[PSLE MT] PSLE less weightage in Chinese / Mother Tongue

[vlim]

Ca3kids:

tankee:

it is very strange that MOE is considering lowering the weightage of Chinese just because our kids can't cope or compete with students from China.


On the other hand, LKY has time and again stress the growing importance of Chinese with the growing significant of China in the world economy.

:?

tankee

Actually that is also a question (stress the growing importance of Chinese) that I ask myself. We won't know what is their \"plan and strategies\". Confusing. In paper, the minister mention that they want Chinese to be a \"jumping board\", not a \"instructment\" to discourage kids (provided I didn't translate wrongly) as I saw in the Chinese section newspaper

We don't have to be excel in Chinese language inorder to be able to communite and work with the China people right... But letting the kids know more about chinese culture( non-exam) would be helpful and interesting. Train them up to communicate well in Mandarin is good too for the purpose of working with the China people...But these, I think, don't need the kids to score very well in Chinese..

[KSP]

Here's the news from My Paper.



http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=PqJEsYA

[verykiasu2010]

auntieM:

vlim:

emmm....that is one issue but it will definitely prevent a 'certain group of non-singaporean' from dominating the top psle scores.. sorry very sensitive issue...

Well said vlim!

but that group of students do not qualify for the bicultural program

[verykiasu2010]

tankee:

it is very strange that MOE is considering lowering the weightage of Chinese just because our kids can't cope or compete with students from China.


On the other hand, LKY has time and again stress the growing importance of Chinese with the growing significant of China in the world economy.

:?

that is why I find it strange and difficult to reconcile the two points

[jessnom]

I read the article in ST, and I agreed with one point, that is to view learning chinese as a marathon and not a sprint. There are many people who gets turned off because the level was pegged too high. If the standard is lowered/ pegged at different levels so the kids can enjoy and learn at their own pace, then who knows, they may want to learn more about the language in future.

China may be a strong market, but doing well in Chinese doesn’t mean you can excel in the Chinese market. They probably don’t want to do business with a person who can speak excellent Mandarin but knows zilch about the business. To be all-rounders is the key in my opinion.

[verykiasu2010]

jessnom:

I read the article in ST, and I agreed with one point, that is to view learning chinese as a marathon and not a sprint. There are many people who gets turned off because the level was pegged too high. If the standard is lowered/ pegged at different levels so the kids can enjoy and learn at their own pace, then who knows, they may want to learn more about the language in future.

China may be a strong market, but doing well in Chinese doesn't mean you can excel in the Chinese market. They probably don't want to do business with a person who can speak excellent Mandarin but knows zilch about the business. To be all-rounders is the key in my opinion.

from my experience, truly many many singaporeans can't even speak proper mandarin when dealing with workers / bizmen / authorities in China. besides the technical terms needed to know in commerce / production in China, many have problem even in conversational mandarin

I say this based on my nearly 20 years of dealing with them / working with them / stationed there

[vlim]

verykiasu2010:

auntieM:

[quote=\"vlim\"]emmm....that is one issue but it will definitely prevent a 'certain group of non-singaporean' from dominating the top psle scores.. sorry very sensitive issue...

Well said vlim!

but that group of students do not qualify for the bicultural program[/quote]why.. :?

[tankee]

hi jessnom


agreed with you

for English, we have done away with textbooks and adopted Stellar Programme … learning English through stories & activities.

But for Chinese, it is still textbook and activity books.

Lowering the weightage is not the answer. Finding a better & more interesting way for our kids to learn Chinese should be the approach.

[verykiasu2010]

tankee:

hi jessnom


agreed with you



Lowering the weightage is not the answer. Finding a better & more interesting way for our kids to learn Chinese should be the approach.

that is what i observed in my kid's class

the teacher is good. the class is very engaged, and they love it - the chinese language

[verykiasu2010]

vlim:

verykiasu2010:

[quote=\"auntieM\"]
Well said vlim!

but that group of students do not qualify for the bicultural program

why.. :?[/quote]u very sensitive one .... should the answer lar ....