05 April 2019
From 2015 to 2017, of the graduates from the six local universities, only about 6 per cent had come from the Normal (Technical) or Normal (Academic) stream.
But with streaming being replaced by subject-based banding, there should now be a better chance of Normal stream students making it to the polytechnics.
Of those who graduate from Singapore’s five polytechnics, currently 40 per cent are from the Normal (Technical) or Normal (Academic) stream.
Nonetheless, the current low percentage of Normal stream students heading to university shows that there is very little mobility in Singapore’s education system.
Ms Denise Phua, MP for Jalan Besar GRC, says that while in the past, a student could be limited in his choice of subjects due to the stream he was placed in, there is now more flexibility to take subjects based on his strengths.