SINGAPORE: The school which made headlines after its student scored 97 marks but failed to qualify for the Higher Chinese stream has reviewed its criteria and opened an additional class for the subject, it was revealed in Parliament on Mon (Feb 6).
Last month, St Hilda’s Primary School sparked widespread debate when a parent complained that despite his Primary 1 child’s interest and score of 97 marks in Chinese, it was not good enough to read Higher Chinese at Primary 2, as it was outside of the top 25 per cent of the cohort.
The Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Parliamentary Secretary Low Yen Ling said the cutoff mark for St Hilda’s was unusually high as the school sought to ensure a high level of ability in students who wanted to take the Higher Chinese language.
“We acknowledge St. Hilda’s good intentions in making sure students who want to take Higher Chinese are well-suited and also ready to take on the subject because it also entails extra curricular time and a heavier study load for the child,” she told Parliament.
“MOE is very glad the school is making positive steps very swiftly to enlarge its pool of Higher Chinese language students. It reflects the school’s commitment in terms of teaching and learning of mother tongue languages - not just Chinese, but all three.”
Earlier, Ms Low said she was heartened by the enthusiasm shown by parents and students for Higher Chinese language. “We want to assure the House that the schools are deeply committed to the teaching and learning of Higher Mother Tongue languages,” she noted. “We do so because its not just about mastering a higher level of language, but deepening bilingualism which is an integral part of national identity and cultural heritage.”