A total of 60 Express and Normal (Academic) students from Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School, Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School and Singapore Chinese Girls' School have enrolled in the media studies course.

It is part of the second phase of O-level applied subjects, which came from the recommendations of a government committee formed two years ago. The committee was charged with looking into ways secondary schools could teach skills needed in a knowledge-based and innovation-driven economy.

It recommended that secondary schools work together with the polytechnics to introduce applied subjects to cater to secondary school students who prefer practical class work.

In January this year, eight secondary schools began offering creative 3-D animation, fundamentals of electronics and introduction to enterprise development as O-level applied subjects.

The new two-year media studies course will be taught by two lecturers from Ngee Ann Polytechnic's School of Film and Media Studies. Students will be introduced to mass media theories, analyse media content, conduct interviews and will be equipped with script-writing, directing and video editing skills to create films.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.