MOE to stop publishing names of top students?

[cherryc]

concern2:

I have different views from most of you. I am agreeable to not publishing the top scorers or top schools. I wrote some time ago that it is important what we glorify in the media. We glorify sports, artistic excellence, and other fields etc., and we should not glorify exam excellence, esp those like PSLE exam, because it does not add value to a holistic learning environment. Ultimately, if the goal has been set on making PSLE an exam to distribute children into secondary schools, there is really no point in naming who are the ultimate best. Just my opinion.


I am agreeable to glorify the more 'academic subjects' like Math Olympiads, abacus and internation chess competitions - in fact, I think these should be strongly encouraged, and I see these forms of 'academic competitions' as healthy competition, although i would prefer to name them 'specialized skills' competitions, like in sports and the arts.

Totally agree, remember Lim Jeck who was mentioned by PM in his fb after he won World Individual 1st in Mathematics Olympiad ?

Comparing PSLE with Olympic game and Nobel Prize? It is of different league and for different age groups. If a true blue Singaporean wins an Olympic award or Nobel Prize, please by all means let's glorify him or her using every form of media. Not glorifying means standard dumping down ? Then I am curious to know which countries used the method of naming their top primary school kids over a national examination to attain high standard in education or to boost the country's GDP.

And yes, I am happy to know that some tuition agencies will not be able to take the entire list and says more than half of the kids are from their tuition centers.

I know of a parent whose kid will highly be one of the top scorers tomorrow and he said it doesn't matter if they name or not cos in his heart, his daughter is the best in Singapore. I hope we celebrate for every kid who collects their results tomorrow and thank all the teachers and parents who have taught and supported them through their primary school journey and wish them all the best when they go to another important phase of their lives.

[3Boys]

SAHM_TAN:

3Boys:

That's assuming we will have the will to learn from it. That everything is cyclical is alas, too true. Our leadership had already stated it, the life span of small nation states is usually pretty short, no matter how brightly they shone.

It's too bad, I did like Singapore to be a home for my kids and beyond.....

Me too, I love it here. I was a willing soldier leh.

Let's not lose hope.

The only way we can survive as a small state with no natural resources is to constantly punch above our weight.

The moment we collectively lose our will to strive, compete, be the best, we are on the way out.

We kid ourselves into thinking that we are somehow much more academically stressed than kids or parents in other countries.

Nothing can be further from the truth.

I have acquaintances in North America, the academic achievement level in some of the top high schools (not the very top top, just in the top 10-20%), is actually very high! Let alone in our Asian neighbours.

We switch off and de-stress at our own peril.

To whom is this going to be disservice?

In my view, the very people who are clamouring for a 'stress less' society.

Those who don't really care, already have a game plan.

[Fairy]

pirate:

So now we suddenly have a strawberry generation that cannot tahan that somebody else scored higher than them?

:goodpost: Jealousy is indeed a strong emotion.

[Fairy]

pirated:

pirate:

In the past, reporters dug around the schools to find out which are the top scorers because MOE did not publish this information. MOE started publishing the info to save people the hassle of having to ask around the schools. Even 30 years ago, the names of top scorers and which schools they were from were in the papers. There was no problem.


The only difference was that back then, the list may not be complete because the reporters usually only ask those schools that historically produced top scorers. Well... this, and 30 years ago 7 A1s at 'O' levels will get your name in the papers. Now you probably need at least 9.

So now we suddenly have a strawberry generation that cannot tahan that somebody else scored higher than them?

Two strawberry generations - the child and the parents

I would think it's the parents.

[Fairy]

hquek:

And the way to reduce this over-emphasis is when the ultimate employer (aka govt) stops over emphasising how impt paper qualifications are in taking in/promoting staff. I'm not in civil service but have heard enough to form my own conclusions how impt those pieces of paper must be (true or not, it's still my impression).

:goodpost:

[Twinkies]

Fairy:

pirated:

[quote=\"pirate\"]In the past, reporters dug around the schools to find out which are the top scorers because MOE did not publish this information. MOE started publishing the info to save people the hassle of having to ask around the schools. Even 30 years ago, the names of top scorers and which schools they were from were in the papers. There was no problem.


The only difference was that back then, the list may not be complete because the reporters usually only ask those schools that historically produced top scorers. Well... this, and 30 years ago 7 A1s at 'O' levels will get your name in the papers. Now you probably need at least 9.

