This time in 2023, my son went through the process of applying for Direct School Admission (DSA) for secondary schools.

He was unsuccessful but I would like to share how he started in Primary 1, prepared for five years and was rejected in three months.

He was selected for Chinese orchestra when he was in Primary 1, and started his erhu journey with tears, joy and perseverance. Every year, he had to take an examination to up his grading.

Finally, he made it to Primary 6. We excitedly discussed the choices of schools that offered DSA, submitted our selection and attended his first interview with anticipation.

We were quite sure he would get it as it was an affiliated secondary school, but we were wrong. We were rejected within a week, with no reasons stated.

Nonetheless, we tried not to despair. As his mother, I had to fight back every negative emotion to encourage him, hoping he would be successful with the remaining applications.

Unexpectedly, he was rejected by the other two schools too. One school gave no reason, while the other called to apologise for offering the position to us wrongly. It was for another boy. 

After years of commitment and practice, my son was dejected by the rejections. He was naturally affected and it took a toll on his PSLE. 

As a parent, I wish my son didn’t have to face that harsh reality of life at the young age of 12. He went through a range of emotions in the following six months but told me later he was all right.

I want to remind parents to not focus on DSA. Instead, focus on letting your child pick up skills and enjoy the co-curricular activity (CCA). There’s more to life than DSA, so give your kids another opportunity to pick up a new CCA and remind them to enjoy it.

Chong Jean Pei