Scrapping of exams

It was recently revealed that the scrapping of exams for Pri 1 and Pri 2 students was put forward as a recommendation by MOE's PERI committee. 

As much as how some parents may feel opposed to the idea of multiple mini-assessments, I am in the opinion that the move is a good initiative to promote a more holistic approach to the education of our little ones.

I believe that learning should be fun, more so for children at the ages of 7 and 8. Why should they be rushed to be put under the pressures of semestral examinations? They are already gonna be doing yearly examinations for more than ten years of their educational life, consecutively if I might add. As the years progress, there will be more than enough opportunities to assess their learning. So why rush them so early? Will they be less smart?

I admit that Singapore is a very result-oriented society, but there should be more to life than exam skills. Without the stresses of semestral exams, there is so much more that students can learn and so much more that teachers can teach. It's good that greater emphasis has been placed on the development of lifeskills and values.