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Local teachers seemed to be growing lazy

From Straitstimes.com, 4th June 2008
Schools should not rely on it and ministry should act
WHEN I attended a teacher-parent meeting because I was told that my Secondary 4 son had fared poorly in his school examinations, I was shocked. I expected to see a handful of parents and their children. Instead, it seemed as if the school had summoned all the parents.

When I questioned several teachers why so many of his classmates had also fared poorly, the standard responses were along the lines that my son’s class was ‘a very challenging class to teach’.

My son needed more help, I was told. Their suggestion was that ‘he sign up for tuition lessons and attend all the remedial classes we have planned for the holidays’.

What is wrong with our education system today, where we are so reliant and dependant on private tuition and enrichment classes? This is great news for tuition centres and the enrichment centres like Mindchamps, Adam Khoo, SuperCamp for kids, Lorna Whiston, Julia Gabriel, Shichida and the lot, who charge very high fees and make big bucks due to the very real fear and desperation of parents who want their children to do well.

But what if you are not in the ‘privileged group’ who can afford the thousands of dollars needed for tuition? What if you are a heartlander struggling to make ends meet?

Will your child be able to keep up with children from more privileged backgrounds, whose parents shell out $2,000 to $3,000 every few months for various extra private tuition classes?

The present education system is counter-productive to producing well-educated and well-balanced students. Instead of enjoying studying, students are stressed out and failing in too many subjects.

The Ministry of Education must be more proactive in ensuring that students are less reliant on external tuition or enrichment classes, and ensure a well-balanced education for all.

Tan Eng Hong

MRS JOHN YAP: ‘My son entered Primary 1 this year, and I chose a school that I thought would be more holistic. But one teacher recently suggested that my son get tuition and learn the lessons ahead of the class so that by the time she gets to the lesson, my son can follow it. A check with some of my son’s classmates also revealed that many parents would do their children’s homework so that they can finish it on time. The children get tons of homework, frequent tests, and, yes, a list of homework for the June holidays which includes maths and English exercises, reading 10 story books, making a model of the school, producing a health booklet and writing a journal thrice a week. On top of all that, there is a friendly reminder that there will be Term 3 tests after the holidays! I hope my son’s school is in the minority. Something is definitely amiss when there’s so much homework that parents feel they have to do it for their kids just so their kids can cope, and where the solution given to improving a child’s academic results is to get tuition. Now I understand why everyone I know shoves her child from tuition centre to tuition centre. My son is not attending any enrichment classes or tuition centres because I don’t think they will make him a smarter or better person.’

‘Tuition has become an almost non-negotiable necessity.’

MADAM CHOO SWEE LIN: ‘My child is in Secondary 1. For the past six meet-the-parents sessions, I took in the teacher’s feedback and did all that I could to help my child. But the seventh meeting turned out no different; it was another ?what’s the problem with your child’ session. The school should be a child’s primary source of education. Now that tuition has become an almost non-negotiable necessity, does it mean the primary source has failed in its role?’

‘Are these parents going to complain to their children’s future bosses for giving them too difficult tasks?’

MR TAN GUANGFAN: ‘I refer to Mrs Lisa Ng’s letter, ?Why tuition centres for elite students flourish’ (May 24). I am a former student of one of the elite schools she listed. Tuition can be useful but I do not think that students should be overly dependent on private tutors. I am disappointed that parents are blaming difficult examinations. Are these parents going to complain to their children’s future bosses for giving them too difficult tasks? At 18, it is time for teenagers to learn to accept challenges and take failures in their stride.’

‘This is the new education system: Children request tuition.’

MADAM LEE SIM LIAN: ‘My daughter was very upset because she didn’t do well in her exams and has asked for tuition. This is the new education system: Children have to request tuition because they think they have done badly.’

I still distinctly remember when I first started education in Zhenghua Primary School way back in 1995. Among the first things that my form teacher told us, was something along the line of “Some of your parents may want to put you ito private tution classes. Personally, I feel that tution classes are unnecessary and the school will provide you all the education you will ever need.”

