New gifted education approach will not change typical class sizes: Chan

Quality of teachers, resources available to them are more important factors, he says

- Ng Wei Kai

The new approach to gifted education will not result in changes to typical class sizes of 30 to 40 pupils in primary schools here, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing on Sept 10.

Schools are able to decide on class sizes for school-based programmes and after-school modules for higher-ability learners, as well as for those who need more learning support, he told Parliament in response to questions from MPs on changes to the 40year-old Gifted Education Programme (GEP) announced in August.

Class sizes are not necessarily the most important determinant of educational outcomes, he said. Rather, it is the quality of teachers and the resources available to them.

Singapore needs to "transcend" the debate on class sizes, and instead focus on leveraging technology to "arrive at the Holy Grail, where our students can have a pedagogy of one", Mr Chan said.

He was referring to a state where education is customised en masse to each student's needs, breaking out of the traditional problem of public education, where only two out of three goals can be achieved: quality at scale, speed of innovation and affordability.

Under changes to the GEP starting with the 2024 batch of Primary 1 children, pupils will no longer be selected through a single, twostage test in Primary 3, and will not transfer out of their original schools to the nine centres if chosen.