A Detailed Argumentation Over the Expansion of DSA Scheme in Singapore

This essay presents an argumentation regarding the expansion of the Direct School Admission (DSA) scheme in Singapore, focusing on the debate surrounding the admission of students to secondary schools based on their talents and interests. The essay discusses the Ministry of Education's (MOE) revised policy, which allows students to enter schools based on non-academic criteria, such as sports, music, and fine arts. It highlights the concerns that this might affect students' performance in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) and potentially disadvantage academic talents. The essay also addresses the increased competition for DSA programs, the allocation of reserve seats, and the impact on the Gifted Education Program (GEP). The author concludes that both academic and non-academic processes are essential in the learning process, and the DSA scheme requires amendments to ensure students prioritize their PSLE while considering DSA opportunities. The essay emphasizes the need for a systematic approach to admissions and the importance of recognizing and supporting talented students within the DSA framework.

Running head: ARGUMENTATION OVER THE EXPANSION OF DSA SCHEME
ARGUMENTATION OVER THE EXPANSION OF DSA SCHEME
Name of the Students
Name of the University
Author Note

1ARGUMENTATION OVER THE EXPANSION OF DSA SCHEME
The thesis statement of the argumentation is surfaced on the Direct School Admission
(DSA) in Secondary school before submitting the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).
This is a direct admission process where students can get into their desired secondary 1 school
and secondary school has the special percentage of reserve section that can proceed by the
students. The level of introducing the process is based on the strengths, interests, and talents of
the students, not only in education but also in the nonacademic process. Generally, the revised
section is leveled up to 20% and pupil who can enter through the process prepares to sit N or O
level of examination (moe.gov.sg 2017).
The basic argumentation comes when the students are sacrificing their PSLE for the DSA
programs, as they have to prepare for the DSA program in a different way as the examination
process is organized before the final examination, sometimes results may come different and
students secure fewer marks in PSLE and this is not at all accepted.
In the recent times, Ministry of Education (MOE) in Singapore has proposed that fact
where students need not sit under the general academic ability test. The basic focus of the
process is based on not only the general academic session but also the non-academic interest in
school niche programs. The programs incorporate sports, music, fine arts and all of these and
these are the presentable criteria that are being measured in this time to entering the DSA
program. The modernized form of secondary program is being simplified from 2019 as the
autonomous schools have the 10% DSA integration where 5% is being allocated for the niche
programs (moe.gov.sg 2017). Students have the high aspiration to get into the Integrated
program (IP) scheme as most of the pupils entering this scheme are generally got selected in
DSA scheme. Crave for doing this scheme is very high and more than 16,000 DSA application

2ARGUMENTATION OVER THE EXPANSION OF DSA SCHEME
had been registered in last year. 2800 pupils were got selected in last year in DSA process and
maximum students from the Integrated Process scheme (Tan 2017).
On the other side, the argument has confronted when the reserve seats in Secondary 1 is
only revised for the nonacademic talent because the academic talent is being affected by that
process. The anticipated process of building the education system the academic and non-
academic both the sections are very much important and relevant. The main contradiction of
argumentation is laying the extra beneficial process that was given to the non-academic students
(Haghighatkhah 2013). As per the article of The Straits Times, the academic and non-academic
differentiation is presented in the suitable way where the debate regarding the scheme is
presented. In this scheme 60% of the students who get a chance to proceed in DSA programs are
from the Housing Board flats, 126 schools are enrolling through this scheme (moe.gov.sg 2017).
Thus the placement of the establishments is another matter of contradiction, as this is mentioned
as the open secret by the parliament of Singapore. The different diversity acceleration is
presented in the Singaporean school and that is the matter of concern for them. In case of
differentiation, the Gifted Education Program (GEP) is being relegated by the government
scheme and this process should maintain for the DSA qualifiers (Ponnusamy and Gopinathan
2013). If students are allowed for the best sessions in terms of entering DSA then this policy
must be there to provide them bets support from the school.
The process of contradiction is being relevant when the situation establishment of
students degradation is being seen as the result of the student in PSLE is getting affected. In
terms of concentrating the DSA fact sometimes, students are less interested in PSLE and the
affects their final results (Koh 2014). Sometimes guardians and intervening the process and
suggests their children not to get indulge in DSA as the process may hamper the regular

3ARGUMENTATION OVER THE EXPANSION OF DSA SCHEME
education process of that particular student. From the Straits Times Online sectional forum, a
process of ‘chope' the bright kids are considered as the entering process of DSA scheme.
Students, those are academically very strong and selected by the school for the DSA programs
must have the potential to intervene the good marks in PSLE, this concept is not really relevant
for every time (Jason 2014). Sometimes students got poor marks and affected their career as
well. This is the most argumentative process of considering the fact which encompasses the
traditional way of learning and educating is being mitigated by the intervention of that process.
PSLE should be established in the ethical so that students can concentrate on this exam, and after
that DSA will happen. Students can get appropriate time to pay their attention in both the section
o examination and that also smoothen their educational path (Lu 2017).
Therefore, the persuasive argumentation of essay can be concluded that academic and
non-academic processes both are important for the learning process. Thus, special attention over
non-academic process is not fully required as the academic section is also making an important
role in learning. The range of academic intervention and the imposed DSA scheme is the need to
amend so that pupils are taking proper care of their PLSE at first and then they are considering
over the DSA. GEP process needs to be imposed on the students who are proficient and making
their mark by admitting in DSA process need to recognize in a grand way. Government
intervention of that process and admission criteria must be in imposed in a systematic way so
that actual talent may establish on that reserve seats and use the range of diversion of the scheme
properly. The bright students need to get indulge in this process so that good provision of
specialized DSA scheme needs to amended for the sake of the students in Singapore.

4ARGUMENTATION OVER THE EXPANSION OF DSA SCHEME
References
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of ‘meritocratic talk’. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 12(2), pp.196-210.
Lu, L., 2017. Academically elite students in Singapore. AILA Review, 29(1), pp.141-172.
moe.gov.sg (2017) Available from: https://www.moe.gov.sg/admissions/direct-admissions/dsa-
sec/overview [Accessed on 9th October 2017]
moe.gov.sg (2017) Available from:
https://www.moe.gov.sg/docs/default-source/document/education/secondary/files/secondary-
school-education-booklet.pdf [Accessed on 10th October 2017]
Ponnusamy, L. and Gopinathan, S., 2013. Singapore: Education in transition. Education in
South-East Asia, 20, p.233.
Tan, C., 2017. Private Supplementary Tutoring and Parentocracy in Singapore. Interchange,
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