There will be no reform of the CPE. You don’t have to consult astrologers to come to that conclusion.There will be no reform of the CPE because the education system will not be reformed. There will be only palliatives like ‘no private tuition in Standards V and VI’ followed by ‘no tuition in Standard IV’, and ‘enhancement programmes’ which should have been included in the normal curriculum and school day.

When all these so-called reforms did not produce the desired result, the authorities hit upon a ‘new’ way to present the pass rate of a cohort of children. The ‘new’ pass rate was more than 80% to impress the public about the improvement, forgetting that it has been like that for more than 20 years!

When this subterfuge was discovered, a hurriedly called one-day workshop was organized to discuss about the CPE and make suggestions for its reform. Of course, it was a futile exercise because the fundamental problem is the cutthroat competition to obtain a seat in some of the ‘national’ colleges based on written papers in some subjects only.

Children will continue to take ‘private’ tuitions – which are not private anyway – and have no time to play and engage in sound activities.

Let the children breathe.

That would be the real and worthwhile reform. The MMM-MSM government of 2000-2005 with Steven Obeegadoo as Minister of Education had the vision and a plan to get rid of the rat race in which the children had to enter as soon as they joined primary school. It invested massively in the construction of some 50 new secondary schools with all the required resources, ranking was abolished and the ‘most sought after’ secondary schools were converted into Form VI Colleges, as in Singapore and some parts of U.K. A new broadly based primary school curriculum to include health and physical education, environmental education and the arts was introduced.

But the government that took office in 2005 had a Minister of Education who took backward steps in the name of his reforms and reintroduced ranking in a disguised and non-transparent way. No system is ideal, but we have to keep improving it, not play football or politics with it. Other governments, other ministers have built on what had been achieved up to then. Sir Kher Jagatsingh piloted the first major comprehensive reform of the system with assistance from UNDP in the mid 1970s.

Fifteen new Junior Secondary Schools (Forms I-III) were built, a new broadly-based curriculum was worked out by the newly set up MIE and the teachers for these schools trained by the same institution. A Form III exam was even devised, but some private secondary schools, fearing for their survival,
killed the initiative.

When the world is conscious of the need to have an education and human resource development system to respond to the challenges of a fast changing socio-economic environment, we freeze our system, paying only lip service to the concern that we are leaving thousands of children by the roadside. We are happy with the roadblocks in the system and we fail to realize that we need a new roadmap for the development of all children and of the country. Can’t we realize that the present system, which encourages rote learning, is not in tune with the modern world, which puts a premium on thinking skills?

Are the children who do not pass the CPE good for nothing? The MES had, in the early 1990s, highlighted the causes of failure at the CPE exams. This was based on a research project, not a one day
 workshop. More studies have to be constantly carried out to help improve the system and the teaching-learning process. 98% of the children in Singapore get through the PSLE (Primary School Leaving Exam), the remaining 2% having physical or mental problems. Will the tablets that the Ministry intends to give children of Standard IV be used as an educational tool or just a toy that will last only a few months?

We should learn from other countries, but also from our own experience. The weak point of the Form VI Colleges is that students spend less than five terms there, not long enough for them to develop a sense of belonging to their school. Unlike the HSC, which is a 2-year course, the French Baccalaureate is a 3-year course following a 4-year stint in a ‘College’. In our system, an assessment after 3 years of secondary education would be more appropriate and acceptable.

There would be no need for a highly selective and rigid CPE examination. But we will still need an assessment at the end of the primary cycle to channel the children to the various regional secondary schools because all secondary schools – state and private – are not of the same standard.

A new form of CPE would be necessary, and it should be based on the achievements and potential of the children in a wide range of activities – not just literacy, numeracy and a basic knowledge of science and ICT – but also their performance in physical education, sports, music and art.

Children will be more mature at the age of 14 to know in what direction to go for further studies. The highly sought-after secondary schools, which had been transformed into Form VI Colleges, can become specialized Upper Secondary Schools (Forms IV to VI). But at the same time, the MITD should be revamped to welcome and train students in all the assistant technician fields (mechanics, electricians, plumbers and others). They will take post Form III students on fulltime courses up to the age of 16 as education is compulsory up to that age. More Polytechnics need to be set up to offer 3-year diploma courses in various fields for those who leave school after the School Certificate.

A new development taking place in the UK is about apprenticeship. Formerly, apprenticeship was meant for those who wanted to become electricians, plumbers and other factory workers. But today, another route is being opened up for professionals who cannot or do not want to go to universities. They can join specialized firms and work their way up in specific professional areas.

But first of all, let primary school children breathe. This is the only time in their life they will have to play as children and learn at the same time.

Let us not fool ourselves with pious wishes for 2013. It is only if we have the interests of all children at heart that we will be able to undertake a genuine and comprehensive reform of the education system.