Hello readers,
I will be writing a post on something which I have been through and also what I am very familiar with. The post today will be about the Polytechnic Foundation Programme (PFP), which is a programme opened to those eligible Normal (Academic) students who attained less than or equal to 11 points. There are few posts that talked about PFP and most of them are dated at least three to four years ago, hence I shall talk about my own experience.
Before I talk about my pfp experience in Republic Polytechnic, I shall run through what is PFP all about and why does it matter for N(A) students.
What is Polytechnic Foundation Programme (PFP)?
Polytechnic Foundation Programme (PFP) is a one year programme that offers a practice-oriented curriculum taught by polytechnic lecturers, to prepare polytechnic bound N(A) students for entry into their relevant polytechnic chosen courses. This also provides an alternative route for N(A) students who do not wish to pursue Secondary Five route where they are to study for GCE 'O' Levels and have the intention of entering a polytechnic.
How does PFP work?
Students are given provisional places in diploma programmes subject to them passing all modules in the one year PFP. The modules depend on different polytechnics and hence they will undergo various curriculum provided for them. There are five polytechnics offering PFP and they are Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic. That is literally the five polytechnics in Singapore which I mentioned.
It is said there are about 1,200 places reserved for students of the Sec 4N(A) cohort in the preceding year and more than 80% of Polytechnic courses available for the interested students.
Who are eligible for PFP?
As mentioned, students of the Sec 4N(A) cohort in the preceding year. As long as you are not in Express, Normal (Technical) or Secondary Five cohorts, you are allowed to apply. To be eligible to apply for PFP, the student must obtain the following:
ELMAB3 (English, Mathematics, Best 3 Subjects) raw aggregate score of 11 points or better (excluding CCA bonus points) at the GCE 'N' Levels.
To further meet the requirements, there are two subject-specific requirements:
Group 1 and 2. Each group will list down different diploma courses and all are subjected to availability. For more information on specific diploma course, one should consult the polytechnic website(s) or
here.
For Courses under Group 1, a student should meet the minimum requirements below, whereby the minimum required grades are 3:
English Syllabus A
Mathematics Syllabus A/Additional Mathematics
One of the following relevant subjects:
- Design and Technology
- Food and Nutrition
- Science (Chemistry, Biology)
- Science (Physics, Biology)
- Science (Physics, Chemistry)
Any two other subjects excluding CCA
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For Courses under Group 2, a student should meet the minimum requirements, whereby the minimum required grades are 3, except English Syllabus A which he/she requires a 2:
English Syllabus A
Mathematics Syllabus A/Additional Mathematics
One of the following relevant subjects:
- Art
- Literature in English
- History
- Combined Humanities
- Geography
- Principles of Accounts
Any two other subjects excluding CCA
Does CCA bonus points take into consideration?
Yes, it does. These bonus points will be used in computing the ELMAB3 net aggregate score for course posting within the PFP, hence it is important to do well in CCA.
Will I be guaranteed a spot in PFP?
No, not really. Students placed on the PFP may or may not be posted to the course of his/her choice, subject to competition based on merit and the availability of places. Hence, a student must make their decision wisely. I have seen people from my own cohort who made poor decision and therefore either they could not enter PFP or given a course which they reluctantly accepted out of face value.
Can 4N(A) students who taken GCE 'O' Levels in few subjects apply?
Yes, PFP is also available to Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students who have sat for GCE ‘O’-Level subjects. They are allowed to combine their ‘N’- and ‘O’ Level examination results to compute their eligibility. If a student takes the same subject at both ‘N’ and ‘O’ Levels, only the better grade will be computed into his or her aggregate.
The following GCE 'O' Level Grade conversion matrix is adopted during the computation of aggregates:
'O' Level Grade → Aggregate Point for PFP
A1 - B3 → 1
B4 - C6 → 2
D7 → 3
'O'-Level grades (i.e. E8 and E9) not listed above cannot be used to determine PFP eligibility.
How does the application process work?
Students who are interested in PFP should progress to Secondary Five on the first day of school of another year after receiving their GCE 'N' Level results. Eligible students will then receive a copy of Form P through their schools which indicates that they are invited to apply for their Polytechnic Diploma courses of their choice under PFP.
At the same time as the Joint Admission Exercise (JAE) take place, the applications for PFP will also be opened. The students will only know the admission result by the end of January. Once they have accepted the offer, they are allowed to withdraw from Secondary Five. Students are also allowed to appeal. If the appeal result failed, he/she is allowed to accept initial offer. Otherwise, student can reject and continue with Secondary Five.
In my own experience, I did not choose to return back to secondary school and instead I went on to DPP whereby I was supposed to undergo two years in ITE College West for a Higher Nitec course and then further on to polytechnic. I only withdrew from ITE College West a week after DPP commenced and accepted my PFP offer. I did appeal for the course I wanted, but it failed and hence I accepted the original offer.
