[PSLE MT] PSLE less weightage in Chinese / Mother Tongue
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junrahmat:
Will this affect only Chinese or other MT as well? As I've seen many new initiatives taken to help the Chinese ppls with their Chinese lang in sch but not much being done to other MT.
junrahmat, based on the newspaper article, it affect all MT, not just Chinese. -
Chinese teachers who were interviewed said the proposed changes will affect their morale.
http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp100422_022.shtml
既要推广华文但又要减低比重 受访华文教师感费解
（2010-04-22）
● 王珏琪
为何教育部一方面推广华文学习，一方面又要降低华文在小六会考的比重呢？
这是令昨天接受记者访问的华文教师费解的问题。针对教育部长黄永宏日前受访时谈到教育部将考虑调整母语在小六会考成绩当中的比重，受访的华文教师也认为，调整政策会打击他们的士气。
一名只愿意透露是“黄老师”的中学华文教师（26岁）则指出，一般学生知道作业分数不需加入总成绩，就随便应付。
“学生是少了一分压力，但对华文教学就越来越困难。”
小学华文教师刘美秀（60岁）指出，目前的情况是，虽然有的学生不太重视华文，但他们可能因为小六会考所需而学习。
有的父母来自讲英语家庭背景，现在为了帮助孩子学习华文而请补习老师。如果教育部调整政策，确实可以减轻这些父母和孩子学习华文的压力。
不过，她也担心一旦降低华文在小六会考成绩的比重，连锁反应将会出现，因为这会给家长传达不必重视华文的信息，而家长影响孩子，孩子也就跟着认为华文可以不用予以重视，因此影响学习态度。结果是：教师的负担会更重。
受访的华文教师也担心，若学生在小学没尽全力学习华文，打好基础，培养学习华文的兴趣，上了中学基础太过薄弱，学习就会有更大的困难。当难度增加，学生学习的兴趣又自然递减，到头来掌握母语的能力就更弱了。 -
below is from a chinese forum:
减少母语成绩比重对初来乍到的中国籍小学生而言的确不是好消息。但是，塞翁失马，安知祸福。从长远来看，未必没有好处。
1、新加坡的教育优势最根本的不在双语。而在英语。设想一下，如果新加坡像马来西亚一样开始用母语讲数理，中国父母还会送自己的孩子来读书吗？我肯定不会，那不等于花新加坡标准的钱，学低于国内标准的华文吗？
2、减少华文比重有利于逐步摆脱“新式英语”的困扰。可以逐步达到花新加坡标准的钱，学国际标准的英文。
3、中国籍小学生华文的先天优势不会因会考成绩比重调整影响太大。有条件的可以让孩子回中国多过几个假期，恶补一下，足以应付。
4、对升学的负面影响也只是短期的。置于死地而后生，置于亡地而后存，可以迫使孩子潜心全力学好英文，奋起直追。 -
ruolei:
that is the kind of fighting spirit lacking from the singaporean parents and being inculcated to their offspringbelow is from a chinese forum:
减少母语成绩比重对初来乍到的中国籍小学生而言的确不是好消息。但是，塞翁失马，安知祸福。从长远来看，未必没有好处。
1、新加坡的教育优势最根本的不在双语。而在英语。设想一下，如果新加坡像马来西亚一样开始用母语讲数理，中国父母还会送自己的孩子来读书吗？我肯定不会，那不等于花新加坡标准的钱，学低于国内标准的华文吗？
2、减少华文比重有利于逐步摆脱“新式英语”的困扰。可以逐步达到花新加坡标准的钱，学国际标准的英文。
3、中国籍小学生华文的先天优势不会因会考成绩比重调整影响太大。有条件的可以让孩子回中国多过几个假期，恶补一下，足以应付。
4、对升学的负面影响也只是短期的。置于死地而后生，置于亡地而后存，可以迫使孩子潜心全力学好英文，奋起直追。
it reflects a whiner griper loser mentality instead of fighting to win in an adverse situation to be an overcomer
if a person who can't master all the subjects, any subjects, he / she is just not good enough and does not deserve a place at the top secondary school
it is only those who truly can master all his 4 subjects are considered top
tell your kids : if the PRC kids in Singapore can do it, so can you. It is all a matter of attitude and discipline, after all, it is only 4 subjects! -
Dear fellow parents, I strongly oppose to this decision, because it will only benefit those who are super strong in English language. My child can manage both languages quite ok. not superb. so with this new weighing, my child would be disadvantaged!!
It is a form of elitism by a small group of parents who has been pressurising the government. If we let them have their way, our children would be strongly disadvantaged. I spoken to other parents about it and they felt the same way too!
I called up MOE call centre this afternoon to reflect my view to Mr Ng Eng Hen. They recorded my message and would relay to Mr Ng. I hope more parents would follow suit and do likewise. As a parent who really wants my child to have a good foundation in own Chinese language and English Language, such a drastic move by MOE is simply language suicidal.
