Networking Group - JCs General
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Reading what this writer wrote about the education/parenting scene. Quoting it here: Singapore is at a juncture when the internal contradictions of its hyper-competitive system are becoming apparent, causing much angst, from the low- to middle- to high-income residents. They worry if they can attain the essentials of modern life – a home, job, school for their children and caregiving for frail family members. Those who are wealthy, still worry – about access to good schools and whether their children can do as well in a game they themselves excelled in. (https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/singapore-dream-turned-sour-how-upgrading-and-a-culture-of-getting-ahead-became-corrosive)
Those of us with the means, we have to admit there is some kind of headstart that we can give our children, if we want. But if overdone, everyone’s (parents I mean us too) mental health suffers and the children burn out early. I like how the ministry re-shuffles how the “game” is played. When the same game is played over and over again (with the same rules), the players (parents+students) get better at gaming it. Because it becomes a matter of who knew the game better, who played it safe, who drilled more and thus get better outcomes - no room for creativity after some point!
The recent news is not unexpected because all around us we can hear the noises getting louder - on reducing stress for the students, less emphasis on academics and more focus on other skills for the new future - glad someone is listening! Parents who can see the big picture knows - the world is changing and sg also need to adjust ourselves. No doubt rp70 means a tighter range of results and maybe more students on equal footing. So how do we differentiate ourselves?
If I am a school or a teacher in a school, I will have to think about how else I can “push” my students to do better, now that there are less check points (eg mid year exams) to “frighten” parents/students enough for them to buck up or get additional help like external or home tuition outside of school. Or how to pivot in an era of “life beyond grades”. We have to admit sometimes it becomes a matter of studying for the sake of good grades for a compulsory subject in an exam, and not studying to learn new knowledge. I will have to think about how I can better engage my students to do more self directed learning so that my job can be easier. How to make them want to learn, instead of waiting for that result slip or that “compulsory subject” excuse to motivate them?
If I am a parent or a student, well I definitely have to recognize the focus is shifting. Those who sees the cup half empty will always feel the stress no matter what kind of games they are playing, or how the rules change. The “game” is slowly changing to be no longer a race of how many correct answers one can give (leave that to ChatGPT) but the other attributes that a robot/machine don’t have (yet). We have to prepare ourselves for jobs that do not even exist now, and the ones who do well will be the ones who dare to take up a new challenge. Indeed changing mindsets is important - but more importantly, moulding a mindset that is always open to ideas and changes! That’s the lifelong skill they need.
By the way if I am on the selection panel and if a student showcases 变脸, breathe fire or swallow swords, I won’t be impressed. I will be wondering why showcase such an outdated talent that no one is interested in now, and on top of it it’s detrimental to one’s physical health! My point is - no matter what tricks u have up your sleeves, stay relevant!
:siam: -
floppy\" post_id=\"2099950\" time=\"1677977471\" user_id=\"97579:
Doesnt mean i cannot empathise, as parents we have a tough job. No Moe or govt will prescribe a clear set of instructions for parents to follow and be held accountable when our kids didnt turn out well.
It’s good to say that we should encourage children to accept challenges and the courage to accept failures, but how many parents are willing to have a score of D7 to F9 or < 40% in their report book or cert cos the child is trying something out of his / her comfort zone? Even with a H1/H2 that won’t matter, how many are willing to let the child try out a course like theater studies to do an experimental theater piece that probably won’t score well? The default position for most would be to do a course that the child can do well in, cos you know, back up and just in case and all that jazz.
The problem isn’t with a gen of strawberries, it’s with the gen of strawberries farmers that we have already cultivated.
For me, i only see life will be harder for my kid. When she faces difficulty, i hope she has something to turn to. Many kids i know, stop piano completely after getting grade 8 in p4 or younger. So their goal is to pass grade 8 so that they can stop piano. Very sad. My wish has always been that my child can use music and piano for self expression, purge their feelings and de-stress themselves from challenges they face in studies and life.
人之出。it's hard but i remind myself, one is born to be kind, curious and wanting to improve. But if we always rely on exams, it shows we believe otherwise, that one is lazy and remain in stagnation.
