Petition to Review the Singapore Education System

[looking4Tutor]

My Humble And Workable Solution

I have a solution, keep the current educational system as it is.

But inorder to see a lighting fast transformation of our heartland schools, all the ministers, ruling party MPs, and top civil servants must registered their children in the these schools.

Their children should have no tuition of any kind. In their preparation for the exams they should only solely rely on the school text books and whatever their teachers taught.

This solution will bring miracle in the heartland schools.

But I still wish to get a job as the chief examiner. I promise that I will open tuition centres at every single available HDB void deck. :please:

[sall]

looking4Tutor:

sall:

In primary schools, students in sports cca have training at least 2 times a wk. In secondary schools, it is 3 times a wk for students in sports cca. Students are given the chance to learn a sport, maybe a lot chose not to. Or maybe their parents forbid them to, due to the long hours of training.

Blind me, could you kindly provide me with the name of these schools that can churned out top 8 swimmers with 2 or 3 CCA sessions. Cos Singapore sports school is hiring such talented coaches.

Now, this sounds really sarcastic. I'm just stating the students get a chance to learn a sport in sch. I'm not saying these students are going to represent the country with 3 times a wk of training. Please read carefully.

[Chenonceau]

Ummm… Yes… Looking4Tutor, the sarcasm is disturbing. I was really hoping that we would debate on the level of logic and reason… leaving emotions out of this. I can’t stop you, but I do politely ask it of you. I know this is an issue that is highly charged with emotion but if we want to have productive dialogue, then we mustn’t get angry and make others angry too. Sarcasm has that effect, unfortunately, of stoking another’s anger.


My 2 cents… even though I appreciate your passion in this.

Parents, even if we disagree, all of us have our children in the system. Parents have different perspectives, and disagree. In the process of disagreeing, I teach you and you teach me. I will admit that as I read the various dissenting postings here, I have evolved my thinking and at times, even had to change my position. At other times, I am more convinced of my position. So, let’s just continue to respect and honour the contributions of every parent because we are all in this together.

Sall, I apologize. Do stick around.

[looking4Tutor]

Thousand of apologies, I tot SALL was responding to my post pertaining our educational system retards development of sports talents for the heartlander children because of the cost and time involved.


I shamefully tot that SALL is pointing a fact to me that MOE is sucessfully developing sports talents through the 2 or 3 sessions of CCA. :slapshead:

My sincere apology to SALL. :celebrate:

[Chenonceau]

looking4Tutor:

Thousand of apologies, I tot SALL was responding to my post pertaining our educational system retards development of sports talents for the heartlander children because of the cost and time involved.


I shamefully tot that SALL is pointing a fact to me that MOE is sucessfully developing sports talents through the 2 or 3 sessions of CCA. :slapshead:

My sincere apology to SALL. :celebrate:

[sall]

No problem. Apologies accepted. :celebrate:

[2ppaamm]

Chen, did you see MOE’s facebook page? They say T-score is not based on bell curve. I know for sure it is, unless it was changed in recent years and I have not kept updated. (Which is quite weird because my last child went through PSLE in 2009).


Then, how is T-score calculated? I know the subject grades (A*, A, B etc) are based on actual achievement and not on peer results, but T-score is.

[Chenonceau]

2ppaamm:

Chen, did you see MOE's facebook page? They say T-score is not based on bell curve. I know for sure it is, unless it was changed in recent years and I have not kept updated. (Which is quite weird because my last child went through PSLE in 2009).


Then, how is T-score calculated? I know the subject grades (A*, A, B etc) are based on actual achievement and not on peer results, but T-score is.

Pam... that was what I thought too. I have some vague recollection of basic PhD coursework but I wasn't very sure since I think I have forgotten much of it. Statistics packages are convenient. They allow me to press buttons and the statistical software does everything.

The MOE communicated that T-score stands for Transformation Score. I did wonder if it was the Box-Cox Transformation - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_transform... or something else - http://www.iasri.res.in/ebook/EBADAT/3-Diagnostics%20and%20Remedial%20Measures/1-Diagnostics%20and%20Remedial%20Measures.pdf

I wasn't sure. So I asked the question...
If you plot the nation's t-scores for any one year on a frequency chart, what is the shape of the resultant curve?

Lastly, there is a fair amount of literature about data transformations and it's almost always focused on transforming a non-normal curve into a normal one. If you wanna transform data, it's usually to get a normal distribution curve because the greater majority of statistical tests will only work if the assumption of normal distribution is true.

Otherwise, why bother to transform? Just use the raw scores lor.... Hence, the mere act of transforming raw scores suggests there is an attempt to make a skewed curve, normal. But well... I didn't think I knew enough to comment and was waiting for collective wisdom to kick in. There must be OTHER parents (like you) who know stats well and can share?

[Chenonceau]

We need more signatures for the petition. Trying to get 1000.


Here are the parents' comments...
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?SgEd2011&1

I particularly like the one by Magnum Thia who wrote, \"Please add : Such stressful Education systems will also put off many couple for having more kids. Baby Bonus will have little effect if the Singapore Education Systems is not thoroughly reviewed. \"

This comment speaks personally to me because I decided against Baby #3 last year because I couldn't face another PSLE.

[janet88]

Chenonceau:

We need more signatures for the petition. Trying to get 1000.


I particularly like the one by Magnum Thia who wrote, \"Please add : Such stressful Education systems will also put off many couple for having more kids. Baby Bonus will have little effect if the Singapore Education Systems is not thoroughly reviewed. \"

This comment speaks personally to me because I decided against Baby #3 last year because I couldn't face another PSLE.

The tough education system is a big reason why couples are not having more kids. Baby bonus is no push factor...jabs, diapers, waking up nights is something parents have to go through with newborns...but after that phase, it's the education system that kills for another 10 years at least.

After my son finishes his PSLE in Sep next year, I would have to continue being on 4th gear as daughter faces SA2 (P2) and subsequently Science at P3. As it is, she does not have the luxury to enjoy honeymoon at P1 this year...dread to think of P2.