laughingcat:

I also feel the word \"aboriginal\" rather offensive, because it does carry a tinge of racism. It is better to use the word \"Indigenous\" lah.


https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2015/08/why-saying-aborigine-isnt-ok-8-facts-about-indigenous-people-in-australia/

\"*itch\" also not very nice also lah.

The word aboriginal is only offensive in Australia context. This is a proper English term used widely around the world without any negative meaning. In Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan, the term \"aboriginal\" is a neutral descriptive word used widely to describe the natives. In parts of USA, \"Native American\" also has some negative connotation, so should everyone stop using \"native\" or get offended by it?

On the other hand, \"Bitch\" means a female dog in the formal sense. Calling people \"bitch\" is plain vulgarity all over the world, even if you are only saying it behind their backs. It means you are swearing that the other person is having sex with strangers just like female dogs, i.e. without moral values. This word is on same level as the most vulgar Hokkien word describing a female organ.

Amazing that there are parents here who think nothing of using \"bitch\" in this family friendly forum to label other people and think it is cool, or at worst \"not nice\" only

I am outta here. This place has too many filthy fingers.

lee_yl:

Harrychew:

I don't worship PRC, neither do I hate them as individuals (as a country, PRC is a huge problem, but that's another issue). What I find objectionable is the word \"bitch\" being used to categorize PRC in Singapore ... as if locals are all saints and angels. There are no lack of nasty Singaporeans around, like that rich auntie who recently got hauled to court for using her sports car to block orchard road, or locals who are just as vicious in office politics.


There seem to be a hidden agenda to ostracize and maybe reduce the number of smart and hardworking foreign students and kids of 1st generation PR/citizens from top schools, so that the \"aboriginals\" can have a better chance. If ever MOE bend to the will of these \"aboriginals\", NYGH will cease to be a renowned top high schools in Asia.

I disagree with alumni, grassroots and PV getting priority into primary schools. Primary school enrollment should be prioritized according to nationality and home distance to school only. It is a complete joke that only around 20 slots are left for Phase 2C for the likes of NYPS and Henry Park. In giving so much priority to alumni, grassroots and PV, where do the rest of Singaporeans stand? The current primary school enrollment is a complete disgrace to the ethos of Singapore, particularly so because most of popular primary schools have massive discount to gain entry into the popular high schools. Perhaps the solution is to completely remove the affiliation discount to enroll into high schools.

Being “bitchy” is just an informal adjective to mean spitefully critical, apt description of certain behaviour, only that it happens with a particular group. No need to be too sensitive unless someone’s tail has been stepped on

Regretfully, the use of “aboriginal “ is especially repugnant. Smacks of modern colonialism where a self-anointed superior group lords over the primitive aborigines. No wonder the backlash from the locals who feel that the nation-state painstakingly built up is morphing into something else

You win liao lor. Can say calling others \"bitch\" as ok, but \"aboriginal\" is an offensive word. I wonder what else you teach your kids?

Black is white, white is black, so long as it benefits yourself it is moral and good; no need to care about others, just like your full agreement of the current unfair primary school enrollment system.

lee_yl:

Harrychew:

Agree. I find it hilarious that local kiasu parents are calling the kettle black. Anyway the PRC kids get into top secondary schools on their own merit, unlike the enrollment of choice primary schools which is largely dominated by alumni, grassroots and PV.


If anything, I much prefer my kid to study and make friends with hardworking students, instead of students who got in because of their \"aboriginal status\" or because their parents are alumni.

Harry and Ganjiong, both of you are NY parents right? We are talking about the cultural differences here lah, not saying that NY is not a good school.

If my DD2 makes the cut and wants to join NYGH, then by all means go as NYGH is a very good school. There’s no need to be in awe of PRCs. My DH did his post grad studies in 北大 and we stayed in Beijing for some time. Through my interactions with them, I view them as equals and never 把中国人当神来拜！

Btw, nothing wrong for parents to follow the MOE rules to do 2 years of PV to exchange for a chance to ballot for a school of their choice. Singaporean kids deserve the priority (over foreigners and PRs) during P1 registration by virtue of their sunken roots here. The same logic is universal and applied in all countries

I don't worship PRC, neither do I hate them as individuals (as a country, PRC is a huge problem, but that's another issue). What I find objectionable is the word \"bitch\" being used to categorize PRC in Singapore ... as if locals are all saints and angels. There are no lack of nasty Singaporeans around, like that rich auntie who recently got hauled to court for using her sports car to block orchard road, or locals who are just as vicious in office politics.

