A mobile application to improve communication between parents and schools at the primary, secondary and junior college levels was launched yesterday by Education Minister Ong Ye Kung.

Besides getting updates on school programmes and activities, parents can use the app, named Parents Gateway, to provide consent for their children to participate in school activities.

The new school year sees a shift in education, with Primary 1 and 2 pupils no longer having to sit any examinations. Secondary 1 students will skip the mid-year exams and, over the next two years, Primary 3, Primary 5 and Secondary 3 students will also no longer need to sit the mid-year exams.

The changes, announced last year by the Ministry of Education, are to reduce excessive focus on grades and to help students discover the joy of learning.

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