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Tag: MOE

  • SDP: MOE Must Downsize Class Sizes To Encourage Creativity

    SDP: MOE Must Downsize Class Sizes To Encourage Creativity

    The latest IMD report shows Singapore falling in ‘talent’ ranking. This is partly due to “inadequate investment and development of its own talents” (compared to being tops for attracting foreign talent) – a serious indictment of the PAP’s priorities.

    http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/…/singapore-losing-edge-in-…

    The report also cites the poor pupil-teacher ratio, ranking 41st for primary education and 35th for secondary education. This why the SDP proposes that our pupil-teacher ratio be halved to 20-1.
    http://yoursdp.org/publ/sdp_39_s_alternatives/education/26

    The Problem

    Our education system puts too much emphasis on exams and rote learning which kill creative impulses in our children. Also, these statistics paint a depressing picture of what the education system is doing to our children:

    • 20% of our children exhibit signs of anxiety and mood disorders. (The Straits Times, 2012)
    • One in three students say they sometimes think that life is not worth living because they fear exams. “That’s scary. What kind of life are we putting our kids through if they’re so frightened of examinations?” a psychiatrist said. (Far Eastern Economic Review, 2001). Children actually commit suicide because of the pressure they feel to perform.
    • The number of youths seeking psychiatric help increased by 16% from 2005, reaching 3,126 in 2010. More than half of these were primary school children. (The Sunday Times, 2010)
    • The number of children warded for “aggressive, suicidal or hallucination tendencies” at IMH jumped by 35% between 2005 to 2010. Mental health professionals attribute these problems to academic stress. (The Sunday Times, 2010)
    • Psychiatrists found that 12.5% of primary school children show signs of emotional problems including anxiety and depression. Researchers say that this might be an underestimation of the prevalence of mental health problems among children. (Singapore Medical Journal, 2007)

    1. Remove PSLE and delay streaming

    The stress of exams inflicts psychological trauma on children. It is not an intelligent approach to assess the abilities of primary-school students on a single examination.

    2. Cultivate creative minds

    Build confidence in children by helping them develop independent thinking, willingness to make mistakes, and perseverance in the face of failed attempts.

    3. Broaden curricula, reduce syllabi

    Subjects such as music appreciation, speech and drama, literature, etc. as well as periods for students to collaborate and interact to develop their creativity will be introduced to al schools.

    4. Reduce class size

    The SDP will reduce class size in our schools to 20 pupils per class from the current 40 to provide students with the necessary individual attention to help them develop academically.

    5. Introduce dedicated-teacher system


    One teacher will be assigned to each class from Primary 1 and follow them through Primary 3; another will take them through from Primary 4 to 6. This will allow students to bond with their teachers and give parents and teachers time to develop trust and cooperation.

    6. Scrap school and class rankings

    Comparing examination results and ranking students and classes detracts from the real purpose of education, which is self-improvement and self-actualisation.

    7. Encourage reading

    Reducing the current syllabus will free up students and allow them time to read for pleasure. A love of reading encourages life-long learning and cultivates a creative mind.

    8. Convert all schools to single-session ones

    School hours will be from 8 am to 4 pm during which time will be put aside for students to complete their assignments. This will allow teachers to help students with their work thereby ruling out the need for private tuition.

     

     

    Source: Chee Soon Juan 徐顺全

  • Former Teacher And NIE Lecturer: Youths Must Still Be Encouraged To Do Embrace Knowledge

    Former Teacher And NIE Lecturer: Youths Must Still Be Encouraged To Do Embrace Knowledge

    I am going to humbly go against the grain here and state that I don’t think sharing our past PSLE scores and telling kids what we are doing/where we are now is helpful. I think every kid’s performance in PSLE should only be compared to their own past performance or to targets they have set for themselves. I think sharing our PSLE scores forces a comparison between the kids and ourselves, which is terribly unfair because we did not go through the same education syllabus nor the same exams as they did. Our context and upbringing were different. Our circumstances will be different from theirs. Our measure of what success is will also be very different from one another. So why limit their possibilities by projecting ours?

    I also find telling kids that PSLE scores don’t necessarily impact your future is misleading, because to an extent it does. Kids need to know that their actions (choosing to study/ not study) will have consequences (which school they go to/what courses they take) but what’s important is that they know we are here to help support them so together we can deal with situations where the consequences are not ideal. For the kids who may not have done well…hug them, kiss them, tell them it’s alright and you love them, and help them reflect on what is it that they thought went wrong. Empower them with skills and abilities they need to be autonomous learners who know their own strengths and weaknesses. For the kids who have done well, again, hug them, kiss them, tell them well done on their efforts and it is well deserved. And empower these kids too so that in case they find themselves facing failure in the future, they will be resilient.

