of about nine pieces of feedback per year was received. The main concern was on schools' selection processes. Based on the Ministry of Education's review of each case, we have found the schools to have conducted their selection processes rigorously, objectively and professionally.