Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim, Sengkang GRC
Question
To ask the Minister for Education (a) how often does the Ministry ensure that schools adhere to the guidelines on setting their Direct School Admission for Secondary Schools (DSA-Sec) criteria and their selection of students; (b) whether there are systems in place to prevent preferential treatment and abuse of the DSA-Sec process; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider a review of the DSA-Sec route for better standardization and transparency of the selection process.
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim, Sengkang GRC
Question
To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry has received complaints about the Direct School Admission for Secondary Schools (DSA-Sec) route in the last five years; (b) if so, how many complaints have been received; (c) what actions have been taken to address the complaints; and (d) what are the lessons learned and the follow-up actions from these complaints.
Response
1. The Direct School Admission Exercise for Secondary Schools (DSA-Sec) provides a pathway for students to enrol in secondary schools based on their diverse talents and potential. Schools have the flexibility to determine their selection and assessment criteria, so that they can select students who will benefit most from the school's development programmes.
2. At the same time, schools are required to adhere to MOE's selection guidelines and to uphold the key principles of transparency, objectivity, inclusiveness and student-centricity during the selection process. For example, schools are required to update and publish their selection criteria on their website before each DSA Exercise. Schools are also required to form selection panels, led by the school leadership team, to evaluate each applicant. These selection guidelines are reviewed and updated before the start of each year's DSA Exercise.
3. Over the past 5 years, there have been an average of 7 cases per year from parents querying the outcome of their child's DSA selection. Based on MOE's review of each case, we have found schools to have conducted their selection processes rigorously, objectively and professionally.