Petition to Review the Singapore Education System
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Lock:
I am just thinking, if all is constant. As in parents dun send kids for further enrichment, kids learn as much as they can frm sch, then the bell curve will skew to the left if exams r beyond kids' std.
But the PSLE papers are not constant. I skeptically believe that 20% of the questions are deliberately set above the average school (my good old HDB estate school) standard. This 20% percent questions will be meticulously drills to the top schools children.Lock:
Could it be the average school is informed that the 80% is 100% of the PSLE coverage? Hence, some average teachers can't even solve some of the PSLE questions.The problem now that the bell curve keeps skewing to the right is that more and more children are levelling up, not thru sch but thru tuition n enrichments.
But parents learns that by reading the school text books outside down and inside up will not lead their children to the TRUE 100%.
Hence, the flourishing of tuition centres and individuals who claimed that they know the system and literally provide the extra 20% and make the average student leveled up.Lock:
Innate abilities :? like Albert Einstein :salute:Even if u remove the bell curve, as long as parents remain kiasu n refuse to accept their children innate abilities and keep pushing, the environment will hv little change.
sorry I'm forever skeptical about the system. How I wish they ask me to set the exam paper, then I will open more tuition centres. :celebrate: -
Chenonceau:
Good that MOE acknowledged the petition and took pain to explain.
This is the MOE's response to our petition... I haven't read it yet (need to run) but had an understanding with them that their response would be posted in this thread. Parents can feel free to comment. We have a respectful dialogue started and MOE should be watching this thread. It is nice that MOE has responded. I had not hoped for as much.
1. Thank you for your email to Dr Ng Eng Hen, highlighting your blogpost which raises several issues of concern to parents. We recognise the strong desire of parents who want their children to do well and, at the same time, the anxiety they feel over the competitive pressures that their children face.
Would like to ask, MOE, whether is this a new issue or is this an issue that has been going on for years? What is the underlying problem? (Blue wording is my uneducated layman interpretation. It contains flaws but yet it is my perception.)
I don't think education is a competition, hence, competitive has no ground here for me. I think the ugly head of competition begin with those who set the exam questions. These people are trying to out smart a primary school child with their arrogant snobbish and elitist attitude of \"my question was the toughest I beat a small boy, therefore, I am the smartest\". They set the pace for the so called competition not the parents.
Explain till the cows come home, the truth of the matter is - our educational system places a great emphasis on academic performance in grading students, period.
Please grant me a priviledge to set 1 question for these people who set the PSLE paper, so that I can regain my confident that they are not better than the children sitting for examinations. :rotflmao: -
Looking4Tutor, can please do me a favour… the above post looks like Chenonceau was the one who wrote the comment that you responded to. Is there a way attribute authorship to MOE, not me? I was merely the one who copied and pasted it here. Thanks!
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Chenonceau:
Looking4Tutor, can please do me a favour... the above post looks like Chenonceau was the one who wrote the comment that you responded to. Is there a way attribute authorship to MOE, not me? I was merely the one who copied and pasted it here. Thanks!
It was my honest mistake, no intention to harm your good name. :oops: I have listened and prompt action taken to rectify the error. :imanangel: -
vlim:
My brother isn't happy with the N level streaming. His eldest boy was in N level .. My brother commented the teachers teaching the N levels students aren't good so further 'jeopardize' these kids study ... His daughter also ni good in study ... So to him, Singapore education is v stressful and should take away the n level streaming. What u guys think?
Not to be rude vlim, if they did away with N level, what would the kid be doing? Working? Go straight to ITE (im sure that is not what your brother want) or force the kid to take up O levels which probably has twice the content, and thrice the depth? -
About the beauty of DSA - Your child will have an extra opportunity to take a $50 test, known as GAT. A rare opportunity for me to tell others that my child did the GAT. Beside meeting this criteria: Pupils with very good academic results and are talented in the following sports will be considered (red wordings - randomly lifted off from a DSA participating school.)
:celebrate: -
N-level should be done totally done away and in its place a 5-year O-level track and a 6-year O-level should replace it for less academically inclined pupils.