We all hear abt how there are kids study hard in law, medicine because thats what their parents wanted. But once graduated, they do something else, what they never get to do. -
“Singapore Dream is intense interpersonal competition. Be the top student in school. Outbid other buyers for that home or car. Be No. 1 in your job. Such notions are inbred in Singaporeans. “
Not true for me and those around me leh. -
bbbay\" post_id=\"2099955\" time=\"1677983903\" user_id=\"175278:
Our local universities might have high academic standards but Singapore has its fair share of employees with dubious qualifications from degree mills. Not to mention those who cannot get into local universities end up pursuing getting degrees from private schools. The government arbitrarily caps the percentage of each cohort that can go into the local universities but those who fail to get in, they will still find ways to earn the paper qualifications simply because the benefits are worth the trouble. So how different are we from Taiwan?
Look at Taiwan, they have more than 100 uni. I heard as long student pass their 高考, they can enroll into Uni. The quality of their degrees are questioned.
Because no matter how many places open to Singaporean, after serving bond, most of them will leave public services and go into private practice. What the niece saw was doctors brought in to support public service.
It’s the bigger pictures, which many of us may not have the perspective on.
Movement of doctors from public to private sector is not new as it has been taking place all these years. So why only the need to massively import foreign doctors now? There’s a mismatch between demand for medical services (as we age) and supply (due to a tightly controlled intake all the while).
What is the big picture? That all humans will die one day? I only know why A levels students need to work so hard - the intense competition to get into the local universities. To the extent that even if given a choice of doing only 3 H2 subjects, many will still do a fourth H2 to serve as backup. -
Even during my time as a jc student where only 3H2 are required, my peers (mid tier JC) are already taking 4H2. There wasn’t even intense competition from India china Vietnam or even msia yet and parents then weren’t as involved….so will things change now even the intense competition.
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00skyblue00\" post_id=\"2099960\" time=\"1677990002\" user_id=\"143605:
Hmm...being parents is not a MOE or govt thing, though our govt has a genuine concern for birth rate, hence play nanny wherever they can. Not withstanding that, it's a personal choice. Be a parent when we are ready to accept the commitment and responsibility to raise a mini Me.
Doesnt mean i cannot empathise, as parents we have a tough job. No Moe or govt will prescribe a clear set of instructions for parents to follow and be held accountable when our kids didnt turn out well.
For me, i only see life will be harder for my kid. When she faces difficulty, i hope she has something to turn to. Many kids i know, stop piano completely after getting grade 8 in p4 or younger. So their goal is to pass grade 8 so that they can stop piano. Very sad. My wish has always been that my child can use music and piano for self expression, purge their feelings and de-stress themselves from challenges they face in studies and life.
人之出。it's hard but i remind myself, one is born to be kind, curious and wanting to improve. But if we always rely on exams, it shows we believe otherwise, that one is lazy and remain in stagnation.
We all hear abt how there are kids study hard in law, medicine because thats what their parents wanted. But once graduated, they do something else, what they never get to do.
Life is harder for the kids is true because the world is changing rapidly with the interconnectivity and the crazy speed we keep pushing ourselves into. However, the music part, as a parent, as long as you have given your kid the competency of a grade 8, then it's up to the kid to find the interest and passion to use music as a past time to de-stress. There is nothing to be sad about because your kid has been equipped with the ability and whether she can discover that music works for her stress, it has to come from within her. If she knows it can and it does, at least she has the ABILITY to use it for self-expression later on. So don't beat yourself up for nothing, nothing is lost as long as she has learnt the skill. Grade 8 is a good grade for competency in music. No amount of more paper qualification can make a kid think music can de-stress because the hours put in to make the extra qualification will kill that notion of de-stress. Pushing to cultivate the interest also would not help, stress kills everything.
Lastly, this thing about \" one is born to be kind, curious and wanting to improve\" is from 三字经 ？
人之初 性本善 性相近 习相远
The first 4 phrases are generalisation statements of mankind, born with kind character, similar characteristics as we are human but we have different habits. So this sets the stage for the following phrases on what we need to practise in order to cultivate a better life for ourselves.
