Gifted Education Programme (Singapore)
Encyclopedia
The Gifted Education Programme (GEP) is a Singapore
an academic programme designed for the top 1% of pupils, identified in two rounds of tests at the end of Primary 3.
.
offer GEP.
s, they are officially no longer under the GEP. However, they still have their own programmes within their respective Integrated Programmes to cater to these gifted students, who still retain their "gifted" status. Despite all the changes, there have not been any major changes to the programme, and this is basically just a change of name.
While the secondary schools that had implemented the Integrated Programme remained generally unaffected by the move, Dunman High School
and Victoria School
, which continued to offer the GEP, saw a drastic decrease in enrolment. Dunman High School had to cut down on the number of GEP classes from the usual 2 to 1 while Victoria School had to suspend GEP classes.
As of 2005, four of the secondary schools officially offer only the Integrated Programme. They are Hwa Chong Institution
, Raffles Institution
, Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
and Nanyang Girls' High School
.
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and Dunman High School are exceptions: it offers both the GEP and IP to its students. There are also two GE-IP classes in Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) who are offered both the programmes of the GEP and the IP. Anglo-Chinese School Independent is also an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, the first government supported school of its kind in Singapore.
Nanyang Girls' High School, despite its official IP school status, separates primary school GEP students and offer them an enriched GEP-influenced curriculum that differs from the rest. Meanwhile, Raffles Institution and Raffles Girls School (Secondary) offer the Raffles Programme, while Hwa Chong Institution offers the Gifted Plus programme (before adopting the MOE GEP program, it used to have its own GEP, identically named, whose aims and goals sounded similar to those of MOE's).
Beginning in 2006, the MOE started to phase out the secondary GEP due to the impact of the IP. The severity of the situation is apparent in the fact that there are only 13 pupils enrolled in the entire Secondary One GEP as of 2006. However, GEP pupils who do not wish to take up the Integrated Programme after 2008 can enrol in schools with school-based special programmes at Secondary 1. Examples of such schools are Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
, Catholic High School
, Methodist Girls' School
and St. Joseph's Institution.
The Gifted Education Programme came to a close in secondary schools in 2008.
The vision is to make the Gifted Education Programme a model of excellence in the education of the intellectually gifted. This will be achieved by providing professional expertise and exemplary resources to develop intellectual rigour, humane values and creativity in gifted youths to prepare them for responsible leadership and service to country and society.
English
and Mathematics
papers are included as part of the Screening Test, while a third paper, General Ability, will be included in the Selection Test.
Before 2003, there was a third round of testing to allow entry for pupils who missed the chance in P3, after the PSLE. This last round of testing was offered to students who achieved 3 or more A*s for the examination. Students who got in at this round were referred to as being Supplementary Intake students. However, this practice was discontinued as of 2003. The IP schools and the new specialist Mathematics and Science School, once it was formed, would open up opportunities for more pupils who are not already part of the primary school GEP. So, there will be ample opportunities to join these schools and there is no need for a supplementary exercise to select students for the GEP at secondary schools. Read Speech here
Pupils taking Chinese in the GEP will have to attend a programme, Chinese Language Appreciation (CLA), weekly. The programme includes content such as Chinese poetry
, comics and riddles, which are not within the Chinese Language syllabus. This is only for the Primary 4 pupils taking Normal Chinese (All Higher Chinese pupils, including those in mainstream, attend extra classes weekly).
"Individualized Research Studies (IRS)" is introduced in Primary 4, which is a program to teach skills needed in "Individualized Study Options (ISO)", which is compulsory for pupils in Primary 5, wherein pupils do research on a specific topic. The students were asked to choose their own projects in Primary Five under Teacher Mentors. The student-teacher ratio is normally from 4:1 to 5:1. Formerly, the Study Options given were:
Pupils in the GEP have to take Social Studies as a graded subject. Based on the mainstream textbook syllabus, students will have to study in-depth content. Lessons in the GEP are conducted with no textbooks or workbooks, with the exception of Chinese and Higher Chinese; lessons are more discussion-, worksheet- and project-oriented.
