Discussion on Dr Ong Teck Chin

[corneyAmber]

Now my view about Dr Ong channelling students to RI.


The fact that he was the P of ACS, it did not benefit him to channel better students to RI as he would be shooting down his own report card and affect his own bonus. He has a family to feed, right? Yet the fact that he could openly do so showed alot of his character, he had real passion for the students, to want them to thrive in a more suitable environment and soar higher. This is really being objective at its ultimate state of matter. Ex-Acsians who took his advice to move to RI, please raise your hands and share with us if you are doing well in life now. Show some gratitude.

In a macro view, Dr Ong is doing it for the good of the country instead of this ACS vs RI micro view. I am really doubtful that this ACS vs RI concern even cross his mind at all cos it is so immature.

Do you think he did it for RI's principal so that the then P could deliver stellar results? :roll:
Do you think he did it so that his alumnus' name would soar high and make him proud when he was physically seated in ACS as the responsible P? :roll: Then he needs a place in IMH.

Where is the logic then to persecute a poor man who is just trying to do his best at being an educator?

I am a lady, so I can neither be from ACS nor RI. Grow up!!

[atutor2001]

WeiHan:

......If it is better for top students in the school to go to RI, then why didn't he says that anymore after he take charge of the school?

Very interesting observation. Reminds me of office politics I once encountered.

There was this guy who openly questioned the operation of the section in front of the department head - of course in a nice way. Initially we cheered his bravery and uprightness. Later the section head was transferred and replaced by him. However, he stopped showing the same kind of straight talking uprightness after becoming section head. Till today I remained suspicious over the whole maneuver - was it all planned with backing from the boss.

After a few years, the boss changed. This guy lost favour but clung on to his position until he was removed quite unceremoniously by the new boss at the first opportunity. A new favourite took over. End of story, good night.

[atutor2001]

sorry double posting

[3Boys]

jencrs:

Say a Msian, just for convenience's sake, came to spore, took up citizenship, and promptly became PM. He's a capable person, but encourages our youth to migrate to msia for more opportunities. I certainly wouldn't be pleased no matter what he can do for spore. I'd be thinking, i would rather a sporean who certainly can be equally capable be PM, because the things he does would more likely be tempered with the love of his country.

Alright, as long as we know what it comes down to, which is basically some bruised ego and some ACSians of the time feeling hurt......I agree his tactics were controversial and perhaps he should have known better.

Here's something for you to chew on. ACS does not just belong to ACSians, ACS belongs to Singapore also and all potential future students and parents. OTC's duty is not merely to the the feelings of any incumbent batch of ACSians, but also as a custodian of the future of the school. If he traded the latter for the former, then he would have been derelict in his duty. If OTC trampled on a few egos (not mass murder, by the way) in order to make ACS a school worthy of aspiring to for future generations, including people with no previous connection to the school, then so be it. Ends and Means you say, but its a worthy End (agree?) and not a particularly egregious Means (except perhaps for some ACSians of the day and some of their teachers, but acceptable to the board and presumably parents of the students, agree?).

If you happened to be the generation he trampled on, then you have my sympathies, and thanks also, since ACS(I) is now a school I would actually consider sending my boys to, which certainly was not the case back in my day.

So you have endured a sacrifice, and I can understand your chagrin and resentment, so I thank you again and ask that you perhaps find some place in your heart to forgive and put aside the hurt. Sometimes in emotionally charged youth, in the midst of flag waving at the ruggers match with the arch-enemy at the Padang, passions run high and its hard to accept the arch-enemy as the head of your school. But we grow up and look back with adult eyes and understand, yes?

Cheerio

[patpattan]

Beyond academic excellence, established schools like ACS have ethos and culture that reflects the fundamentals of their founding mission. And it is the culture and ethos that differentiates one established school from another. In leading a school, the principal has to ensure consistency and adherence with its mission. Has Dr Ong done that in the case of ACS? That would be the question ACSians and Singaporeans would ask. I dont think Singapore is better off if all our top schools end up with an uniform culture and ethos.

[atutor2001]

sorry double posting

[toddles]

jencrs:

Neither is ACS a company, and should not be treated as such. Appointed principals are educators, not CEOs.

jencrs:

all I said was they appoint educators as principals and not CEOs.

