Discussion on Dr Ong Teck Chin

[hquek]

wonderm:

atutor2001:

[quote=\"jencrs\"].... I was a student at ACS while Ong was VP. While he was there, i've heard him encourage those who did well to go Raffles. And he did this openly, raising the ire of not only young students but loyal teachers as well. Essentially, as VP, he's saying that this school is not good enough for you, you should leave and go somewhere better. That is in the very least misguided and in poor taste. Instead, any self-respecting VP should encourage good students to remain, and to help bring the school to further heights with his fellow schoolmates. We've got teachers as capable and dedicated as any you can find in s'pore.....

I find the act of openly encouraging good students to go elsewhere very interesting. The fact that it is done openly is noble because he is prepared to face the consequences. It is an indirect announcement to the principal and the Board that the school was not doing well then and something must be done. That would be the positive interpretation. Those against him will question the motive behind or was it done with support from higher authority.... Whatever it is, I would agree that the approach \" is in the very least misguided and in poor taste.\"

This is indeed very interesting. Just for discussion sake, if a VP genuinely thinks another school environment will better develop the potential of a particular student, then when consulted, should he/she advise the student based on what he/she really thinks, as if he/she is advising his/her own child, or should he/she just do the politically the right thing? In theory, the VP can try to help to develop the student's potential in his/her own school, but in practice, how realistic is it? especially if the current school standard is quite far off from another \"better\" school?

I actually don't know which way is a more \"noble\" way to handle such situation. Any views from others?[/quote]Weighing in on this, I think it's admirable that he dared to stand out and tell the students to go to another school where their talents may be better enhanced. I would take it from a point that the current school is not able to meet their needs fully and there is a better school they can consider.

There are so many choices out there in the world, it's refreshing to hear something that's not biased just cos one is an employee or has something to gain from their recommendation.

[corneyAmber]

atutor2001:

jencrs:

.... I was a student at ACS while Ong was VP. While he was there, i've heard him encourage those who did well to go Raffles. And he did this openly, raising the ire of not only young students but loyal teachers as well. Essentially, as VP, he's saying that this school is not good enough for you, you should leave and go somewhere better. That is in the very least misguided and in poor taste. Instead, any self-respecting VP should encourage good students to remain, and to help bring the school to further heights with his fellow schoolmates. We've got teachers as capable and dedicated as any you can find in s'pore.....

I find the act of openly encouraging good students to go elsewhere very interesting. The fact that it is done openly is noble because he is prepared to face the consequences. It is an indirect announcement to the principal and the Board that the school was not doing well then and something must be done. That would be the positive interpretation. Those against him will question the motive behind or was it done with support from higher authority.... Whatever it is, I would agree that the approach \" is in the very least misguided and in poor taste.\"

Yeah without reading all the rest of the details of this thread but just this discussion alone, I agree with atutor2001 that it is respectable to be honest about one's limitation. Between loyalty and knowing one's limitation, I value the latter more.... Loyalty can lead one blindly at times and is taking an easy way out based on sentiments but able to know one's limitation and do something about it constructively is a much more difficult thing to handle for most people. Just my 2 cents.

[corneyAmber]

I just want to make another comment about technology here getting people into trouble.


In the technological world, nothing seems impossible, so I have been resistant to internet transactions for a LONG time, especially when I know IT pretty well.

I am really not sure if emails and SMSes can be gospel truth.
Recently I received a missed call from my very own mobile number in my same mobile phone. My own mobile is no where stored on my mobile phone so there could not be any error on my part to call myself.

So I hope the police dept has a sophisticated group of IT personal who can break the code between genuine transmission of data or tampered info to get people framed. Failing which, such medias cannot be used as core evidence, ie without other forms of evidence, to convict a person.

In a world of diminishing values in search of excellence in academics pursuit, the line is getting finer between a genius and a crook. If we learn to get back to the basics of emphasis on developing character and values, it leaves little room for more crimes to etch its way into our lives.

I don’t know who’s right or wrong in this case but I see that all crimes branch from "lack of strong value system" being the ROOT of all evil.

[WeiHan]

I read that the former head of CID has been appointed to lead the investigation board.


But don’t expect much info will be released after the investigation. I speculate that there will be much coverup to save the name of the school.

[autolycus]

WeiHan:

I read that the former head of CID has been appointed to lead the investigation board.


But don't expect much info will be released after the investigation. I speculate that there will be much coverup to save the name of the school.

Don't read too much into that. The 'former head of CID' happens to be on the http://www.blueskiescom.com/alumni/aug_sep_10/acs_boards.html, so it seems a rational choice. After all, he's had a lot of experience in investigating, no?

As for cover-up, there are only three reasonable outcomes (exonerated, exonerated with caveats, and guilty), and no board has to report findings to non-stakeholders. Unlike an institution that has the word 'National' in its name, or one that has a powerful patron, this one (having neither) is not really of such great interest.

[daisyt]

ksi:

Recently I received a missed call from my very own mobile number in my same mobile phone. My own mobile is no where stored on my mobile phone so there could not be any error on my part to call myself.

Hur?? How can that happen? :?

[jencrs]

3Boys:

For instance, I do have financial advisors representing certain institutions, who will advise me to take on products from competitors if they were better, and I appreciate their candour and respect them for that.

That's not the same thing at all.

These are financial advisors. If the CEO of the financial institution tells you publicly to go to their competitor, what would you think? The boss doesn't even have faith in his own company.

[3Boys]

jencrs:

3Boys:

For instance, I do have financial advisors representing certain institutions, who will advise me to take on products from competitors if they were better, and I appreciate their candour and respect them for that.

That's not the same thing at all.

These are financial advisors. If the CEO of the financial institution tells you publicly to go to their competitor, what would you think? The boss doesn't even have faith in his own company.

I don't think there is a perfectly correct answer for this. I have had vendors who have recommended a competitor's product based on specs I set. In the case of the above, if the company indeed does not have the best product in that segment, then I DO expect that even the CEO would tell me to go elsewhere. Its not so much whether the CEO has faith in his own company, but whether the company serves that market segment or not. If not, far better to declare that at the outset than to struggle along and fail to deliver.

[jencrs]

hquek:

Weighing in on this, I think it's admirable that he dared to stand out and tell the students to go to another school where their talents may be better enhanced. I would take it from a point that the current school is not able to meet their needs fully and there is a better school they can consider.

It's not admirable at all. If he told this to specific students, the cream of the crop, I could perhaps tolerate it.


But to say this publicly, to students in general and teachers present, is akin to a slap in the face. What does that do to morale? To say something like that in public, how would the principal and teachers feel? How would the students view the school and teachers afterwards?

hquek:

There are so many choices out there in the world, it's refreshing to hear something that's not biased just cos one is an employee or has something to gain from their recommendation.

Not biased? You DO know his alma mater is Raffles right?

[jencrs]

3Boys:

I don't think there is a perfectly correct answer for this. I have had vendors who have recommended a competitor's product based on specs I set. In the case of the above, if the company indeed does not have the best product in that segment, then I DO expect that even the CEO would tell me to go elsewhere. Its not so much whether the CEO has faith in his own company, but whether the company serves that market segment or not. If not, far better to declare that at the outset than to struggle along and fail to deliver.

Again, not the same thing. The further we go down this financial product illustration, the more we'll digress.