I hope the process of PFP application is understandable. I tried to make the whole steps easier, or bite size for readers who may not be well aware of how the application work or the process undergo really work. There has been some misconceptions about the Polytechnic Foundation Programme, especially since this programme was introduced few years back. With that, I will be answering misconceptions here and if the questions listed is not what you really wanted, do leave a comment in the post and I will try to get back to you.
Should I proceed to PFP or GCE 'O' Levels?
In my opinion, a student should go for PFP if you are definitely sure that you do not want to go junior colleges. Otherwise, you will have to take GCE 'O' Levels. This is one of the factors that I have considered when I weighed my choices between PFP or GCE 'O' Levels. Since I attained 11 points, met the minimum requirements and have been invited to apply for PFP, why would I want to waste this opportunity? To be invited to apply for PFP is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I have few friends who went through GCE 'O' Levels in Secondary Five and they have told me that it is no easy task especially when the curriculum set for both 'N' and 'O' Levels is a huge difference. There are several topics in subjects taken which are taught only when students prepared for GCE 'O' Levels. To actually rushed through the content and make students ready before October/November, I am sure this increased stress unless you have already prepared before entering Secondary Five.
Most importantly, I have seen people coming from Secondary Five who have their eyes set for prestigious polytechnics. By the end of the day, their results attained led them to huge disappointment because the courses they wanted to enter was simply too low for them to enter. By entering PFP, it allows students to enter the course they want based on merit and vacancy. It is usually easier to enter the desired courses for PFP because the batch is smaller compared to entering through JAE.
Nevertheless, both PFP and GCE 'O' Levels have its own pros and cons. It really depends on your preferences, factors, decisions, etc.
What do PFP covered?
The curriculum set depends on the polytechnic which you entered and almost all information can be found through respective polytechnic websites. Since I am a Republic Polytechnic (RP) student, I will talk about my school. For RP, there are total of eight modules taken to complete PFP curriculum. They are English Language & Communication, Foundational Mathematics, Project Management, Design Thinking, Social & Emotional Learning, Computing, Physical Education and Applied Science (for Science & Technology track students) / Understanding Customers & Businesses (for non-Science & Technology track students).
For myself, I am a Science & Technology track student. Throughout the PFP year, like any other students in Year 1-3, we were exposed to the learning culture of RP whereby there will be class presentations each week, assignments, problem statements and projects which played crucial role in attaining good grades for modules. Students are exposed to different learning skills such as public speaking, basic python language programming, organisational skill and even sports skills.
We are also exposed to learning and experiential activities such as orientation camps, inter-class competitions and going to old folk homes.
Are all modules important? For example, can I skip physical education since it has no relevant to my course?
All modules are important. Students are to passed them, regardless of interest or not. I heard stories from my physical education teacher, such as a student from her previous class failed PFP because he/she dislike physical education.
Since the students are able to enrolled into polytechnic earlier than other peers, does that mean they are in Year 1?
As previously mentioned, PFP is a one year programme that offers a practice-oriented curriculum taught by polytechnic lecturers, to prepare polytechnic bound N(A) students for entry into their relevant polytechnic chosen courses. To simply put, students are not in Year 1 when first enrolled. Instead of being called Year 1 students, they are simply known as Year 0 (it is an unofficial saying) because they are not yet officially a student of the polytechnic until they finished PFP curriculum in February.
Is it compulsory to join a CCA in PFP?
It is strongly encouraged, especially if you want to expose yourself to the life in polytechnic. I am in Table Tennis which I go once a week. Through Table Tennis, I was exposed to sport which is a drastic change from performing arts (I was in Chinese Orchestra back in secondary school) and I learned skills that are needed for table tennis (eye coordination, reflexes, footwork, etc.). I even made few friends from different faculties.
If a student is not keen to join a CCA in PFP, it is totally fine as well. However, it is good to join one when he/she reaches Year 1.
Is PFP hard?
Compared to GCE 'O' Levels, a benefit would be that students will not need to freak out in October/November for national examinations. However, datelines are what drive us to excel. As previously mentioned, there will always be presentations, assignments and projects when you enter PFP. It would sound freaky if you are told that coming to RP means there are presentations everyday. However, if you continuously do these tasks over the period of time, you will find that they are just minuet work.
Humans are able to adapt to the environment around them, so to say PFP is hard is probably an invalid statement/saying. It all comes down to being organised and determination.
Are the lecturers nice?
Of course, they are friendly and down-to-earth. Once you know them, you will find them likable and wish they were your lecturers throughout your whole polytechnic life.
What is the typical timetable for PFP students?
Lesson typically starts at eight in the morning, unless you have physical education module first which starts half an hour later. Depend on which days, lessons either end at 3.30pm, 4.30pm or 12.30pm (the earliest dismissal). There are two breaks in between lessons; half an hour break before second lesson and an hour lunch break before third lesson.
On a certain day, students are required to stay till 4.30pm. For example, visiting old folk home during Social & Emotional Learning module (which most people tend to get medical certificate on that particular day). However, it really depends on your timetable because different classes take turns. One would go on odd week while the other go on even week.
