Is our primary school education that tough?

last SG · 2012-09-07T00:50:01+00:00

Mathematics is VERY much necessary. It is not all about numbers of science alone. You might not include it into your future career.Mathematics help develop l...

Gohhock SG

Recently I came across a video that show a pri 3 maths problem that is supposed to be very tough. Many parents again asked why the std must be so high that kids cannot be left to enjoy childhood. Some parents claim that they do not know how to solve the problem. But actually the problem just draw inspiration from IQ test question and combine with addition/subtraction with the availability of calculators. The reason the question ask for 3 digit addition and subtraction is because calculators are now available to pri school and hence it cannot be 2 or single digit nos.

I conclude that the world is dominated by educated people who are incapable of really objective analysis and keep using western literature to confuse ourselves. What we should do is just to ensure justice and leave the content to the professionals. Education is about the brain gymnastics to prepare for skills useful for the working life. Why do we want to be so protective of our kids in education now when we cannot protect them from how employers deal with their recruiting and their employees' performance? It is best for them to learn how to survive from young.

As far as I am concern, in the west, education is very lax as usually they do not have to face any national exam unless they want to seek admission to univer and some years no exam at all. I could understand that they probably feel that there is no point asking all students to go thru more rigorous general education content when many of them would not be using them. So just teach them read and write and count and sing, dance, actand organising musical as project etc their teaching them to appreciate their culture. For those who are seeking professional careers then do the last 4 yrs to prepare for national exams like matriculation exams(British type) or the SAT/ACT tests(US type).. So every kid can face only class tests right up to year 12 - in order words - every kid will go thru up to year 12(spore equivalent of JC2) and pass. Singapore has to sweat more from PSLE to GCE O(for those no thru-train) and GCE A, but the pass rates are about 99.9%PSLE, 99%(O) and 98%(A). So eventually under singapore system, even though it involves more sweat but in effect nearly every one graduate from high school or ITE too. There isn't great difference in effect though spore students acquire much more knowledge as a whole even for those who are not making careers as professionals.

When they are admitted to the univers, it is more of adult learning - means how much one can learn for their job skills depend greatly now on the passion of the students for the same teaching competency and facilities. So spore students who have good head-starts will either fall behind or at par only with these western kids because some spore kids have not reached univ entrance with the same passion as the western kids. For western kids, more than spore counterpart achieve high passion level at unive entrance. So our MOE must also understand this subtle difference, giving rise to smaller variance in performance for spore kids compared to western kids.

Which is better is for you to decide?

NG QIBO AARON AUBREY SG

do we need to be so harsh on our young?

Gohhock SG

Yes that is one question but we have to ask which question is more pragmatic. Many parents fear that their children will lose out and then they put them thru longer than usual hours to study even if their children might not be able to cope and even though they want their kids to play more. Markings will eventually be more lenient when there are more kids cannot answer, so when overall results come it will still be similar. So if parents keep pushing their kids even though their kids do not have play time, the knowledge demanded will keep high because kids could meet the standard. as far as the assessors are concerned. Parents should teach kids that learning from curriculum studies and learning from playing are just as enjoyable, only that it is wise to learn also from what textbooks do not teach.

Honeybunz SG

education has become tough which I reckon quite unnecessary. take a look at the earlier generations. Did we have to solve such difficult maths problem? Or let's go back even earlier... maybe PM Lee's days. Notwithstanding how his parents might have nurtured him at home, did his school give him such tough exam questions? And yet he managed to complete his degrees (I believe he did more than 1, didn't really google on that) in UK.

Hence, it always baffles me when I see the schools these days setting high standard for the kids. I recall seeing a parent feedback on his P5 kid's maths problem sums questions on some forum (could be ST forum, can't remember). The question that was posted was far from what I did during my days as a P5 student. Instead, it looked more like a sec 2 papers.

Do we really need to push our new generations this way in order for them to be successful and useful to the society next time? My days didn't have to be like that, and yet I have peers who are now outstanding professionals, ie lawyers, entreprenuers, engineers etc.

I believe strongly in character development whereby moral education should come first. With a solid character development, a kid will understand his duty as a child and student and will naturally want to do well in his studies on his own will instead of external pressure, ie. school environment and curriculum, education standards, pressure from parents and teachers.

I was delighted to see that MOE has started focussing on character development last year. However, whether they will be doing the right thing and the outcome be positive are still too premature to predict.

ISTARI SG

Singapore's education system is not the best in the world. Not everyone is academically inclined. Those who scored well in PSLE doesnt necessarily mean they are smart and successful. Is the academics the only way to access someone's level of intelligence and competency? Sooner in life, you'll understand that intelligence alone isnt going to make you Successful. The perceptions and requirements of jobs in the future in singapore is changing.

