Letter to Heng Swee Keat
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Well said. Yes, 100% correct. I have two daughters now studying at P2 and P4. I am the one teaching her at home. Teacher told me she must go to Tuition for expensive $$$ Phrase and vocabulary for her English composition to get marks. Teacher told me that her composition was too simple like lower primary so couldn’t raise the mark on that. Now $$$ sign, go to tuition and pay for each mark in language. Hope MOE will listen and change our education system. My child having so much pressure that she spends most of her time with study, she always says daddy, am I doing well? Am I capable to get good marks at PSLE? Will I be able to go to good Sec school? I couldn’t answer.
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php:
I agree with the letter. Due to the way schools are being assessed/rewarded by MOE, schools are now very focused on getting trophies for their sports and performing groups. Often, the school does not give the students an opportunity to take up a sports from scratch, selecting only students who are very good in the sports so that these students can win the medals for the school. Those students who are really interested to take up new sports are denied the chance to do so.Please read this letter :-
https://www.facebook.com/notes/monica-lim/letter-to-heng-swee-keat/10150267225049783
Many friends tell me that the \"teach less learn more\" policy is not well implemented. Teachers were told to teach less, but the burden is on parents and/or private tutors to teach our children outside the school hours, as the exams are set in a way that expects our children to know much more than whatever is covered in school.
A friend of mine went to a teacher meet parent session in a prestigious primary school. Her primary 5 daughter's results were not good, so she asked the teacher for advice. The teacher told her to get private tuition for her daughter, and if the results were not better, to consider switching to another school. Obviously, the school is worried that this child's results was going to pull down the school's PSLE rankings.
Schools should not be run like a business. Our children should not be \"milked\" by schools for academic rankings, sports medals, SYF medals, awards etc..
Actually, what was wrong with our previous school system anyway. I remembered school life was much more relaxed and fun. Only academically weak students needed tuition then. Now almost every Primary 6 kid in singapore has tuition. The IP program is really stressful on primary 6 kids. Imagine a 12 year old taking an exam that determines which JC that he or she can attend, and there is no retake of PSLE too.
It is tough being a child in Singapore. -
I quit my job and open tuition centre liao! hahahaaaaa… >>> to the bank.
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cindylauper:
Actually, what was wrong with our previous school system anyway. I remembered school life was much more relaxed and fun. Only academically weak students needed tuition then. Now almost every Primary 6 kid in singapore has tuition. The IP program is really stressful on primary 6 kids. Imagine a 12 year old taking an exam that determines which JC that he or she can attend, and there is no retake of PSLE too.
It is tough being a child in Singapore.
Is really very tough for being a child and parent in Singapore. This IP program that implemented several years ago have make this PSLE even more stressful as 僧多粥少. -
verykiasu2010:
more like tongue in cheek comments lah
We are just airing.....if wish to formally present our thoughts to him, I doubt we will express our thoughts in such a checky manner.SAHM_TAN:
[quote=\"ChiefKiasu\"]Civility is the basis for constructive discussions.
The purpose of this thread is a serious attempt by the thread starter in seeking reforms to the way we are educating our children in Primary schools. It does not make sense to lambast our new education minister for problems which are not even created by himself. It would be difficult for him to take parents' opinions seriously if our community cannot bring ourselves above gutter politicking.
Are there plans to have a dialogue with him/ present our suggestions to the minister? If so, it's best to state that upfront in the thread, so that the parents will put on their adult hats and input suggestions in a more \"professional\" manner.
Or maybe we need another platform to do so as this forum is such a cozy place that we are not always proper.
i am sure the education minister also gets this kind of joke from those around him
i was talking to someone from one of the ministry recently and someone next to me did not know who was the person i was talking to .... and he just blared out all his negative criticism of that ministry without mincing his words, thinking that i was just talking to another friend.... wow, honest feedback .......lol[/quote]Yes, tongue in cheek
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spacehubble:
Well said. Yes, 100% correct. I have two daughters now studying at P2 and P4. I am the one teaching her at home. Teacher told me she must go to Tuition for expensive $$$ Phrase and vocabulary for her English composition to get marks. Teacher told me that her composition was too simple like lower primary so couldn’t raise the mark on that. Now $$$ sign, go to tuition and pay for each mark in language. Hope MOE will listen and change our education system. My child having so much pressure that she spends most of her time with study, she always says daddy, am I doing well? Am I capable to get good marks at PSLE? Will I be able to go to good Sec school? I couldn’t answer.
come to my tuition centre la! as long as you got money can liao! :evil: -
cindylauper:
My daughter was a gymnast. In Sec 1, her school made her skip 2 hours of classes each day in the run up to competitions. Then, in honour of some charity fundraising effort, she had to train up to 8.30pm every weekday night. My girl had no time to study for exams, and she was so tired because she has to wake up at 5.30am every morning.
Schools should not be run like a business. Our children should not be \"milked\" by schools for academic rankings, sports medals, SYF medals, awards etc..
Training on Saturdays and Sundays were from 9 to 7.30pm. That was the ONLY time in both my children's academic careers that I kicked up a BIG stink, challenged the Teacher, wrote a complaint and remonstrated with the Principal. I NEVER do that - challenge Teachers. It was a big step for me and I would never have done it if the situation had any redeeming quality whatsoever.
School incentive systems have gone haywire. I should know. I am an I/O Psychologist specializing in motivation systems.cindylauper:
We no longer have children. We have academic slaves... and parents have become the Slave Supervisors wielding the whip and constantly raising our expectations because the standards go up so fast.Actually, what was wrong with our previous school system anyway. I remembered school life was much more relaxed and fun. Only academically weak students needed tuition then. Now almost every Primary 6 kid in singapore has tuition. It is tough being a child in Singapore.
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ChiefKiasu:
I agree with CKS. Tongue in cheek also can be hurtful to another's right to dignity. Once people are hurt, a whole suite of psychological processes kick in, and constructive dialogue is no longer possible, and the way forwards is clouded. If we want to really help our children, and if this thing is important enough, we need to control our urge to denigrate another.Civility is the basis for constructive discussions.
My 2 cents. -
cindylauper:
haha, same here. My son result is not too bad, still ask me to send my son for tuition. Maybe hope that got 1 more student get higher mark, then rank up the school's PSLE rankings. It is just a neighbourhood school. Somehow feel lucky that I didn't send my kids to prestigious school. :lol:
A friend of mine went to a teacher meet parent session in a prestigious primary school. Her primary 5 daughter's results were not good, so she asked the teacher for advice. The teacher told her to get private tuition for her daughter, and if the results were not better, to consider switching to another school. Obviously, the school is worried that this child's results was going to pull down the school's PSLE rankings. -
janet_lee88:
Dear Policymakers,
I'm very pissed with the education system bcos of the way exam questions are set now...parents are forced to send their kids for enrichment lessons/tuition...or else prepare to see RED marks. My hubby is sole breadwinner, and I have 2 kids - P1 and P5. It's ridiculous that more than 20% of hubby's pay is spent on education (tuition) for older child (P5) alone.
With due respect, I don't think it is a fair statement to say that \"parents are forced to send their kids for enrichment lessons/tuition...or else prepare to see RED marks\". I think the mindset of parents need to be adjusted as well. If we asked our children, how many of them really want to have tuition? It is us, the parents, who put our children into tuition centres. Of course, if the kids asked for it themselves, then it is a different story. That having said, my children also have English enrichment but only this one at the moment. My P5 failed her CA1 Maths, passed her SA1, tuition for Maths ...? Err ..... not yet ....
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