National Junior College (Junior High)

[jtoh]

markfch mentioned that NJC is considered a Tier One school. Which are some of the other Tier One JCs, aside from RIJC and HCI?

[Strparent]

Hi all,


Hope I have not opened a can of worms and created this mini debate about unproven myths on certain IP schs having 'direct' links to prestigious Unis around the world ? I humbly wish to point that we are in an open forum, where we must agree to disagree Everyone has his/her own opinion.

verykiasu2010:

does the NJC principal know that those certain IP schools' top students are able to secure offer of admission (to the top unis) based on normal day to day work and prelim results and not entirely dependent on the A levels ? Certain parents pointed out that it is still subject to actual A level, but it is quite similar to the Sec 1 DSA these days - offer based on day to day performance but subject to 'satisfactory' PSLE which is just the minimum entry standard for MOE schools. And so, these IP graduates from those IP schools have an advantage which NJC has yet to make available to all NJCians....does she know that HCI (not sure about RI) has a dept that help placement of students to those top unis overseas ? Does NJC intend to have similar set up ?

I do not think the principal was being defensive, what I believe is that she was confident and proud of her students' potential, and did not take it too lightly when it was insinuated that they are 'inferior' when it comes to Uni-bound time. And her comments is inline with what Vk2010 said - not just dependent on A level results, in today's time which many many will get straight A Distinctions.

Strparent:

she believed no major universities would 'reserve' spots for certain IP school's graduates, as they are open to the brightest students from all over the world, not just Singapore. Therefore, they would not bind themselves in any way so clearly. Her parting comment that academically, many schools are able to produce students with excellent results, but it is what the student can offer, what the student does and give to the community, that will make them stand out. So, its not just the examinations results, but what the boy/girl becomes as a person, that matters just as importantly too.

I am not ex-NJC, in fact I was RJC. I still believed the most challenging IP sch would be RI, but I worry for DS that it would be all purely competition and trying to out-do each other. But it is his choice, and I will support him, though my 2nd choice would be NJC due to the many nice comments and strong parental support as can be seen here. More of helping each other, rather than some with the 'keeping up with the Jones' and 'must outdo at all cost' mentality.

I also visited HCI pre-DSA - my DS did not like it, and I did not like it ( again, I stressed it is purely personal ), so we did not even apply for HCI ( not saying DS would be selected of cos, LOL ).

Basically, I did not want my son to be in an all-chinese sch ( though his chinese has improved by leaps and bounds in the past 2 years ), as I believed a multi-racial environment will make him a better person as well as stead him well in NS.

But all said, I wish everyone will be happy and your wards be successful in all ways. Thats what we are doing here ( posting, sharing, debating ), for the future of our kids. No hard feelings.

Jennifer:

I read Strparent's post above, but could not find any link between sch admission n wealthy parents. I dun think she has any intention to link both. More like attitude of SOME boys n being rich pple's sons, definitely Not across the whole sch. Just my humble thoughts.

Thank you Jennifer ! You took the words out of my mouth, had no intention on categorising students based on the sch itself. I said again, I think RI is an excellent IP school and considered by most boys as the 'top dog'.

phankao:

I think it's important that my boy is happy at NJC. He has been given opportunities that I think he wouldn't have gotten in another school with a much much larger cohort, and that the principal/vps know him. The curriculum is interesting enough and it's not exactly easy-going either. He has blossomed quite abit this year, altho not in the height area!

Hi Phankao,

I am happy to hear that. Based on all your past comments, I must commend you on the way your son has been brought up and how independent and well he is coping with life in Sec 1 at NJC. It seems this is a place where kids learn to stand tall on their own...no matter what their height :oops:

BTW, was your boy in the Music Rm volunteer group ; wearing glasses ?

[phankao]

Strparent:

BTW, was your boy in the Music Rm volunteer group ; wearing glasses ?

Urgh - the one who dealt unsuccesfully with an uncooperative iron the day before, as you can tell, although it seemed to have worked fine every other time.

[phankao]

For the JH1 parents, do you call your children everyday now that they are in boarding? I’ve seen parents making a trip just bc their child did not answer their call/sms. I personally don’t, maybe SMS every few days or so, and certainly by thur/fri to check what time he’s coming home. haha.

[Strparent]

Hi Phankao,


I am really impressed with your DS independence at this age. Many parents are so different from you. Reminds me of our own time, when we pretty do much what we decided and our parents trust us completely.

I think the yearly one-term boarding stint is very good in team building and independence enhancing. A teacher at the library was telling me ( after I had a nice 15min conversation with some JH1 boys there ) that most of them were basically very shy before the boarding, and they evolved into confident talking machines after 4 to 6 weeks, LOL.

The NJC tour was special on Sat, mainly due to the fact that almost all the stations were manned by JH1 students, with minimal guidance from teachers or seniors. Hardly see the teachers come out to talk to the visitors, the kids pretty much handle everything. :celebrate: :celebrate:

[phankao]

Strparent:

The NJC tour was special on Sat, mainly due to the fact that almost all the stations were manned by JH1 students, with minimal guidance from teachers or seniors. Hardly see the teachers come out to talk to the visitors, the kids pretty much handle everything. :celebrate: :celebrate:

Thank you Strparent. Each of our children is different - and how we approach parenting them is dfferent too.

Yes, they are expected to work independently, even when they represent the school in events outside.

Hey, I'm from RJC too.

[Jennifer]

phankao:

For the JH1 parents, do you call your children everyday now that they are in boarding? I've seen parents making a trip just bc their child did not answer their call/sms. I personally don't, maybe SMS every few days or so, and certainly by thur/fri to check what time he's coming home. haha.

We exchanged more sms during the 1st week, now hardly except for last week when he got back his CL results. Then the usual reminder on Fridays on what to bring back, he's still bit absentminded when it comes to such stuff.

[Jennifer]

verykiasu2010:

As an ex-NJCian, I only wish to see NJC regain its former glory

I cant understand why producing a president scholar is so impt as in maintaining the glory of the sch. Is that really a good measurement of how successful the sch is? What abt producing responsible, honest, honourable young adults who care & contribute to the society, who do no white collared crimes for own selfish gains, etc? Pple like me :lol:

[dunnoleh]

Jennifer:

... I cant understand why producing a president scholar is so impt as in maintaining the glory of the sch. Is that really a good measurement of how successful the sch is? What abt producing responsible, honest, honourable young adults who care & contribute to the society, who do no white collared crimes for own selfish gains, etc? Pple like me :lol:

:lol: really? :lol: but I cannot agree more with what you say here.

A strong academic standing will make earning a living more comfortable, but even more important is to earn a living honourably.

[dunnoleh]

Strparent:

Hi all,


Hope I have not opened a can of worms ...

you did not la.