Are you in Primary 6 or Secondary 4 and thinking of the DSA? Thinking of how to use DSA to your advantage? The Direct School Admission (DSA) to Secondary Schools and Junior Colleges (JCs) for entrance to the academic year 2021 began on 12 May 2020. The DSA gives students an opportunity to get into schools or JCs based on their talents in CCAs, sports and certain academic areas. This year 146 secondary schools and 20 JCs are participating in the process.
With the uncertainty of the academic calendar this year, are you or your child looking to make use of the DSA this year?
A year of novelties
The usual selection process for the DSA includes an array of interviews and trials. This year, things are set to be a lot different. As we are forced to remain indoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the selection process for the DSA is set to go completely online. Interviews will be conducted via online platforms while many of the usual sports and other related trials will have to be avoided.
So many choices – Are you confused?
Nevertheless, the DSA is a good opportunity for students to pick schools where they will be able to nurture their specific talents as well. However, both parents, as well as students, are faced with a certain degree of confusion when it comes to selecting the right school for themselves. How do we get over this confusion?
Small fish in a big pond; or big fish in a small pond?
How do you pick the right school? Should you aspire to be a big fish in the small pond? This will give the student a sense of less competition within his school. Is this necessarily good? Now some might argue that this would lead to the student getting more opportunities. But, the truth is that some amount of competition is necessary. A total lack of quality competition can be detrimental. It can make students complacent and lead to a downfall in their skills.
But what happens when you end up being a small fish in a big pond? This is equally dangerous. A student can easily feel demotivated in a peer group where he is always the underperformer. This has the potential to lead to emotional issues that can have far-reaching implications. Here we may encounter a case of ‘too much competition’.
Neither of these scenarios is desirable.
What can parents do?
The role of parents is key in the whole DSA process. This role has added significance when it comes to choosing schools. Parents are in the best position to know the strengths and challenges that their children have. If a set-up with too much competition can be detrimental for the student, then parents must ensure that such a situation is prevented. In the same way, they can also ensure that while picking schools, their child doesn’t end up in a place where he has the risk of becoming complacent due to a lack of adequate competition.
The choice is student-specific
So with all this being said, what’s the basic guideline while picking schools? The golden rule is that you take into consideration the specific needs of the student. A student-centric approach with the active participation of the parents is what is required.
Now that we have covered that, there comes the next important issue – the interview. This year’s selection process is going to be unconventional and online interviews are going to take the centre stage in all this. How can we make sure that students are ready for this? Let’s discuss that in our next blog. Stay tuned for a few tips that can help you ace your online DSA interview with ease!
Understand what DSA actually is? –
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