* Nanyang JC (NYJC)
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Omg! This is more interesting than Korean drama ‘Sky Castle’. Anyway, tomorrow is J1 assembly day and the mystery of the Y21/22 Mean or Median, which some parents here are super curious, should be revealed by Mr Low. I feel it should still be within the top 5 but in any case, the cohort of 21xx still deserve our praises and encouragement for their tremendous effort and perseverance over the past 2 years. The mugging is real if you know what I meant. Results is important but not everything. As long as the RP are good enough to qualify for university courses of their choice, it is good enough. Well, that’s me! :siam:
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usaik881\" post_id=\"2098432\" time=\"1676900101\" user_id=\"199461:
I had said what I need to say earlier; the rest who can read what I wrote would have understood my point. Did I mention paper qualifications aren't important at all? Some people here want to rebut for the sake of rebutting without reading what I wrote; it's difficult to carry on the conversation from here if one doesn't want to read.
We are adamant the writer is engaged in lose talking.
[And FYI, I'm now working overseas, and I have qualifications (up to PhD) from top overseas universities in the field I'm specializing. My point is not to brag, but to give my perspective on this whole result comparison thing despite the paper qualifications I have.] Since it is a preamble, here is ours. We are a retired couple. One was an accountant with a doctorate from Down Under whose thesis title was, Career Progression Issues of the Asian Corporate Accountant: A Confucian Perspective. Another was an engineer with a doctorate from North America whose dissertation title was, A System Dynamic Model of LPG Demand with Particular Analysis of the Pollution Dynamic from LPG Production in South Korea and Japan. Nobody, under whatever education system, can engage in doctoral level work unless that person meets specific academic requirements. And all education system requirements start with a GOOD 1st degree.
[This whole paper qualification and school thing, once you leave SG and work overseas, you realize they aren't everything (maybe SG civil service still now talks about having at least 2nd upper degree for promotion; I don't know?)] For someone with a doctorate to say paper qualifications aren't everything, that someone, without a doubt, is engaged in lose talking. Most UK Us require a 2:1 degree for a research masters. Some UK Us allow direct entry to the doctorate if the 1st degree is a First. Almost all US Us require completion of a masters before proceeding to the doctorate. Therefore, unless one has a degree or degrees, how can the said same one get onto a U doctoral degree program? How?
[Paper qualifications can open doors to recruitment, but it's only a factor and your prior experiences that can't be summarized by paper qualifications are MORE important; after that, your boss don't harp after your prior achievements, but what you aspire to do for the team matters the most now (at least that's what my boss is like).] This is an example of confused talking, the talking of two different things in a single breath, one being the initial job employment and the other being the subsequent job progression. Simply said, without the requisite paper qualifications, job employment cannot come about so that any talk of subsequent job progression is meaningless talk since it cannot take place.
[I studied in SG before leaving, so I totally understood how people can be revering paper qualifications and how not doing well to enter top schools means \"many doors are shut and your life is gone\".] By general consensus, schools attain their ranks over a period of time and they do so because they produce results. Many say, this is because of better input giving better output. Aha. If the formula is so simple, why don't all the others do so? Many say, not so easy lah because the better ones are choosy and they prefer only the handful. In other words, it is not so easy. We remain consistent in our position: parents must choose a suitable school for their DS and not a popular school for their DS. We have been asked, what do we mean by a suitable school? At age 12, after the PSLE, or at age 16, after the O levels, the end goal is to get that UAS of 90 together with that exemplary portfolio that permits a chance at a preferred scholarship and/or a U program of choice (we stick with the A Levels since we are unfamiliar with the IB). Many say, school choice doesn't count lah, it is private tuition. Okay. We concede. The end is far more important than the means. If tuition gets the job done, then, tuition is the way. Aha. Tuition, surely, cannot provide the precious opportunities at portfolio building, or can it? Ultimately, we have to come back full circle to school choice, choosing a suitable school, isn't it?