How things have changed now. Teachers are now recommending to parents of weaker students to enroll them in tution classes. Does this really means that the students are beyond help and really need additional lessons, or does this means that teachers nowadays are throwing off their long held responsiblities of providing education to all students?

Using a cliched excuse like “challenging class to teach” does not give a teacher reason to strike off his or her responsiblity of educating the weaker students and leaving that responsibility to private tutors. Aren’t real educators supposed to raise up to the challenge and give their undivided attention to students in need of them to better help them academically.

Imagine you are a toilet cleaner. A few of your designated toilets are super dirty and disgusting, one that, if I may so put it, is a “very challenging toilet to clean”. Can you then tell your employer to seek other toilet cleaners? In short, is it correct of the teachers to throw their responsibilities to private tutors?

My parents were once called for a Parents-Teacher meeting by my form teacher in The Chinese High School, due to my complete disinterest in academic matters. My form teacher asked my parents how I normally spend time at home, and seek my parents’ help in controlling my access to computer and the internet (I was crazy about programming). One of my friend who was a hard core gamer even had his keyboard locked away under the suggestion of the form teacher. Needless to say, our results improved soon after. That is what I thought Parents-Teacher meeting is all about — allowing teachers to reach out to the students’ parents and figure what factors at home that is causing obstacle to academic performance. What is the point of having a Parents-Teacher meeting if all the teachers do nowadays is to suggest for tution classes?

Teachers should be more responsible. Being an educator is a role that I believe only a handful of teachers in Singapore truly qualify for. NIE should do better in educating teachers of tomorrow, so as to provide better education for Singaporeans of tomorrow.

–

A Philosophy Major with thinking disablties

From Straitstimes.com, 3rd June 2008
Does NUS still prefer muggers?
WHEN are two Bs and a C not good enough for entry to the National University of Singapore (NUS) arts faculty? When, it appears, one of your Bs is in that ‘new’ subject, Knowledge and Inquiry (KI).

While people are keen to have a fourth university offering a liberal arts degree, NUS seems to eschew the liberal arts.

Of course, I may be wrong, and biased, since it was my son who received the NUS rejection letter. However, it rankles when he has a bunkmate who has secured a place in NUS with one B and two Cs (and the requisite pass in General Paper).

I watched my son enjoy KI. The subject offered him the chance to hone his critical faculties, debating and research skills.

As a philosophy major myself, I revelled in the discussions we had on moral philosophy, the scientific method, his research paper. I rejoiced in his rekindled interest in physics.

We looked forward to him pursuing his love of military history, politics and philosophy at NUS, confident his Bs in History and KI and C in English Literature were enough. It was not to be.

It appears NUS still prefers students who pass in the traditional ‘mugging’ subjects, and relegating KI to the status of General Paper.

This is ironic, as KI could be considered the most basic of university subjects - it was the only course of study in the past, and requires the skills any thinking, creative person must possess - ability to reason and express oneself clearly and critically, and passion to defend one’s stand.

Angelina Phillips (Ms)

Why is it that it seemed to me as if you are very proud of your son’s “B”? My girlfriend has got 2 As and a C, and she couldn’t even get into a course of her choice. She is now suffering from being in the wrong faculty, one she could not perform in, and one which would make her less academically well-off. Does your son’s supposed obession, interest, passion, whatever you call it, in KI (which in the end only got him a B) makes him different and thus exempt him from other students who have to experience the same inadequecy in our education system?

When I mentioned my A level results, AABC on my blog, a reader commented that I fucked up my Alevels. Now according to that reader’s definition, your son had super duperly fucked up upside down. And you wrote in to complain, “Hey, B is good! I think it is good! I am a philosophy major and my son can discuss with me intellectually on stuff! Why can’t he get into NUS arts?”