Gohhock SG

During PM's time and earlier, kids have to help work at home/parents' stalls or work part-time or full-time. This live skill is best because it is natural. though many kids dislike it. Luckily contents of learning up to sec 2 is much less than now. GCE O and A contents are about the same until some years back where they are cut. Later, eca needs to be introduced to ensure students learn outside the textbooks because they do not have to work pt or ft. Soon not very successful as this could be artificial. Then volunteering is introduced and soon again it is not efficacious because many volunteer to get good resume. This is not unique to spore. Olympics' original objective of promoting friendliness is not much left. Now Olympus competitiors are those who started trg as a young kid and the stress on records and huge prizes have cheapened the glorious objective. If they have insisted competitors must come from only full-time normal workers from all different countries then it would promote friendship.

So, with the kids nowadays ony have learning to do and the reduction in contents, the questions have to be more demanding. So it is not quite possible to say the kids are better than before or more stressful. Hence, we somehow feel there is grade inflation where As does not give rise to better work performance necessarily..

mancha SG

Enrol your kid in nursery, preschool, kindergarten before Primary 1. Then no problemo.

FunGuyWorkaholic SG

The problem lies in the flawed logic that if you are good in for example Maths, therefore you will grow up to have a secured job and successful life, and therefore taken in by this promise (which is by itself a fallacy), the poor kids are forced to trade their precious childhood into this promise.

The richest or most successful people so far in this world as far as I know, not coincidentally, are NEVER the best in school. But there is something they enjoy doing, which is they enjoy learning and they have a passion for what they are doing.

Now, there is a huge difference between forcing and killing the passion in education vs cultivating a passion for learning. The former, once the student leaves school, their education and thirst for knowledge stops. The later, they are the Steve Jobs and the Bill Gates and the Sergey Brin/Larry Page of the world. They created the future because of their passion.

Being from Singapore's educational background, I have to say. I hated pri/sec school and it took me to get out before I realize I actually enjoy learning. The irony is that most of the education I received, came after I left school. After I discovered my passion, and then launched a few successful companies, THEN I went back to school to get the masters and phd. The reason I go back is only because I enjoy learning and researching but things could have gone so wrong because I remember skipping lessons early in school because they were so painful. I didn't understand why education has to be so painful. They almost killed my passion for learning AND for living, almost.

And I'm saying this because I don't know how many other children are being slaughtered right out of that educational factory. I'm voicing out for them.

FunGuyWorkaholic SG

And that brings me to mind some time back there were media reports of kids commiting suicide because of school grades... I mean... seriously, things have to get to that stage? Grades more important than life? Grades more important then cultivating the passion for learning? Seriously?

Rock^Star SG

Education is all about operating a factory mill to churn out graduates, so that they may serve as digits of the economy.

ECH SG

It is indeed stressful for kids nowadays...

Gohhock SG

I have an interesting observation about sporeans who migrated to escape the stresses for kids and themselves. In Perth, asian immigrants often send their children to private schools because they think public shools do not teach very much.(if they can afford them above A$20k per child). And those who send kids to Kumon to learn higher level maths and science are mainly asians too. So it is mainly the fault of the parents to bring about unnecessary load to their own children but blame it on MOE. Just imagine they have the privilege to escape the 'stressful' education system and go to a very relax country and yet they do the same thing to their children in the new country.

By the way, australians who are suffering from mental illnesses are no different from spore rates I think and so I conclude that reasonable hardwork is good and normal.

Ito_^ SG

its the fun factor that attract kids to school. they should make it more fun.

dangerboi SG

By the way, australians who are suffering from mental illnesses are no different from spore rates I think and so I conclude that reasonable hardwork is good and normal.

Those Singaporeans are stupid.

Maeanneteng SG

its really stressful for the kids to go to school but its their second home to were they can learn more and its more fun to the kids who will go to school to meet some friends. Anyways guys, please help me to enroll to a dance lessons. What dance school? refer me please.

Summer hill SG

And I'm saying this because I don't know how many other children are being slaughtered right out of that educational factory. I'm voicing out for them.

Summer hill SG

my teacher told me.

"What you studied will be outdated in 3 years"

troublemaker2005 SG

should we implement 5BX, IPPT SOC force march , road march, range water parade, stand2, standby bed, ?

No_10_Tomas SG

Sg has an unhealthy no-life culture that enforce long hours studying and working

look at how many hours per day sg kids are forced to spend on their books

american students spend most of their time on leisure, computer games, sports and very little time on their books but they still grind out academic achievements

M the name SG

At least in Malaysia, some organisations are taking some action regard to issues related to education inequality : http://www.teachformalaysia.org , in Singapore, I guess we only have MOE and that it.