[I just want to tell all students and anyone out there, paper qualifications and the opportunities the school you are in open doors, yes, but whatever your results are, always believe in yourself if you want to pursue your dreams. Meet any failures in life? Face them up strongly; you'll become a better person rather than trying to blame the environment you are in. Leverage on your strengths and passion whatever the present situation you are facing to live your own life path.] This is confused talking no matter how one reads it. Where is the FAILURE, when it is at school selection stage? And let us not mince words. Why talk OF your 12 year old, as if they are doomed to fail 6 years later? Why talk OF your 16 year old, as if they are doomed to fail 2 years later? Why? Many say, we are realistic one. Ok. We concede. If at age 12 or age 16 you have already decided your own child is not going to succeed academically, we are in no position to dispute your decision.
We state one more thing. Some really engage in lose talking. We call this the anyhow talk type. One even said their company hires all kinds, without regard to degree or academics but purely on performance. Hello? Is it really so? Do companies really recruit like this? Come on. All companies recruit based on a job spec. The job spec states, for 100% certainty, the minimum educational requirements for that job besides the number of years of experience required for that job. And by the way, recruiting purely on job performance is truly impossible for a fresh graduate seeking their first job. So for anyone to say their company hires purely on performance this someone is either saying they don't hire fresh graduates at all or they don't know what they are talking about.
Some people are just here to help by posting; why not read carefully first and consider if there is any merits in what they wrote?
By the way, there are some factual errors in your reply: most USA research graduate programs are direct PhD programs that directly admit undergraduates usually, so a Master's isn't a requirement. Most successful applicants have good (no need perfect) undergraduate grades, but good grades alone isn't enough; you need to demonstrate some research ability in the field you intend to specialize in, either through journal publications or undergraduate research programs. In other words, admission is still holistic and not based only on paper qualifications; a 3.5/4 GPA with relevant publications will get accepted over a 4/4 GPA without publications. And having PhD just means you are specialized in a specific field; it doesn't make anyone bigger or greater than other people around them. I know all these because I've applied to many graduate programs in various parts of the world and saw how my then supervisor selects students to admit. I'm not dwelling into details about graduate schools as this thread is about tertiary education. -
Happen to see this article that was published in ST yesterday. Looks like the school must have done something right and hopefully it encourages other schools to learn from their best practices. Going forward let’s share more factual and uplifting stories for a more productive discussion. No point dwelling on ranking because when our children’s welfare is being taken of, they will achieve their full potential. :boogie:
Copying it here
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/school-spotlight-how-neighbourhood-nanyang-junior-college-goes-from-mid-tier-to-top
SINGAPORE – When 16-year-old Lim Yu Xi got a net score of three points in her O-level examinations and could have had her pick of more established schools, she chose Nanyang Junior College (NYJC) instead.
She had her heart set on the school in Serangoon since the end of Secondary 2 as she liked that it offers a wide range of subjects without fixed subject combinations. “I would be able to choose subjects based on my interests without having to worry about whether there would be such a combination available,” says the former Xinmin Secondary School student, citing subjects such as computing and translation.
Another plus point is the culture of the school that was set up in 1978. “NYJC is known for people with good grades and a social life,” says Yu Xi, now a first-year JC student who is studying computing, chemistry, mathematics and economics.
She is not alone among students who did well in their O levels in opting for NYJC, whose enrolment in 2023 is 1,400-strong.
In the 2022 and 2023 Joint Admissions Exercise, NYJC’s cut-off score was six for arts and five for science, putting it in almost the same league as top schools like Raffles Institution (RI) and Hwa Chong Institution (HCI), which both have a cut-off point of five for arts and four for science.
The cut-off point is the score of the last student admitted to a JC during the annual exercise where O-level graduates apply for post-secondary institutions. The score is calculated using a student’s L1R5 – first language and five relevant subjects.
NYJC, whose cut-off scores have been improving in the last decade, is now the top JC that does not offer the integrated programme (IP).
There are eight such JCs. In IP schools, students bypass the O levels and take the A levels after six years.
In 2005, NYJC was a mid-tier JC, with a cut-off score of 12 points for both the science and arts courses.
This improved to six points for science and seven for arts in 2016. At that time, several JCs, including Victoria and National, had a better cut-off score.
It was not until 2022 that its cut-off scores put it second to RI and HCI, among the JCs offering the A-level exams.
