Introduction

The Gifted Education Programme was first introduced in 1981 by the then-Minister of State for Education. The Gifted Education Programme was officially rolled out in 1984 to two primary schools, Rosyth School and Raffles Girls Primary School, and two secondary schools, Raffles Institution and Raffles Girls School (Secondary).

Today, the Gifted Education Programme has grown in size and has a total of 9 primary Gifted Education centres, catering to the needs of the intellectually gifted pupils. Gifted Education Programme runs from Primary 4 to Secondary 4, catering to pupils with exceptional intellectual ability.

Rationale of Gifted Education

The Gifted Education Programme aims to cater to the intellectually gifted. The Ministry of Education firmly believes in allowing students to learn a pace that is most suitable for him or her. It would not be wise to expect all pupils to be learning at the same pace and giving all pupils identical education as undoubtedly, pupils would have varying capabilities.

Hence, in line with this vision of the Ministry of Education, Gifted Education was introduced so as to allow for the intellectually brightest to have a more vigorous curriculum, allowing them to explore their academic pursuits to greater depths. Should the gifted pupil remain in a mainstream class, his giftedness may eventually be worn down due to the relatively slow-moving pace of studies. The Gifted Education Programme hence aims to develop the gifted pupils to their best, not allowing talents to go to waste.

The Gifted Education Programme was set up also due to a socio-political factor. As Singapore is a small country, local talents are considerably rarer as compared with other large countries. Therefore, it would be in Singapore’s favour to groom our local talents and nurture them to eventually take over the helms of governing our nation.

Aims of Gifted Education

The Gifted Education Programme has several aims, including basic goals of developing intellectual depth, high level thinking and creativity of the gifted pupils. The Gifted Education Programme also aims to groom pupils to aim for excellence.

Besides that, as Gifted Education is ultimately set up to prepare our talented people for the future, there is a need to develop strong national identity and pride, moral and civic values and effective leadership skills.

Hence, the Gifted Education Programme aims to develop the gifted pupil not only academically and intellectually, but also character-wise, ensuring that all pupils under its wings are well-rounded pupils.

Gifted Education Centres (Primary Schools)

Anglo-Chinese School (Primary)
Catholic High School (Primary)
Henry Park Primary School
Nan Hua Primary School
Nanyang Primary School
Raffles Girls’ Primary School
Rosyth School
St. Hilda’s Primary School
Tao Nan School

Of these primary schools that offer Gifted Education, Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) and Catholic High School (Primary) are boys’ school while Raffles Girls’ Primary School is a girls’ school. The remaining Gifted Education Centres are co-ed schools that cater to both girls and boys.

Selection Test

Entry into the Gifted Education Programme is only in Primary 4 currently. There used to be a Supplementary Intake where pupils who have done well in the Primary School Leaving Examinations would be invited to sit for a second selection test where they may then be placed in secondary Gifted Education. However, the Supplementary Intake has since been removed and the only entry point of Gifted Education is at Primary 4 now.

The selection of gifted pupils comprises two main tests, a screening test for the entire cohort of Primary 3 pupils and a selection test for the top 3000 pupils who scored well in the screening test.

Every year in August, the entire cohort of Primary 3 pupils would be invited to sit for the screening test. The screening test consists of an English Language paper and a Mathematics paper. These tests would be conducted in all primary schools and the top 3000 pupils would then be further selected for a secondary round of tests.

The secondary round of tests, also known as the Selection Test, would be conducted in October in a designated primary school. All 3000 pupils who have scored well in the preliminary screening tests would be invited to sit for this selection test. The selection test comprises the English Language Paper, the Mathematics Paper and an additional General Abilities paper.

The results of the selection test would not be released to the pupils. However, the top 1% of the cohort (about 500 pupils) would be notified of their exemplary results and would receive invitations to join the Gifted Education Programme in November of the year.

