Fewer O-level subjects for JC admission could ease academic pressure: Students and parents

SINGAPORE – Counting one fewer subject for the junior college (JC) admission score will help relieve a little academic pressure at the O levels, allowing students to explore other interests and prioritise their well-being.

That is what some students, parents and school leaders say about

the change Education Minister Chan Chun Sing announced

Students will also have more flexibility in subject choices, they said, though more guidance and advice will be required to help them think about the long-term implications of their chosen subjects.

Mr Chan said during the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) budget debate that from 2028, students applying for admission to JCs will need only five subjects instead of six at the O-level examinations.

Students must score 16 points or fewer for their L1R4 – one language and four relevant subjects – to qualify for JC admission. The current L1R5 system requires 20 points or fewer across six subjects. 

With this change, Secondary 1 and 2 students said they would rethink the number of subjects to take, but had mixed views on whether fewer subjects would translate into less stress.

Zaki Zukifili, a 13-year-old Bukit View Secondary School student, was grateful for the change, saying: “I was not able to cope well during PSLE, and that was only four subjects.”

He added that he would drop literature, as he prefers science subjects.

“With my free time, I hope to relax more and exercise. I can’t be studying the whole day,” he quipped.

Sec 2 student Olive Shirley, 14, echoed this, saying having fewer subjects “makes our lives easier” and reduces stress for both students and parents.

She plans to go to JC, but will drop subjects she is weaker at, like history.

However, Sec 1 student Ian Torrey said the rigour for him remains the same, even though JC admission will require one fewer subject.

While he will have more time to devote to each subject, others would too, and there may be “more competition”. “I still have to work hard either way,” the 13-year-old said.

Importantly, he added, he has to make sure he picks the correct subjects in Sec 3.

This view was shared by a Sec 2 student, who declined to be named and who said that with fewer subjects taken at the O levels, they may have fewer choices in JC.

“From my perspective, it is still better to take various subjects to see what I am good at, especially for the sciences, and to have more choices in JC and after JC,” he said, though he welcomed the flexibility of requiring only five subjects for JC admission.

MOE said the proportion of O-level candidates who took eight or more subjects increased from about 15 per cent in 1997 to about 30 per cent in 2023.

More students are also taking seven subjects – 48 per cent in 2023, up from 43 per cent in 1997, said MOE.

Fewer students are taking six subjects – 23 per cent in 2023, down from 34 per cent in 1997.

Parents The Straits Times spoke to expressed relief at the move by MOE as it will reduce academic pressure, with some saying they will encourage their children to take fewer subjects so they have more time to focus on their weaker ones.

Ms Yusnizan Taib, Zaki’s mother, said that she will encourage him to work on his chosen subjects and use the free time to focus on his interests.

“The journey is long. After education, there is also chasing a career,” the 48-year-old assistant project manager said. “Parents should realise it is a long journey for their kids and let them grow up more chill, focusing on their well-being.”

Mother of three Vasuki Utravathy, 45, who is director of school health and outreach at the Health Promotion Board, said the reduction in the number of subjects means that her 14-year-old son is freed up to pursue his interest in coding. She also has two daughters, aged 13 and nine.

Mrs Utravathy said that with the reduction, her son will now need to go to only one of his two tuition classes and can drop the other.

“I believe adolescence is a period to gain experiences, and the reduction in required subjects allows those who are more academically inclined to pursue and develop their non-academic interests,” she said, adding that parents can talk to their children early to understand their strengths and guide them on what subjects to take.

Ian’s mother, Mrs Sher-li Torrey, said that while she does not know whether the reduction in number of subjects will encourage students to participate in activities outside of academics, the change reduces “intense studying”.

“I believe MOE is trying to move towards a less stressful academic environment,” said the 48-year-old founder of Mums@Work, a portal for working mothers. “But of course, like all changes, it may or may not result in the desired outcome.”

There may be some who take fewer subjects who could feel like they would have to do even better, she said, adding that subject selection is largely dependent on the mindset of the child and parents.

Students need to be clear about what subjects they can and want to do well in, said Mrs Torrey, adding that she encourages her children to think long-term about what jobs they want to do in the future.

She said that she hopes Ian continues to develop his passion for sports and leadership, as he is now class vice-chairperson and hopes to be captain of the softball team in his school.

“If you are asking me if I agree with what MOE is doing, I feel that it is a change – but stress is not always just related to markers of assessment,” Mrs Torrey said. “You can move the goal posts, but if the game is still going on and the competitors are still hungry for success, then nothing changes.”

Shifting of mindsets is a potential challenge, said Bukit Merah Secondary School’s principal Darren Chong, as there could be parents or students who would be “fearful of missing out”, or may see taking more subjects as a “source of pride”.

“Taking fewer subjects might lead some parents to wonder if their children’s time would be meaningfully occupied and if it needs to be filled with more enrichment programmes,” Mr Chong said.

“The calibration in admission criteria is timely and encourages students to rethink their mindset,” he added. “The pursuit of excellence need not be achieved through stockpiling of subjects or accumulation of academic credentials.”

Temasek Secondary School’s principal Tan Shun Loong said he hopes to see his students become more open to taking fewer subjects in upper secondary.

“We will assure students and parents that we will not add on to students’ workload, for example, by pushing more for CCAs (co-curricular activities),” Mr Tan said.

“We will continue to assure them that every student is unique and that so long as the child knows who he is, where he wants to go, and how he wants to get there, the school will walk with them along the way.”