There will be no more mid-year exams for primary and secondary school students.

Earlier today (March 7) Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said that the focus will be to allow students to develop their interests instead of focusing on just grades.

Previously mid-year exams were removed for Primary 3, Primary 5, Secondary 1 and Sec 3 students.

Chan stated that since the removal of the mid-year exams that have been positive changes to both the students learning process and to the school.

“They use ongoing assessments to identify what students have mastered and the areas they have difficulties with. Students also focus more on their learning and less on marks,” Said Chan

What does parents think?

Since the release of this news, parents were divided with some supporting the learning journey with lesser exams while some are still focused on grades.

Supporters

• I support this. Takes so much stress out of the learning journey. It should still be fun without the stress

• Support this move exams are not the only way or the best way to measure learning. So many people around me scored A in Chinese but can barely even order food at Chinese restaurant. Cramming for the sake of exams is totally different from true learning.

People who are against the idea

• Who will take learning seriously when they are not being tested. Exams are like audit. It ensures the child is being tested at checkpoint to ensure they take learning seriously. Parents will be able to know more about their children progress. Without exams, they child is going to be like “why bother to learn when there is no exams? Or “aiya, relax now, moe says marks are not important anymore” it’s like telling companies there won’t be any audit done on them and only year end closing is done. By then, millions of $ could’ve been siphon away. Mid year will always be a crucial check point to know the progress and learning attitude.

• If you parents aren’t so busy with everything else and spend time with your kids you would know how well your kids are doing stop acting irresponsibly and expect the system and school to do it for you. The sucess of your child is parents responsibility not the school, system oi the society

• This is good. Except for graduating cohorts. They will not know how they fair until the Prelims. The time between prelims & actual PSLE/GCE is short to catch up

• No no no. When the EOY exams come, the students will get the rudest shock of their lives because they are not prepared for it at all in any point of time during the whole year. Not in terms of content tested. Not in terms of paper format tested. No. Just no.