Science and Tech school

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Science and Tech school's places all filled

Overwhelming response to school that offers more hands-on learning. -ST

Sun, Nov 22, 2009
The Straits Times

[Photo: The School of Science and Technology's head of department for information and communication Loh Kwai Yin teaching pupils Jackie Lim (centre) and Lim Jia Wei how to use the GeoGebra, an interactive software use to teach geometry, during an outreach programme to educate students and parents on the hands-on learning the school offers.]

By Amelia Tan

THERE were more pupils than places available when applications opened for the new School of Science and Technology (SST), which starts in January.

About 1,140 students applied for 200 Secondary 1 places through the Direct School Admission (DSA), which allows them to gain provisional entrance based on their talents in academic and non-academic areas such as dance, robotics and niche sports.

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All 200 spots were filled. Candidates had to ace a video audition and attend a selection camp where they sat for written tests and performed tasks to gauge their analytical and collaborative skills.

Students at SST will study similar core subjects for the O-level exams as those in other secondary schools do. But they will do more hands-on learning, and will study subjects in other areas such as business skills, media, design, and environmental science and technology.

They will need a cut-off score of 200 points for their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) to confirm their places, but the school predicts that all of its provisional students will achieve this.

If any miss the mark, there are another 200 pupils on the waiting list to take their places. The enthusiastic response means that those with stellar PSLE scores but who did not apply through the DSA are likely to be turned away.

Principal Chua Chor Huat, the former head of Ngee Ann Secondary, said the school would take in at most a 'handful' of pupils who apply after getting their PSLE results. They will be considered only if others with places give them up, and after interviews.

He said: 'We cannot increase our enrolment because we promised parents that class size will be kept to between 20 and 25 students. We feel that a small class size is best for the hands-on learning that we want to achieve.'

Aside from good scores, the school is looking for pupils who can work well with others and think creatively.

The SST is the fourth specialised independent school to open after the Singapore Sports School, National University of Singapore High School of Mathematics and Science, and the School of the Arts.

The Ministry of Education is pleased with the performance of the schools, said a spokesman. She said: 'Many students have done their schools proud with their outstanding performances in both local and international arenas.'

SST hopes to produce the next generation of entrepreneurs and inventors through a four-year programme leading up to the O levels.

The children will not be learning core subjects like Maths, Science and languages through textbooks and worksheets, but will tackle projects that get them to think about real-life scenarios that could take them out of the classroom.

For example, they could be in places like parks, bus interchanges, and hawker centres to make observations of nature, patterns in human activity, and interactions that take place.

Out in the field, they will upload their findings on MacBooks, required for each student. Back in school, they will use their data to plot graphs and chart trends, or form the content of podcasts.

Needy students will get subsidies for the laptop, which could cost more than $1,500. Mr Chua said the school chose to tie up with Apple because it can give both hardware and software support.

Assessment will be made through projects, and also pen and paper exams to prepare them for the O levels.

Parents of children who have places at SST said they believed hands-on learning would give their children an edge over their peers.

Madam Yvonne Chiang, 42, whose daughter Janice will be going to the school, said: 'There isn't much use to learning things without knowing how to apply it. I believe my daughter will learn better by doing.'

The school also has an Entrepreneurship Advisory Council led by Member of Parliament and businessman Inderjit Singh, who will provide advice on how entrepreneurship skills can be nurtured and mentorship to students on projects.

The school is temporarily situated at Clementi Avenue 6. It will move to its home at the junction of Clementi Road and Commonwealth Avenue West in January 2012.

Mr Chua said the school may eventually offer a six-year programme ending with the A levels or their own diploma, and even build a hostel at the new site.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.