Your ridicious tone aside, I understand your point in that subjects like GP and KI shows critical thinking capabilities of a student, while other subjects only reflect how mug a student can me. In Anderson Junior College, 3 or 4As with a just pass or fail in GP is a common. I don’t care what kind of course they can get into, but their lack in comprehensive and thinking skills can only warrant them the status of what I call a background degree holder, someone with the academic qualification but cannot provide anything innovative or value to his place of work or society.

Although I dislike the tone of the letter above, I fully agree with what was being said, that universities should focus less on muggers and more on thinkers. I know Universities all have that in their advertisements, but it is time to do something real about it isn’t it?

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I distinctly remember reading the ST forum about a parent complaining that his kiddy with a fantastic grade of A, B and E could not get into any local university, and Singapore government should have foreseen his situation and did properly planning to cater to weaker JC graduates.

I know how godly our government is, but isn’t this parent too much?

The first thought that struck me after I finished reading his highly logically and sensible (urgh, I am trying to be polite ok) letter was whether he or his kid had done any form of planning, or just blindly follow the crowd.

I mean, most people should know that while A level is the most direct way to get into Uni, it is a path with higher risk for weaker students. Those were unable to get into a local Uni with their A level grades will have to either retake the exam, go to a poly, or scamper of to some private of overseas Uni. Certainly the parent who wrote in to ST should have considered these scenarios before forcing/encouraging/recommending/allowing his kid to go into a JC?

What a bad role model that parent is. Blindly taking a risk and then complaining that the government did not do enough to remove that risk.

And then another parent came in.

From ST Forum 31st May 2007,

JOIN Mr See Chee Wee (ST, May 29) and share his sentiments.

My son, who excelled in sports at inter-school level (junior college colours award recipient) was similarly rejected by all three local universities with his B, B (General Paper), D and E grades.

I saw clearly the sheer disappointment in his face after he read the third and final letter of rejection when he returned home for the weekend, exhausted from his basic military training on Pulau Tekong. I could imagine what went through his mind - the apparent lack of consideration given to the effort and time he devoted to athletics. This is despite the liberalisation of the universities and the supposed importance the Government and universities place on a well-rounded education.

Hearing of similar experiences reasserts not only the lip service paid to co-curricular activities in Singapore but also the mercilessly meritocratic nature of the system.

Jayampath De Silva

While I think this kid had done well with his B for GP, I think that a D and E is no go. Using his passion in athletics as a convenient excuse for the kids lower than average academic score doesn’t make sense. I also have my doubts about the writer’s definition of a “well-rounded education”.

A student can be free to pursue whatever he wishes. I spend all my time, energy, attention and soul on only 2 things during my JC years. My girlfriend and programming. None of the above are A Level requirements. However, can I use these as an excuse if I get lousy grades? No. And I didn’t. If I want I would have said that Singapore has its Romancing Singapore programmes and should give more better grades to students who understands love. And Singapore should also give me higher grades because was appeared in Digital Life as a creative and IT-inclined Singaporean, exactly the kind of talent that Singapore wants. I don’t exactly know how much the the guy’s son spent on running around the tracks or fooling around with balls, but I can safely say that no one can beat me in the amount of time I spent on my girlfriend and my programming.

Hell, if your interest lies outside what mainstream education has for you, stay away from mainstream altogether unless you are totally confident and capable or doing so many things at the same time. Otherwise, you will be like the guy above, exhausted and rejected, unwanted by anyone, unable to pursue both mainstream education and his own interest.

On a personal level, I think that everyone should be free to pursue his or her interest, but the sad truth in Singapore is that if you want to stay in the mainstream in Singapore, something have to be given up unless you are really capable of concentrating on two things at once.

My guide for my sister, when she was considering going to a JC was this: If you do not qualify for the first 5 JC in Singapore, or you did not get less than 10 points raw score for Olevel, please forget about going to a JC, because you may not be able to hold up against the tough competition and get into a local Uni through the JC route. Poly may be a better choice.

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