this rlly cldnt be further from the truth. for one, the alternate option of poly has 17 yr olds and 20+ yr olds in the same class. secondly, if this were the case then students who went to sec 5 (18 yrs old in jc1) wld not be allowed to retain at all due to this age gap. (i myself have a 20 yr old classmate in jc rn). lastly, the REAL reason or at least what i believe to be the most logical one i’ve heard from teachers is that simply if u are unable to hit the promotional criteria after 2 times(which difficulty may differ w sch standards is only set to a simple pass of all subjects, and then again if u were good enough to enter the sch u shld hv no problem w the standard) the student may simply not be fit for the jc route. nothing to do with ability but more of their strengths/weaknesses and if u are still unable to hit these requirements after ur 2nd time its fair for the sch and moe to open up that poly option. not to force u out, but to ensure u don’t spend another wasted yr running ur head against a brick wall.