So now we suddenly have a strawberry generation that cannot tahan that somebody else scored higher than them?

Two strawberry generations - the child and the parents

I would think it's the parents.[/quote]Yap, and to these parents a holistic learning environment means a non competitive environment ? :?

[3Boys]

concern2:

I have different views from most of you. I am agreeable to not publishing the top scorers or top schools. I wrote some time ago that it is important what we glorify in the media. We glorify sports, artistic excellence, and other fields etc., and we should not glorify exam excellence, esp those like PSLE exam, because it does not add value to a holistic learning environment.

Huh??

School academic achievement is not part of holistic learning environment?

Then go school for what?

Holistic -- \": relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts\" - Online Merriam Webster

[SAHM_TAN]

sun_2010,


I’m not throwing out any roses becos of the thorns.

I’ve nothing against celebration.

My view is different from yours.

If there’s celebration, let’s celebrate, I’m not a scrounge to deny any celebration. If no celebration, it’s also ok becos to me not everyone needs the celebration. Some act becos they love to act without the need for oscars but at the same time is ok for others to enjoy it.

When I was younger I love to run but I don’t watch the Olympics. But I also don’t boo at the Olympics.

There are things we love to achieve becos we want to achieve.

I have nothing against celebration or honouring but I don’t think it’s the main motivational force, not for me. Others need it, I also don’t judge it as right or wrong but I feel a bit sad if that’s the only motivational factor.

I think we have different views and it’s perfectly fine.

I didn’t mind whether the names was published or not. It’s just that so many posted against the move. So I just wanted to post that it might not be a big deal.

I know the celebration is not for me.

[cherryc]

Parents welcome scrapping of top students list from Yahoo news :

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/parents-welcome-scrapping-of-top-students-list--104044227.html

Parents in Singapore appear to welcome the news that the Ministry of Education (MOE) will no longer provide a list of students that top national exams.

According to local media reports, the ministry will start with the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) scheduled to be released on Thursday and then with the results of the N- and O- levels expected to be announced later his year and early next year respectively. Both the overall list of top scorers and the lists of top scorers for each race will be scrapped.

MOE added that this is in line with the \"importance of recognising our students for their holistic development and all-round excellence, and to balance the over-emphasis on academic results.\"

Several parents Yahoo! Singapore spoke to approved of this change.

\"As a parent, I think it is totally fine. Whether they announce the names of top students or not, it's just a name. It's just an extra recognition and I believe students are not studying so hard to just get their names announced on national television or printed in newspapers,\" sales assistant Sim Kim Heok said.

\"When there is no announcement [of the top students], I believe there will be less pressure placed on children,\" the 47-year-old with a Primary 1 child added.

Another parent said the removal of such lists is long overdue.

\"I feel that it's not necessary to announce even the top student of each race. Why should we bother to mention the race? How a child does boils down to his own abilities and, I should say, his teachers too,\" said Jill Choo, 40, mother of a Primary 4 child.

\"Removing the top students list will not help in a big way, but it's a small step that the MOE is taking,\" Choo added.

Not naming top scorers is especially helpful for PSLE students, a parent said.

\"As a parent, I am glad that this practice had been removed. I was with my son when he received his PSLE results last year. When the announcement was made for top student and other top 20 to 30 students, you could see the pressure on the faces of those children, including parents,\" Joycelin Tan, early 40s, healthcare admin.

\"Why put a child through such stress when this is only a initial part of their life and it's still to early to determine whether the child will be successful in his future life?\" Tan continued.

However, some parents questioned the changes and said that it's a knee-jerk reaction by MOE to address the stresses of PSLE.

One parent, Funz, posted on parenting forum Kiasuparents and said, \"Just because the noise about PSLE being stressful is getting louder, they are now going into overdrive to avoid all possible contribution to that stress.\"

Another user Pirate said, \"What's wrong with celebrating the efforts and talents of those who come out tops? How do we inspire excellence in any particular field if we do not celebrate the best performers in that field? Are we taking the first step towards the slippery slope of dumbing down and a culture of mediocrity?\"

Though the top scorers’ lists will be scrapped, schools can still recognise academic excellence through other avenues. Students who perform academically well will still be recognised through Edusave Awards and scholarships, MOE told local media.

[3Boys]

Wow!! Watch what you post on KSP!