Can through-train school work in kiasu Singapore?
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In the UK, wealthy families are pulling their children out of school for full-time home tutoring in order to get into prestigious schools.
[quote]As most children return to school, many affluent families are choosing to pull their children out of the mainstream education system altogether in favor of having a tutor at home – particularly as competition for places at the most prestigious schools heats up.
https://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/11/education-why-are-the-rich-pulling-their-kids-out-of-school.html[/quote]And the cost of hiring full-time tutor? around £35,000 ($54,400) a year.
Perhaps MOE should allow this in Singapore so that parents who wish their kids to get into IP schools can opt for home-schooling as 1:1 teaching could be more effective compared to 1:40 teacher-student ratio in government schools. And my guess is that students and parents from the top 20% income group will feel more confident and less stressed about PSLE as they can control how to groom their child to get ahead of others.
And this may also change the landscape of the tuition industry as more enrichment centers move their tuition centers operations to home tutoring. Leaving tuition centers more for \"mainstream\" students. -
Veyron\" post_id=\"2104293\" time=\"1680737173\" user_id=\"30663:
- MOE already allows parents to opt for homeschooling in the primary school years. I met one boy at an IP school open house who said he had been homeschooled so he couldn’t really answer my qn on the transition from pri to sec, does the teacher guide much less. But he was extremely competent & articulate in presenting and showcasing his impressive research project to me. I doubt he was heavily tutored.
In the UK, wealthy families are pulling their children out of school for full-time home tutoring in order to get into prestigious schools.
And the cost of hiring full-time tutor? around £35,000 ($54,400) a year.
Perhaps MOE should allow this in Singapore so that parents who wish their kids to get into IP schools can opt for home-schooling as 1:1 teaching could be more effective compared to 1:40 teacher-student ratio in government schools. And my guess is that students and parents from the top 20% income group will feel more confident and less stressed about PSLE as they can control how to groom their child to get ahead of others.
And this may also change the landscape of the tuition industry as more enrichment centers move their tuition centers operations to home tutoring. Leaving tuition centers more for \"mainstream\" students.
- why is MOE still happy to allow max 1:40 teacher:student ratio in government schools? Worst ratio among developed countries & still so proud of our education system?
- on TT system, parents want MOE to look into the feasibility of it. Is MOE’s solution to taichi back to parents to cough up own money for kid’s private education? Really? -
zac's mum\" post_id=\"2104295\" time=\"1680737890\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2104295 time=1680737890 user_id=53606]
According to what I read, there are around 50 students per level doing homeschooling and it's done on a case-by-case basis for different reasons.
- MOE already allows parents to opt for homeschooling in the primary school years. I met one boy at an IP school open house who said he had been homeschooled so he couldn’t really answer my qn on the transition from pri to sec, does the teacher guide much less. But he was extremely competent & articulate in presenting and showcasing his impressive research project to me. I doubt he was heavily tutored.
- why is MOE still happy to allow max 1:40 teacher:student ratio in government schools? Worst ratio among developed countries & still so proud of our education system?
- on TT system, parents want MOE to look into the feasibility of it. Is MOE’s solution to taichi back to parents to cough up own money for kid’s private education? Really?[/quote]
I don't think MOE permits students to pull a child out during P6 to do homeschooling just to ace exams.
[quote]Exemption from compulsory education
Children who are required to undergo compulsory education must attend a national primary school regularly unless they have been granted an exemption. Find out about the different types of exemptions.
https://www.moe.gov.sg/primary/compulsory-education/exemptions[/quote]Under the UK schools system, the class size is ranked
Comprehensive Schools > Grammar School > Private Schools
In terms of facilities and quality education
Private Schools > Grammar School > Comprehensive Schools
Singapore may have a bigger class size, but at least, it's the about same for all primary and secondary schools, which means fairness instead of favoring the smarter or richer kids. (with the exception of GEP classes from P4 to P6).
Singapore education is very closely linked to the UK system since the time of Malaya in the 1800s. So there is no reason to believe that MOE has not considered TT system similar to comprehensive schools in the UK or question why UK still needs to have Grammar Schools and Private Schools instead of just standard comprehensive schools for everyone. Very likely between the government, they have also studied the outcome of students from different pathways.
On the surface, the UK system may seem more advanced and holistic as it doesn't make PSLE (11+) compulsory however in reality the system actually requires parents and students to sort themselves by deciding on which pathway depending on their economic and social circumstances. And different pathways will offer different teaching programs and syllabus catering to the academic ability of students instead of standardized programs for all.
For the UK, I think there is merit to having different teaching programs because besides lawyers bankers doctors, IT engineers, middle and senior management etc UK still requires the domestic workforce with trade and practical skills. And such skills are often covered in comprehensive schools program to allow students who are not academically inclined to pick up skills that are required when they join the workforce.
So lets us not make the assumption that MOE has not studied the TT system. -
Chance upon this interesting article on how selective schools such as Grammar Schools in UK favor the rich.
Grammar schools benefit rich, says OECD
https://www.bbc.com/news/education-37364697
[quote]Entrance tests
\"But what happens in most European systems is that academic selection becomes social selection.
