Oral Reply in Parliament by DPM Teo to a question on merging grad and non-grad tracks:

At the entry level, officers are paid based on their assigned job responsibilities and demonstrated qualities, which include leadership and relevant experience. Where an officer does not have relevant work experience, in particular for those just entering the workforce, their performance in their educational institutions, which includes both academic and non-academic accomplishments will be taken into consideration as a proxy.

Once an officer is on the job, it is performance and readiness for bigger job responsibilities that matter. A non-graduate who has demonstrated the same qualities as a graduate will be given the same development and advancement opportunities.

s://.psd.gov.sg/press-room/parliamentary-replies/oral-reply-to-parliamentary-question-on-civil-service-graduate-and-non-graduate-career-tracks-1