phtthp:

are there any distinct advantage(s) of students from IB program entering local universities, compared to students from the GCE \"A\" level ?

Apart from being more experienced in project and team work which local universities favor, IB program allows assessment of an individual's abilities throughout the year whereas A level relies on a one-time examination to determine a student's abilities.

Attempt impossible:

What is the advantage of IB? Will students from IB program usually go overseas for university study or they can also enter local universities? Thanks!

Students from IB are welcomed by local universities as they are well-trained in fine-tuning on projects and are experienced in ironing out differences while working with different teams. These are attributes that local universities strongly favor.

mindays:

xoxoxo:

Hi parents,

I need your advice. If my daughter is doing Combined Bio and Chem now, is she able to apply for the Science stream in JC.

Yes, defintely if she meets the criteria. (usually requires distinction in her combined science to take up H2 [Science])

Some JCs do not allow students to take 2H2 science subjects if they did not have pure science background. However, taking 1H2 and 1H1 science is possible with distinction in O level combined science.
You may wish to call MOE customer service to get more info, as well as the prerequisites for science stream in JC. Years ago, it was 'passes in 2 math and 2 pure science' at O-level.

iRabbit:

Would not celebrating acad achievements reduce your stress level wrt your kids' future? Would not celebrating acad achievements lower the criteria to get into law/med faculties? Would not celebrating acad achievements ensure our kids get that elusive iron rice bowl? I'm really not sure.

Anyway we're entitled to our pov and I shall not bore you with further comments on this topic.

By celebrating, it offers free publicity for the already sought-after pri or sec schools. With limited supply of places but ever-increasing demand, it will aggravate the stress level.

Yea, no hard feeling, iRabbit. We are just stating our opinions. Peace :xedfingers:

iRabbit:

While MOE celebrates both acad and non-acad achievements, this elicits different responses from some parents. The reason if I read you correctly, is due to perceived future material benefits for their children.

The action is the same - celebration of achievements. However the response is different due to personal values. While it's understandable parents want their kids to have a bright future, I find it casual to lay blame on the govt for celebrating acad achievements while at the same time, suggests that celebrating non-acad acheivements is fine.

If your child is born with a silver spoon and you can provide for his future, you probably won't worry about his results. Many ministers sent their kids for overseas education anyway.

Which achievement is more superior in Singapore? Academic or sport?

Do you feel the same stress when your kid:
1. under-performed in PSLE
2. didn't get into the junior shooting club?
I applaud you if you feel equally stressed for both.

So you see the difference between celebrating academic achievement and sports achievement? One is about rice bowl and hence induce much stress and another is for leisure.

iRabbit:

MOE also celebrates sporting achievements. For instance, we all know the powers of ACSI, RI, HCI in sports like rugby, tennis, T&F as they're regularly plastered in the back pages of the ST. Do you feel pressured that your kid has to be champion in sports upon seeing those news?

I don't at all as most (not all) of them are in branded schools not by their academic achievements but by their sports talents. One can't get into medicine or law by just being the captain of his rugby team. Also, placements at statutory boards will look at academic achievements first, unless the positions are for PE/CCA instructors.

Musings:

That is where parents have the discretion and control. Of course it takes a while to ascertain the ability of the child but I believe parents in this forum who are obviously very involved in their children's education will be able to tell. Whether or not parents can accept the reality is a different matter. For instance, my older child is amongst the top 3 of the whole cohort, we knew his abilities and at P2, pushed him and he was streamed to best class and remained there ever since. My younger child is now in P2 and facing the same streaming but we did not push him to aim for top 2 classes. In fact, almost every parent in his P2 class whatsapp chatgroup are clearly prepping their child to aim for top 2 class. But statistically, only a handful from a class of 30 will make it to the top class. My sense is a lot of these parents were really prepping the kids beyond their ability and therefore causing much stress to a mere 8 year old. For us, it was very liberating once we recognise and accepted his ability and just prep for each test as per normal without fretting about the outcome.

I am not discounting the pressure and temptation faced by parents in aiming for the highest glory. But the cost is tremendous if that expectation is beyond the ability of the kid. And all these are within our control. I don't begrudge other high ability kids - their achievements should be celebrated.

I agree that you are doing the right thing for your children and that every parent should exercise such control. However, thanks to the 'direction' the government has led us and hence the mentality of our present society - obsession with grades and competitions.

