Hi guys, welcome to another episode of coffee break.
Where we get the most random bunch of people -
to talk about issues in Singapore.
Alright! Here comes the beautiful -
surprise thing that'll tell us what we're talking about today.
Oh it's a pencil box.
Guess, do you guys know what we're talking about?
School related stuff.
So we are talking about the news -
about abolishing streaming.
First of all, let's talk about -
which schools and streams we were from.
I was from Unity Secondary School,
and I was in the normal academic stream.
Outram. I was from the normal technical stream.
Saint Joseph's Institution, I was in the express stream.
Greenview Secondary School, I was in the normal academic stream.
Gan Eng Seng school, express stream.
So talk a little bit more about your experience, -
specifically related to academics.
I feel that it was fine for me.
It was a very smooth experience for me.
I didn't have any super stressful or dull moments.
Same thing actually, no regrets.
If I can choose between express and normal academic,
I'd still choose normal academic because I feel like -
I needed that extra year in order to -
learn at a better pace that's suitable for me.
I think my father was a bit disappointed that I was in express.
Because I wasn't in special but I mean -
But looking back I think express is where I should have -
been cause I was never smart enough to be special.
Now, the special stream has actually been merged into -
the express stream since 2008.
The special stream was reserved for the top 10% of the cohort for that year.
They gave us vocational training as well,
like motorcycle repair,
and hairstyling.
I believe it was just my school cause -
I think they were trying to train us to have an additional skill.
With this news about streaming being abolished,
they're gonna replace it with subject-based banding.
From my understanding,
students will take different subjects at different levels.
Someone better the English language will take the
G3 band which is the highest level one.
People who aren't as good will take G2 or G1.
It sounds a little bit like mother tongue B (basic).
Yes, it's like JC.
So instead of the teacher coming to your class,
everyone just separates out and heads to their classes.
It sounded complicated to me.
It seems like now rather than having an
express, normal academic and normal technical class -
You're putting all of these into each subject.
Which, to me, doesn't make a difference.
Now you're just focusing on the subjects.
Ultimately, we're still streaming it.
It sounds like a rebranding.
I thought that the best part about the new streaming,
is that it forces the different levels to interact with each other.
And you know how racism happens when you don't know -
somebody of a different race and you start assuming -
things about them.
I feel lots of things about streaming is like that,
because you don't talk to anybody from that stream -
you start saying bad things about them like -
"Oh I heard this person stole something."
Right and that's terrible.
So this actually removes one barrier.
and helps people to understand each other better.
So the people I interact with are generally,
I'd say "theoretically", we're on the same level.
When you're from sec 2 to sec 3,
you have to decide your subjects for O levels.
and the smartest ones will always take 9 or 10 subjects
then I'll be like 7, which is the average.
Maybe she shouldn't do math.
I see the purpose of removing streaming -
across the board in the sense that,
not everybody will be interested in different subjects,
I would've benefitted from this cause I would have taken
a lower level math and I wouldn't have stressed myself out so much,
and of course I would have taken a higher level English,
or English literature.
So I see there's benefit in terms of,
having a little more autonomy on choosing the subjects
you're particularly interested in.
So in this new thing, will everyone choose their own subjects?
After PSLE, they will give you certain subjects -
based on your ability -
and as time passes in secondary school,
you're able to kind of adjust it.
I think the good thing for the government -
to even think of this and do it -
is that as we mature and age,
the importance of studying and realisation of -
what do we like -
It comes to us as we age.
So for the schedule for things right -
By 2020, which is next year,
about 25 schools will pilot this project.
In 2024, there will be no streaming across the board -
in all schools.
In 2027, students will take a common national -
examination that's co-founded by Singapore and Cambridge,
so I think that's a slightly different thing.
You'll take exams according to the different bands -
of your subjects.
For example, if there's 3 levels for English language,
you will take according to each level you're at.
Quite straightforward I guess in a sense.
It's actually very hard to discriminate in the future,
based on people's academic standings.
But the thing is that it was so institutionalized,
it's so part of the entire structure.
that people think they're smarter and insult based on their stream,
and when this happens,
they will have to recognize that someone who might -
be G1 in English, might be beating them in another subject -
like G3 in math.
I guess the next question moving forward is -
about how these grades, when you take the different exams -
will affect you in getting to -
post secondary education.
I think that's a challenge that they're still -
trying to figure out.
Let's say it's poly, a science course.
So maybe they will focus more on your -
science subject grade and band.
That's how I think they might do it.
It's kinda like how you enter university from JC.
At least I think for some classes -
they do look at the overall grade -
but if you do better in some subjects -
it's easier for you to get in a certain course.
I don't think we can come to a conclusion -
because we still don't know how this is gonna work out -
whether there's gonna be a new L1R5 -
or whatever.
I'm very certain they have something in the works -
just one step at a time.
Maybe they're just getting the initial feeling.
How are classmates going to work together -
help each other, and study together after school -
because I study with my classmates after school -
but now if you're taking a level that's higher than me -
then I will not understand.
But then you can help them.
Actually that's a positive thing though,
but like I might not understand.
Sometimes I feel like it's easier to learn from a friend,
so let's just say that -
you're taking a higher math for example,
and I'm taking something lower,
I might not understand -
you can help me, I'll be more open to -
sort of listening to you -
than someone else.
That's actually really true.
It's a start of a love story.
Actually there's a lot of layers to this that I -
didn't realize upon reading up on it -
because there's a lot of intricacies in this change -
in policy that will affect the ground.
Which I think is very complicated and -
you cannot foresee it immediately.
The thing is, we all came from different -
educational backgrounds but we all end up in the same place.
Let's be honest here right.
Who the **** cares really?
Cause we're all here sitting on this bloody table.
At the end of the day, it's about what you want to do -
in the future and how well you excel in it -
and regardless of where we all end up -
we're all doing something here in the same company.
Any advice for the kids out there watching this?
Don't let your grades define you,
do what you love doing and continue what you love doing -
and don't let people put you down.
Don't think other people are stupid based on their classes,
there are lots of things they can teach me now that -
honestly I -
I would never know!
Alright in other words, you do you.