High Ability Learner Programme in Singapore (2026): Everything Parents Need to Know

If you have been following education news in Singapore, you have likely heard about the changes coming to gifted education. Announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the National Day Rally in August 2024, Singapore’s new approach to supporting high-ability students represents the most significant change to gifted education in four decades. In simple terms, it is MOE’s replacement for the Gifted Education Programme (GEP). It is designed to identify and develop high-ability students across Singapore’s primary schools – but with a fundamentally different philosophy from the GEP model it replaces.

Where the GEP selected the top 1% of students through a high-stakes two-stage test and transferred them to nine designated schools, the new approach takes a broader, more inclusive stance. It aims to develop high-ability learners within their own schools while offering optional advanced enrichment modules at 15 designated centres. The programme takes full effect from 2027, but the transition is already underway – making 2026 a pivotal year for parents with children in the P2 to P4 range.

Why Singapore Is Moving Away from the GEP

The GEP has been a cornerstone of Singapore’s education system since 1984. For 40 years, it identified the top 1% of each P3 cohort and placed them in a specialised curriculum at one of nine designated schools. It produced generations of high achievers, and the programme carried enormous prestige.

So why retire it? MOE’s rationale centres on several key concerns that have grown over the decades.

First, the single high-stakes screening created intense pressure on very young children – and their families. The GEP label became as much about status as about education, driving a cottage industry of preparation that often worked against the programme’s original intent.

Second, research in gifted education has evolved. International studies increasingly show that high ability is not a fixed trait identifiable in a single test at age nine. It develops over time, and different children peak at different stages. A one-shot assessment at P3 inevitably misses late bloomers and disadvantages children whose abilities do not align neatly with the test format.

Third, limiting the programme to nine schools meant uprooting children from their neighbourhood schools, disrupting friendships and community ties. MOE recognised that the social cost of school transfers was not always justified by the educational benefit.

The new approach addresses all three concerns: broader identification, multiple entry points, and no school transfer required.

How the New Programme Works

Singapore’s refreshed approach to high-ability education operates on a two-tier structure that is genuinely different from anything tried before in gifted education here.

Tier 1 – School-based provisions. All primary schools in Singapore will implement in-class strategies to stretch high-ability learners. This includes differentiated activities, enrichment tasks within the regular curriculum, and teacher training to identify and nurture advanced thinking. About 10% of each cohort will have access to these school-based high-ability programmes, up from around 7% today. This tier ensures that high-ability students benefit from enhanced learning regardless of whether they are selected for Tier 2.

Tier 2 – Advanced modules at designated centres. Students identified through the process described below are offered optional weekly sessions at one of 15 designated centres across Singapore. These are two-hour subject-specific sessions in English, Maths, or Science, held after school hours during term time. During school holidays, interdisciplinary modules are offered – combining elements across subjects around a central theme or challenge.

The 15 host schools are: Ahmad Ibrahim Primary, Clementi Primary, Geylang Methodist School, Innova Primary, Jurong West Primary, Kheng Cheng School, Palm View Primary, Pioneer Primary, Punggol View Primary, Queenstown Primary, St Gabriel’s Primary, Tampines Primary, Teck Ghee Primary, Yew Tee Primary, and Yu Neng Primary School. They were selected to ensure a good geographic spread and are accessible via public transport.

Classes are taught by specially trained teachers experienced in working with high-ability students in specific domains. Importantly, these teachers are not drawn from the staff of the primary school hosting the centre – they are separately deployed by MOE.

Crucially, students remain at their own schools. There is no transfer. They attend the enrichment modules on top of their regular schooling, keeping their classmates, their teachers, and their community intact.

Another important feature is flexibility. Participation is not compulsory, and students can 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.

How HAL Students Are Identified – The New One-Stage Process

This is the section parents are most curious about, so let us be specific.

Under the old GEP model, identification was a two-stage process: a broad P3 Screening Exercise, followed by a Selection Test for shortlisted students. The full GEP process assessed students across English, mathematics, and science. Under the new approach, this is replaced by a single-stage identification exercise.

The first identification exercise is scheduled for August 2026 for the current P3 cohort. The exercise assesses aptitude in English and Maths – importantly, it tests thinking ability rather than mastery of the school syllabus. This means a student who is advanced in English reasoning but average in Maths, for example, could still qualify for a high-ability English programme at their school.

School-based evidence supplements the test results. Using guidelines and checklists provided by MOE, schools will observe factors such as a student’s attitude towards learning and overall potential. This holistic approach is designed to capture high-ability learners who may not perform optimally in a timed test setting but demonstrate exceptional thinking and curiosity in everyday classroom contexts.

Identification is also no longer a one-time event. In subsequent years, schools will be able to nominate suitable Primary 4 and Primary 5 students for both the school-based programmes and the advanced modules. This multi-point approach reflects current research on how high ability emerges at different rates in different children.

