Primary school maths: A vicious circle (from TODAY May 8)
-
Thanks Chenonceau. We can only do the best we can, made possible by the literacy we’ve been very blessed to have attained through education and guided by our moral compass. Glad to have found support through your voice too!
-
oxyleo:
What good would there be to have a country that continues to forge ahead for the next 20 years if we have few citizens who are deeply rooted to their country? If those who make it to the top in our society see those that don't as being lazy or losers, or slowing them down? We need pragmatism combined with a soul, otherwise we have a nation that is just really pretty to look at from the outside but severely broken on the inside.
My greatest fear now is our top 5% is really riding the thru-train towards being the next Minister and their only experience of different people of society is only 6 years of primary school, thereafter, they are in an environment surrounded by similar high-flying peers and never get a chance to appreciate the struggles of people who disadvantaged, with learning difficulties, etc.
Our system is only further creating the next generation of policy-makers & ministers who will further removed from the people they are supposed to serve and they only have a memory of 6 years of being with people of mixed intelligences & abilities. How could they learn what inclusiveness means? I already hear of parents with high-flying kids who only want to send their kids to \"pure\" express schools. Schools with normal streams are seen as having undesirable influences.
The brokenness has already begun. We are breeding more arrogance & discrimination rather than inclusiveness. -
-
Beanbear wrote: My greatest fear now is our top 5% is really riding the thru-train towards being the next Minister and their only experience of different people of society is only 6 years of primary school, thereafter, they are in an environment surrounded by similar high-flying peers and never get a chance to appreciate the struggles of people who disadvantaged, with learning difficulties, etc.
The top 1.2% percent will go into GEP in p4 and chances of mixing with ‘commoners’ may be just 3 years! -
Our education system is more like social engineering.
My kids are of average abilities and I am very worried where they will be stream into. -
beanbear:
Many of my close friends share your fears. We have been talking about related issues for awhile.oxyleo:
What good would there be to have a country that continues to forge ahead for the next 20 years if we have few citizens who are deeply rooted to their country? If those who make it to the top in our society see those that don't as being lazy or losers, or slowing them down? We need pragmatism combined with a soul, otherwise we have a nation that is just really pretty to look at from the outside but severely broken on the inside.
My greatest fear now is our top 5% is really riding the thru-train towards being the next Minister and their only experience of different people of society is only 6 years of primary school, thereafter, they are in an environment surrounded by similar high-flying peers and never get a chance to appreciate the struggles of people who disadvantaged, with learning difficulties, etc.
Our system is only further creating the next generation of policy-makers & ministers who will further removed from the people they are supposed to serve and they only have a memory of 6 years of being with people of mixed intelligences & abilities. How could they learn what inclusiveness means? I already hear of parents with high-flying kids who only want to send their kids to \"pure\" express schools. Schools with normal streams are seen as having undesirable influences.
The brokenness has already begun. We are breeding more arrogance & discrimination rather than inclusiveness. -
Hi 3boys,
Your opinion counts too. And I do not deny that there are probably many who think like you.
I was too. I am a product of the system, and the system worked well for me and my hubby. We are first generation graduates. Although our parents were not graduates, we worked hard and eventually had the opportunity to pursue our undergraduate and graduate education overseas. How can I complain about the system? It will be ungrateful for me to do so. I have always taken pride in the solid technical grounding I received in Math and Science, and have always attributed it to the Singapore education system. I may not speak as well as my Western counterparts, but I'm competent in English writing, and can hold my ground. It was a meritocratic, and it is an education philosophy my husband and I cherish and hold dear to.
But, I now have children. And things are no longer the same. I am not too worried for my children. If need be, we are resourceful enough to beg, borrow or steal the resources for them to do well, whether it be sending them off to the Learning Lab, obtaining premier school notes or whatever.
There are unhealthy trends, that while they are economically sustainable (i.e. good for the Finance Ministry's budget), they may cause greater social fractures within society. These are much harder to repair further on, when the have-nots LOSE hope in social mobility, when they feel that however hard they work, they can never catch up.
We can see this happening in schools. My children are not in in a brand-name primary school. The socioeconomic profile of the students in the school is varied. A sizable group of them do not have tuition, because their parents either do not have the means to, or do not bother do send them off for tuition. Some of them are extremely diligent - they study whatever resources the school gives them, and they know the textbook cover to cover. However, they are not able to do well. (There are pockets of primary schools around with teachers that provide very good study materials, as well as that of the leading tuition agencies, but this is the teachers' prerogative and initiative, and such teachers/schools are the minority.)
Life is never fair, and we are not a communist society. Kids from wealthy families have the means to pursue other enrichment activities, from horse-riding to music to whatever. They are blessed, and I have no problems with that. However, I think the tuition phenomenon is almost encroaching on the idea of meritocracy, and this may not be healthy.
Tuition centres are a ubiquitous sight in Singapore, almost akin to a national landmark to me. Is there anywhere else where tuition centres abound everywhere, from shopping centres to the heartlands to the void decks of residential flats?
I'm not saying that our children have the worst childhoods - perhaps the Korean kids, and some of the Chinese city kids have it worse - but do we want to benchmark against them? Should we be learning from them?3Boys:
I believe there is nothing majorly wrong with our education system at all.oxyleo:
Hi 3 boys, I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It would be nice to hear your views.
Can it be improved? Obviously, as with all things in life, yes.
But I would think that whatever proposed solution will need to be resource neutral compared to the present. No point saying we double the number of teachers just like that, its a no-brainer that that will help in an improvement. But we already spent close to $10 billion overall on education in 2011, that's the second highest item after defence, and well ahead of health and transport. Would you sell away your car and give up your wife's medications to send your child for an extra enrichment class? Not me.
Please don't say 'MOE must invest more resources'.....I disagree.
Does it need major surgery? Not till I see that the alternative is sustainable, or for that matter, proven to be better. -
phtthp:
Hi Chenonceau, appreciate if can KIV me for workshop, if others happen to withdraw last minute, or I can wait next round (if arise). I'm keen to join. You've a big heart to initiate and organize this meaningful workshop to help parents. A big Thank you for taking time off your busy schedule, to share with parents your valuable experience you'd gone through. :salute:
I'm sure it will be a very fruitful and enjoyable session for the participating parents. Yes, Chenonceau has been very generous with her tips and advice. No need to consult with motivational gurus or whatever; after a half hour casual chat with her, I certainly felt and was empowered with the know-hows to engage and handle the kiddies.
-
doodbug:
Hey... gee... it was just a friendly chat... no big deal. I am glad it helped though!! :snuggles:phtthp:
Hi Chenonceau, appreciate if can KIV me for workshop, if others happen to withdraw last minute, or I can wait next round (if arise). I'm keen to join. You've a big heart to initiate and organize this meaningful workshop to help parents. A big Thank you for taking time off your busy schedule, to share with parents your valuable experience you'd gone through. :salute:
I'm sure it will be a very fruitful and enjoyable session for the participating parents. Yes, Chenonceau has been very generous with her tips and advice. No need to consult with motivational gurus or whatever; after a half hour casual chat with her, I certainly felt and was empowered with the know-hows to engage and handle the kiddies.
May I request that the first 15 people who signed up for the workshop, please check their PMs. Thanks! -
3Boys:
Nothing wrong, I agreed. Let set this year PSLE maths paper as easy as 1 + 1. The rich and famous will tell you it is majorly wrong as the poor man child can get A* without paying super tuition fee.
I believe there is nothing majorly wrong with our education system at all.
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