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I refer to the article, (Aug 22). The Education Minister acknowledged that many pupils who can apply through the Direct School Admission (DSA) to secondary schools tend to come from well-resourced families. He said schools can do more to look out for pupils with potential, but who may not have the necessary resources. I applaud the efforts to tackle this apparent unfairness that can creep into the process. But it is also important to understand the objective, which is to create an alternative pathway for pupils with non-academic talents to enter the school of their choice based on those talents.  If a school has limited spots for each specific talent, whether in sports, arts or music, how should the school choose? Should schools offer DSA spots to pupils who may not be strong in that talent but with “potential”, over those who are already more proficient in that talent? Would this then be unfair to those pupils who have spent countless hours training and honing their skills in this regard, but may not be given a spot because they had a seemingly “unfair advantage”? I am concerned that as the Ministry of Education tries to review the selection process beyond a specific talent, it will make it even more difficult for schools to choose. Perhaps the ministry can encourage all schools to provide a wider range of DSA options to pupils. In recent years, I have observed that many schools have reduced the number of co-curricular activities (CCAs) that they offer, thereby limiting the options available. Is this due to limited resources in the school or are schools looking to focus only on a few CCAs which they have a higher chance to excel in? With fewer schools offering certain CCAs, it is inevitable that competition intensifies and families with the resources will do more to equip their children with the necessary skills. If more schools are able to offer a wider variety of DSA options, it may allow more pupils who may not have the resources to excel in a certain CCA to apply.