GEP Is Gone: What Replaces the Gifted Education Programme in 2027 and How It Affects Your Child

If you have a child in Primary 1, 2 or 3 right now, this announcement affects you directly. In March 2026, the Ministry of Education confirmed that Singapore’s Gifted Education Programme, known as the GEP, will be discontinued from 2027. After 42 years, the programme that pulled top students out of their home schools and placed them in nine designated GEP schools is coming to an end.

In its place, MOE is introducing a new system called Advanced Modules, where identified students attend weekly stretch programmes at one of 15 centres across Singapore while staying enrolled at their own school. The first batch of Primary 3 students will sit for a new one-stage identification test in August 2026.

For Woodlands parents, this change is particularly significant. The old GEP schools were concentrated in central and southern Singapore, making the programme impractical for many families in the north. The new system puts a designated centre much closer to home, with Yew Tee Primary School among the 15 selected centres.

This guide explains what is changing, how the new system works, what the selection process looks like, and what you should be doing right now to support your child.

What Was the GEP and Why Is It Ending?

The Gifted Education Programme was introduced in 1984 to identify and develop intellectually gifted students. Children were screened through a two-stage process in Primary 3, a broad screening exercise followed by a more intensive selection test. Those who were selected, typically about 1% of the national cohort, transferred to one of nine GEP schools at Primary 4 and followed a separate, enriched curriculum for all subjects through to Primary 6.

The nine GEP schools were Raffles Girls’ Primary, Rosyth School, Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), Nanyang Primary, Tao Nan School, Henry Park Primary, Catholic High School (Primary), St Hilda’s Primary and Nan Hua Primary School. All nine were located in central or southern Singapore.

While the GEP produced strong academic outcomes, it also created significant problems that MOE wanted to address.

Geographic inequality was a major issue. Families in the north, northeast and west of Singapore, including Woodlands, Yishun, Punggol, Sengkang and Jurong West, had no GEP schools nearby. Selected children as young as nine had to travel long distances or even change homes to access the programme.

Social disruption was another concern. Children who were selected had to leave their friends, their familiar teachers, and their neighbourhood school at Primary 4, a transition that was stressful for many families. Children who were not selected sometimes felt labelled or stigmatised.

Narrow selection was the third issue. The GEP required children to demonstrate strength across multiple domains in a high-stakes, two-stage test at age nine. Children who were strong in one or two subjects but not all three missed out. Late bloomers who developed their abilities after Primary 3 had no second chance.

By discontinuing the GEP in its current form and replacing it with the Advanced Modules system, MOE aims to address all three of these issues.

What Replaces the GEP: The Advanced Modules System

From 2027, the new system has two tiers of support for high-ability learners.

Tier 1: School-Based Provisions

Every primary school in Singapore already runs enrichment programmes for students who demonstrate academic strength. These include programmes like Excellence 2000, commonly known as E2K, for Mathematics and Science. Under the new system, MOE is broadening access to these school-based provisions so that approximately 10% of each cohort can benefit, up from around 7% today.

This means more students in your child’s school will have access to stretch activities within the regular school day or as after-school enrichment, without needing to go anywhere else.

Tier 2: Centre-Based Advanced Modules

Students who are assessed to benefit from further stretch beyond what their school provides can attend weekly Advanced Modules at one of 15 designated centres across Singapore. These modules are the direct replacement for the old GEP.

The Advanced Modules cover three subjects: English Language, Mathematics and Science. During term time, students attend weekly two-hour sessions at their nearest designated centre after school. During school holidays, interdisciplinary modules are also available, covering areas like financial literacy, literature and journalism.

Importantly, students stay enrolled at their own primary school for their regular curriculum. They only travel to the designated centre for the Advanced Module sessions. This is the biggest structural change from the old GEP, where selected students left their home school entirely.

The 15 Designated Centres

MOE has selected 15 primary schools to serve as Advanced Module centres. These were chosen to ensure geographic spread and accessibility by public transport. The full list is as follows.

Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School, Clementi Primary School, Geylang Methodist School (Primary), Innova Primary School, Jurong West Primary School, Kheng Cheng Primary School, Palm View Primary School, Pioneer Primary School, Punggol View Primary School, Queenstown Primary School, St Gabriel’s Primary School, Tampines Primary School, Teck Ghee Primary School, Yew Tee Primary School and Yu Neng Primary School.

For families in Woodlands and the surrounding estates, Yew Tee Primary School is the nearest designated centre. This is a major improvement over the old GEP system, where the closest GEP school to Woodlands was St Hilda’s Primary in Tampines, a journey that could take well over an hour each way for a young child.

MOE has indicated that the list of centres will be reviewed periodically, so additional centres could be added in the future.

How the New Selection Process Works

The old GEP used a two-stage process. Stage one was a mass screening exercise taken by all Primary 3 students. Those who performed well enough were invited to a second, more intensive selection test. Only those who passed both stages were offered GEP places.

The new system replaces this with a simpler, single-stage identification exercise. Here is how it works.

The First Test: August 2026

Primary 3 students in 2026 will be the first cohort to sit for the new single-stage identification exercise in August 2026. This test is designed to assess aptitude in English and Mathematics, focusing on raw reasoning ability rather than mastery of the school syllabus. MOE has emphasised that the test is designed to be difficult to prepare for through intensive drilling.

What the Test Assesses

Unlike the old GEP screening, which tested knowledge across English, Mathematics and General Ability, the new test focuses on aptitude. This means it looks at how your child thinks and reasons, not how much content they have memorised. Children who are naturally curious, who enjoy solving puzzles, and who think deeply about problems are the ones this test is designed to identify.

School-Based Nominations

In addition to the standardised test, schools can also nominate students based on teacher observations and the student’s classroom work. This is a new pathway that did not exist under the old GEP. It means that a child who does not perform well on a single test day can still be identified if their teachers have observed strong aptitude over time.

Multiple Entry Points

This is one of the most parent-friendly changes. Under the old GEP, there was only one entry point: the Primary 3 screening. If your child missed it or did not perform well that day, there was no second chance.

Under the new system, students can be identified and join the Advanced Modules at the end of each semester in Primary 4 and Primary 5. This means late bloomers who develop their abilities after Primary 3 still have opportunities to access the programme. It also means there is less pressure on a single high-stakes test at age nine.

What the Advanced Modules Actually Involve

MOE has been clear that the Advanced Modules are not designed to give students an exam advantage. They are not extra tuition or PSLE preparation. The stated goal is to nurture curiosity, creativity and critical thinking.

The curriculum for the Advanced Modules is deliberately delinked from the national curriculum. This means the content does not directly cover what will be tested in the PSLE. Instead, it focuses on deeper thinking and exploration within each subject domain.

For example, a Mathematics Advanced Module might explore number theory or mathematical reasoning in ways that go far beyond the Primary 4 to 6 syllabus. A Science module might involve extended investigations or research-style projects. An English module might focus on literary analysis or argumentative writing at a level well above what is expected at primary school.

During school holidays, interdisciplinary modules bring subjects together. MOE has mentioned areas like financial literacy, literature and journalism as possible holiday module topics.

Classes are taught by 20 specially deployed teachers from MOE headquarters, including former GEP teachers. This ensures a consistent standard of teaching across all 15 centres. These teachers will rotate between centres rather than being based at the host school.

Participation Is Voluntary

Students who are identified for the Advanced Modules are not required to attend. MOE has acknowledged that some students may have other interests or commitments. The system allows students to exit and re-enter the programme based on their needs and development. Schools are also encouraged to nominate students who are strong in multiple areas for only one subject per semester, to ensure a balanced workload.

Common Questions from Woodlands Parents

My child is in Primary 2. What should I be doing now?