One further indicator of the programme’s broader ambition: MOE expects the advanced modules to be open to at least double the current GEP cohort, given that students only need to demonstrate strength in a specific subject area rather than performing well across all domains.

What This Means for Parents with High-Ability Children in 2026

If you are a parent with a child in P2 or P3 right now, here is what you should be thinking about.

Assess readiness honestly. Does your child demonstrate genuine higher-order thinking – curiosity, reasoning, making connections – or are they simply performing well on standard schoolwork? The programme is designed for children whose abilities go beyond syllabus mastery.

Start preparation early, but wisely. The skills the identification exercise tests – inferential comprehension, verbal reasoning, and non-routine problem solving – take time to develop. P2 Term 3 remains a sensible starting point for structured enrichment. But preparation should focus on building thinking, not drilling test papers.

Understand that the game has changed. The new approach rewards genuine ability demonstrated across multiple contexts, not single-test performance. MOE has been explicit that the advanced modules are not intended to give students a leg up in examinations – they are designed to cultivate curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. This means quality preparation matters more than ever, because the skills need to be real, not performative.

Choose tuition that aligns with the new model. Programmes that focus purely on test preparation for a specific screening date may need to evolve. The best programmes – like those at Global Education Hub – have always focused on developing higher-order thinking rather than gaming a test. Under the new model, that approach is more aligned than ever.

At Global Education Hub, our GEP English and GEP Maths programmes have been developing higher-order thinkers for over 17 years. As the transition to the new system unfolds, our approach remains the same: build the thinking skills that genuinely set high-ability children apart. Whether the assessment is called GEP or something new, the skills that matter have not changed – and neither has our commitment to developing them.

Conclusion

Singapore’s new approach to high-ability education is not just a rebrand of the GEP. It is a genuine rethinking of how the country identifies and nurtures its most capable young learners – broader in scope, more flexible in timing, less dependent on a single high-pressure test, and more accessible to students with specific rather than universal strengths.

For parents, the transition means letting go of some familiar reference points while embracing a model that is, in many ways, fairer and more developmentally sound. The skills your child needs – critical thinking in English, mathematical reasoning, intellectual curiosity – remain the same. What has changed is how those skills are assessed, where they are developed, and how many children get the opportunity to benefit.

The children who will thrive under the new programme are the same ones who would have thrived under the GEP: genuine thinkers, not just test takers. And the best thing parents can do in 2026 is ensure their child has the opportunity to develop those thinking skills – early, consistently, and with the right guidance which is with Global Education Hub.

Frequently Asked Questions About the HAL Programme

Is the GEP still running in 2026?

The GEP is in its final transition phase. The last cohort of GEP students was admitted in 2024 and will complete the programme in 2028. From 2027, the new approach fully replaces the GEP. In 2026, the first identification exercise will take place in August for P3 students, making this a transitional year.

Does my child need to change schools?

No. Unlike the GEP, the new programme does not require students to transfer to a designated school. Students remain at their current school and attend optional advanced modules at one of 15 centres after school hours. The nine former GEP schools will cease to be GEP centres.

How is the new identification different from the old GEP screening?

The GEP used a two-stage process – a broad screening followed by a selection test – assessing students across English, mathematics, and science. The new system uses a single-stage identification exercise in English and Maths aptitude, complemented by school-based observations of a student’s attitude towards learning and potential, using MOE-provided guidelines and checklists.

Can my child be identified at P4 or P5 if they miss the P3 exercise?

Yes. This is one of the most significant changes from the GEP model. In subsequent years, schools will be able to nominate suitable P4 and P5 students for both the school-based programmes and the advanced modules. Missing the P3 exercise does not close the door.

Should I still enrol my child in GEP tuition for 2026?

Yes, because the underlying skills being assessed have not changed – inferential comprehension, verbal reasoning, and non-routine problem solving are still central. Quality GEP tuition that focuses on developing these thinking skills remains directly relevant to the new identification exercise. What matters is choosing a programme that builds genuine ability rather than test-specific tricks.

What subjects are covered in the advanced modules?

The programme offers advanced modules in English, Maths, and Science. Weekly two-hour sessions are held during term time at designated centres, and interdisciplinary holiday modules combine elements across subjects. The content is not linked to the national curriculum – it is designed to stretch thinking, not to accelerate students through the school syllabus.

Does my child need to be strong in all subjects to qualify?

No – this is a key change from the GEP. A student who is strong in English but average in Maths, for example, can still be accepted into a high-ability English programme. The new approach identifies domain-specific strengths rather than requiring across-the-board performance.

Are the modules compulsory?

No. Participation is optional, given that students may have other commitments or interests. Students can also exit and re-enter the programme based on their needs and development.