MOE won't need to stop its schools' ranking, stop naming top scholar, scrap off value-added awards for schools, introduce more non-academic edusave awards, stop media reporting of top schools and foreign talents' academic achievements, etc, to try to salvage the damage and stress if it has not recognised its faults.

I raised the issue on government earlier because someone mentioned that it is not to be held responsible but I see our government's past directives as the stimuli for the tremendous stress level of today's rat race.

You applaud the government's emphasis on meritocracy as you have at least a child who falls in the category of top students. Many parents who have children of differing calibres are doing the same as you, in nurturing them according to their abilities as they have at least one who is capable. I am one of them.

However, are you able to empathise with the stress of parents who only have children the abilities of your younger child's or well below? Would you not try harder to prep them so that at least one may excel (to a better school, not top school), not for your own glory but for their future? It is even more stressful for parent with an only child.

I apologise if this is offensive but are you sure you will not fret over your younger child's results when he is in P5/P6 when reality is setting in? Do you not have any pressure or fear that he will end up in a neighbourhood school while his older sibling is in the top school? Would you not try to prep him such that he will stand a better chance for a more 'decent' sec sch?

Stress doesn't only exist in kids who have parents pushing for top schools. It happens to kids whose parents quest for express stream instead of NA stream, for above average sec schools instead of neighbourhoods' and so on. We all know the rankings of each school to a great extent, don't we?

As parents, we try to exercise self-control but it's hard as we have to conform to the society that our government has moulded - pursuing academic excellence at young age, fighting for the best university courses, fighting with imported talents, number one in world ranking....

It's easy to say we have control but exactly how many of us can really ignore the challenges of our education system? Unless you are a parent with the 与世无争 mentality of a monk/nun/pastor, perhaps.

Musings:

25HMOM:

[quote=\"grimm\"]At the end of the day, as parents, we are the ones who stress our kids not anyone else. i think we should not abscond that responsibility to the government or anyone else.

I do not agree that the government is not responsible.
They are the one who emphasize on meritocracy and robbed most parents of their 'innocence & ignorance' of academic competitions.
The ranked all the schools from first to last.
They named all the top PSLE scorers.
They reward and honour the top 10% academic performers of every school so that parents will respond to these carrots.
Now they are trying to do the reverse but what's done cannot be undone.

There is nothing wrong with meritocracy and honouring achievements. It is the desire of parents to push their children to achieve the highest honours available without due regard to the child's abilities that is the problem. I have 2 children of vastly differing abilities - I have to constantly remind myself to nurture each according to his ability and not in comparison to each other or others.

In comparison to our time, the government has created many pathways and I am grateful because these are pathways which will help my child with more average abilities to succeed in his own right.[/quote]Not every parent desire unrealistic goal for his child. But with the over-emphasis of meritocracy such as ranking every single secondary school (in the past), it tempts the parent to stretch his child's ability up a level or two. When you mentioned that you nurture you children according to their abilities, are you contented of their present achievements or do you continue to try to improve on what they have achieved, resulting in some form of stress in them?

grimm:

At the end of the day, as parents, we are the ones who stress our kids not anyone else. i think we should not abscond that responsibility to the government or anyone else.

I do not agree that the government is not responsible.
They are the one who emphasize on meritocracy and robbed most parents of their 'innocence & ignorance' of academic competitions.
The ranked all the schools from first to last.
They named all the top PSLE scorers.
They reward and honour the top 10% academic performers of every school so that parents will respond to these carrots.
Now they are trying to do the reverse but what's done cannot be undone.

floppy:

Technospaz:

[quote=\"lee_yl\"]From what I see right now, out of 100 votes, only 8 think that the new banding will help to reduce PSLE stress. I am not sure how the govt conducted the survey before announcing and implementing the new banding system with balloting and how they ascertain that the majority of the parents welcome these changes.

Ok, so 8 folks here are from MOE

When did the G ever seek our advice before announcing and implementing policies?

I don't recall them doing it with the extremely popular population white paper either.

It's a nanny state.
1. The G is always right.
2. If you think the G is wrong, see 1.
(P/S: there's probably an Internet meme that says 70% welcome and sarpok these changes )

:evil:[/quote]Yep. Exactly 69.9% or approx 70% is the right figure!