Pupils in GEP learn poetry
and literature
(Charlotte's Web
in Primary 4, A Wrinkle in Time
in Primary 5, and Friedrich in Primary 6) as part of the Concept Unit under the English Language subject.
Primary 5 pupils are required to write a Mystery Story as a process writing piece, with 2-3 drafts handed in to the English teacher. Also, based on the book 'A Wrinkle In Time', they will have a group (consisting of about 5-6 people per group) project of a court scene to 'try' characters. The pupils are supposed to act out the created scene with research done on how to speak in court. This project is graded.
In Primary 6, a graded Mathematics Alternative Assessment (Math Aa) is given. The pupils will have to choose from 6-7 projects that GEP branch officers in the Ministry of Education (MOE) create. These projects are individual and include research, a product to be made and reflections. These have to be properly presented, otherwise the projects would lose marks.
... *some text missing* ...
s and academic snobs who spend large amounts of time studying and have no interests in sports or other non-academic activities. While this perception may ring true for some GEP individuals, as a blanket stereotype of all GEP students it does not hold true as there have been and still are GEP students who have been and/or are good in sports and have taken part in numerous sports competitions, both at Inter-School and National levels.
, in which the 18 year old GEP alumnus student caused public outcry in November 2006 for making insensitive and judgemental remarks against others. There was a similar controversy a year before, whereby a Primary Six GEP student wrote a letter to Today
(which was actually published even after passing through checks) openly declaring that non-GEP students (referred to as "mainstreamers") were immature, and that she preferred to mix with "(similar) people like us".
on 3 November 2007, the MOE announced its new scheme to "encourage" greater integration between GEP and mainstream students, to combat elitism
and encourage socialisation. GEP students in the nine primary GEP centres would spend up to 50% of their lesson time with the top 2% to 5% of the cohort, or the top mainstream students. They would do activities such as studying with them,etc. The announcement of the integration provoked much buzz on the blogosphere
. While some felt that this might alleviate some of the stereotype
s and prejudice
and relieve the generally bad press that GEP students and the GEP had gotten over the past few years, others raised objections such as the fact that the only mainstream pupils affected were the top students, which in their view did not eradicate elitism.
GEP pupils are put off by the antics of the mainstreamers, some students say. This in part due to the inferiority complex that the mainstreamers towards GEP students.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an academic programme designed for the top 1% of pupils, identified in two rounds of tests at the end of Primary 3.
History
The Gifted Education Programme was first implemented in Singapore in 1984 amid some public concern. It was initiated by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in line with its policy under the New Education System to allow each pupil to learn at his/her own pace. The MOE has a commitment to ensure that the potential of each pupil is recognised, nurtured and developed. It was recognised that there are pupils who are intellectually gifted and that there should be provisions to meet their needs. Beginning with two primary centres and two secondary centres, it has now expanded to nine primary centres (as at October 2004) and was at its peak before the introduction of the Integrated ProgrammeIntegrated Programme
The Integrated Programme , also known as through-train programme , is a scheme which allows the brightest pupils at secondary schools in Singapore to bypass the "O" levels and take the "A" levels, International Baccalaureate or an equivalent examination directly at the age of 18 after six years of...
.
Schools offering GEP
, nine primary schoolsPrimary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
offer GEP.
- Anglo-Chinese School (Primary)Anglo-Chinese School (Primary)Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore, is the original primary school of the [ACS] family, located at the Barker Road campus adjacent to the ACS block. It opened in 1887 with the secondary school at Coleman Street, moving to a newly upgraded Coleman Street campus in 1961, leaving the Barker Road...
- Catholic High School (Primary)Catholic High School (Singapore)Catholic High School ' is an all-boys Catholic school in Singapore offering a six-year primary, a four-year GCE 'O' Level education and a six-year GCE 'A' Level education starting from 2013. The primary school offers the Gifted Education Program in addition to the standard PSLE curriculum. The...
- Henry Park Primary SchoolHenry Park Primary SchoolHenry Park Primary School is a very large primary school in Holland Grove Road, Singapore. The school began functioning with 287 pupils on 22 March 1977. It was officially opened by Member of Parliament for Ulu Pandan, Dr Chiang Hai Ding, on 7 April 1978. Henry Park has a student population of...