In reality we are all born unique but because we are human, we can exert superior qualities like learn, empathise, have good discipline and self-control which makes learning 三字经 possible and that differentiate us from other species. It only makes it possible but the will in us works differently so laziness and stagnation can still get into our way. You call it relying on exams, I call it relying on a nanny=parent=MOE=govt (takes a village to raise a kid)
Further down in 三字经:
养不教 父之过 教不严 师之惰 (see how everyone is involved?)
That's why at a younger age, mid year exams were inserted like checkpoints but now also removed. However, at JC level, it is debatable if mid year exams are necessary. If we think of our individual kids, we probably know the answer but at a national level, I don't know the answer. If we assume maturity is a uniform thing, then maybe exams are not necessary otherwise maybe still good to have or make it optional as a mock exam i.e. result is not added to final EOY grade? Some kids may want it and some not, schools can offer it as a service for those who want it to simulate an exam condition? If there is insufficient demand within a school for mid-year exams, maybe can do a mock exam at a national level or cluster level (standardize the mid year exam syllabus) at some designated facilities? If one size cannot fit all, MOE can get creative since the last race to uni is a critical lap for most kids. -
00skyblue00\" post_id=\"2099949\" time=\"1677972798\" user_id=\"143605:
I understand where you're coming from and I agree that there's no one size fits all. That's why we should guide our kids (of varying abilities) the importance of setting reasonable, individualised goals for themselves. For instance, I will never tell my kid to aim for top 3 in class (and we both know he won't touch the top 3 even if he studies 7 days a week). And if by fluke, he makes top 3, then what next? Aim for top 2, top 1? It's never-ending and rather pointless.
But not all children are the same. We parents most will wish to have our kids in top x%, get into RI, take up leadership roles, 10 extra subjects, get RA, and claim a few scholarships. Face challenges with grit and emerge as a \"success\" case.
But the reality is that for that fraction of x%, we may be sacrificing how many other children who are just not the same types of species. These top kids can still pursue their goals even if we are lowering the bar. They can still build a stronger character from their own urges rather than an external bar if they wishes to do so. Not saying to groom a gen of strawberries children by lowering the bar. Some kids just have to have their own free time. But they are not goofing around. Could be they are seeking their own purpose. Part and parcel of finding their own identity and growing up.
I find it more beneficial if let's say he finds it interesting to streamline business processes thru the effective deployment of IT/AI (just as an eg). Then his goal should be to score well enough in A-Level to qualify for comp sci, and be prepared to continue to upgrade himself in that field after graduation. This kind of goals is both reasonable and achievable for kids of all abilities. -
In the past, with mid yr exam in eg lower sec and upp sec, what score range would call for alert? 50-60? What would be a safe score? 70?
So if sec students score badly eg. 60, what would parents normally do? Send kid for tuition from Jun holidays onwards?
If curriculum is for whole year, how do we expect student to perform in mid yr? Score 60 and shld improve by year end to 70 without tuition? Or remain at 60 by year end without tuition?
In the past, was mid year exam the main source of stress which led to many depression? Trying to rationalise why moe choose to remove mid yr exam. -
00skyblue00\" post_id=\"2100194\" time=\"1678028467\" user_id=\"143605:
1)
In the past, with mid yr exam in eg lower sec and upp sec, what score range would call for alert? 50-60? What would be a safe score? 70?
So if sec students score badly eg. 60, what would parents normally do? Send kid for tuition from Jun holidays onwards?
If curriculum is for whole year, how do we expect student to perform in mid yr? Score 60 and shld improve by year end to 70 without tuition? Or remain at 60 by year end without tuition?
In the past, was mid year exam the main source of stress which led to many depression? Trying to rationalise why moe choose to remove mid yr exam.
From Secondary 1 onwards,
any examinable subject that compute your L1R5, and if the individual subject were to fall into
B4, C5, C6 range -
then,
the red light alarm signal automatically is turned on, flickering.
The class Form Tr / subject Teachers will tell their students to ... buck up.
If gotten a B4, don't improve to B3, then if not careful, the next round tests (exam) can possibly slip or spiral downwards into a ... C5.
So,
all Sec 1 students in Trimester 1 onwards, already know what to expect, since they have already been briefed by Teachers in school.
