As schools work towards subject-based banding in 2024, some have already started to move away from streaming students into Express, Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) streams.

A total of 28 schools have begun piloting subject-based banding.

This new practice consists of form classes with students from different streams.

Classes become more inclusive with subject-based banding

Ping Yi Secondary School is one of the schools that has begun its pilot programme with their Secondary 1 students.

In an effort to be inclusive, each form class consists of students from different streams, different ethnic backgrounds and different profiles.

Education Minister, Ong Ye Kung, who observed students in Ping Yi Secondary School on their first day of school said to reporters:

"If you are a stronger student, you benefit from the fact that you interact with students from many more different backgrounds, and I think you learn a very important value - you actually can play a part to teach other students who may not be keeping up as well in the academic subjects, and they in turn have something to teach you in other things in sports, in values, in various subjects."

Here's his Facebook post below:

Ong said in his post that teachers had provided him with feedback.

He wrote that they said "the success of the pilot depends on the professional skills of the educators".

He also wrote: "They must be able to practice differentiated instruction, to handle a class where students have mixed abilities. More importantly, they must inculcate in the students a spirit of helping each other out, to speak up in class and grow in their confidence and self belief."

Subject-based banding praised

Comments on his post commended the move toward subject-based banding.

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Top photo from Facebook/Ong Ye Kung