MOE to scrap Banding for Secondary Schools

[SAHM_TAN]

I think there are parents who are aware of competition from China. This is becos the kids are in the same class as their kids. India might not be as aware.


The education journey is a pyramid, lesser and lesser vacancies as the journey progress. So I think competition will not be removed. Whether it’s academic or non-academic, there will be competition. There are other options but the most travelled route have less vacancies as the kids move up.

I can only hope that P set more realistic KPIs.

I hope pre-school education is compulsory. I hope MOE work with social agencies when helping kids who need intervention. I feel that if the gaps are narrowed earlier, education can be more "efficient" and beneficial to the kids.

[jtoh]

slmkhoo:

[ Many of these students leave school or college and get jobs, and their standard response is 'I don't know' and 'I never learned that'. I like to think that Singapore's education system will not go that way as we cannot afford to waste so many brains. There is a place for learning academic stuff, but it should never be seen to be the be all and end all.

Reminds me of the university graduates I interviewed years ago. Decent qualifications on paper, but when I asked them questions, they replied \"We never learnt that in school.\" I was flabbergasted. Needless to say those didn't clear the interview. I'm hopeful that our education system produces much better students these days who are able to think on their feet.

[Lilac66]

The scrapping of banding may not influence the choice of schools for the children as most would decide only after the PSLE results are known. But waht about those who enter the schools via DSA? Will their choices now be more varied and not limited to those few schools?


Probably not so soon but many years down the road maybe?

[alng]

jtoh:

Reminds me of the university graduates I interviewed years ago. Decent qualifications on paper, but when I asked them questions, they replied \"We never learnt that in school.\" I was flabbergasted. Needless to say those didn't clear the interview. I'm hopeful that our education system produces much better students these days who are able to think on their feet.

Some of our uni grads are still like that. The main reason is they focus too much on grades that they study for exams but do not learn at all. They are only motivated to study when it is tested. Once the exams are over, they forget what they have studied. This is why they can tell you that they never learnt that in school. They are not lying.

[ruohoo97]

AceTutors123:

slmkhoo:

Spoil what market? I don't know about India and S Korea, but I have lived in China for nearly 10 yrs. Although China produces a good number of highly intelligent, highly motivated and highly able students, that is only a very tiny percentage of their huge cohort each year. And my observation is that they are the ones who have somehow survived the deadening impact of the Chinese education system. So many Chinese kids only know how to memorise what teachers give them, need supervision to study, and think that studying longer hours at the expense of sleep and health means that they will be 'smarter' (meaning get higher marks in exams). They cram lots of facts which in today's world can be looked up easily on the internet, and very little credit is given for creativity or originality. In fact, if a parent is told that their child has unique and original ideas, it is a criticism. Many of these students leave school or college and get jobs, and their standard response is 'I don't know' and 'I never learned that'. I like to think that Singapore's education system will not go that way as we cannot afford to waste so many brains. There is a place for learning academic stuff, but it should never be seen to be the be all and end all.

Hi slmkhoo, I mean our bigger neighbours may not change in tandem so quickly. Their craze for academic pursuits may be too infectious. Furthersome to have a even a small percentage of talented people from China, India and South Korea compete in Singapore's market may be enough to deprive many locals of top jobs.

:xedfingers:

[ruohoo97]

I don’t see there is much correlation between top of grades and top of earning power, though I do agree a decent education opens a way for a decent job. But whether he/she will be successful, at the top of the tops, other factors are weighted far more than good grades.

[daisyt]

wearefamily:

I'm very happy that they scrapped the sec sch banding. Next, I hope they will scrap the pri sch ranking and stop announcing which school the top PSLE students come from.

Agree, they should.

[Melodies]

To begin with, there isn’t any impact and benefit that I can draw from banding sec school. At least, I’m not aware of any significant impact and benefit at all? Please feel free to correct me and I will be very much appreciated. Since there isn’t any impact and benefit at all, I also don’t see there is any impact and benefit of totally scrapping the sec sch banding.


If banding sec sch costs money and become a burden to both schools and MOE, I’ll fully support to scrap it to dust since there is no impact and benefit that can be drawn.

Nonetheless, perception of top sec school is still there regardless of you officially band it or not. I would say COP is a consequence resulting from the perception of top schools that people have in mind.

[daisyt]

Exactly! Why must CCA be so competitve and whatever gold, silver, bronze in SYF? Sec school CCA has become another stress. It is not based on your interest but more on your strength. I am good in sports doesn’t mean I would want to take sports CCA. If I am so keen in sports, I would have go to Sports school. So why am I not given new opportunity to try something different which I might develope the interest later on? I love singing but I might not sing well, why can’t I be admitted to choir and learn to sing well?


I believe, we should always be open to try new things. No try, how to know you like it or not? No try, how to know if you are good for it or not?

And how about if a particular CCA is not performing well in competition, then remove the CCA? Yes, I have heard of such case. I find this ridiculous!

How about creaming out the best of the best and make them the best best? And leave those not the best ones feel demoralize?

We should cultivate a kind society from school. The good ones, help the weaker ones and learn what is sharing. It is very sad to see young teens to behave selfishly, not willing to help the weaker students, do CIP for the sake of clocking CIP hours. In the first place, what is the purpose of CIP if there is a min hours to clock? I simply cannot understand …

[Chenonceau]

daisyt:

Exactly! Why must CCA be so competitve and whatever gold, silver, bronze in SYF? Sec school CCA has become another stress. It is not based on your interest but more on your strength. I am good in sports doesn't mean I would want to take sports CCA. If I am so keen in sports, I would have go to Sports school. So why am I not given new opportunity to try something different which I might develope the interest later on? I love singing but I might not sing well, why can't I be admitted to choir and learn to sing well?


I believe, we should always be open to try new things. No try, how to know you like it or not? No try, how to know if you are good for it or not?

And how about if a particular CCA is not performing well in competition, then remove the CCA? Yes, I have heard of such case. I find this ridiculous!

How about creaming out the best of the best and make them the best best? And leave those not the best ones feel demoralize?

We should cultivate a kind society from school. The good ones, help the weaker ones and learn what is sharing. It is very sad to see young teens to behave selfishly, not willing to help the weaker students, do CIP for the sake of clocking CIP hours. In the first place, what is the purpose of CIP if there is a min hours to clock? I simply cannot understand ...

:goodpost: This bothered a lot of people in the past. Those with kids who are good in everything and at studies won't feel the lack of opportunity. Those with average kids feel it keenly. Taking away banding with its concentration on awards means that schools won't feel pressured to focus 80% of the resources on the top 20%...to achieve better school ranking. Schools are not profit driven corporate entities. They embody a mission of love. They are the mothering arm of our govt. There is a reason why women tend to be less competitive and more nurturing than men. We are the Loving heartHs (the play on words heart and hearths is intentional) of families... gentle, understanding, patient with little ones... waiting to see where we can mould them into good people.

Can a mother afford to mould only her best children?

The awards and ranking are systems of management that work in manufacturing. They work well because those organizations produce machines. Singaporeans, according to some, are of inferior stock. But we are the children of this country. I know my son is not gifted. He isn't the best in many things he does. He is of inferior stock because I am of inferior stock. I still love him.

I so very much like the part that you wrote about cultivating a kind society from school.