NYJC principal Low Chun Meng, who has been heading the school since 2017, says a good cut-off point is one measure of how popular a school is, but not necessarily a gauge of how good it is.
“I don’t think we do anything special to bring down the cut-off point. That is not on our table at any point of time,” he adds.
Instead, he focuses on the learning experience of his students, by continuing and enhancing the work of his predecessor, retired principal Kwek Hiok Chuang.
“When we treat our students like young adults and they know they need to take ownership of their own learning; when they make a good number of friends and support one another; they will be happy and somehow the good word will spread,” says Mr Low.
NYJC’s A-level results have seen a corresponding improvement in the last 10 years.
In 2013, two in 10 students scored 85 rank points or better, and 15 per cent scored distinctions in at least three H2 subjects.
In 2022, six in 10 scored at least 85 rank points, and half the students obtained distinctions in at least three H2 subjects.
An H2 subject is an A-level subject.
Putting students first
In 2006 when Mr Kwek became NYJC principal, he introduced changes that prioritised the students.
“I asked myself what I would hope to achieve if I were studying in a JC and how I would want to be treated,” says Mr Kwek, who retired in 2016 and is now 68 years old.
With those questions as a guiding post, one of the first things he did was to reduce the number of school rules.
Among the rules that were removed was one that stated that students had to be in full school uniform to enter the library.
“We had a good library, but students were not using it because of the rule,” Mr Kwek recalls.
He also scrapped rules on the lengths of school skirts and hair.
“I just told them they must look like a student. And the majority of them are very ‘guai’,” he said, using the Chinese word for well-behaved.
Other changes include a school start time of 8.30am instead of 7.30am, four “dress-down” days in a week when the students can wear school or class T-shirts rather than the uniform, and keeping the school open seven days a week, even on public holidays, to ensure students have a conducive space to study.
Mr Kwek also introduced a flexible subject combination option, which gave students autonomy to pick the subjects they liked. On average, the college offers 90 to 100 subject combinations each year.
Apart from students, Mr Kwek focused on his teachers, by trusting them to do their job well, keeping meetings short and asking them from time to time how he could help them do their job better.
“Little things matter; how you are treated matters. When students and teachers are happy, they will want to do more,” he says.
Mr Kwek encouraged students to take charge of their own learning by seeking advice from their teachers.
“I told my teachers, ‘Let’s have a culture of consultation.’ I told my students, ‘If you cannot find your teacher, look for me, I’ll find another teacher to help you. You don’t have to seek consultation from your own tutor,’” he says.
He believes that success breeds success.
“When you are in a place where you feel good, have positive relationships with friends and teachers, and teachers are guiding you properly, results will naturally go up,” he adds.
But for the former maths teacher, his most important move was perhaps to speak to a wide range of secondary schools.
“Some JCs talk only to a few good schools. I talk to everybody, because there are gems in all schools. If I can get the gems from all the schools, my school will flourish,” he says.
He and his teachers went to these schools to give talks.
Today, NYJC students come from some 85 secondary schools around Singapore.
“The improvement in the cut-off score is the unintended consequence of all that we put in place. We plan and hope that things will improve. How it improves is beyond us,” he adds.
Ensuring school continues to flourish
In 2023, NYJC will launch a science research programme, a collaboration with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and three secondary schools, where students will get to work with scientists on projects.
Not only will NYJC students have the exposure, but secondary students involved may also be able to apply to the college via Direct School Admission (DSA), hence building a future pool of students, says current principal Mr Low.
Under the DSA scheme, students seek admission to schools based on their talent in sports, co-curricular activities or specific academic areas.
“Many students are keen and research is something we can do for Singapore and provide our students with opportunities that will benefit them,” he adds.
The school has also been contacting former students and inviting them to share their experiences with their juniors.
“Hearing from someone who has walked the steps before you is powerful. There is a sense of connectedness and the sharing serves as inspiration for our students,” he says.
Mr Low has continued Mr Kwek’s legacy of a culture of care.
When masks were compulsory in schools during the pandemic, NYJC installed an air cooler in each classroom for the teachers, as they were further away from the ceiling fans.
