All About Overseas Education
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I have 2 points to add
- I recall a western country leader commented, that China understands western countries more than western counties understand China.
- in that China’s made documentary, the contents were put to together 2 ways: from historical records , and interviewing academics from those western countries. -
SG_KP1\" post_id=\"2132291\" time=\"1712620510\" user_id=\"188234:
Checked with my DD this morning, some of her friends still doing L3, while some stopped before the start of JC1, when they think they have more or less learnt the basic language skills they think they required. Either way is fine to me, at least it benefits the girls who may want to work overseas or study there later on.
IMO, the Third Language attrition rate is only somewhat related to PSLE score eligibility (used as a proxy for academic ability, whether correct or incorrect). The high attrition rate is more likely due to kids signing up for the wrong reasons.
For example, if you never had an interest in these languages but signed up just because you could, the chance of making it out of year one is not very high. I think there is also a group of kids that are doing well in L3 but come upper secondary there are just other ways they want to spend their time (academic or non-academic), so some of them drop then (nothing wrong with that, debatable whether year 1 and 2 was a good use of time). For the kids that were internally interested and progress to the end, in some ways this is their talent programme (or whatever it's called school by school) instead of math, science, humanities or whatever.
Conceptually, the same attrition issue would exist if you expand eligibility (fixing this is a much harder problem to solve). Whether the attrition rates would be much different, I'm not sure.
I think the PSC and Ministry scholarship bonds are shorter in non-English speaking countries? I've mentioned this before; one can look at when MOELC was founded, what languages were initially selected, and how those countries ranked in terms of world GDP. Diversity of thought/experience is still relevant, but some other things have shifted over time.
Yes, I agree. Will be good if for studies in non-English speaking countries, the bond can be reduces to 4yrs to entice more students to explore. After all there must be some benefits otherwise, who will want to take a path less travelled??!! -
Liew Nga Wing\" post_id=\"2132307\" time=\"1712629910\" user_id=\"195250:[quote=\"Liew Nga Wing\" post_id=2132307 time=1712629910 user_id=195250]
How opinionated can one get? I lived in China with DH for a few years when the documentary was aired. I also watched 凤凰卫视 regularly during my stay in Beijing. Like it or not, certain things are taboo and cannot be mentioned either on CCTV or Phoenix TV.
The documentary television series from CCTV is called 大国崛起 not 中国崛起, it is about how the western nations and Japan rise to great empire in history, it is not talking about China. I hope you can watch the the documentary TV series before making comments that \"Chinese are not allowed to talk about 避重就轻\". There are many documentary TV programme in Phoenix InfoNews Channel 凤凰新闻台 on 大跃进与大饥荒, the only things is : you never really watching the documentary TV Series from neither CCTV nor Phoenix InfoNews Channel.[/quote]
大国崛起 was trying to justify the rise of China with its mercantilism and state-led capitalism. While the series was about other countries, it was seen from the lens of China, definitely not an objective narrative. -
Imp75\" post_id=\"2132223\" time=\"1712534135\" user_id=\"2358:
PSC sponsors scholars to Japan/France/China/Germany and they are always looking out for students who are willing to go the less trodden path.
It is indeed not easy to take the path less trodden. My daughter went to her Sch career office asking for guidance to apply for a foreign university only to be told they don’t have much experience in that country. There also isn’t any alumni she could speak with. Of those she found that they studied in that country, it was not the Sch she wanted as that Sch is very hard to get in. Even the PSC Mfa alumni scholars she spoke with, none went to that country for studies, mostly US/UK. Indeed there is no diversity.
MFA's most recent two scholars are to Japan and China.
https://www.mfa.gov.sg/Newsroom/Press-Statements-Transcripts-and-Photos/2023/08/20230811fssawardceremony
However, I do think students will have to apply and gain admission to the university on their own - in the same way students heading to US and UK also need to get their own university place. -
lee_yl\" post_id=\"2132314\" time=\"1712635998\" user_id=\"17023:
Yeah, even make it through the O Level exam is not easy (I think MOE pegged this at 30%). I would think that it gets culled down dramatically after that for the four foreign languages (French, German, Spanish, and Japanese). Either way, it's OK.
Checked with my DD this morning, some of her friends still doing L3, while some stopped before the start of JC1, when they think they have more or less learnt the basic language skills they think they required. Either way is fine to me, at least it benefits the girls who may want to work overseas or study there later on.
Yes, I agree. Will be good if for studies in non-English speaking countries, the bond can be reduces to 4yrs to entice more students to explore. After all there must be some benefits otherwise, who will want to take a path less travelled??!!
Also, for clarity I am not saying one should seek out Third Lang so these other options are open. Instead, I think the kids that naturally make it that far happen to end up with some interesting options. As mentioned, the option is there for Chinese as well, but unfortunately not many kids are interested. In addition to MFA, SFCCA has some scholarships to Chinese Universities; can see what some of the kids are going there to study. -
Actually, am beginning to see graduates with qualifications from 1 Asian university + 1 UK / US university (not necessarily in this order) + multi-linguism.
-
lee_yl\" post_id=\"2132316\" time=\"1712637774\" user_id=\"17023:
I am sorry, I have misunderstood you. I hope there will a ceasefire in Gaza immediately and therefore I will have a ceasefire here first. :siam:
How opinionated can one get? I lived in China with DH for a few years when the documentary was aired. I also watched 凤凰卫视 regularly during my stay in Beijing. Like it or not, certain things are taboo and cannot be mentioned either on CCTV or Phoenix TV.
大国崛起 was trying to justify the rise of China with its mercantilism and state-led capitalism. While the series was about other countries, it was seen from the lens of China, definitely not an objective narrative. -
bbbay\" post_id=\"2132292\" time=\"1712621976\" user_id=\"175278:
Just commenting on this point. One of the important things that our kids need to learn in young adulthood is how to deal with relocation, cultural adjustment, living independently, self reliance etc. This is learned best by being in such situations, away from parents. In big countries, they can experience all this by moving away within the country. Not so in Singapore.
At a nation level sending our scholars to learn about other countries ways may not be as relevant as before?
Some parents can teach kids this intentionally, or through neglect, but many can't or won't. So if the nation can afford to send some of it's most able to learn this in this way, it's not a bad thing. -
Actually, there is a good reason why they mostly go to U in the US, UK, Australia and other Anglo-Saxon countries.
It's the path of least resistance.
China? Most of our kiddos can't even hold a decent conversation in Chinese after 10 years of learning CL. Half of them probably still have nightmares about CL classes. :siam: -
大国崛起 was aired in 2006. That was a lifetime ago. In fact, long enough ago for 女大十八变. Just saying.
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