Why, from Trimester 1 onwards ?
Because
Sec 1 Term 2 already conducted
WA (Weighted Assessments), isn't it ?
And
Sec 1 students will get back their marked WA2 scripts / test results, for every of their examinable 7 or 8 subjects, which they had sat for.
So,
from Sec 1 onwards,
once start Secondary school life, students already know
what exactly constitute
( A1 to F9 ) score range, per single L1R5 examinable subject.
00skyblue00,
Do u have a child in Secondary school ? If Yes, u can ask them what's (A1 to F9). Your child will know.
2)
You mentioned, trying to rationalise
Why remove mid year exam ?
Because
Students from as young as Primary 5 onwards, some of them, have sadly ended up in tragedy. If u google, newspaper reports in the past on this, will surface. One of these unfortunate tragedy happened in Maha Bodhi primary school before, at P5.
Another sad tragedy was from River Valley High, an IP school.
After this incident,
the ex (former) Principal from River Valley couldn't take it anymore, hence requested to get out of this school.
As mental stress is on the rise,
MOE try to reduce stress for teenagers in academic studies. Hence, removed mid year exam & substituted by byte sized, manageable 2 to 3 chapters / topics tests called Termly WA (Weighted Assessments)
Example
=======
For Sec 1 Term2 Lower Secondary,
maybe test only Total 3 chapters, for Sec 1 subject called General Science -
Tests, possibly include :-
1) Cells , the Basic Unit of Life
( one chapter or Topic, taken from the Biology section )
This topic, \"Cells\" is not new.
Students have studied before at P6, in PSLE Science.
2) the Ray model of Light
( one chapter or Topic, taken from the Physics section )
Again, this topic \"Light\" is also not new.
Students have studied before, in PSLE Science last time.
3) Model of Matter - Atoms & Molecule
( one chapter or Topic, taken from the Chemistry section )
So,
are the mini byte sized tests more manageable, easier to handle now ?
Only tests 2 or 3 chapters,
and start off by testing with familiar topics like (Cells + Light),
something which u are familiar with, because had studied before in primary school at P6,
so as to
ease u in gradually,
into Secondary 1 school life. -
00skyblu00,
Do u know why
anything B4 and below, the red light is flickering ?
Because
L1R5, is based on Total how many subjects ? 6, is the answer
Imagine.
If every subject on average score a B3, (ie. 3 X 6 subjects), Total, what’s the L1R5 ? 18, right ?
Is 18 very close to 20, the Cut off point pre-requisite for admission into Junior Colleges ? Yes, very close ! So,
try not to get any B4 and below
Imagine.
If every subject on average score a B4, (ie 4 X 6 subjects), Total, what’s your L1R5 ? 24, right ?
With 24, can still enter JC ?
Cannot !
have to go Polytechnic, instead.
=======================
For students who take Total 7 subjects at O-level -
then,
the #7 subject is the backup, emergency subject.
In case, one or more of the other balance (remaining) 6 subjects didn’t do well in,
then, the 7th (backup) subject will come in timely, handy & useful.
Those of u taking exactly 6 subjects, risky ! If unfortunately don’t do well in any of the 6, have nothing to fall back upon. No insurance, covered.
===========================
Likewise,
for the new A-level implementing from 2026 onwards, with "maximum 70 points",
many JC1 students will still continue to take 4H2,
in case don’t do well in all 3H2,
then the 4th H2 subject will serve as a backup / emergency subject, to improve your points, towards max. 70
So, of course, this 4th H2 subject, one has to choose prudently.
What’s the point of choosing a "having lots of fun fun, playful type of H2 subject " when in the end, doesn’t really help much in improving your A-level score, towards final 70 points, right ?
Of course,
on the other hand,
if u are very confident in advance at the start or beginning of JC1 Trimester 1
in scoring a perfect string of 3As in your 3 H2 subjects actual A-level exam,
then
no need to take any 4th H2.
But, how many students fall into this such high level of confidence ?
Perhaps,
there are such a handful (number) of IP students from JCs ( RI + Hwa Chong ), confident enough.
But for the rest of us,
how many are confident enough, of scoring perfect 3As, at A level ?
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