Hmm... actually on this point, I think when MOE appoints principals, it sees them as CEOs of the school, and expect them to run the school like a CEO rather than to teach/be an educator.

Hence, if you ask any principal, they would say that their current role and day to day duty is more akin to the head of an organisation (dealing with HR issues, marketing to school to students here and overseas, charting the vision forward for the school) rather than an educator per se.

One can be an excellent teacher but make a lousy principal because one lacks the CEO qualities necessary to lead and manage people.

[toddles]

3Boys:

jencrs:

Say a Msian, just for convenience's sake, came to spore, took up citizenship, and promptly became PM. He's a capable person, but encourages our youth to migrate to msia for more opportunities. I certainly wouldn't be pleased no matter what he can do for spore. I'd be thinking, i would rather a sporean who certainly can be equally capable be PM, because the things he does would more likely be tempered with the love of his country.

Alright, as long as we know what it comes down to, which is basically some bruised ego and some ACSians of the time feeling hurt......I agree his tactics were controversial and perhaps he should have known better.

Here's something for you to chew on. ACS does not just belong to ACSians, ACS belongs to Singapore also and all potential future students and parents. OTC's duty is not merely to the the feelings of any incumbent batch of ACSians, but also as a custodian of the future of the school. If he traded the latter for the former, then he would have been derelict in his duty. If OTC trampled on a few egos (not mass murder, by the way) in order to make ACS a school worthy of aspiring to for future generations, including people with no previous connection to the school, then so be it. Ends and Means you say, but its a worthy End (agree?) and not a particularly egregious Means (except perhaps for some ACSians of the day and some of their teachers, but acceptable to the board and presumably parents of the students, agree?).

If you happened to be the generation he trampled on, then you have my sympathies, and thanks also, since ACS(I) is now a school I would actually consider sending my boys to, which certainly was not the case back in my day.

So you have endured a sacrifice, and I can understand your chagrin and resentment, so I thank you again and ask that you perhaps find some place in your heart to forgive and put aside the hurt. Sometimes in emotionally charged youth, in the midst of flag waving at the ruggers match with the arch-enemy at the Padang, passions run high and its hard to accept the arch-enemy as the head of your school. But we grow up and look back with adult eyes and understand, yes?

Cheerio

I agree with 3boys. I know him in his personal capacity, and from what I know of his character, I would say that the advice to top students was sincere.

If he had a nephew who did well, and felt could excel more in RI than AC, then why not advise him to go to RI?

But I know RI and AC well, and the rivalry is intense, and emotions run high. hence, it is disloyal for any AC teacher, not to mention the VP or P, to even dream of suggesting any AC boy choose RI.

What adds insult to injury is that the VP giving that advice was an old RI boy. to AC boys, to have an ex-rafflesian at its helm is anathema. and that wound has festered and rankled over the years.

I would say in this instance (advice to go to RI), Dr ong erred in not considering how his remarks will be taken by staff and fiercely loyal AC boys. he's probably too straight (pun not intended), as seen from how he kept an RI car decal on his car when he was at AC (in the early days at least).

perhaps as an ex-RI guy he didn't think the AC-RI rivalry it was a big deal. But for most AC guys it's a D*MN big deal and continues to be years after they leave the old sch. that's why, rightly or wrongly, the old boy network of 'guanxi' is so strong.

[24by7mum]

Check out http://edvantage.com.sg/edvantage/news/news/472480/_I_have_done_nothing_wrong_.html


The name of the teacher involved is revealed in the article. It is a Mark Richie Tan.

[autolycus]

toddles:

Hmm... actually on this point, I think when MOE appoints principals, it sees them as CEOs of the school, and expect them to run the school like a CEO rather than to teach/be an educator.

Actually, no. The reason OTC was CEO of ACS(I) is that the principals of independent schools (only) were given the power to hire and fire within the constraints of resources and policies. MOE continues to treat their principals primarily as administrators but also teacher mentors and, in a broader sense, educators beyond what is expected of classroom teachers.

You can find all that on the http://www.moe.gov.sg.

In non-independent schools, normally officers like a specially designated Admin VP would carry out the jobs of HR, operations and so on.