Scrap PSLE? Let's pause and think before another big education reform

Delaying or removing exams may spare anxiety today, but risks leaving students unprepared for real-world pressure.

- Mary Foong-Fong Chong

I've been interviewing secondary and post-secondary students as part of research on what well-being means to them. These conversations provided me with some fresh perspectives on how they perceive and manage academic and other stresses in their lives.

While exams were often mentioned as a source of stress, many spoke about coping through self-discipline, improving time management and learning to accept what they cannot change and move on.

A few reminded me that “life is not just about academic grades”. For them, relationships with family and friends mattered more. Many said their motivation to attend school came from the joy of companionship, fun with peers, and opportunities to pursue interests through co-curricular activities and school programmes.

Some even shared how they learnt to recognise when certain academic routes, such as the Integrated Programme, did not align with their interests, and chose instead to focus on areas that played to their strengths.

What struck me most was the self-awareness and resilience these young people demonstrated and the values they hold, even while juggling academic pressure and the challenges of growing up.

This was brought back to my mind when I came across The Straits Times Insight article, “Inside Singapore’s education ‘arms race’: Stress, inequality and the push for change” (Nov 22). It discusses a rethink of major exams and some ideas for reform, which include exploring alternatives for the Primary School Leaving Examination and refining the current system of how children are sorted into schools.

This comes after a series of reforms in the education system over the past decade, such as the introduction of subject-based banding, the new scoring system for PSLE and the removal of weighted assessments and midyear exams for lower-primary students. These reforms were introduced, in part, to reduce stress and allow more time for holistic learning for our children.