2009 GEP Screening And Selection

[MdmKS]

turquoise:

Students accepted through Sports DSA have subsidies too. I know because my friend's child enjoys this at an IP school.

All of them? At all top IP Indep schools? Same amt as EESIS? How about the others DSA mainstreamers?

[Fairy]

david59:

glchua:

Even if a kid is capable of studying at a higher level, what is the point of studying ahead? Wouldn't the time be better spent doing other things, like experimentation and play?


Unless of course, the sole aim in life is just to get a few pieces of paper.

I think it is not a question of trying to be ahead that is an issue. Rather it is whether the kid has an insatiable urge and desire to acquire more knowledge for a particular subject or interest/ skill. It would be wrong to stifle such kids. Another alternative would be to send such kids besides the normal school curriculum to specialise institutions like the Polytechnic or Uni to advance their quest for greater knowledge or skills.

There's a difference between having an insatiable urge and desire to acquire more knowledge and the competitive urge to stay on top of the cohort by learning ahead. By learning ahead, one attempts to study one or few levels higher than his cohort for the purpose of staying on top/being there first or simply, not to lose out. By acquiring knowledge based on the motivation & passion, one looks into the depth and breath of the areas of interest - the knowledge gained will most likely not be tested in an examination, even for the next few levels up. Purpose is just for self satisfaction. A few years back, I've heard of a pri school boy (a GEPer) who has a passion for 'gem' stones. Besides collecting them, he reads up on the topic and could rattle on about the various stones. This is an example of an insatiable urge to acquire knowledge out of interest.

[Full.010894Cream]

found these at the MOE website


http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissions/secondary-one-posting/general-information/edusave-scholarships/

http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissions/secondary-one-posting/general-information/singapore-moe-award/

http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissions/secondary-one-posting/general-information/financial-assistance-bursaries/

[glchua]

atutor2001:

justbehappy:

...I was talking about the EESIS, which means a GEP who scores 240 can save $200 per month of school fees at independent schools. With this discrepancy in EESIS for GEP and mainstream, I won't be surprised if some far-sighted and \"calculative\" parents would invest $$ to get their children into GEP, as they could save $$ eventually, even if their kids score mediocre score in the PSLE.

Good point. Unfortunately there was no KS parent forum during my kids' time. Otherwise I sure try my best to get them to GEP - 1 year's saving is $2400, 6 years will be $14,400. 3 kids will be $43,200 Wow!

Same argument holds. If a child is in GEP, he had been identified in some way as \"gifted\", then he should be allowed all perks that are granted to mainstream students.

Of course, parents can try to abuse the system by trying all means to get their child into GEP to save money. Well, you can also get your child to do well in sports etc.

I think what MOE is doing is to take away as much as possible this focus on PSLE results and to allow talented kids (in one way or another) to pursue their interests and to develop. If not, parents would be directing the kids to excel in PSLE at all cost.

[tony]

glchua:

My point is that kids like this may be better off doing things extra-curricular in their free time.

For example, research into a subject that the kid is interested in. Electronics projects, physics exploration, robotics project, computer programming, biology and chemistry even. Obviously the kid will need to learn a subject in more depth to do such work, but most importantly, time is spent tinkering with things, coming up with solutions etc, not finding answers in which the answer is already there in the back of the book.

In my field, I had seen people with lesser academic credentials achieving much more in their research than people who scored As. These people has no fear of giving \"wrong\" answers and have less respect for the status quo. I, myself, am still unlearning my learning.

I had a colleague once. He had studied overseas almost the whole of his life. He tinkered with many things from young in his free time (he is still tinkering with things now). He probably has a lot of free time because his parents were not there with him! Anyway, his solutions to problems are remarkable and it takes some leap of faith at times to find such solutions. He is definitely smart, but most importantly, he is able to explore, a skill he had learnt since young.

By the way, many eminent scientists were bored kids that burnt down garden sheds, fixed radios and hang out in the woods often.