- Nan Hua Primary SchoolNan Hua Primary SchoolNan Hua Primary School is a co-educational primary school in Singapore. It is situated along Jalan Lempeng in Clementi. The current principal is Becky Neo, who has been in the post since 2010.- History :...
- Nanyang Primary SchoolNanyang Primary SchoolNanyang Primary School is a co-educational primary school in Singapore, normally covering ages 6 to 12. It is situated in Bukit Timah , which is a private housing district near Coronation Plaza. The principal is Mrs Lee Hui Feng. Although it is not run by the government of Singapore, it receives...
- Raffles Girls' Primary SchoolRaffles Girls' Primary SchoolRaffles Girls' Primary School is a primary school for girls located in Singapore. It offers the Gifted Education Programme to Primary Four to Primary Six students. Despite its name, RGPS is not considered part of the Raffles family of schools, which consists of Raffles Girls' School , Raffles...
- Rosyth School
- Saint Hilda's Primary School
- Tao Nan SchoolTao Nan SchoolTao Nan School , is a co-educational primary school in Singapore. One of the five Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan schools, along with Ai Tong School, Chongfu Primary School, Kong Hwa School and Nan Chiau Secondary School, Tao Nan School is among the 30 most popular primary schools listed by the...
Impact of the Integrated Programme
In 2004, with the first five secondary schools implementing their own Integrated Programmes with their affiliated Junior CollegeJunior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
s, they are officially no longer under the GEP. However, they still have their own programmes within their respective Integrated Programmes to cater to these gifted students, who still retain their "gifted" status. Despite all the changes, there have not been any major changes to the programme, and this is basically just a change of name.
While the secondary schools that had implemented the Integrated Programme remained generally unaffected by the move, Dunman High School
Dunman High School
On 2 January 2009 the school opened to a new year with an opening ceremony named "Homecoming" （回家） to welcome students and staff to the upgraded campus.-Principals:Since its establishment in 1956, Dunman High School has had eight principals:-School song:...
and Victoria School
Victoria School
Victoria School in Singapore is a government secondary school for boys, founded in 1876, at Siglap Link, about one kilometre from affiliated Victoria Junior College....
, which continued to offer the GEP, saw a drastic decrease in enrolment. Dunman High School had to cut down on the number of GEP classes from the usual 2 to 1 while Victoria School had to suspend GEP classes.
As of 2005, four of the secondary schools officially offer only the Integrated Programme. They are Hwa Chong Institution
Hwa Chong Institution
Hwa Chong Institution is an independent school in Singapore for students aged 12 to 18 covering both secondary and pre-university levels. A Ministry of Education-designated FutureSchool, it operates under the Special Assistance Plan for bilingualism, and offers the Integrated Programme and also...
, Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution , founded in 1823, is the oldest centre for pre-tertiary learning in Singapore. It is an independent school in Singapore providing secondary and pre-university education. RI consists of a boys-only secondary section , and a coeducational pre-university section...
, Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
Raffles Girls' School is an independent girls' secondary school in Singapore. RGS was recognised by the Ministry of Education in 2006 by being awarded the School Excellence Award , among other awards...
and Nanyang Girls' High School
Nanyang Girls' High School
Nanyang Girls' High School is an all-girls secondary school in Singapore. It participates in the Integrated Programme with Hwa Chong Institution under the Hwa Chong Affiliate Programme...
.
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and Dunman High School are exceptions: it offers both the GEP and IP to its students. There are also two GE-IP classes in Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) who are offered both the programmes of the GEP and the IP. Anglo-Chinese School Independent is also an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, the first government supported school of its kind in Singapore.
Nanyang Girls' High School, despite its official IP school status, separates primary school GEP students and offer them an enriched GEP-influenced curriculum that differs from the rest. Meanwhile, Raffles Institution and Raffles Girls School (Secondary) offer the Raffles Programme, while Hwa Chong Institution offers the Gifted Plus programme (before adopting the MOE GEP program, it used to have its own GEP, identically named, whose aims and goals sounded similar to those of MOE's).
