Govt pushes for change, but shadow education system stands in the way

Students should go beyond academics. But every effort to evolve in that direction gets thwarted by some who game these well-meant moves.

- Sandra Davie

The Ministry of Education (MOE) should be applauded for making yet another significant move to reduce emphasis on examination scores and free up space for students to explore their interests outside of the academics.

On March 6, it announced that scores of only five subjects instead of six—at the O-level examinations—will count towards junior college (JC) admissions from 2028.

With this change, which will apply to those in the 2025 Secondary 2 batch, students will need to get 16 points or fewer for their L1R4 score—which stands for one language and four relevant subjects—to qualify for JC. Currently, students must achieve an L1R5 score of 20 or lower across six subjects to be eligible for JC admission.

As Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said, the revised admission criteria "mean that students will be able to take fewer subjects, or take some subjects at a less demanding level... They will thus be able to devote more time and effort to pursue their interests, deepen their communication and collaboration skills through CCAs (co-curricular activities), and uncover new strengths through school programmes".

These are the latest of several important changes that MOE has made to broaden the definition of merit and encourage holistic development in our students, including the full subject-based banding where students take subjects according to their strengths in secondary schools, along with a new PSLE scoring system that aims to shift the focus away from an overemphasis on academic results.

Another notable change in recent years has been reducing the stakes of the A-level examinations for entry into university. From 2026, students from JCs and Millenia Institute will not need to count their fourth content-based subject for university admissions, unless it improves their score.