Mid-year screening for P1 pupils to be replaced

From next year, Primary 1 pupils will no longer need to participate in a little-known screening exercise used to identify weaker children.

Currently, there are two screening exercises, one in January which is more commonly known, and the other in July. But the mid-year screening exercise will no longer be held. It will be replaced with "better ways" of identifying pupils, said a Ministry of Education spokesman, without giving details.

MOE revealed the change in its reply to a parent who wrote to The Straits Times Forum Page last Friday, and in response to queries from The Straits Times.

The parent, Mr David Chin, 42, a lecturer at Republic Polytechnic, complained that his Primary 1 son was made to take a test without his knowledge or approval in July. The test, according to him, resembles an IQ test.