At the height of the pandemic, when the number of infections was high, Mr Low decided to keep the school open on weekends so that students who had nowhere to go for revision could return to study. And some 200 to 300 students did.
While teachers are now unable to work from home, unlike other professions, the school has tried to cater to the needs of those who need to leave earlier or arrive later.
Beyond creating a conducive environment, Mr Low also challenges students to think about the bigger society.
“I ask them what is the purpose of getting good results or getting a good university course. Is it just about a good job or is there more to life? We don’t want our students to be intelligent but self-centred people,” he says.
To encourage students to do more for others, the JC invites social service agencies to speak to them, such as those helping the elderly, mentoring younger children or championing animal welfare.
Then students pick a cause they are interested in so that there is a greater sense of ownership.
“Youths are still figuring out what their role in life is. Giving them a choice is critical,” he notes.
While the school has helped many students graduate with top results, Mr Low is proud of the fact that even students from the Normal stream who entered did well in the A-level exams.
“There were students who didn’t do so well before they came to NYJC. They came here, enjoyed their learning, blossomed and did well.
“This is an important mission of the school – to prepare all students well for life, so that they can contribute to the community,” he says.
Word of mouth, culture of care
The school’s location and accessibility might have a part to play in its increase in popularity.
It is sited next to the Lorong Chuan Circle Line station which started operations in 2009.
But students interviewed also listed various reasons for picking the school.
Word-of-mouth recommendations were key for students like Nixon Tan, 17. The second-year student heard from his Nan Chiau High seniors who had good experiences in the college.
Other students accessed online forums where students discussed their times in schools.
Michelle Toh, 17, who was formerly from CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School, likes the late start time and dress-down days.
“It shows that the school prioritises student welfare which is important to me,” says the second-year student.
Some first-year students, like Yeh Zhe Kai, 16, and Kyaw Naing Htet, 17, were drawn by the fact that NYJC is a non-IP school, which means everyone would be entering after O levels and they felt it would be easier to make friends.
A former student, Mr Than Zheng Yu, 21, picked the school because he wanted to take chemistry, mathematics, economics and geography at the H2 level. But the care and support he received extended beyond academic learning, especially because he was in the first graduating cohort affected by Covid-19 in 2020.
“My chemistry teacher emphasised a lot on taking care of ourselves and making sure we were not stressed just because we were cooped up at home,” says Mr Than, who has completed his national service and is waiting to enter NUS to study psychology.
First-year student En Teo, 16, who got five points for her O-level exams in Bendemeer Secondary, was asked by relatives why she did not choose a “better” JC.
She says: “I think people of the older generation are still stuck with the misconception that NYJC is not as good and competitive as the so-called top JCs of the past.”
An education research scientist from the National Institute of Education, Dr Lee Shu Shing says NYJC’s improvement in cut-off scores is a long-term development that did not happen overnight.
“It is the work of generations of principals, teachers and students that is bearing fruit today. They focused on student needs and holistic growth, not just academics,” she adds.
She notes that student-centredness is not just about doing everything the students like.
“It is also nudging them in areas of growth when necessary, and providing the necessary support to help them. For example, opening up the school is one way to support students, rather than just telling them to study,” says Dr Lee.
“Students feel cared for when they can do what they like, are able to develop in their niche area, and the school provides the guidance they need.”
School Spotlight is a new series which takes an in-depth look at how some schools are doing things differently. -
lassie girl\" post_id=\"2098443\" time=\"1676910043\" user_id=\"35383:[quote=\"lassie girl\" post_id=2098443 time=1676910043 user_id=35383]
:goodpost: thanks for sharing.
Happen to see this article that was published in ST yesterday. Looks like the school must have done something right and hopefully it encourages other schools to learn from their best practices. Going forward let’s share more factual and uplifting stories for a more productive discussion. No point dwelling on ranking because when our children’s welfare is being taken of, they will achieve their full potential. :boogie:
Copying it here
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/school-spotlight-how-neighbourhood-nanyang-junior-college-goes-from-mid-tier-to-top
SINGAPORE – When 16-year-old Lim Yu Xi got a net score of three points in her O-level examinations and could have had her pick of more established schools, she chose Nanyang Junior College (NYJC) instead.
