GCE ‘O’ level examinations are approaching again. Besides worrying about examinations and results, your child should probably start thinking about where he wants to go, if he hasn’t given it a thought. There are mainly five streams that students can enter: Junior Colleges (JC), Polytechnics (Poly), Institutes of Technical Education (ITE), Millennia Institutes (MI) and Private Diplomas.
In this article, we will be zooming in on some of the myths about polytechnics.
Myth 1: It is very hard to get into university with a diploma.
Busted: Some people think that only a GPA of 4.0 can get you into a local university. That is only true to a certain extent. There are many courses that do not require such a high GPA. As long as your child’s GPA is above or equal to the 10th percentile GPA for the particular course, there is a fair chance that he is able to get into university.
Myth 2: Polytechnics are much easier to score as compared to JC.
Busted: While polytechnic education might not be as academically stressful, it is definitely no easy feat. While JC requires one to complete ‘A’ level after two years, putting in continuous effort for three years is required for polytechnics in order to maintain a certain GPA. Moreover, there is at least one group project for most modules, while JC only has Project Work (PW) in the first year before the students continue their academic journey in the second year.
Myth 3: It is easy to get into polytechnics based on ‘O’ level results.
Busted: While some courses might have an ELR2B2 (English Language, two Relevant subjects and two other Best subjects) cut-off score of as high as 26, there are also other courses that go as low as 3. It all depends on which course and school your child wants to go to. If your child has a certain course he is aiming for, that might serve as motivation for him to do well in his examinations!
Myth 4: Polytechnics are too expensive.
Busted: Polytechnics are definitely not the cheapest post-secondary education route. However, there are many bursaries and scholarships available for students to apply. Although scholarships require very good ‘O’ level results and Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) records, bursaries are for everyone to apply. The type of bursary one can get depends on the gross monthly household income. There are also mid-term scholarships available for application if your children do well in polytechnics!
Ultimately, every student will have different preferences. If your child wants to learn things in a more hands-on way that is useful for the working life, then polytechnics might be a better choice. If your child is more academically inclined and might not know what course he wants to go to, then he might want to consider going to a JC. It is important to consider many things before making a decision on where your child wants to go in the next stage of his life.
