Many Normal roads to post-secondary education

Elective modules such as Digital Art, IT/Technology, Mechatronics and Small Business Management. A STEP UP programme to equip students with confidence, self-awareness and life skills. Plus free soccer coaching sessions and outdoor learning sessions for kids who learn better with movement and action. These are just some of the novel programmes initiated by various schools to feed the minds and strengthen the hearts of N(A) and N(T) students.

And from 2009, fresh cohorts to the Normal stream will have an expanded and enriched menu of choices that will open up new possibilities for their secondary school life and beyond.

Topping the list are changes aimed at giving students a leg up in their quest for post-secondary education, be it at ITE or one of the polytechnics. Currently, Sec 4 N(A) students can offer up to two ‘O’ level subjects. But the 2009 cohort will no longer face this cap. More able students will have the opportunity to stretch their limits and take on a more challenging curriculum, subject to the advice of their individual schools. After all, looking at recent trends, 90% of Sec 4 N(A) students who took ‘O’-level subjects in the past three years have passed, with over a quarter of candidates obtaining distinctions.

The path to polytechnic education has also been eased, with a closer alignment between the promotion criteria to Sec 5N and Polytechnic admission requirements. Right now, the promotion criteria for Sec 5N is determined by a current pass in English Language (EL) and an aggregate score of the best 3 subjects at ‘N’ level. Starting with the 2009 Sec 4 N(A) cohort, the promotion criteria will include EL and Mathematics as compulsory subjects for computation in the aggregate score.

The number of subjects to be included in the aggregate score will also be raised to 5, but with the promotion ceiling set at 19 or less. This move aims to better motivate and prepare fresh batches of N(A) students right from the onset of secondary school, with a mindset that looks beyond the ‘N’ levels towards the polytechnic track.

In addition, students who shine in their ‘N’ levels will also have the option of moving directly to Higher Nitec courses at the ITE. For a growing number of students, ITE has proven to be a viable path to a polytechnic education. “My second year in the poly is less difficult because some modules have been covered in my Higher Nitec course,” says Tie Boon Hao, who is now pursuing a diploma in Mechatronics Engineering at Nanyang Polytechnic after completing his Higher Nitec in Mechanical Engineering.

More teaching resources, including Education Associates, will be provided for the Normal course.

Courses tailored for those with a practical bent

Customisation is the other cornerstone of the new approach to N(T), which will see Bedok Town Secondary School, Shuqun Secondary School and Si Ling Secondary School pilot bold curricula. Dubbed N(T) Mark II Schools, they will offer new N(T) subjects recognised for admission into ITE, such as Mechatronics & Robotics, Electrical Technology & Applications, Computer Networking, Business and Health Science.

The new subjects are practice-based, acknowledging the preference for hands-on and task-oriented learning by many N(T) students. As Mr Adrian Tan, Head of Discipline at Shuqun Secondary School, puts it, “Many of our N(T) students are kinesthetic, rather than auditory or visual learners.” And when Shuqun rolls out its Mark II curriculum next year, it will feature work attachment stints. Mr Tan adds, “We will be looking at the syllabi for the various subjects and put in elements that lend themselves very neatly to real-life applied learning.”

More strength in teaching

More teaching resources are also being poured into the Normal course. From 2008, MOE will engage Education Associates who will work closely with trained teachers in class or teach Elective Modules in specialised areas such as computer animation, digital music or drama. Schools with significant proportions of N(T) students can choose to appoint a Head of Department (NT) to oversee the academic and non-academic needs of these students and coordinate customised programmes for them.

For Normal course students, the challenge of fulfilling their academic potential now bears more rungs and routes to lead them on to careers where they can apply their unique drive and passions. And with more extra-curricular schemes to help students overcome challenges, the enhanced N(A) and N(T) learning experiences will let our students chart a more flexible course to success in life.

For more details of these changes, read MOE’s press release on enhancements to the Normal course.