She had her heart set on the school in Serangoon since the end of Secondary 2 as she liked that it offers a wide range of subjects without fixed subject combinations. “I would be able to choose subjects based on my interests without having to worry about whether there would be such a combination available,” says the former Xinmin Secondary School student, citing subjects such as computing and translation.
Another plus point is the culture of the school that was set up in 1978. “NYJC is known for people with good grades and a social life,” says Yu Xi, now a first-year JC student who is studying computing, chemistry, mathematics and economics.
She is not alone among students who did well in their O levels in opting for NYJC, whose enrolment in 2023 is 1,400-strong.
In the 2022 and 2023 Joint Admissions Exercise, NYJC’s cut-off score was six for arts and five for science, putting it in almost the same league as top schools like Raffles Institution (RI) and Hwa Chong Institution (HCI), which both have a cut-off point of five for arts and four for science.
The cut-off point is the score of the last student admitted to a JC during the annual exercise where O-level graduates apply for post-secondary institutions. The score is calculated using a student’s L1R5 – first language and five relevant subjects.
NYJC, whose cut-off scores have been improving in the last decade, is now the top JC that does not offer the integrated programme (IP).
There are eight such JCs. In IP schools, students bypass the O levels and take the A levels after six years.
In 2005, NYJC was a mid-tier JC, with a cut-off score of 12 points for both the science and arts courses.
This improved to six points for science and seven for arts in 2016. At that time, several JCs, including Victoria and National, had a better cut-off score.
It was not until 2022 that its cut-off scores put it second to RI and HCI, among the JCs offering the A-level exams.
NYJC principal Low Chun Meng, who has been heading the school since 2017, says a good cut-off point is one measure of how popular a school is, but not necessarily a gauge of how good it is.
“I don’t think we do anything special to bring down the cut-off point. That is not on our table at any point of time,” he adds.
Instead, he focuses on the learning experience of his students, by continuing and enhancing the work of his predecessor, retired principal Kwek Hiok Chuang.
“When we treat our students like young adults and they know they need to take ownership of their own learning; when they make a good number of friends and support one another; they will be happy and somehow the good word will spread,” says Mr Low.
NYJC’s A-level results have seen a corresponding improvement in the last 10 years.
In 2013, two in 10 students scored 85 rank points or better, and 15 per cent scored distinctions in at least three H2 subjects.
In 2022, six in 10 scored at least 85 rank points, and half the students obtained distinctions in at least three H2 subjects.
An H2 subject is an A-level subject.
Putting students first
In 2006 when Mr Kwek became NYJC principal, he introduced changes that prioritised the students.
“I asked myself what I would hope to achieve if I were studying in a JC and how I would want to be treated,” says Mr Kwek, who retired in 2016 and is now 68 years old.
With those questions as a guiding post, one of the first things he did was to reduce the number of school rules.
Among the rules that were removed was one that stated that students had to be in full school uniform to enter the library.
“We had a good library, but students were not using it because of the rule,” Mr Kwek recalls.
He also scrapped rules on the lengths of school skirts and hair.
“I just told them they must look like a student. And the majority of them are very ‘guai’,” he said, using the Chinese word for well-behaved.
Other changes include a school start time of 8.30am instead of 7.30am, four “dress-down” days in a week when the students can wear school or class T-shirts rather than the uniform, and keeping the school open seven days a week, even on public holidays, to ensure students have a conducive space to study.
Mr Kwek also introduced a flexible subject combination option, which gave students autonomy to pick the subjects they liked. On average, the college offers 90 to 100 subject combinations each year.
Apart from students, Mr Kwek focused on his teachers, by trusting them to do their job well, keeping meetings short and asking them from time to time how he could help them do their job better.
“Little things matter; how you are treated matters. When students and teachers are happy, they will want to do more,” he says.
Mr Kwek encouraged students to take charge of their own learning by seeking advice from their teachers.
“I told my teachers, ‘Let’s have a culture of consultation.’ I told my students, ‘If you cannot find your teacher, look for me, I’ll find another teacher to help you. You don’t have to seek consultation from your own tutor,’” he says.
