We - students, educators, parents, and other Singaporeans who care for our children - are troubled by reports of 12 year-old students traumatised to the point of physical exertion at the 2021 PSLE Math Exam halls. We present this online petition not as an act of resistance to PSLE but an appeal for more dialogue with the Ministry of Education and its Examinations Board. For now we propose the following:

1. Provide students a streaming opt-out by the end of P4, allowing a through-train to the appropriate secondary (similar to Hong Kong) for non-streaming students.
2. Participating schools should not include SAP, Independent, or the special streams and the like. It should remain fair for parents and students able and invested in academia.
3. For current P4 and P5 students, allow parents and children to participate in through-train trials. Give vulnerable children the priority, including those with greater social-emotional needs.
4. During the trials, participating schools could explore more qualitative processes of selection, for example assigning schools and streams according to AL matrices and other merits, e.g. aptitudes in sports, arts, leadership etc.
5. MOE could also conduct a ground-up study to find middle-ground for parents, educators, schools, and the ministry. A template for annual consultations could be developed, so private tuition is never a necessity in Singapore, only an option for those with the resources and goals.

We understand it is difficult to make changes in such a short time, right after the new AL scoring bands were put in place. But reactions to this year's Maths Paper 2 is a timely reminder everyone is coping differently with school, especially when resources are incredibly tightened these past 2 years. Given our falling birth-rates, the quality of transition for children into their teenage years could be improved, and the COVID crisis may be an opportune time to do so.

While the pursuit for the top-schools is laudable, it isn't for everyone. 'Every school is a good school', and we hope the Examinations Board and other institutions of education set a long-term goal for children to spend healthy amounts of time outside of school as well. We want our children to be the best they can be, and this does include a school curriculum. But play and family time are as important, and we can only provide them when there isn't an escalating stress built up in their second homes. 1st October used to be when we celebrated our childhood, and many of us turned out pretty okay. Let us give our children the joy of play they can only capture in their foundation years, before it's gone too soon and the opportunity to develop their fullest selves is lost.