The Art Elective Programme (AEP) is a special art programme offered at the secondary school level for students with strong interest and ability in art. According to the Ministry of Education (MOE), AEP is a four-year programme designed for “artistically-inclined students” at secondary level​. It provides an in-depth art curriculum alongside the regular academic curriculum. AEP students get to dive deeper into art-making and art theory than typical art classes. They experience a balanced mix of studio practice (hands-on art creation) and art criticism (learning to analyse and appreciate art). The curriculum aims to develop students not just as artists, but also as “practitioners, scholars, advocates and leaders in art”​ – in other words, well-rounded individuals who understand art from multiple perspectives.

AEP is unique because it stretches over all four years of secondary school (Sec 1 to Sec 4). Students in AEP have additional art lessons each week and access to specialized art facilities and resources. They participate in workshops, exhibitions, and even community art projects as part of the programme​. In fact, MOE notes that AEP (and its sister programme EAP) offers opportunities like art exhibitions, combined-school workshops, special facilities, and learning with industry professionals and art institutions. Instead of the usual O-Level Art, AEP students will take the Higher Art syllabus for O-Levels, which is a more advanced art qualification​. This Higher Art subject can give them an edge (for example, a good grade in Higher Art at O-Level can earn bonus points when applying to junior college).

Entry and Selection: AEP is offered only in select secondary schools (currently a handful of schools offer AEP) and at one centralized AEP Centre. Typically, students apply or are selected for AEP at Secondary 1. If your child is posted to an AEP school (or if you apply for the central AEP at National Junior College), they will undergo a selection exercise (usually involving submission of a portfolio and art tests) at the start of Sec 1​. Express, Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) stream students are all eligible to try for AEP – what matters is their art potential and passion, not their stream. Once in the programme, to help balance the workload, AEP students are typically excused from Lower Secondary Design & Technology and Food & Consumer Education classes, freeing up time to focus on the rigorous art curriculum.

In summary, AEP is ideal for students who are very passionate about art and want a deeper, enriched art education throughout secondary school, without giving up a mainstream school experience. They will graduate with a strong art foundation, a Higher Art O-level certification, and a robust art portfolio – well-prepared for further art studies or simply a richer appreciation of the arts.

Direct School Admission (DSA) for Visual Arts is not a curriculum or programme like AEP or EAP, but rather an admission route. DSA allows students to gain early admission into certain secondary schools based on their talents and achievements, in this case in visual arts, rather than relying only on their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results. In simple terms, through DSA, a Primary 6 student with a strong art portfolio or talent can apply to a secondary school before the PSLE results are out, showcasing their art ability. If the school is impressed and selects them, the child gets a confirmed spot in that school (conditional upon meeting a minimum PSLE score threshold appropriate for that school’s academic stream).

For Visual Arts DSA, students typically need to prepare a portfolio of their artworks, and may have to attend auditions, drawing tests, or interviews as part of the selection. Different schools have different selection processes for DSA. Some schools might require students to do a drawing on the spot, discuss their artworks, or talk about their passion and experience in art. Schools that have specialized art programmes (like the AEP schools or EAP schools we discussed) often offer DSA in Visual Arts to attract talented art students. There are also other schools with niche art programmes or strong art CCAs that take in students via DSA (for example, some schools might have an Applied Learning Programme in art or design).

It’s important to note that DSA is highly competitive – many students across Singapore apply for limited places. Also, if your child is successfully admitted to a school via DSA, they are committed to that school. They cannot later opt for another school through the usual Sec 1 posting; in fact, DSA students do not even participate in the school choice stage of Sec 1 posting​. So, you should only accept a DSA offer if you are sure that school and its programmes are a good fit for your child. Additionally, while DSA focuses on talent, academic performance still matters to some extent – the child must generally still score within a range that qualifies them for the academic stream of that school (e.g. if it’s an Express stream school, the PSLE score should not be too far off the Express cutoff)​.

How does DSA intersect with AEP/EAP? If a student uses DSA to get into an AEP school for art, they will likely be placed in the AEP programme automatically (since that’s their talent area – though they might still have to sit for the AEP selection exercise as a formality). If they DSA into a school with EAP or a strong art department, they will be earmarked to take art and join the advanced art activities in that school. DSA basically secures the place; the actual art training the child gets will depend on the school’s offerings. If the school has AEP, the DSA student would do AEP; if it has EAP later, they would do that; if it just offers normal Art, they would take Art and possibly get to participate in art club (CCA) or other enrichment.

In summary, DSA (Visual Arts) is a great route for a child who is confident in art and perhaps has a strong body of work by Primary 6. It opens doors to schools that can further nurture their talent. DSA can be used in conjunction with the other pathways – for example, a child might apply to SOTA (separately) and also apply via DSA to a couple of AEP schools to keep options open. Just remember, if successful, you can only enroll in one school, so the choice should align with your child’s interests and academic comfort. DSA is about finding a best-fit school for your child’s talent, ensuring they will be in an environment that supports their artistic growth from the start of secondary education.

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