SINGAPORE – Full subject-based banding (SBB) – a scheme that will replace Singapore’s academic streaming system – and how it moves away from pigeonholing students took centre stage in a panel discussion with Education Minister Chan Chun Sing on Monday.

The scheme, which gives students greater flexibility to study subjects at different levels, is now in place in about 90 schools, or more than two-thirds of the secondary schools here. In 2024, 120 schools will have SBB.

Here are three key takeaways from the hour-long session, titled Post-Budget Perspectives 2023 Classroom Chat: Beyond Grades, organised by The Straits Times.

The discussion involved Bukit View Secondary School student Aleron Tan; Jurong West Secondary School student Ahmad Yasin Jofri; Bukit View Secondary School teacher Irni Karen Mohd Zaini, who is the school’s head of department for mathematics and the full SBB coordinator; and Mr Samson Oh, a father of two and chief executive of GosuGamers, an e-sport portal. The session was hosted by Straits Times senior producer-presenter Hairianto Diman.

1. Not everyone is equally good at everything

Full SBB recognises that individuals develop in their own time, said Mr Chan.

“So even if you didn’t choose to take a particular subject at a higher level in perhaps Primary 6 or Secondary 1, but along the way, you find your interest and passion, then you of course can pursue this. Now this is quite different from the past, whereby one exam determined the rest of your four or five years,” he said.

“Four or five years during the teenage years is a long time... Some people develop faster, some people develop a bit slower, but whatever it is, we want a system that can allow you to pace your own development, and learn according to your different needs.”

Secondary 4 student Aleron, 15, after some initial reservations, eventually took up the offer to take mathematics at the G3 or Express level, when he was in Sec 2. A year later, he also took science at a higher level. “I felt that it would be more stressful and there would be more of a workload for me. But when I took the subject, I was able to challenge myself and follow my passion in mathematics,” he said.

“I feel that it is a very good experience. I am able to mix with friends of other streams, and I am also able to learn more things and understand more about the subject.”

2. Developing soft skills along the way

The panellists raised the importance of nurturing soft skills in students.

Mr Chan said: “We hope all our students realise that even though they may come from so-called different streams, they all have their respective strengths. And we need to respect one another and relate to one another... and we don’t pigeonhole people just by a single metric.”

He said he hopes students can be imbued with confidence and empathy.

“We know that every child has different abilities, and all we want as parents, as educators, is for them to fulfil their potential, to do justice to their respective gifts, rather than to keep comparing with someone else, because (they) will feel very miserable,” he added.

“For older students who are generally stronger academically, I think we also want them to understand that they cannot be complacent or arrogant... There are things that perhaps you are not so good at and you can also learn from the academically weaker students,” said Mr Chan.

He noted that students who are weaker academically must understand that they are not weak at every subject. There are areas such as the arts, music and sports where they can “show the academically inclined students something”.

Mr Oh, 47, who has a 13-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter, said that as a father and employer, he found the move towards a more flexible system in schools encouraging.

“For the youth, it is all about self-discovery... and sometimes, this can give them that intrinsic motivation. It is no longer about how people judge you, but about how you want to improve yourself,” he said.

“The more you know yourself, once you understand your strengths and weaknesses... you will make better decisions.”

Sec 2 student Ahmad said: “If I was given the chance to improve the education system, I would like to try my best to increase the duration of form-teacher time or free time doing activities with our friends, like games or sports carnivals... which are a great way to help me and my friends understand more about one another.”

Mr Chan said the Ministry of Education (MOE) has plans to increase opportunities for students to bond across schools through avenues such as co-curricular activities or certain subjects.

“(The aim) is so that we really enlarge our social networks for all students to grow up together with more friends, and that I think will make for a more resilient society,” he said.

3. Pressing on despite challenges

Despite the logistical challenges in carrying out full SBB, teachers are pressing on because they know that it is beneficial for students, said Mr Chan.

“When it comes to timetabling, when it comes to resourcing, actually, we are still working through this, school by school...

“MOE will continue to have to invest more resources, both in terms of facilities and sometimes in terms of teaching resources, to supplement what the schools have in their basic system,” he said.

“So I do not want to underplay the challenges that we will have,” he added.

Student Ahmad said one challenge is the constant changing of classes.

“Every time the bell rings, when another lesson comes, there are always things that we have to take, things that we have to put (back). In my school, we have lockers assigned to the classes, so we can put our stuff there.”

Madam Irni said: “My advice to everyone, to all schools which are going to embark (on full SBB) next year, is to really do your planning, have a network, find out from teachers from other schools which have carried this out how they have managed to overcome some of these challenges.”

She added: “Definitely during the first week (of school), you’ll see the Secondary 1 students trying to find out where to go, which teacher (to look for) – that’s normal. But after a while, I think all students will adapt.”