FAQ: What you need to know about Singapore’s revamped Gifted Education Programme

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Gifted Education Programme (GEP) in primary schools will be revamped, with high-ability programmes in all schools to be opened up to more students. 
The Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Monday (Aug 19) that about 10 per cent of students will benefit from the school-based programmes for high-ability students. 
Currently, about 7 per cent of the cohort is part of these school-based programmes, and another 1 per cent of the cohort is selected for the GEP. 
Here’s what you need to know about the changes.
All primary schools now have programmes to develop high-ability students with specific strengths and interests in subjects like English, mathematics and science. MOE started introducing these to primary schools in 2007. 
As part of the overhaul, the school-based programmes will be expanded to more students – around 10 per cent of the cohort, or 3,000 students. 
On top of the school-based programmes, students who benefit from even further development may be selected to attend after-school modules at designated nearby schools. 
These modules will be different from the academic curriculum in schools, designed to “cultivate curiosity and a love for learning”, said the Education Ministry on Monday. 
To illustrate the difference between the school-based programmes and what the after-school modules may look like, a student who is part of a school-based programme for science will make sense of phenomena and investigate possible solutions through collaborative inquiry. 
For example, they may discover Newton’s law of cooling as they explore the best way to cool hot tea, inspiring a sense of curiosity and teaching them how to investigate on their own. 
Meanwhile, a student who goes for a science after-school module may learn more about the science and technology behind the food on their plate, research sustainable eating practices and propose solutions. 
For now, MOE plans for students to attend these after-school modules about once a week, since students may also have commitments to co-curricular activities or other programmes. 
Some students who are selected to attend after-school modules in more than one subject may go more than once a week, or take different modules in different subjects in different semesters, said the Education Ministry. 
MOE is studying transportation options for students who are attending the after-school modules and will provide more details later. 
Currently, students are selected for the GEP through a two-stage exercise in Primary 3, and those selected are invited to join from Primary 4, continuing their education in one of the nine primary schools that offer the programme. 
Under the new system, the first stage of the standardised GEP selection test, which examines their English and Mathematics capabilities, at Primary 3 will be retained. 
The second stage, which involves English and Mathematics tests as well as a general ability paper, will be scrapped. 
After that, students can also be selected for the high-ability programmes at “multiple junctures” between Primary 4 and Primary 6, said the Education Ministry. 
Schools can also identify students suitable for the programmes based on day-to-day observations, teacher recommendations and their work, MOE said, adding that there is “no set weighting” for these screening methods. 
“This new approach will provide more comprehensive and holistic information about students’ abilities and potential over time.” 
In recent years, MOE has observed students experiencing more stress at the GEP selection exercise, with more students enrolling in private classes to prepare for it, the ministry said. 
This new approach will reduce the focus on the selection exercise, said MOE. 
Like the GEP, parents and students are free to opt out of the new programmes. 
The GEP in its current form will be discontinued from the 2024 Primary 1 cohort. This means that students who are Primary 3 in 2026 and Primary 4 in 2027 will be the first batch of students under the new form of the programme. 
The last batch of students under the current GEP programme will take the two selection tests when they are in Primary 3 in 2025 and enter Primary 4 in 2026. 
Nine primary schools currently offer the GEP: Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), Catholic High School (Primary), Henry Park Primary School, Nan Hua Primary School, Nanyang Primary School, Raffles Girls’ Primary School, Rosyth School, St Hilda’s Primary School and Tao Nan School. 
The new model will also provide more customisation for students who may be talented in one or two specific areas, rather than offer a “uniform” GEP curriculum in all areas, MOE said. 
For example, Student A who is strong in English and weak in Mathematics may participate in the high-ability programme for English in their school after doing well at the selection test they take at Primary 3. 
As their talents grow more evident, they may then be identified to attend after-school modules for English later on in Primary 5. 
Student B, who is strong in both English and Mathematics may participate in school-based high-ability programmes and after-school modules for both subjects. 
While Student C, who is very strong in Mathematics but weak in English may participate in the school-based high-ability programme and after-school module for Mathematics only. 
Under the current GEP, where students have to do well in all areas of the selection test to join the programme, Student B may be selected for the programme and may have to transfer to a different school.
If Student C is also selected for the GEP, they may also have to transfer to a different school and may then struggle to cope with the GEP English curriculum. 
“What we do observe is that some students can thrive in all three subjects, but there are some students who are stronger in one or two subjects and weaker in others, and they may not necessarily benefit as fully from the kind of GEP model that the students have,” said MOE. 
With programmes in all schools, high-ability students can remain in their own schools at upper primary and no longer need to transfer into one of the nine GEP schools at Primary 4. 
The Education Ministry will tap the expertise of the nine GEP primary schools to develop higher-ability learners under the new approach. 
“One direct implication is that we will deploy some of these teachers to support the after-school modules, so they may be posted to the schools hosting the after-school modules from 2027 onwards,” MOE said at a briefing on Monday. 
There will likely be more schools offering the after-school modules, beyond the current number of GEP schools, said MOE. 
They will be selected based on considerations such as geographical spread to cater to students across Singapore.