Thereafter, a student will then be posted to ITE if he/she is unable to make the grade to poly. -
I sorry to say that I don’t agree with doing away with N levels. N levels open up many more routes for the students.
Students that barely scape through N levels will be routed to ITE for their NITEC studies. Those who did well enough will be encouraged to take up O levels - the syllabus thicker and the answers are required to be answered more in depth.
If they didn’t do well for O levels, they will still go to ITE BUT for their Higher NITEC studies - allowing the student to save up an additional year. If they did well, they can then proceed to JC or Poly of their choice.
N levels have to filter weaker students before they attempt to do their O levels. A parent must know that if your child fails English or Mathematics at O levels, there is a very high possibility that they will be rejected for admissions with ITE. Where can these students go to if they have been rejected by ITE? The N level mathematics syllabus will therefore save many of this potential souls who if attempted O levels right from the start.
I understand that all parents wish that their children will lead happy and carefree lives, that they are able to do well for their studies and become useful citizens. However, we should remind ourselves that not every child will be the dragon and phoenix of their time. -
meinteel:
I sorry to say that I don't agree with doing away with N levels. N levels open up many more routes for the students.
Students that barely scape through N levels will be routed to ITE for their NITEC studies. Those who did well enough will be encouraged to take up O levels - the syllabus thicker and the answers are required to be answered more in depth.
If they didn't do well for O levels, they will still go to ITE BUT for their Higher NITEC studies - allowing the student to save up an additional year. If they did well, they can then proceed to JC or Poly of their choice.
N levels have to filter weaker students before they attempt to do their O levels. A parent must know that if your child fails English or Mathematics at O levels, there is a very high possibility that they will be rejected for admissions with ITE. Where can these students go to if they have been rejected by ITE? The N level mathematics syllabus will therefore save many of this potential souls who if attempted O levels right from the start.
I understand that all parents wish that their children will lead happy and carefree lives, that they are able to do well for their studies and become useful citizens. However, we should remind ourselves that not every child will be the dragon and phoenix of their time.
No need to say sorry, you are entitled to your own opinion.
The 5-year 0-level route replaces the N-level Academic whereas the 6- year O-level route replaces the N-level Tech.
Now we are talking about a very very small minority of students after the above is implemented. This very very small group of students can proceed to ITE without any difficulties. Personally consider the N-level exam have outlive its usefulness. Even for poly entrance, an 0-level pass in english is not mandatory for many courses.
After attending 5 to 6 years of formal education, even the slowest ones are capable to make it at ITE. This prposal is primarily caters to weaker ones and they can benefit tremendously from this programme vs the current N-level.
Do have more confidence on our slower pupils. -
Courses that admits students that fail are mostly engineering and IT-related courses. It does not apply to communications, business, vet tech, etc courses that are highly popular with the young today.
Even then, the engineering courses require you to have D7 (marginal fail of 45-49%). The student gets 7 points right from the start. Assume he gets 2 A2 and 2 B3 (one of which MUST be mathematics) for the remaining subjects, that will leave him a staggering 17 points. This will effectively cut him off more than 50% of the available courses over all the polytechnics in Singapore. It also will be noteworthy that this is considering that he will get admitted into courses that are have in previous year admitted someone of 17 points.
If he has failed mathematics, I am afraid I can’t find him a course in polytechnics. For a academically less inclined student, I see no fuss in him taking N levels in his 4th year before taking O levels in his 5th. If he does badly for O levels, he has something to fall back on.
This same principal applies to why some students take O levels first before going for A levels while others (IP students) skip Os and go for A levels. As the average students are considered less academically inclined, a safeguard and fall back is provided for them. The number of years (6 years) taken is the same, but the students who didn’t do well for O levels can opt for other routes rather than trying to force themselves to do well for A levels.
Any NA or NT student can after 4 years of study, opt for more hands-on courses (or from the horses mouth, more practical courses) rather then to continue in "dry & boring" academics that would not interest these kids.
Of course with that being said, I should state clearly that I do not look down on students who are less academically inclined. Many continue to have good potential and can still make it to universities someday. Also, having that paper qualification will not warrant any form of success in life, neither will it grant any form of happiness.
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