Let us acknowledge that we have been moulded by Singapore’s excellent education system and we take pride in it. There is a constant effort to fine-tune it with the interest of the next generations at heart.

Those in Primary 6 this year have gone through many of these changes with the cessation of formal assessment in Primary 1 and 2, removal of the mid-year examination in Primary 3 and 5, and now in Primary 6 as well.

With the sudden decision to cancel the end-of-year examination for Primary 3 and 4 pupils in 2021 because of Covid-19, they will be the pioneer batch drifting furthest away from academic-focused education.

They will be taking their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in three months’ time. To better put this into perspective, this batch of Primary 6 pupils would have sat only one full paper, the preliminary examination, before they take their PSLE.

Many weighted assessments do not build up to the impact of going through an entire paper in one sitting.

A full examination paper gives pupils the opportunity to learn how to manage their time and train their ability to stay focused for that entire period. Moreover, there are segments like the oral and listening comprehension that only the school is equipped to conduct properly.

Will removing the mid-year examination in Primary 6 and having bite-sized assessments in place of that prepare them well enough so that they can walk into the exam hall with the same level of confidence as their older siblings?

Given that the PSLE remains the cornerstone of our meritocratic education, I fail to appreciate the rationale for the constant removal of examinations in school in the past few years.

If removing the mid-year examinations is necessary, then my question is this: How can schools better support pupils in their preparation for the PSLE?

Khoo Ai Leng