Is GEP really necessary?
-
Nebbermind:
One test determines 3 yrs of your life...after PSLE, it's another race altogether! And there'll be many more races that determines yr future!
Can't say that I agree with your statement in blue. The GEP test does not determine your future forever.jtoh:
[quote=\"2ppaamm\"]
What is being taught in GEP that cannot be taught to a bigger group of students who did not make the tests, but are no less smart or academically inclined. Afterall, we know that GEP program is really just academic. There are many, many, many non-GEPers who could easily handle the GEP workload and syllabus. One test determines your future forever.
Juz my 2cents[/quote]Plus a scholarship for the rest of your secondary school years, plus all the benefits you get, plus the cohort you mix with, plus the branding. Sure is the rest of your life for some poor families who cannot afford this kind of education.
O, plus better DSA chance into a good sec school.
Imagine a child gifted in English ONLY from a poor family. He will have no opportunities to go to a good sec school, deprived of a GEP class he deserves. I have one such case. Fortunately, he was identified in 1996 (P4). He could not afford an IP education without that GEP scholarship. Imagine, this same person nearly had no tertiary education. And, guess what. He is gifted, so gifted in humanities and write so well that he is rare... -
2ppaamm:
Please a scholarship for the rest of your secondary school years, plus all the benefits you get, plus the cohort you mix with, plus the branding. Sure is the rest of your life for some poor families who cannot afford this kind of education.
believe it still depends on your yearly performance. Then again, there are also good non-independent schools (and also IP) to choose from. -
2ppaamm:
O, plus better DSA chance into a good sec school.
This, I agree, probably set u apart from the rest for some schools.
-
Nebbermind:
So are we saying a rich child with prep and tuitions should go into GEP with a scholarship, a gifted child should have less choices or go to a neighbourhood school, since most top schools are independent now, right?2ppaamm:
Please a scholarship for the rest of your secondary school years, plus all the benefits you get, plus the cohort you mix with, plus the branding. Sure is the rest of your life for some poor families who cannot afford this kind of education.
believe it still depends on your yearly performance. Then again, there are also good non-independent schools (and also IP) to choose from. -
2ppaamm:
IP only started in year 2004, and EESIS is not restricted to GEP only
Plus a scholarship for the rest of your secondary school years, plus all the benefits you get, plus the cohort you mix with, plus the branding. Sure is the rest of your life for some poor families who cannot afford this kind of education.
O, plus better DSA chance into a good sec school.
Imagine a child gifted in English ONLY from a poor family. He will have no opportunities to go to a good sec school, deprived of a GEP class he deserves. I have one such case. Fortunately, he was identified in 1996 (P4). He could not afford an IP education without that GEP scholarship. Imagine, this same person nearly had no tertiary education. And, guess what. He is gifted, so gifted in humanities and write so well that he is rare... -
2ppaamm:
My dd had teachers in GEP who were wonderfully tolerant of those who asked endless questions and one who I suspect had ADHD and was disruptive in class. I remember thinking that the teachers were well-trained to handle the idiosyncratic behaviours of these students. Perhaps your son was unfortunate that his teachers were not as tolerant.[
Gifted children take less for granted, asking the hows, whys and whats forever. This irritates the Singapore teachers. Unfortunately, by the time they reach P4, this wonderful skill would have been tamed and removed by our system. But there are a few die-hard ones. I venture to guess these are the ones who are truly different. But guess what. They also will be weeded out by P5 when GEP comes down with a cane for their attitude. Challenging anything (including that wrong spelling on the wall, or why should I go for music class when I already have grade
is considered rude and bad attitude. I am not endorsing this behavior but remember, they are gifted and they have asynchronous development. While they are gifted intellectually, they are still 10 and need to be taught which things can be challenged, which cannot. Do those challenges a few times and sayonara. -
Is GEP really necessary?
If it’s designed to cater to kids with special needs, yes.