He believes that success breeds success.
“When you are in a place where you feel good, have positive relationships with friends and teachers, and teachers are guiding you properly, results will naturally go up,” he adds.
But for the former maths teacher, his most important move was perhaps to speak to a wide range of secondary schools.
“Some JCs talk only to a few good schools. I talk to everybody, because there are gems in all schools. If I can get the gems from all the schools, my school will flourish,” he says.
He and his teachers went to these schools to give talks.
Today, NYJC students come from some 85 secondary schools around Singapore.
“The improvement in the cut-off score is the unintended consequence of all that we put in place. We plan and hope that things will improve. How it improves is beyond us,” he adds.
Ensuring school continues to flourish
In 2023, NYJC will launch a science research programme, a collaboration with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and three secondary schools, where students will get to work with scientists on projects.
Not only will NYJC students have the exposure, but secondary students involved may also be able to apply to the college via Direct School Admission (DSA), hence building a future pool of students, says current principal Mr Low.
Under the DSA scheme, students seek admission to schools based on their talent in sports, co-curricular activities or specific academic areas.
“Many students are keen and research is something we can do for Singapore and provide our students with opportunities that will benefit them,” he adds.
The school has also been contacting former students and inviting them to share their experiences with their juniors.
“Hearing from someone who has walked the steps before you is powerful. There is a sense of connectedness and the sharing serves as inspiration for our students,” he says.
Mr Low has continued Mr Kwek’s legacy of a culture of care.
When masks were compulsory in schools during the pandemic, NYJC installed an air cooler in each classroom for the teachers, as they were further away from the ceiling fans.
At the height of the pandemic, when the number of infections was high, Mr Low decided to keep the school open on weekends so that students who had nowhere to go for revision could return to study. And some 200 to 300 students did.
While teachers are now unable to work from home, unlike other professions, the school has tried to cater to the needs of those who need to leave earlier or arrive later.
Beyond creating a conducive environment, Mr Low also challenges students to think about the bigger society.
“I ask them what is the purpose of getting good results or getting a good university course. Is it just about a good job or is there more to life? We don’t want our students to be intelligent but self-centred people,” he says.
To encourage students to do more for others, the JC invites social service agencies to speak to them, such as those helping the elderly, mentoring younger children or championing animal welfare.
Then students pick a cause they are interested in so that there is a greater sense of ownership.
“Youths are still figuring out what their role in life is. Giving them a choice is critical,” he notes.
While the school has helped many students graduate with top results, Mr Low is proud of the fact that even students from the Normal stream who entered did well in the A-level exams.
“There were students who didn’t do so well before they came to NYJC. They came here, enjoyed their learning, blossomed and did well.
“This is an important mission of the school – to prepare all students well for life, so that they can contribute to the community,” he says.
Word of mouth, culture of care
The school’s location and accessibility might have a part to play in its increase in popularity.
It is sited next to the Lorong Chuan Circle Line station which started operations in 2009.
But students interviewed also listed various reasons for picking the school.
Word-of-mouth recommendations were key for students like Nixon Tan, 17. The second-year student heard from his Nan Chiau High seniors who had good experiences in the college.
Other students accessed online forums where students discussed their times in schools.
Michelle Toh, 17, who was formerly from CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School, likes the late start time and dress-down days.
“It shows that the school prioritises student welfare which is important to me,” says the second-year student.
Some first-year students, like Yeh Zhe Kai, 16, and Kyaw Naing Htet, 17, were drawn by the fact that NYJC is a non-IP school, which means everyone would be entering after O levels and they felt it would be easier to make friends.
A former student, Mr Than Zheng Yu, 21, picked the school because he wanted to take chemistry, mathematics, economics and geography at the H2 level. But the care and support he received extended beyond academic learning, especially because he was in the first graduating cohort affected by Covid-19 in 2020.
“My chemistry teacher emphasised a lot on taking care of ourselves and making sure we were not stressed just because we were cooped up at home,” says Mr Than, who has completed his national service and is waiting to enter NUS to study psychology.