The first thing to understand is that the new identification test assesses aptitude, not syllabus mastery. This means drilling your child on assessment books will not directly prepare them for the test. What will help is nurturing your child’s natural curiosity, encouraging them to think deeply about problems, exposing them to a wide range of reading material, and letting them explore mathematical puzzles and scientific questions at their own pace.

That said, a strong foundation in the core subjects is never wasted. A child who understands mathematical concepts deeply, who reads widely, and who can express their thinking clearly in English will naturally be better positioned for an aptitude-based test, not because they have been drilled, but because they have genuinely developed strong thinking skills.

Does this affect PSLE preparation?

The Advanced Modules are separate from the PSLE syllabus. Attending the modules does not give students a direct advantage in the PSLE because the content is different. However, the deeper thinking skills developed through the modules, such as analytical reasoning, problem structuring and clear communication, are exactly the skills that help students tackle higher-order PSLE questions.

What happens to the old GEP schools?

The nine schools that previously hosted the GEP will continue to operate as they always have. They retain their strong reputations, alumni networks, affiliation benefits and established traditions. They will simply no longer serve as the exclusive centres for gifted education. Many of these schools already have strong programmes beyond the GEP, and this change does not diminish them.

Will the 15 centre schools become harder to get into for P1 registration?

This is a real concern for some parents. If parents start targeting these 15 schools during P1 registration to secure proximity to an Advanced Module centre, demand could increase. However, MOE has stated that the centres can be rotated, which should discourage parents from making major decisions like property purchases based on this list alone. Most of the 15 centres currently have comfortable Phase 2C vacancy.

Can my child attend a centre that is not the nearest one?

MOE has indicated that students will attend the designated centre near their own primary school. The exact assignment process will become clearer as the programme launches.

What This Means for Tuition and Academic Support

The shift from the GEP to Advanced Modules does not reduce the importance of strong academic foundations. If anything, it reinforces it.

Under the new system, approximately 10% of each cohort will access stretch programmes, up from 7% under the GEP. This means more students will have the opportunity to be identified, but only if they have demonstrated genuine strength in one or more subjects. Building that strength early, particularly in English, Mathematics and Science, gives your child the best chance of being noticed.

At BrightMinds Education, we focus on helping students develop deep understanding of core concepts, not just surface-level exam technique. This approach has always served our students well for PSLE preparation, and it aligns perfectly with what the new identification process is looking for. Students who understand why a mathematical method works, who can explain a scientific concept in their own words, and who can think critically about a comprehension passage are exactly the kind of students the Advanced Modules programme is designed to serve.

For Woodlands families, having Yew Tee Primary as a designated centre means your child no longer needs to travel across Singapore to access high-ability programmes. But the foundation for that opportunity starts in the classroom, and for many families, in the tuition centre, well before Primary 3.

Key Dates to Remember

August 2026: The first batch of Primary 3 students will sit for the new single-stage identification exercise.

2027: Identified students begin attending Advanced Modules at designated centres. The GEP is no longer offered to new students.

2028: The last cohort of GEP students completes Primary 6, and the GEP officially ceases to exist.

The Bottom Line

The end of the GEP is not the end of support for high-ability learners. It is a restructuring that makes these opportunities more accessible, more flexible and more geographically equitable. For Woodlands families who previously felt excluded from gifted education because of distance, this is unambiguously good news.

The children who will benefit most from the new system are those who have been encouraged to think deeply, read widely and approach problems with curiosity rather than memorised formulas. Whether or not your child ends up attending the Advanced Modules, building these habits early will serve them well throughout their education.

If you want to give your child a strong foundation in English, Mathematics or Science, our experienced full-time tutors at BrightMinds can help. We have been supporting Woodlands students since 2008, and we understand what it takes to build the kind of deep understanding that leads to genuine academic confidence.

View our tuition schedule and fees → WhatsApp us at 9147-4941