There seem to be a hidden agenda to ostracize and maybe reduce the number of smart and hardworking foreign students and kids of 1st generation PR/citizens from top schools, so that the \"aboriginals\" can have a better chance. If ever MOE bend to the will of these \"aboriginals\", NYGH will cease to be a renowned top high schools in Asia.

I disagree with alumni, grassroots and PV getting priority into primary schools. Primary school enrollment should be prioritized according to nationality and home distance to school only. It is a complete joke that only around 20 slots are left for Phase 2C for the likes of NYPS and Henry Park. In giving so much priority to alumni, grassroots and PV, where do the rest of Singaporeans stand? The current primary school enrollment is a complete disgrace to the ethos of Singapore, particularly so because most of popular primary schools have massive discount to gain entry into the popular high schools. Perhaps the solution is to completely remove the affiliation discount to enroll into high schools.

Ganjiongspider:

We can't blame the PRC for being more kiasu than us S'porean. In fact, it is their culture and values to be resilient and be on top. When my dd was in P1, I was very happy and contended when she scored 93 for Math. One of dd's classmate's PRC father asked how much my dd scored. I told him her results. He shook his head that his son scored very bad, very bad for his Math. I thought...ok...guess what? My dd told me he was the highest in whole cohort - 99 out of 100! Just 1 mark away from full marks considered very very bad. I cannot...


Then over the years when I chanced upon those PRC parents who lamented their child scored very badly, I always shook my head...Their scoring very bad is not our range of 70-80s, is 99.9%, very very bad for not scoring perfect results.

I really 佩服 both the PRC parents & the dc. It is their China's cultures for being at the TOP. Last nite I chanced upon youtube about China one of the sports school, whereby over a large number of kids send for Olympic training at the the age of 6 or younger for few years, and only 1 or 2 cherry pick by coach to send them for Olympic competition. Their training were considered abusing but yet the kids are so enthu, so willing to get \"tortured\", just to be on the top.

Hence, I believe it is the culture of most PRC to be so hardworking among us not only when they are in our country. So, actually I really salute to them. Only the BEST survive in our cut-throat society.

Agree. I find it hilarious that local kiasu parents are calling the kettle black. Anyway the PRC kids get into top secondary schools on their own merit, unlike the enrollment of choice primary schools which is largely dominated by alumni, grassroots and PV.

If anything, I much prefer my kid to study and make friends with hardworking students, instead of students who got in because of their \"aboriginal status\" or because their parents are alumni.

phtthp:

After end of P5 SA1 -

how do NYGH start cherry pick so many tens of Top girls, from 100+ primary schools all over Singapore island, to DSA ?

Is it after being invited to attend some P5 event arranged by NYGH, they sieve out the better quality ones, re-invite these better P5 students to come back next year again in P6, for the actual DSA interview, before Psle ?

Meanwhile, for the not-so-good P5 ones which they had already identified from the event attended, they won't re-invite them back anymore, next year P6 ?

NYGH former principal was very open in encouraging students from neighborhood schools to apply for DSA, to extend of saying that neighborhood students will get higher priority. So in NYGH DSA selection, if there are 2 students of roughly equal caliber, the student from neighborhood school will stand a higher chance than the other student from well known primary school.

Words get around, and many of neighborhood top girls applied. Without DSA, many of these top girls from neighborhood primary schools would have chosen other schools (like Cedar, SNGS etc) during S1 posting, because their classmates are going there. As for the SAP primary schools' students who did not succeed in DSA to NYGH, they will still choose NYGH if they meet the PSLE cut off since their parents insisted so.

This, I think is the shrewd strategy of the former principal that partly propelled the school to the top (given that NYGH was consistently below RGS, RI and HCI just a decade ago). Of course with DSA much reduced since last year, this strategy will no longer work for other schools if they choose to emulate it.

lee_yl:

mommyNg:

[quote=\"Harrychew\"]

Not sure about this new principal though. But I think she is wise enough to keep to good (from the school's perspective) enrollment policies.

