DSA Appeal 2011
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llbros545:
Dr K: As clayman has said, mission schools have been present for a long time already. Despite Singapore being a secular country, individual institutions of faith is allowed. Can you imagine a mission school not engaging in faith-related activities? That is totally unfathomable. The agenda you mentioned as 'dumb to the obvious' is truly a groundless accusation based only on a few loose numbers. The school will never impose upon the students forcefully their set of beliefs. Are the students forced to convert? No.
There are non-Christian teachers in Christian schools too! -
phankao:
Yes it is. I was reading on a forum whose participants are mainly PRC that they were planning to write a letter to LHZB. Maybe this is the letter.[
Okie, thanks. So this is actually just a letter to the LHZB forum, written in by a parent. -
MandyMummy:
Wonder if the allegations thatFrom Lianhe Zaobao
教育部修改条规应更加公开透明（2011-12-31)
彭玉荃
小六会考分发尘埃落定，不过今年却出现令许多家长和学生很受伤的行政失误，有待教育部公开向大众解释。
简单地说，以往在直接收生计划（DSA）下提前被中学录取的学生，是可以在会考后凭借成绩，进一步向心目中的理想学校提出转校申请（appeal）的，学校也可以根据本身的情况和条件酌情录取。但今年教育部在事先没有对大众公布、在许多家长和孩子都以为还可以提出转校申请的情况下，在最后关头严厉要求中学停止这一惯例，令许多努力争取好成绩，期待提出申请的孩子和家长错愕不已，深感遭到错误混乱与不透明的决策过程所牺牲，在网络上引起强烈批评。
我们在签署DSA同意书前，曾向孩子的小学询问，被告知可以在会考后，凭成绩提出转校申请后，才签下DSA录取同意书。在这同时，许多家长和学生的了解也都是可以申请转校，而我们所签下的文件以及小学在今年5月提供给学生关于DSA的文件中，均未有条例注明接受DSA后不得申请转校。但教育部竟无视往年各中学在考后进行的“抢尖子生”事实的存在，在家长10月底签下DSA同意书后，才匆促向各中学发出禁止转校的电邮。
过往情况显示，DSA录取后的转校申请并没有明文禁止，甚至可以说教育部是允许的。今年家长被部分学校告知不能接受转校申请感到非常错愕，转而询问教育部时，教育部却把责任推给中学，说由中学自行决定,教育部无法干涉，但又私下要求学校不准接受申请。如果一开始就不能接受，何以某顶尖名校还让家长提出申请并收取20元手续费？岂不是公然欺骗？而有的学校接受，有的不接受，简直混乱到极点！
在理清整个脉络之后，我们发现关键在于教育部决策过程的草率与对家长和孩子的不负责任。如此关系大群孩子前途与利益的重大转变，合理与成熟的决策过程应该是先取得所有学校的共识（过去各校各自为政，显然在接受申请与否是没有共识的，教育部也没有严格禁止），并通过大众媒体和学校清楚明确传达给所有家长与学生，然后在下一年度正式实施，比较妥当。
但我们痛心地发现，如此重大的变化决定，教育部却是在10月底私下电邮给中学校长后就以为算数，立刻实行，家长学生全蒙在鼓里，本届考得好成绩的学生满怀希望已经提出转校申请后，竟因一纸匆促发出的行政命令而落空。一个攸关学生前途的教育政策，竟然如此“天机不可泄漏”，令人匪夷所思。
必须强调，我们对孩子最终入读的学校没有偏见。要争取的是教育部给社会大众的一个交待，让以后的学生免遭不透明决策之苦。一个经验丰富、强调精英管理的教育部，何以会犯下这么粗糙决策的失误？在学生和家长甚至学校都搞不清楚的情况下，改变一个行之多年的惯例，无视应届毕业生的权益和家长奔波的辛劳？为什么？现在木已成舟，应届毕业生权益被牺牲，如何挽回？决策程序错误导致公众利益受损害，是重大问题，政府应深入调查，追究责任。
1. upon queried, their children's pri school had assured them (parents) that DSA students can still request for transfer based on PSLE result,
2. MOE claimed to have no say in the transfer of DSA students and decision lies with the DSA schools solely,
3. MOE had privately conveyed the \"no transfer with immediate effect\" order via email to principals of DSA schools only in Oct \"last\" year (2011?) - after students had submitted their DSA options, (BTW how did the writer manage to know about the supposedly \"private\" email?)
are true. If so then it seems MOE is at fault for failing to communicate their directives to schools and parents/students clearly enough. -
Dr. K, for all u know tt boy who is seeking to transfer on religious grounds is simply trying to use religion as an excuse to justify his cause. MOE should not make exceptions for this, otherwise it will be another loophole which will be taken advantage of. I empathise with the boy if he really did not know mission schools practise some form of religious teaching, but don’t tell me his parents are unaware as well? To me, it seems like his parents wanted to use ACSI as an option to fall back on.
