I THANK Mr Dylan Chan Kai Der for his insightful views on the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme from the perspective of an IB student ("IB programme not for all students"; March 17).
From Mr Chan's letter, I believe he is an IB Diploma Programme (DP) student. However, the IB programme is not only about the DP.
The IB programme starts with the Primary Years Programme (PYP), which is designed for students from three to 12 years old.
There is direct progression to the Middle Years Programme (MYP) for students from 12 to 16 years old, rendering the Primary School Leaving Examination redundant.
Mr Chan has rightly pointed out that the primary and secondary schools have not prepared the students for self-directed research, and, hence, their sudden introduction to the IB programme would be disastrous.
If adopted, the IB programme should be implemented from primary school onwards.
At end of the MYP, students will be assessed for progression either to the DP, which is equivalent to the A levels, or to the Career-related Programme (CP), which is the equivalent of polytechnic or Institute of Technical Education qualifications.
The CP could be integrated with our SkillsFuture initiative to push for mastery in skills.
At the DP level, students are expected to take more subjects than at the A levels, as the IB programme aims to produce more well-rounded students. Students are also to undertake independent research outside their curriculum so that they are more prepared for university education and the ever-changing world of the future.
Mr Chan also talked about devolving the power of education to an external body, but have we not been devolving power to Cambridge University with the O-level and A-level examinations?
Like Cambridge University, the IB has a history of partnerships, with the governments of Canada and Germany, for instance, in introducing the programme into their respective national systems.
I am heartened to hear that Mr Chan is enjoying the IB programme and hope that more Singapore students will be like him; enjoying their studies and, at the same time, becoming better prepared for the future.
Lee Lock Hey
From Mr Chan's letter, I believe he is an IB Diploma Programme (DP) student. However, the IB programme is not only about the DP.
The IB programme starts with the Primary Years Programme (PYP), which is designed for students from three to 12 years old.
There is direct progression to the Middle Years Programme (MYP) for students from 12 to 16 years old, rendering the Primary School Leaving Examination redundant.
Mr Chan has rightly pointed out that the primary and secondary schools have not prepared the students for self-directed research, and, hence, their sudden introduction to the IB programme would be disastrous.
If adopted, the IB programme should be implemented from primary school onwards.
At end of the MYP, students will be assessed for progression either to the DP, which is equivalent to the A levels, or to the Career-related Programme (CP), which is the equivalent of polytechnic or Institute of Technical Education qualifications.
The CP could be integrated with our SkillsFuture initiative to push for mastery in skills.
At the DP level, students are expected to take more subjects than at the A levels, as the IB programme aims to produce more well-rounded students. Students are also to undertake independent research outside their curriculum so that they are more prepared for university education and the ever-changing world of the future.
Mr Chan also talked about devolving the power of education to an external body, but have we not been devolving power to Cambridge University with the O-level and A-level examinations?
Like Cambridge University, the IB has a history of partnerships, with the governments of Canada and Germany, for instance, in introducing the programme into their respective national systems.
I am heartened to hear that Mr Chan is enjoying the IB programme and hope that more Singapore students will be like him; enjoying their studies and, at the same time, becoming better prepared for the future.
Lee Lock Hey