If the intention is to groom leaders or specialists in a developing country to raise the quality of the human resource, yes. But Singapore has progressed beyond this need.
Unfortunately, the GEP is used as a guaranteed passport to an elite education. This is the grand prize that pushes all parents to overdrive.
So much is invested in so few, and these few are given the best tools and resources. And at the end of P6, the same students fight an unfair placement fight with the GEPpers given an almost confirmed DSA. The leftover places in coveted secondary schools forces parents to a feeding frenzy. -
jtoh:
I am not actually here to rally for my son's cause, but looking at a bigger picture. He has already moved on.
My dd had teachers in GEP who were wonderfully tolerant of those who asked endless questions and one who I suspect had ADHD and was disruptive in class. I remember thinking that the teachers were well-trained to handle the idiosyncratic behaviours of these students. Perhaps your son was unfortunate that his teachers were not as tolerant.2ppaamm:
[
Gifted children take less for granted, asking the hows, whys and whats forever. This irritates the Singapore teachers. Unfortunately, by the time they reach P4, this wonderful skill would have been tamed and removed by our system. But there are a few die-hard ones. I venture to guess these are the ones who are truly different. But guess what. They also will be weeded out by P5 when GEP comes down with a cane for their attitude. Challenging anything (including that wrong spelling on the wall, or why should I go for music class when I already have grade is considered rude and bad attitude. I am not endorsing this behavior but remember, they are gifted and they have asynchronous development. While they are gifted intellectually, they are still 10 and need to be taught which things can be challenged, which cannot. Do those challenges a few times and sayonara.
I know of at least 4 other children (incidentally all boys) who had exactly the same problem, and all from different schools. One was asked to go to Pathlight for classes. I met this boy, he is, to me, really normal in behavior. He could calculate like a human calculator and has a queer sense of humour but he got along fine with my boy. I overheard his mom explain a zillion time to him how he is very smart and that's why he is in GEP. But unfortunately, he needs to be there for help. No, he is not at all disruptive. He just like to dream away. Not sure if he managed to get out of Pathlight.
Another two cases. These two got sent back to neighbourhood schools. One apparently was rude to the teacher, and one beat up the teacher. Of course it is wrong to do those! I do not condone these. But, do these actions make them less gifted? So if this happens, we ban them from schools forever?
One more case. This one teachers say he disrupts because he asked so many questions they cannot teach. Also, the teachers say they cannot tolerate the parents because parents also ask a lot of question. So, because of that, the child is less gifted?
To take a gifted child and put him/her in GEP is good, if there is environment is healthy and conducive, and an understanding of giftedness. As it is, the GEP teachers are a mixed bag of good and bad. So what is the differentiating factor from the mainstream, and consequently, what's the fuss? In addition, even the teachers themselves have difficulties of understanding gifted behavior and instead of guiding, punish advanced behavior like organizing protests that only gifted children can do. If we keep exasperating these little gifted ones, instead of steering them to achieve useful things, some will end up as gifted Al Capones? -
Tempted to share another case. This one is the opposite. At P5, he became strange and refused to go to school. For the whole year, he attended only Term 1. He missed terms 2, 3 and not sure if he also missed term 4. This one gets to stay in GEP. :? No problem = stay. Problem = go?
-
GEP is not a guaranteed passport to an elite education. There have been cases of students ending up in neighbourhood secondary schools. Also those who have not had their GEP status renewed and hence are not awarded EESIS.
It is true though that there’s an unhealthy frenzy by parents to get into GEP thinking that it’s a guaranteed pathway to success in life. There was even a post by a forummer who thought being a GEPper guaranteed the student Officer status in the Army and a good career. It is this mistaken belief or kiasuism that’s led to a flourishing of GEP preparatory centres.
GEP isn’t a guaranteed path to success. Neither is not getting into GEP a guaranteed path to failure or mediocracy. If you are good in your studies, you will still get a place in a top school and you will still get your EESIS scholarship. This student will not be any worse off nor better off than a GEPper.
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login