Singapore scraps exams in schools

In the run up to do away with exams, some primary school principals already scrapped mid-year exams, two years ahead of schedule, said Singapore's Education Minister Ong Ye Kung.
Singapore's Ministry of Education (MOE) had announced last September that mid-year exams for Primary 3 and 5 as well as Secondary 1 and 3 students would be removed by 2021. This was done to improve the balance between the joy of learning and education standards, according to MOE directive under which the first two years of primary school will also be test-free from next year, Straits Times (ST) reported.
Kung also revealed that over half of the primary schools and over 90 per cent of secondary schools would have scrapped mid-year examinations for some levels, a year ahead of schedule. "So, what we are seeing is that the mentality of competing for even higher scores in even more tests and examinations is giving way to a new movement to take a balanced approach in teaching and assessments, and bring about greater joy of learning," said Kung while speaking at a conference for teachers at the Singapore Expo.