First-year student En Teo, 16, who got five points for her O-level exams in Bendemeer Secondary, was asked by relatives why she did not choose a “better” JC.
She says: “I think people of the older generation are still stuck with the misconception that NYJC is not as good and competitive as the so-called top JCs of the past.”
An education research scientist from the National Institute of Education, Dr Lee Shu Shing says NYJC’s improvement in cut-off scores is a long-term development that did not happen overnight.
“It is the work of generations of principals, teachers and students that is bearing fruit today. They focused on student needs and holistic growth, not just academics,” she adds.
She notes that student-centredness is not just about doing everything the students like.
“It is also nudging them in areas of growth when necessary, and providing the necessary support to help them. For example, opening up the school is one way to support students, rather than just telling them to study,” says Dr Lee.
“Students feel cared for when they can do what they like, are able to develop in their niche area, and the school provides the guidance they need.”
School Spotlight is a new series which takes an in-depth look at how some schools are doing things differently.[/quote]
Opening up sch during weekends to students is a great move. Thru all these students centric changes the teens know that the sch and staff care.
But the strategic move to seek students from more schools, hence managed to attract top students from neighbourhood schs is why they can do so well.
:lovesite: -
I believe people who debate on schools ranking, mostly are just for their own intellectual entertainment.
Loosely, just like some us like to watch reality drama or EPL - we get excited when our supported move up the rank. :rahrah: And it so happen some parent fell into the rabbit hole unknowingly and things get ugly. If the latter can be avoided then should be ok, sometimes. Have a peaceful day ahead. -
NYJC and Chung Cheng High main/Yishun, are oversee by the same school committee. And their philosophy appear to be 中庸之道 (the mean doctrine). Can be loosely translated as: striking a balance in all things we do. Anyone that can relate to this, can consider joining NYJC
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lassie girl\" post_id=\"2098443\" time=\"1676910043\" user_id=\"35383:[quote=\"lassie girl\" post_id=2098443 time=1676910043 user_id=35383]
Thank you for sharing this ST paywall article. This article is very helpful for parents and prospective students to understand how NYJC unique education culture is attracting good students, and even to other principals to consider adopting some good practices. I happened to browse my ex-schools (NYJC being one of them) during my free time recently and came to this forum, only to be shocked at the kind of replies; people compared schools just for the sake of attacking no matter if the school is transparent, which I don't understand why people need to do that. After reading these, I had to say something.
Copying it here
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/school-spotlight-how-neighbourhood-nanyang-junior-college-goes-from-mid-tier-to-top[/quote]
Let me share my anecdotal experiences to further explain NYJC caring culture. I entered NYJC via PAE more than 10 years ago; I was one of the first few pioneer batches under the revised A level curriculum, so I leave everyone to guess my exact age. NYJC was under Mr Kwek back then, and I can attest how caring he and his team of teachers were to us PAE students. How often do you hear someone said a principal treating students like their friends? This is a hallmark of educators truly understanding students. There was once I missed a day of school, and despite being the PAE phase, my civics tutor called my home to check if I was OK. NYJC wasn't even a \"good\" mid-tier JC back then (science COP is 11/12), and its cohort consisted of students from various neighborhood secondary schools; I entered NYJC with a couple of my classmates from a neighborhood school.
After PAE, I left NYJC for one of top-5 JCs via JAE with better-than-prelim O level scores. Not that I dislike NYJC, but NY was far from my house and also I've been influenced by people around me saying better JCs have more resources. NYJC unique specialities that other common JC didn't offer then were its CLEP and AEP, but I wasn't interested into arts/languages. The only thing I'm thankful of my JAE JC is how it offers various science research attachments to NUS/NTU/A*star open to any interested student as it's a center of excellence in science (grades weren't an important criteria as every student in my batch who entered scored single-digit L1R5 so what's there to differentiate anyway). This gave me a headstart and helped me to discover my passion in research, which obviously moulded me into what I'm today by being a scientist. This is an example of how schools helped students to open doors to further opportunities with their niche programmes. Another thing is my JAE JC has lots of support to help students enter top overseas universities and scholarship programmes via alumni help, another thing I'm grateful for. Back then, NYJC didn't have these, but now in the article lassiegirl posted, NYJC is establishing its science research program now, which is heartening.
