GEP ‘not only about academics’: Current, former students highlight small class sizes, special resources [Channel News Asia]

I was interviewed about changes to the Gifted Education Programme. Here’s an excerpt of what I shared with Channel News Asia:

The changes to the selection criteria, in particular, take into account that students mature at different stages of their lives and send a “strong message” about second chances, said Mr Jonathan Sim, a philosophy lecturer at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

“The stress of our education system has always been that people feel that there is no second chances – you either make it or that’s it. This creates a lot of unnecessary pressure,” said Mr Sim who is also fellow at the NUS Teaching Academy.

“This (gives) our learners the psychological safety they need to experiment, explore and grow well.”

—

Here, I’d like to add a further thought on the matter: There are concerns that gifted students will not have the opportunity to learn in a conducive environment outside the nine GEP schools. We must not forget that it is the responsibility of educators to create conducive environments for their learners. The move to push GEP beyond the nine schools is a good strategic move – if this is done well, what it means is that we will commit more training and resources to our teachers and schools, enabling more teachers to have what it takes to provide their students with enriching learning opportunities and to create the necessary conducive environment they need to thrive well.

Link to article: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/gifted-education-programme-gep-revamp-students-parents-concerns-4558096