Academic knowledge should be viewed as a tool, not as an end in itself. Focusing on grades and exams and using the \"gift\" to generate good grades and jump ahead is I think, a waste of the \"gift\".

I totally agree with what you say. There is nothing more powerful than constructive boredom. The freedom to think things through and carry out without the \"constraints\" of a structured, \"taught\" approach is essential. All knowledge does not begin and end with a worksheet, and all knowledge gained should not be for the purpose of regurgitation on a piece of paper to score top marks. Where's the fun? In learning, the ability to be comfortable in unfamiliar territory and be able to see patterns in a sea of murky evidence distinguishes the gifted learner from the typical learner.

[turquoise]

MdmKS:

turquoise:

Students accepted through Sports DSA have subsidies too. I know because my friend's child enjoys this at an IP school.

All of them? At all top IP Indep schools? Same amt as EESIS? How about the others DSA mainstreamers?

Obviously scholarships aren't awarded to everyone. They're given to the best and most deserving. Otherwise what's the point of a scholarship if everyone gets it? That's why for those who don't qualify academically, there are subsidies for sports students etc and bursaries. There are some awarded by MOE and others which are school-based.

[Zann]

turquoise:

MdmKS:

[quote=\"turquoise\"]Students accepted through Sports DSA have subsidies too. I know because my friend's child enjoys this at an IP school.

All of them? At all top IP Indep schools? Same amt as EESIS? How about the others DSA mainstreamers?

Obviously scholarships aren't awarded to everyone. They're given to the best and most deserving. Otherwise what's the point of a scholarship if everyone gets it? That's why for those who don't qualify academically, there are subsidies for sports students etc and bursaries. There are some awarded by MOE and others which are school-based.[/quote]Hey, I thought the discussion was on EESIS system being unfair to mainstreamers due to COP and not bursaries or any other award . :?

[vlim]

hi p4 gep parents... what marks did your kids get for the sa2..??? curious to know..

[turquoise]

Zann:

turquoise:

[quote=\"MdmKS\"]
All of them? At all top IP Indep schools? Same amt as EESIS? How about the others DSA mainstreamers?

Obviously scholarships aren't awarded to everyone. They're given to the best and most deserving. Otherwise what's the point of a scholarship if everyone gets it? That's why for those who don't qualify academically, there are subsidies for sports students etc and bursaries. There are some awarded by MOE and others which are school-based.

Hey, I thought the discussion was on EESIS system being unfair to mainstreamers due to COP and not bursaries or any other award . :?[/quote]Zann, I was responding to MdmKS' qn on whether sports subsidies were awarded to all sportspeople.

[pinkgorilla]

rains:

I'm not sure if I want my kid to be put thro so much hardship just so that she'll be a history maker. I just want her to have a cushy job and be happy all her life. I don't want her to be humiliated as being 'too stupid for schools' or sleep 4 hours a day, conduct 1000 experiments before she invented a lamp.


No need. No need. I just want her to lead a simple life and be a happy person.

What is a happy life, in your opinion? To my family, we tell the kids a person can never be happy if his heart is not quiet. I teach my children to meditate for mental relaxation. They sit with me for 15 mins twice a day to just be still, quiet and pay attention to their breathe. It calms their mind. Even though they find it hard to sit down for 15 mins, they do feel much better after being able to catch their wondering thoughts and go back to the breathe. For that 15 mins, they do not need to respond to any demands of anything or anyone or any thoughts but just be with themselves lovingly. Very often it's all these wondering thoughts that make people unhappy. We can be quite ill-discipline at times and not practise for days but we do return to practice.

Perhaps we should teach our children how to RELAX in other ways too. Take a walk in the park, do a sport, do art and craft, play an instrument. It has to start with the family culture and that means making time to do these things with them. I feel teaching them how to relax doing wholesome activities is very important as their school lives and adult lives later will be quite stressful.