However, not every good student is happy to enrol in a top-tier JC. One of my classmates who entered NYJC during PAE with me successfully entered NJC during JAE. During first few weeks in NJC, she hated the culture and missed the nice NYJC environment and her PAE friends; she broke down crying in NJC as she felt she couldn't take it. After that, she appealed back into NYJC from NJC; obviously people around her thought she crazy by leaving a top-tier JC when so many people hoped to enter NJC, and NYJC wasn't so popular with good students anyway. Some of you here will think if your child makes such a decision, you'd be so upset, right? But she was happy to be back in NYJC and did pretty well for her A level with A for GP (NYJC was reputed to be one of few JCs to have a terrible GP dept); she entered NTU WKWSCI and is now working in the advertising industry, having a whale of her time.
Also, one thing I didn't like about my JAE JC then was my principal's management style isn't like Mr Kwek, which I missed after leaving NYJC. Lots of my peers didn't like the female principal of mine, known to be harsh in words to students failing to meet the usual academic standards and practising favoritism/discrimination towards top students, when everyone of us were trying so hard and we just hope someone would believe in us. During then, it seems most top-7 JC principals were females, and apart from my JC, my friends in these top-7 JCs also didn't like their female principals as well (I've nothing against females being principals, but that's my observation). Also, subject combinations and entry criteria were quite rigid, unlike NYJC; no use appealing and telling the school you have the passion to take on the subject combination, as it's a straight no if not many students are taking with you or your O level grades don't make the cut.
Thinking back now, principals and teachers in top JCs are under great pressure to maintain tip-top academic standards under SG academic meritocracy system. Hence, like some parents, they do what they think it's the best for students to spur students, even to the point of sacrificing the care and concern a student needs.
So the kind of caring and non-discriminatory education system NYJC has in place, I think it's worth emulating by other educators. It's no wonder NYJC continues to attract good students from a diverse range of secondary schools; I think its diverse, humble student body is a key factor in attracting good students who nowadays yearn more for a supportive environment rather than being a usual brand-name school like RI/HCI/ACSI, something that older generations tend not to understand. NYJC has shown to other educators how it's possible to foster a caring environment for any student who enters while making good academic/non-academic achievements. I think SG education system would become better if more educators adopt NYJC practice of believing in every student having the potential to excel in life, regardless of one's academic/non-academic results, instead of discriminating certain students. -
If the school wants people to acknowledge the good work it has accomplished, then it would have to provide official data and not disseminate information via anonymous Reddit post by a student who claimed he obtained data after chatting with P.
Since the school is now in the papers, next year the P should publish official data of how well her students perform. Parents are also keen to know how many NYJC students score 4H2 Dist, as well as Dist rate for PW and GP. -
lee_yl\" post_id=\"2098487\" time=\"1676959519\" user_id=\"17023:
I think next year MOE should ban the publishing of such data, just like for PSLE. This is becoming toxic. :roll:
If the school wants people to acknowledge the good work it has accomplished, then it would have to provide official data and not disseminate information via anonymous Reddit post by a student who claimed he obtained data after chatting with P.
Since the school is now in the papers, next year the P should publish official data of how well her students perform. Parents are also keen to know how many NYJC students score 4H2 Dist, as well as Dist rate for PW and GP. -
pirate\" post_id=\"2098494\" time=\"1676964681\" user_id=\"66252:
Nah !
I think next year MOE should ban the publishing of such data, just like for PSLE. This is becoming toxic. :roll:
Ban won't happen
Why ?
Because
A-Level is the one & only exit point, for so many IP students. After PSLE, already by pass O level, so A-level National exam naturally is the most important National exam, to look out for. Naturally, these IP students will be very excited to receive their own A level results, plus look at the results from other IP schools, as well. Especially after studied so long for 6 long years, from Sec 1 and they already don't collect any O-level certificate.
Example
These 2 JCs (RI + Hwa Chong),
by publishing their 2022 A level results on their school website / instalgram, etc. we all know that not only are they the Top JCs, but also on par
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