Asia spending billions on tutors: study
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3Boys:
care to elaborate why janet_lee88's post is complete nonsense?
And that, is complete nonsense.janet_lee88:
When PSLE is not seen as the BIGGEST test in the life of an 11+/12 year old, when reporters do not stalk popular schools when results are released, when tuition centers do not mention the top student who once studied there, perhaps stress on the poor kids are reduced. More steps can be put in place.
Parents are kiasu because MOE made them so. -
janet_lee88:
When PSLE is not seen as the BIGGEST test in the life of an 11+/12 year old, when reporters do not stalk popular schools when results are released, when tuition centers do not mention the top student who once studied there, perhaps stress on the poor kids are reduced. More steps can be put in place.
Relook and revise KPIs of teachers and Principals.concern2:
[quote=\"limlim\"]
Let's talk about what can MOE DO to correct/improve the situation, and not just say that kiasu parents is one of the cause, and stop there.
Parents are kiasu because MOE made them so.[/quote]The media has taken a definite move in the last few years to focus on students who did well in PSLE in spite of challenges and difficulties they faced. These are not necessarily your top scorers, but students who triumphed in the face of adversity to pass their exams. The media doesn't stalk the popular schools. They will go to schools where the top students are, and in some years, these top students have been from neighbourhood schools like Qifa etc. I believe this is a directive from the top to move away from focusing on top schools and top students.
Tuition centres are a different story altogether. But they're private businesses and we can't regulate how they advertise can we? Perhaps we can but I don't believe in over-regulating. -
tuition_czar:
I'm afraid you sir are the one spouting nonsense. You might want to justify why you rubbished her views without putting forth any cogent reasoning.[/quote]Parents are kiasu because parents are kiasu. This is evident across asia. The billions are not being spent in Singapore alone, they are spent in Korea, Japan, HK, Taiwan.... because parents value education and want their kids to get ahead.
And that, is complete nonsense.3Boys:
[quote=\"janet_lee88\"]
When PSLE is not seen as the BIGGEST test in the life of an 11+/12 year old, when reporters do not stalk popular schools when results are released, when tuition centers do not mention the top student who once studied there, perhaps stress on the poor kids are reduced. More steps can be put in place.
Parents are kiasu because MOE made them so.
Unless you think MOE Singapore is also culpable for kiasu parents in far flung lands?
If the assertion is that MOE has made parents kiasu, then the corollary is that ALL parents under the MOE system are kiasu. Since clearly, not ALL parents in Singapore are kiasu (a small minority that may be), then it cannot be that the sole cause of kiasuism in Singapore is the MOE, because some other factor must be at play.
The assertion that parents in Singapore are kiasu because MOE made them so (i.e. no other major factor is at play apart from MOE), is therefore unsubstantiated, and therefore.....
The logic stands on its own.
If anything, its the kiasu attitude of parents that has driven MOE into this particular corner. If everyone is already doing extremely well in the national exams, due to extra coaching outside of school, should MOE sit idly by and allow bunching of scores at the top end? That is certainly one approach, which I can accept, but in my view, DISADVANTAGES the bright students from the lower socioeconomic strata. -
limlim:
It is meaningless to talk about a factor which is not within control.[/quote]I see, the elephant in the room is the kiasu attitude of parents, but instead of trying to deal with that and change attitudes, we tiptoe around it and try to placate instead.....what a great way to craft policy.
If they are an important cause, why is it meaningless to talk about them? If attitudes don't change, can anything the MOE do be enough?3Boys:
[quote=\"limlim\"]
As for kiasu parents, you can't do anything about them, there is no point talking about them and put all the blame on them, then what?
I do not dispute or disagree that some kiasu parents maybe an important cause..
But it is meaningless to talk about them. -
wonderm:
Just having a pass or fail grade in PSLE will hark back to the PSLE of 30-40 years ago? Yes, PSLE was a no-stress exam then. After all, everyone just gets a Pass in the PSLE cert so what's there to stress over? 50% or 100% - same Pass cert. But will parents be happy and satisfied if their kids just receive a PSLE cert that says Pass? Will they start questioning why their neighbour who by all accounts is weaker than their own child is able to get into a better school?
Maybe MOE can do these:
- Change the names of all the primary and secondary schools to the same
- Change PSLE to one which gives only pass or fail grade and most if not all students should pass -
<Blame Displacement> Go look it up, and see how it applies here.
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3Boys:
<Blame Displacement> Go look it up, and see how it applies here.
:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :goodpost: -
janet_lee88:
Please give parents more credit to be able to make discerning choices. Choices made base on what they believe is the best for their kids. Not because of MOE for goodness sakes.
When PSLE is not seen as the BIGGEST test in the life of an 11+/12 year old, when reporters do not stalk popular schools when results are released, when tuition centers do not mention the top student who once studied there, perhaps stress on the poor kids are reduced. More steps can be put in place.
Parents are kiasu because MOE made them so. -
I have not made any personal attacks on anyone…purely voicing my view on why billions are spent on tutors. To have my views ‘rubbished’ is utterly unfair.
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As a parent, I ask myself what skill sets I want my child to develop to face the challenges of tomorrow’s world. Do I want to nurture an entreupreneur, a civil servant, an innovator, but no, not a doctor. Then I try to encourage the self motivation, self relience, creativity, resilience and other characteristics that I think will stand my child in good stead in future.
As a society, its good that there is a braod spectrum of parents who have different asperations for their children. Of course, there is a predominance of "kiasu parents" in this forum, but then this forum is a platform for kiasu parents, afterall. There are parents whose views do not align with the views expressed but many of the contributers here, and do not express their views online. So I constantly remind myself that the views expressed here may not represent that of the majority of Singaporean parents.
I met my family’s doctor’s kids at the library last Sunday. Their oldest child is taking the PSLE this year. But the child’s hands were full of story books that she intended to read over the next 3 weeks. I know that the child is not academically strong. Nevertherless, her parents were smiling when I teased her about reading story books in these precious weeks running up to the PSLE. My cousin’s kid is in ACS, also not doing well academically. But his parents proudly point to his interest in cooking and baking. Are they the exceptions that prove the rule?
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