Mr Peter Heng Teck Wee makes a compelling case for the abolition of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) (Time to reconsider whether PSLE serves Singapore's goals, May 4). I disagree.
The first pillar on which Mr Heng's argument rests is that an excessive focus is placed on four "core" subjects to the exclusion of other "non-core" subjects such as coding.
This is a non-issue. The PSLE deals with the education of children aged between six and 12.
They must first be equipped with the basic knowledge and skills that form the content of the current four core subjects taught, before going on to other more complex endeavours such as coding.
According non-core subjects less importance is right, and to do otherwise would be to put the proverbial cart before the horse.
The second pillar on which Mr Heng rests his argument is that the abolition of the PSLE will promote "interest-based learning and egalitarianism among secondary schools".
Furthering pupils' interests and promoting egalitarianism are certainly desirable goals.
But Singapore must not lose sight of the fundamental purpose of its schools.
Beyond slogans such as "every school is a good school", Singapore schools serve the primary function of nurturing the most important resource of this country - its people (and especially its youth).
The top performers must be pushed to meet their true potential, while those who need more help should receive the support they need to catch up.
This necessarily entails some form of streaming into certain secondary schools so that the top performers are not unduly dragged down and those who need to catch up are not left behind.
Doing away with the PSLE would take away the single greatest tool to objectively assess a pupil's academic abilities.
This is not to say that a pupil should be defined solely by his academic abilities, but sufficient flexibility exists through the Direct School Admission scheme to cater to the unique talents of certain pupils who may not be as academically inclined.
This scheme, however, rightfully remains the exception rather than the rule, given its highly subjective basis.
To do away with the PSLE would be to incorporate a subjective basis for entry into secondary schools, and that is not a path we should go down. The PSLE should be retained, and for good reason.
Brent Lim Zi Jian
