Having met cohorts of students from our A Level Chemistry tuition, we get a lot of opportunities to speak with parents and one of the more common topics is about the choice the family had to make in deciding on post-secondary education.

Here are 3 things you should know to help your child decide the pathway for post-secondary education.

There are now more pathways for students to choose from after they complete their secondary education. Students can choose to further their education through different pathways that lead to one of the following qualifications:

  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme
  • GCE A Level Certificate
  • Diploma from one of the polytechnics

Each pathway has its own set of merits and it really depends on the strength of the student and what he likes to get out of post-secondary education. Here are three things parents need to know:

1. Type of post-secondary education experience wanted by your child

If your child is looking for a more practical experience in his education, studying in a polytechnic would be a good option for him as polytechnic education will provide students with industry exposure through job attachments. If your child is looking for learning that focuses on critical thinking, pursuing a JC or IB education would be the right choice. IB education is more suited for students who like to be assessed throughout the year through tests and research projects that they work on while JC education is more suited for students who like to be assessed through one major examination which is the A Levels.

2. Strengths of the child

Every child is gifted and has his own unique talents. Some are more academically inclined and they will be more suited for a JC or IB education whereas others are good at hands on stuff which will suit them well for a polytechnic education.

3. Life after completion of post-secondary education

If your child would like to step into the workforce after his post-secondary education, pursuing a polytechnic education will give your child better career prospects and a more attractive pay. If your child intends to continue to pursue his studies after completion of his post-secondary education, a JC or IB education would be a better choice.

All pathways are good and the assumptions of having a JC or IB education as better than the polytechnic education are not valid. The important thing is to maximise the potential of your child based on his gifts!

About The JC & IB Tuition Specialists: We are formed by a group of dedicated tutors who specialize in providing H2 Chemistry tuition, H2 Maths tuition, and H2 Physics tuition in Singapore.