STUDENTS from the Normal (Academic) stream who do well enough can now skip the O-levels and go straight to higher level Institute of Technical Education (ITE) courses.

This will save them one year of secondary school.

Before this, these students would have to take their O levels in Secondary 5 first to then qualify for the two-year Higher National ITE (Nitec) course.

This change comes on top of the option for Normal (Academic) students to skip the N levels and go straight to sitting for the O levels, if they are confident of going to the polytechnics.

Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced the changes at Tuesday's Education Ministry's annual Workplan Seminar at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, as part of a slew of refinements made to the Normal course for about 40 per cent of secondary school students.

Said Mr Tharman: 'The increasing attractiveness of the ITE route can be seen in the fact that a growing number of students who are eligible for polytechnic are opting to do so through the ITE route.''

Last year, 440 students who took the O levels went on to ITE, opting for courses like electronics engineering and biochemical technology.

Mr Tharman said that some students would benefit from a more 'hands-on, practice-oriented approach, before they go on to polytechnic'.

Students who meet the criteria for Secondary 5 are eligible to take the new route.

From next year, they must get an aggregate of 19 points for English, mathematics and three other subjects to qualify. They must also have passed English.

The current aggregate needed to qualify for Secondary 5 is an aggregate of 10 points or less for English and two best subjects.

Before the two-year Higher Nitec course, which starts every April, these group of students will attend a 10-week preparatory course at ITE.