And also aligned with the (new) MOE directions too.... :evil:

Sometimes I am confused by the DSA directions. Why need to cherry pick top girls from all primary schools? I believe top girls from primary schools should have no problem hitting 264. I thought DSA was designed to help those who excel in one area but not for all academic subjects so probably couldn’t enter via NYGH using tscore?

Hearsay from a friend whose DD was very happy at NYGH for years 1 & 2. As she progressed higher, the girl got unhappy with the school recruiting more and more Scholars from China as these PRCs are quite “bitchy” and form their own cliques. But I guess it’s alright lah, just an early taste of social reality![/quote]Before last year when MOE finally clamped down on DSA intake, 50% of IP schools intake were via DSA. What would any logical parent do?

On your hearsay bitchy PRC students story, I can only say nasty people are usually the ones who go around calling other people names and thinking the worst of newcomers.

myteapot:

With the recent discussions on this forum, I got curious and asked my DD the other day what is the profile mix of her classmates? She told me maybe about half are neutralized Singaporeans, i.e. 1st/2nd generation PRC/Taiwanese. I was rather surprised at first but on further thoughts, DD is in the BSP class so may not be a good reflection of the entire cohort. DD's Yr 2 class definitely did not seem like it was flooded with non-Singaporeans. That said, regardless of the class profile, DD seems to be enjoying her new class and friends.

This trend is across all schools' chinese population, not just NYGH. More than half of today's chinese students will have either one or both parents who is 1st generation PR/citizen. The local Singaporeans born from 1970s onwards are simply not reproducing.

In recent years during my primary and secondary school reunions, estimated about a fifth or a quarter have migrated, and of those that remained in Singapore, the total number of kids is barely half of class size. Singaporeans descendants from migrants that came to Singapore pre-WW2 are disappearing rapidly.

mommyNg:

Zappy:

Your calculations seem to imply that all the DSA intake would not meet the PSLE COP.
I think among that 35-50% DSA students that you mentioned, there'd be a not insignificant group of those students that would still meet the 264, especially those from the subject domains.

No, my calculations suggest that the % of Sec 1 cohort who enter via Psle posting is not as high as what ganjiongspider has stated (or conversely, the % of DSA is not as low as what she has stated). Nothing about the Psle scores of those enter via DSA. Certainly, as far I know, many of those who got in via DSA scored 264 and more (even > 270).

That's because of former principal's strategy of using DSA to cherry pick the top girls in every primary school. She said it during open house that NYGH prides herself for taking in students from more than 100 primary schools, and that a top student from a neighborhood primary school will stand a better chance for DSA. It is thus not surprising that a big chunk of these DSA intake ended up with PSLE score above 260 for even 264.

Not sure about this new principal though. But I think she is wise enough to keep to good enrollment policies.

Estéema:

I have a PRC ex-neigbour who is PR only, owns >20 properties in Spore before the property rules clamp & daughter enter NYGH via T-score of 270. She used to lament her daughter did very well yearly but bcoz PR status do not qualify for EduSave awards.

What's your purpose in telling this story :?

There are also many kids from ultra rich Singapore families taking overseas scholarships, such as a former President whose family owns a bank, i.e. way richer than your PRC neighbor.

Zappy:

zac's mum:

[quote=\"Zappy\"]60% or more of NYGH cohort is from PRC/ TW/ MY... really?

That sounds like a very high % to me.

Why is that surprising? Have u noticed the makeup of SAP schools in Singapore is quite different now compared to our time?

I don't have actual statistics. But considering that there are only about 5% of international students & 9% PR students in local schools, 60% seems disproportionately high for a Singapore school cohort.[/quote]Singapore's Chinese citizen families' birth rate has been around 1.1 to 1.3 for the past 20 years, way below replacement rate of 2.1. Since the citizen population rose slight in this period and the racial proportion did not change, the only conclusion is that about half of new births of Chinese race came from new citizens. So this trend is not just in the SAP schools, but across Singapore. Probably less pronounced in non-SAP schools because the Malays are reproducing, unlike the Chinese and Indians.