Btw, I spent 10 years in a catholic school, my parents are Taoist/Buddhist, I never
felt pushed into Catholicism. I had a nun as my form teacher for 2 years, P5 to P6, she is the best teacher I ever had. -
MandyMummy:
This is very true.. It's chiefly the students' quality which affects the over all (good) results. I still remember back in my times, RJC had just founded, not highly sought after yet with COP (L1R4) as high as 11 or 12 points, while COP of then top JCs - HCJC and NJC were as low as 6 or 7 points. However, many RI/RGS's top scorers had chosen to join RJC out of loyalty, thereby enabling RJC to catapult to top spot - surpassing HCJC and NJC - within a couple of years..Also from Lianhe Zaobao
站长的话
（2011-12-31)
每年小六会考前，考生家长们就已忙着帮孩子选择中学。这是个包含了预期最佳及最糟成绩、孩子的意愿等种种变数的选择，真是不容易拿捏的决定。因此，学生和家长们通常都会查明确定某些选项是否容许事后更改，若可更改，就增添灵活因素，考试成绩一旦低于预期或超越预期，就可临时撤换学校，那么家长就能在考后为孩子争取到最适合的中学的名额。因此，若在成绩公布后，才发现原来的选择不可撤销，家长失望之情是可以理解的。
教育部是否为了杜绝名校“抢尖子学生”的现象而作出新决策，并临时以电邮方式通知有关中学不得让直接收生计划（DSA）下提前录取的学生申请转校，相信在调查后，教育部应会给予明确答复。
话说回来，家长因孩子升入名校而感受到的光彩或因孩子被名校拒绝而感到失落，往往仅是短暂情绪。一些家长在孩子进入名校后说，其实名校的师资与设施未必就强那么多，主要是招收到的学生素质较好，名校学生整体成绩好，可能“同侪压力”才是第一要素。另一些家长事后坦承，孩子进入离家较近的非名校，反而更方便和教师们沟通合作，孩子也省下交通时间，更利于学习。 -
R3mom:
I suppose one good way to confirm if the student had wanted to transfer out of the DSAed school due to religious reason is for him to agree to go to another school which is ranked (according to COP?) lower than the DSAed one. Else it would be truely hard to convince others that it's indeed due to religous reason alone that he wants out.Dr. K, for all u know tt boy who is seeking to transfer on religious grounds is simply trying to use religion as an excuse to justify his cause. MOE should not make exceptions for this, otherwise it will be another loophole which will be taken advantage of. I empathise with the boy if he really did not know mission schools practise some form of religious teaching, but don't tell me his parents are unaware as well? To me, it seems like his parents wanted to use ACSI as an option to fall back on.
Btw, I spent 10 years in a catholic school, my parents are Taoist/Buddhist, I never
felt pushed into Catholicism. I had a nun as my form teacher for 2 years, P5 to P6, she is the best teacher I ever had. -
Mod's Note
Dear All
Gentle reminder to focus the discussion & debate on the subject, and not at each other. In every debate, there will always be differences in opinion and disagreement.
Please help to keep this forum nice and friendly. No personal attack please.
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HCI doesn’t need to do anything. Next year nobody will dare to test the system. Those who have chosen HCI will continue to stay with HCI wholeheartedly. See, it is importent to put a stop to this DSA appeal thingy then the rest will take care by itself and back to the right track. Nobody will complain next year and we at KSP no need to argue anymore. 天下太平
SO our kid in this batch should SACRIFICE for the mistake of moe?? -
parentathome:
The no transfer ruling has been around for years just that MOE never enforced it.HCI doesn't need to do anything. Next year nobody will dare to test the system. Those who have chosen HCI will continue to stay with HCI wholeheartedly. See, it is importent to put a stop to this DSA appeal thingy then the rest will take care by itself and back to the right track. Nobody will complain next year and we at KSP no need to argue anymore. 天下太平
SO our kid in this batch should SACRIFICE for the mistake of moe??
So won't really call it a mistake by MOE this year.
Life goes on.
It will not affect future T score also since those with CO will still need to aim for EESIS, 3rd language etc. -
R3mom:
I know it doesn't happen in Catholic schools.Cheers and Happy New Year!Dr. K, for all u know tt boy who is seeking to transfer on religious grounds is simply trying to use religion as an excuse to justify his cause. MOE should not make exceptions for this, otherwise it will be another loophole which will be taken advantage of. I empathise with the boy if he really did not know mission schools practise some form of religious teaching, but don't tell me his parents are unaware as well? To me, it seems like his parents wanted to use ACSI as an option to fall back on.
Btw, I spent 10 years in a catholic school, my parents are Taoist/Buddhist, I never
felt pushed into Catholicism. I had a nun as my form teacher for 2 years, P5 to P6, she is the best teacher I ever had.
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