Beginning in 2006, the MOE started to phase out the secondary GEP due to the impact of the IP. The severity of the situation is apparent in the fact that there are only 13 pupils enrolled in the entire Secondary One GEP as of 2006. However, GEP pupils who do not wish to take up the Integrated Programme after 2008 can enrol in schools with school-based special programmes at Secondary 1. Examples of such schools are Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
The Anglo-Chinese School is a Methodist secondary school in Singapore. It is a descendant of a school established in 1886 by Rev William Fitzjames Oldham at 70 Amoy Street, Singapore, and one of a group of educational institutions collectively known as the Anglo-Chinese School...
, Catholic High School
Catholic High School (Singapore)
Catholic High School ' is an all-boys Catholic school in Singapore offering a six-year primary, a four-year GCE 'O' Level education and a six-year GCE 'A' Level education starting from 2013. The primary school offers the Gifted Education Program in addition to the standard PSLE curriculum. The...
, Methodist Girls' School
Methodist Girls' School
Methodist Girls' School is a girls' independent school, consisting of two sections - the Primary School and Secondary School, located in Bukit Timah, Singapore. It is affiliated to the Anglo-Chinese School family and the Methodist Church in Singapore...
and St. Joseph's Institution.
The Gifted Education Programme came to a close in secondary schools in 2008.
Mission
The mission statement of the Gifted Education Programme is to provide leadership in the education of the intellectually gifted. The programme is committed to nurturing gifted individuals to their full potential for the fulfilment of self and the betterment of society.The vision is to make the Gifted Education Programme a model of excellence in the education of the intellectually gifted. This will be achieved by providing professional expertise and exemplary resources to develop intellectual rigour, humane values and creativity in gifted youths to prepare them for responsible leadership and service to country and society.
Admission
At Primary Three, students may choose to take the first round of admission tests, the Screening Test. Students identified based on Screening Test results will be invited to participate in the second round, the Selection Test. Based on Selection Test results, the top 1% of the cohort will be identified and invited to join the Gifted Education Programme, usually by November of that year.English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
papers are included as part of the Screening Test, while a third paper, General Ability, will be included in the Selection Test.
Before 2003, there was a third round of testing to allow entry for pupils who missed the chance in P3, after the PSLE. This last round of testing was offered to students who achieved 3 or more A*s for the examination. Students who got in at this round were referred to as being Supplementary Intake students. However, this practice was discontinued as of 2003. The IP schools and the new specialist Mathematics and Science School, once it was formed, would open up opportunities for more pupils who are not already part of the primary school GEP. So, there will be ample opportunities to join these schools and there is no need for a supplementary exercise to select students for the GEP at secondary schools. Read Speech here
Progress in the Programme
The pupils will have to study in this programme from Primary 4 to 6, and after that, the pupils can choose to continue studying in the programme only, in the Integrated Programme, or in the mainstream.Distinction
~-~ Information taken from a Raffles Girls' Primary School GEP pupil ~-~Pupils taking Chinese in the GEP will have to attend a programme, Chinese Language Appreciation (CLA), weekly. The programme includes content such as Chinese poetry
Chinese poetry
Chinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language, which includes various versions of Chinese language, including Classical Chinese, Standard Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Yue Chinese, as well as many other historical and vernacular varieties of the Chinese language...
, comics and riddles, which are not within the Chinese Language syllabus. This is only for the Primary 4 pupils taking Normal Chinese (All Higher Chinese pupils, including those in mainstream, attend extra classes weekly).
"Individualized Research Studies (IRS)" is introduced in Primary 4, which is a program to teach skills needed in "Individualized Study Options (ISO)", which is compulsory for pupils in Primary 5, wherein pupils do research on a specific topic. The students were asked to choose their own projects in Primary Five under Teacher Mentors. The student-teacher ratio is normally from 4:1 to 5:1. Formerly, the Study Options given were:
- - Individualized Research Studies (IRS)
- - InnoVation Programme (IvP, formerly IP) -> students invent or improve things to solve everyday problems
- - Future Problem Solving Programme (FPSP)
Pupils in the GEP have to take Social Studies as a graded subject. Based on the mainstream textbook syllabus, students will have to study in-depth content. Lessons in the GEP are conducted with no textbooks or workbooks, with the exception of Chinese and Higher Chinese; lessons are more discussion-, worksheet- and project-oriented.