\"Schools are very good at selecting students by their social background, but they're not very good at selecting students by their academic potential.\"
When admission to school was based on a one-off test, he said, \"wealthy parents will find a way through it\".
But there were Asian school systems, such as Singapore and Hong Kong, that seemed to be more effective in how they selected pupils.
\"They are selective, but they seem to be very good at figuring out how good students really are,\" said Mr Schleicher.
But focusing on grammars and selection was not the way to raise standards.
\"I think the importance of grammar schools is dramatically overplayed,\" he said.
And there should be more investment for \"more schools that are more demanding and more rigorous\".[/quote]After reading this article, I am now more convinced that MOE has done a very good job in molding our education system, providing equal opportunity and leveling the playing field, and making sure our most prestigious schools in Singapore are made available for people from all walks of life, not just the wealthy.
In a certain way, we can say that every secondary school in Singapore is at least similar to Grammar school, where all students are provided with proper education to help them continue further education after o-level.
Guess compulsory PSLE is not that bad after all? -
Grammar schools or selective schools have been around since the 16 century and it was only in the 1940s that the UK introduced the comprehensive system where students are not required to take 11+ (akin to Singapore PSLE) to promote to secondary schools.
After more than 60 years, the UK is still dealing with the controversies surrounding Grammar Schools and inequality in their education system. (we are not even talking about private schools).
Here is why
1) No escape from tuition
Under the comprehensive system, PSLE will become optional, which means primary schools will not prepare students for PSLE as part of their standard teaching program. For students who decide to take PSLE for Grammar Schools admission will engage private tutors for PSLE preparation. Which mean, parents with means will take advantage of the system to get into more prestigious grammar schools through tuitions
2) Location location
Under the comprehensive system, students will be posted to a secondary school based on their address. Supposed Singapore introduces a similar system, different sec schools will have a different catchment of students. This means schools located in the prime district will likely produce more outstanding results due to different social backgrounds.
And this will inevitably benefit students from a more well-to-do family
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/mar/01/england-poorer-pupils-face-exclusion-from-top-state-schools-study
3) Social inequality
Supporters of selective grammar schools in UK argue that Grammar schools will allow bright children, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to make the most of their talents. And this is similar to Singapore, if we don't have PSLE, it is likely that most students from low-income families will never can the chance to study in our prestigious IP schools.
4) Disparity in education outcome.
It is argued that grammar schools can deliver good results because teachers can push pupils harder, knowing that only the most able students are in the classroom. For instance, the percentage of grammar school pupils achieving a 9-5 pass in English and maths in 2018 was 92.9% compared with 44.1% of non-selective schools.
This is likely to be the case for Singapore between TT and PSLE route..
5) Earning inequality/Employability
Studies have shown there is possible earning inequality between comprehensive and grammar systems. This is to say employers may prefer students from 'grammar' schools over comprehensive.
Having considered the outcome of UK education system, will Singapore parents sign up for TT education if it's made available?
Will TT system level the playing field and eradicate Singapore's tuition culture? -
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zac's mum\" post_id=\"2104632\" time=\"1681008223\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2104632 time=1681008223 user_id=53606]
Although the article is about happiness, it also highlighted something relevant, which is inequality.
https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/commentary-why-finland-worlds-happiest-country-and-how-other-countries-can-be-happier-2145806?cid=internal_sharetool_iphone_09042023_today[/quote]
In the context of education, the UK comprehensive, grammar system does favor the rich and hinders lower income a chance to get into good schools. And that is why those supporters say grammar schools is like liberators to help student from low-income family to become successful but give them equal opportunity to enroll in our prestigious schools.
So I guess our school system is not that bad afterall? -
Veyron\" post_id=\"2104636\" time=\"1681011943\" user_id=\"30663:
Inequality exists in Singapore. But people who are not at the “wrong” end of SES scale will continue to think it is not so bad.
Although the article is about happiness, it also highlighted something relevant, which is inequality.
In the context of education, the UK comprehensive, grammar system does favor the rich and hinders lower income a chance to get into good schools. And that is why those supporters say grammar schools is like liberators to help student from low-income family to become successful but give them equal opportunity to enroll in our prestigious schools.
So I guess our school system is not that bad afterall?
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/parents-children-education-socio-economic-status-2970186?cid=internal_sharetool_iphone_09042023_cna -
zac's mum\" post_id=\"2104638\" time=\"1681015971\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2104638 time=1681015971 user_id=53606]
Inequality exists in Singapore. But people who are not at the “wrong” end of SES scale will continue to think it is not so bad.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/parents-children-education-socio-economic-status-2970186?cid=internal_sharetool_iphone_09042023_cna[/quote]
Inequality exists in every country, and skipping PSLE, or TT is NOT going to bring about better equality in any society. In the above example of UK education system, their comprehensive system (aka TT ) actually make students from low-income families at disadvantage.
Perhaps you can try explaining how a TT system will address your concern about inequality, while not compromising the standards and quality of our education system?
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/singapores-15-year-olds-top-oecd-global-competence-test
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