Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary

[KoolKat88]

Is there any parents from Primary 2 Respect 1 keen to link up? We just joined the class this year.

[farmermum]

The school has been having devotion session everyday since I was a student there 30 yrs ago, and much longer before that. We even have bible studies lessons within the timetable. As much as I believe non believers should be allowed to do their silent reading during this time, and I understand this to be the current practice, I also believe that if parents are not comfortable, they shouldnt be sending their children to study in the school in the first place. Give up the slot, there’ll be many who are eager to take it up with no complains.

Not trying to start a war here. Just my point of view.

[janet88]

farmermum:

The school has been having devotion session everyday since I was a student there 30 yrs ago, and much longer before that. We even have bible studies lessons within the timetable. As much as I believe non believers should be allowed to do their silent reading during this time, and I understand this to be the current practice, I also believe that if parents are not comfortable, they shouldnt be sending their children to study in the school in the first place. Give up the slot, there'll be many who are eager to take it up with no complains.

Not trying to start a war here. Just my point of view.

non christians are allowed to do something else. HCL is compulsory from p1. if parents feel their kids can't cope, then it's better to consider another school.

[janet88]

my family believes in buddhism.

my kids attended a christian kindy. son attended pei hwa and daughter is in a catholic school. whether it is buddhism, catholics or christian, these are religions which instill right values. my daughter doesn’t attend catholic lessons but civil and moral education instead. until now, they have not asked to be christians or catholics. it’s perfectly ok for them to know more about other religions.

[brainkuku]

I think it is not a matter about Christians or non Christians. But rather, the school/ principal has (if I may loosely use this word) "withheld" information on opting out from the devotion before school starts during the parents’ orientation.


I do not think this is what all of us who has integrity will do so. It is human affinity with God .

There are many avenues for the school to try to preach such as the recess prayers and a preacher and what’s not. You don’t have to "withhold" information.

So food for thoughts. With the withholding of information, is this what we are trying to teach the kids to speak the truth and hide the facts? Is this what the school is trying to enforce?

[Jennifer]

Choosing which primary school to send our child to is a major decision which most of us will do a fair amount of homework to check out the school- the culture, the PSLE achievements, etc.


Personally I spoke to friends to find out what the school was like before I submitted the application.

I am more inclined to believe that the school made an oversight (some might feel strongly that this is a gross mistake to make) in not informing parents, in written letter or orally that opt out of devotion time is available.

[janet88]

Jennifer:

Choosing which primary school to send our child to is a major decision which most of us will do a fair amount of homework to check out the school- the culture, the PSLE achievements, etc.


Personally I spoke to friends to find out what the school was like before I submitted the application.

I am more inclined to believe that the school made an oversight (some might feel strongly that this is a gross mistake to make) in not informing parents, in written letter or orally that opt out of devotion time is available.

agree with you.
with P1 registration coming up soon, parents need to understand their kids' characters before registering in the school. pei hwa is a SAP school, and HCL is compulsory from P1.

[limnieng]

farmermum:

The school has been having devotion session everyday since I was a student there 30 yrs ago, and much longer before that. We even have bible studies lessons within the timetable. As much as I believe non believers should be allowed to do their silent reading during this time, and I understand this to be the current practice, I also believe that if parents are not comfortable, they shouldnt be sending their children to study in the school in the first place. Give up the slot, there'll be many who are eager to take it up with no complains.

Not trying to start a war here. Just my point of view.

And here's my point of view, well... actually it's just repeating what I've said before:

\"Government schools with religious affiliations are still public institutions, and if they are allowed to proselytize to their pupil regardless of the pupils or parents' religion, and then say \"if you don't like it, get out!\", that akin to hijacking governmental resource and infrastructure (i.e. taxpayer's money and the government school system) to promote individual religious agenda. To tell parents and students that the option is either to accept the school's proselytising or to get out is blatant bigotry in a public institution.\"

As I've said, it's quite clear that PHPPS is a school with religious affiliation, and hence it is totally understandable that they would have devotion sessions and CVE (Christian Values Education) programmes available in the school. There's no problem with having these programmes. These programmes becomes an issue when, as brainkuku so succinctly puts it, the school/ principal consciously or not \"withheld\" the nature of their optionality from parents, by not overtly announcing their optionality and hence depriving parents from exercising that option. It is an disingenuous action. And to Jennifer's comment, yes I do think it is a gross mistake to make, regardless of whether it is an oversight. Because when schools will provide clear information and give out consent forms to parents for a single school outing, it is unthinkable that they will make such an \"oversight\" on a programme that is conducted on a everyday basis.

So I totally agree with brainkuku and janet88, transparency is the issue here, not religion. Religion cannot, must not, be the basis for telling people if they should or should not be sending their children to a public secular school (albeit one with religious affiliation). Saying \"stop complaining or get out\" is the beginning of religious bigotry, something that I refuse to condone (and actually find hideously frightening in a society like Singapore), especially when it pertains to a public school open to all citizens.

And yes, the school could also do a better job at portraying itself as the SAP school that it is. It is one of only 15 primary schools to be gifted with the programme by MOE, and the school has an important and obligatory responsibility to cultivate strong bilingual abilities in their students.

[Jennifer]

Has PH ever told parents/students to get out if you do not attend devotion?


I know I suggested "if all things fails, you might want to consider transferring the child out". This is my personal suggestion before the concerned parent received a reply from the school.

Just want to clarify.

[limnieng]

Jennifer:

Has PH ever told parents/students to get out if you do not attend devotion?


I know I suggested \"if all things fails, you might want to consider transferring the child out\". This is my personal suggestion before the concerned parent received a reply from the school.

Just want to clarify.

I'm glad PHPPS understands that it is a first and foremost a secular school, so the VP personally called me about a month back to assure me of the optionality of devotion sessions, and that this is a singular case of miscommunication (though I would rather categorised it as a case of non-communication).

The following is what I emailed to the P and VPs after our call:

\"Thank you Mrs Hiew for your prompt phone call and reassurance.

I’m glad to hear from you that the devotion activity is optional, and that this is simply a singular case of miscommunication where the optionality of planned religious activities in the school has not been clearly communicated to parents.

I understand from our conversation that attendance is taken after the devotion, and the children are only marked as late if they failed to turn up for pledge-taking. As the devotion for afternoon classes begins from 12:30pm and last till 12:50pm, we can plan for our child to be in the hall by 12:50pm before pledge-taking. Due to CCAs, there are certain days where the children will be send to school earlier and will have to be in the hall by 12:30pm. Or when children taking school buses have to uniformly arrived in school by 12:30pm. In such cases, I understand that the form teacher will approach the child of non-religious parents and sit them out from the devotion period.

Religious activities in public governmental schools is a sensitive issue that I feel have to be handled with care. I hope the school can clearly inform non-religious parents of any future religious activities scheduled by the school before they are carried out, and how we can arrange for our children to opt out of such activities.

Thank you again for your clarification.\"

I'm glad that PHPPS understands this is the right thing to do, and that future instances of \"miscommunication\" can be avoided.