MOE call centre phone no is 68722220. Just say that you want to air your view on the latest PSLE MT weightage issue and the kind officer will help you relay your message. More voice the better, i strongly oppose to the change in weighing. It is just unfair to my boy or someone who is more linguistically inclined. MOE everyday change policy, if we believe in everyone of them and not think on our feet, we will be cheated by them!
Do not be silent about it, it is our children future education. :x -
Thought yesterday's report was to reduce MT weighting so that those weaker in MT also can get a chance to vie for top sec schools?
Ch 8 news just reported MOE is also reviewing a change in the admission criteria of top secondary schools to enable those who are good in MT to enter such schools.
:? rather contradicting? Wonder what great ideas they will come up with? Is it possible for them to please both camps? -
cascada:
First point is some people claim that weak in MT but good in all other subjects but deprived of opportunity to enter good schools. To me, there should be some good schools who should take in kids extremely bright in other subjects but weak in MT and groom them specially. Why touch the forest for a few trees? Solve the trees problem not the forest.Thought yesterday's report was to reduce MT weighting so that those weaker in MT also can get a chance to vie for top sec schools?
Ch 8 news just reported MOE is also reviewing a change in the admission criteria of top secondary schools to enable those who are good in MT to enter such schools.
:? rather contradicting? Wonder what great ideas they will come up with? Is it possible for them to please both camps?
Second point, if they are good in MT but weak in other subjects, enter the top schools for what? Drown and lower esteem like what was described in the SJI situation? If they mean good in all subjects including MT, also nothing to review, they get in anyway.
Perhaps the problem identified is real but the solutions are really not well-thought. -
part of education is to inculcate some form of tenacity and desire to overcome challenges. please dont expect things to fall your way.
like some forumer said, kid who does well in 4 subjects > kid who does well in 3. be it english or chinese or math or sci or humanities or whatsoever. the former has better mental capacity ‘at that stage’ to be more all-rounded in all aspects. THAT IS IT. live with it and learn from it and challenge yourself to be better. and not whine and ask for things to suit your way. it is quite a joke.
think I should add in that this initiative branches off from parents of kids who cannot get a place in top schools because of MT. it should be noted that they lost their places to kids who did well in all subjects. what is there to complain? it is not that the top schools offered places to kids who did well in Chinese but did badly in English…
though I absolutely do not agree with FTs taking up all the places belonging to Singaporeans, it is the fact that some PSLE FT kids fare better. If we are not happy with it, what Singaporeans should do is to improve yourself and put up some fight and show them that we are not poorer. please don’t become a bigger joke and show some selfish minds. Nobody said English-speaking people are always better than the Chinese-speaking. -
tamarind:
Hi Tam,Dear all parents,
Please use this feedback form and send your comments to MOE.
http://www.moe.gov.sg/feedback/
They will definitely reply you, I tried it before.
Based on my experience with maid issues, we can complain thousands of times in the internet forums, the gahmen pretends not to see. This is because one person can create many different accounts and post under different nicknames. The gahmen only wants to listen to comments from \"real people\".
Thanks for your link. I've submitted my comments. -
goldenretriever:
Frankly speaking, I think that nowadays the Chinese is tougher compared to my times. Just look at their comprehension/cloze passages, and the type of phrases that the teachers expect to see in the student's compo. Even when you look at the composition guidebooks, they are filled with bombastic phrases, which I think is definitely beyond the kids ability. Lowering the weightage maybe a good thing cos MOE got to be realistic about the fact that most kids come from English-speaking family background. As a Chinese, I have always stressed to my kids that they must know how to read, write and speak Chinese fluently. However, the local environment says otherwise when almost every subject is taught in English.
I am not sure I will agree with you on this. You did not mention \"your times\" was how long ago. Anyway, I was born in the late sixties. The then education system was divided into English and Chinese school for both primary and secondary. My parents enrolled me into a Chinese primary school, and subsequently I was successfully switched over to English stream when I entered sec 1.
From what I have gone through, Chinese during my times was much more difficult and more in depth. The intensity and the standard of the passage we studied were much higher than todays so call Higher Chinese. For some of my school mates who continue their secondary education in the Chinese stream, the Chinese text book were totally different from today Higher Chinese in secondary school. I mean the level of difficulty. World apart.
My sister was 6 years my junior and she was from a sap school, during her time, there was Chinese as a 1st language and Chinese as a 2nd language category. She took Chinese as a 1st language, but again the standard of 1st language during her times was lower than those who were in the Chinese stream during my times.
What I am trying to say is the standard of Chinese subject in our education system has been lowering ever since and yet both my kids are struggling. Having said that, I lack the English foundation they have at a very young age.
I did not have an easy time at secondary school as my English foundation was poor. And even struggle through for math initially as math was thought in mandarin in my primary school years. I guess my then situation was somewhat similar to those China students coming over here for education. Hard work can eventually pay off.
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