Pupils in GEP learn poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
(Charlotte's Web
Charlotte's Web
Charlotte's Web is an award-winning children's novel by acclaimed American author E. B. White, about a pig named Wilbur who is saved from being slaughtered by an intelligent spider named Charlotte. The book was first published in 1952, with illustrations by Garth Williams.The novel tells the story...
in Primary 4, A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time is a science fantasy novel by Madeleine L'Engle, first published in 1962. The story revolves around a young girl whose father, a government scientist, has gone missing after working on a mysterious project called a tesseract. The book won a Newbery Medal, Sequoyah Book Award, and...
in Primary 5, and Friedrich in Primary 6) as part of the Concept Unit under the English Language subject.
Primary 5 pupils are required to write a Mystery Story as a process writing piece, with 2-3 drafts handed in to the English teacher. Also, based on the book 'A Wrinkle In Time', they will have a group (consisting of about 5-6 people per group) project of a court scene to 'try' characters. The pupils are supposed to act out the created scene with research done on how to speak in court. This project is graded.
In Primary 6, a graded Mathematics Alternative Assessment (Math Aa) is given. The pupils will have to choose from 6-7 projects that GEP branch officers in the Ministry of Education (MOE) create. These projects are individual and include research, a product to be made and reflections. These have to be properly presented, otherwise the projects would lose marks.
... *some text missing* ...
Controversy
The GEP and its students have been criticised by many, citing the programme as elitist. The issue of the GEP has been raised many times in Singapore, both online in blogs and in the mainstream media.Prejudice
GEP students are sometimes prejudiced against and insulted by others and portrayed as arrogant nerdNerd
Nerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
s and academic snobs who spend large amounts of time studying and have no interests in sports or other non-academic activities. While this perception may ring true for some GEP individuals, as a blanket stereotype of all GEP students it does not hold true as there have been and still are GEP students who have been and/or are good in sports and have taken part in numerous sports competitions, both at Inter-School and National levels.
Criticism of the programme
The GEP is often criticized to be elitist, as highlighted by the Wee Shu Min elitism scandalWee Shu Min elitism scandal
The Wee Shu Min elitism controversy occurred in October 2006. Wee Shu Min, daughter of parliament member Wee Siew Kim and a then-eighteen year-old student on Raffles Junior College's scholarship programme, found herself in controversy after posting on her blog what were viewed by some...
, in which the 18 year old GEP alumnus student caused public outcry in November 2006 for making insensitive and judgemental remarks against others. There was a similar controversy a year before, whereby a Primary Six GEP student wrote a letter to Today
Today (Singapore newspaper)
Today is a free English-language compact in Singapore published by government-owned MediaCorp print media arm. It is distributed from Monday to Sunday....
(which was actually published even after passing through checks) openly declaring that non-GEP students (referred to as "mainstreamers") were immature, and that she preferred to mix with "(similar) people like us".
Integration with mainstream
In an article in The Straits TimesThe Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
on 3 November 2007, the MOE announced its new scheme to "encourage" greater integration between GEP and mainstream students, to combat elitism
Elitism
Elitism is the belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite — a select group of people with intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are those whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously or carry the most...
and encourage socialisation. GEP students in the nine primary GEP centres would spend up to 50% of their lesson time with the top 2% to 5% of the cohort, or the top mainstream students. They would do activities such as studying with them,etc. The announcement of the integration provoked much buzz on the blogosphere
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
. While some felt that this might alleviate some of the stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s and prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
and relieve the generally bad press that GEP students and the GEP had gotten over the past few years, others raised objections such as the fact that the only mainstream pupils affected were the top students, which in their view did not eradicate elitism.
GEP pupils are put off by the antics of the mainstreamers, some students say. This in part due to the inferiority complex that the mainstreamers towards GEP students.
External links
- Ministry of Education Gifted Education Programme Website
- Satire: A Day in the Life of a Gifted Student (Warning: comments in the thread may be offensive to some)
- Gifted kids to take 'integrated' path
- Gifted scheme kids to mix more with others
- GEP Elitist letter