Pupils could then decide if they wish to join the Gifted Education Programme. A large majority of the invited pupils would normally accept the invitation. Pupils who have accepted the offer would then proceed to indicate their choice of the primary school that they wish to attend. They would have to choose a school from the list of primary schools that are offering the Gifted Education Programme. In the following academic year, the pupils would then leave their previous primary school and embark on the Gifted Education in his new primary school.

The Ministry of Education has advised parents not to prepare their children for the screening and selection tests so as to accurately identify the truly gifted pupils. Schools are also disallowed to prepare their students for these tests and the questions used for the screening and selection tests are kept strictly confidential. The screening and selection tests are based on what the pupils should have learned by Primary 3 and thus, there would be no need for preparation for the screening and selection tests.

Benefits of the GEP

Pupils in the Gifted Education Programme would enjoy a smaller class size of an average of about 25 pupils per class. The smaller class size would enable teachers to take greater notice of each individual pupil, raising the teacher-student closeness and removing any barriers that once stood between the teacher and the pupils.

Pupils in the Gifted Education Programme would also enjoy a more enriched curriculum. Planning for the curriculum of Gifted Education would take place in November each year and it would be implemented in the following year. Changes have constantly been made to allow more flexibility and depth in the curriculum. The Gifted Education curriculum is usually, by far, more enriched than the mainstream curriculum.

In addition, pupils in the Gifted Education Programme would receive a relatively higher level of education as the teachers of the Gifted Education Programme have been carefully selected by the Gifted Education Branch, the authority over Gifted Education in Singapore. Teachers under the Gifted Education Branch have been selected based on their academic results, teaching experience and personal character, such as curiosity in learning and respect for individual potential. Selected teachers have to further undergo training before officially being recognized as a teacher of Gifted Education. Annual classroom observation checks by the Gifted Education Branch officers would also be conducted to ensure the capability of the teachers.

Pupils in the Gifted Education Programme are also exempted from the Primary 4 Streaming Exercise as they have already been streamed into the Gifted Education Programme.

Pupils in the Gifted Education Programme would sit for the same national examinations as the rest of the mainstream cohort. These examinations include the Primary School Leaving Examinations, GCE O Levels Examination and GCE A Levels Examinations. The results of the Gifted Education pupils have been tracked and from the data collected, pupils from the Gifted Education Programme generally score exceptionally well in these examinations.

Subjects Taken

In the Gifted Education Programme, pupils have to take subjects additional to those that the mainstream pupils have to take. All pupils would be required to take English Language, Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics and Science, which the Gifted Education pupils take too.

Social Studies

However, primary school pupils who are in the Gifted Education Programme are required to take an additional subject – Social Studies. Social Studies is a compulsory subject in the Gifted Education curriculum and a pass is required for promotion to secondary Gifted Education. The syllabus of Social Studies includes basic Geography, History and National Education. Climate and weather instruments, map reading, founding of modern Singapore, merger and separation with Malaya, World War 2, industries and energy consumption are all topics that would be covered in Social Studies.

Social Studies is an examinable subject at the Primary School Leaving Examinations. A grade of Distinction, Merit, Pass or Ungraded would be awarded to the pupils and reflected on the pupil’s certificate.

Individualised Study Option (ISO)

Project work is also another compulsory subject in the primary Gifted Education Programme. Used to be known as Individualised Research Study (IRS), it was renamed to Individualised Study Options to better reflect the diversified projects that could be undertaken by the pupils.

In Primary 4, pupils would undergo training in various aspects, including Research Skills, Library Skills, Interview and Survey Skills and Science Experimental Skills. This provides the fundamental framework for pupils to work on in their upper primary years.

In Primary 5 and 6, pupils would have to undertake a Research Project, which could range from the usual Individualised Research Study (IRS) to the Innovation Programme (IvP). The pupils would be assessed based on their final product and it would be reflected in their report cards.

Conclusion

The Gifted Education Programme exists to cater to the intellectually brightest by providing them with a differentiated curriculum, with adequate care and concern from the teachers, allowing pupils to push their limits and discover their own potential.

The Gifted Education Programme could have been said to be largely successful thus far, producing batches and batches of bright citizens that have contributed greatly to the nation.