    My concern is that that in our attempt to convince some kids that “results don’t matter”, we belittle the efforts taken by other kids, educators and parents who believe in achieving academic excellence, with much grit and determination.

    We have to tell our kids…YOU need to study. You need to learn and love learning. Be disciplined. Continue to put in the effort. Don’t use examples of people who have made it without doing well academically as an excuse to slack off. They charted their own journeys, good on them. But as for you, while you have the ability, the capacity, the chance to study… give it your best and aspire to achieve your dreams and plans you have for your own future.

    The pursuit of knowledge is not a choice. It is incumbent on you. On all of us.

    May Allah swt protect our children and make them intelligent, learned and compassionate human beings always.

    Amin.

     

    Source: Cikgu Roszalina Rawi

  • Pelajar Madrasah Irysad Zuhri, Madrasah Alsagoff Al Arabiah Muncul Tiga Pelajar Terbaik Dari Madrasah

    Pelajar Madrasah Irysad Zuhri, Madrasah Alsagoff Al Arabiah Muncul Tiga Pelajar Terbaik Dari Madrasah

    Pelajar dari Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri, Luqman Jun’En Mohd Sa’ad, meraih agregat tertinggi keseluruhan bagi pelajar madrasah sebanyak 267.

    Luqman mendapat 3A* dan 1A.

    Gred 3A* diperolehi bagi bahasa Inggeris, bahasa Melayu dan Matematik, manakala 1A untuk mata pelajaran Sains.

    Beliau juga merupakan pelajar terbaik Madrasah Irsyad bagi Peperiksaan Sekolah Rendah Pengajian Islam tahun ini.

    PELAJAR KEDUA TERBAIK – AHMAD AN-NAFEES

    Seorang lagi pelajar Madrash Irsyad, iaitu Ahmad An-Nafees Mohd Najib, muncul sebagai pelajar kedua terbaik dari sektor madrasah dalam PSLE kali ini, setelah dia mencatat agregat 265.

    Dia juga mendapat 3A* dan 1A.

    3A* dalah bagi bahasa Melayu, Matematik dan Sains. Gred A pula adalah bagi bahasa Inggeris.

    Madrasah Irsyad mengekalkan prestasinya dengan menghasilkan 13 pelajar yang menduduki 10 tangga teratas di kalangan pelajar madrasah dengan agregat terbaik.

    AGREGAT TERTINGGI MADRASAH ALSAGOFF DALAM MASA 8 TAHUN

    Pelajar Hanina Rehan menjadi pelajar madrasah ketiga terbaik dari kalangan pelajar madrasah, selain dinobatkan pelajar terbaik Madrasah Alsagoff Al Arabiah.

    Hanina berkongsi kedudukan dengan dua lagi pelajar madrasah Irsyad.

    Dia mendapat agregat 263, paling tinggi pernah dicapai madrasah tersebut sejak PSLE diwajibkan ke atas pelajar madrasah pada tahun 2008.

    Hanina, anak keempat dari enam adik beradik mendapat gred A* untuk bahasa Inggeris dan bahasa Melayu, gred A untuk Sains, dan B untuk Matematik.

    SEMUA 4 MADRASAH PENUHI UKUR TARA PSLE

    Kesemua madrasah melepasi ukur tara agregat PSLE yang ditetapkan MOE, iaitu 179 mata agregat, untuk membolehkan madrasah terus mengambil masuk pelajar darjah satu.

    Malah kesemua madrasah mencapai purata agregat lebih tinggi berbanding tahun lepas.

    97.6% pelajar madrasah layak ke sekolah menengah.

    Tahun ini seramai 255 pelajar madrasah menduduki PSLE.

     

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

  • Children With Moderate To Severe Special Needs To Be Part Of Compulsory Education Act

    Children With Moderate To Severe Special Needs To Be Part Of Compulsory Education Act

    Starting from 2019, children with moderate to severe special needs will need to attend publicly-funded schools, just like all other children in Singapore.

    The move to extend the Compulsory Education Act to this group of children will take effect from the Primary 1 cohort three years from now.

    With the change, they will be required to attend any of the 20 government-funded special education (Sped) schools here, unless they apply for exemption.

    Minister for Education (Schools) Ng Chee Meng announced the new policy on Friday morning (Nov 4) at the annual Sped conference, saying: “This is indeed an important milestone in Singapore’s continuing drive towards national inclusiveness.

    “I am heartened to hear that nearly all children with special needs are receiving formal primary education in government-funded schools, either mainstream or Sped.”

    He noted the progress made in the Sped sector in the areas of curriculum, teaching and learning, professional development for teachers and infrastructure.

    “It is therefore timely to include our children with special educational needs within the framework established by the Compulsory Education Act. This is a reaffirmation that every child matters, regardless of his or her learning challenges,” he said.

    The policy change comes nearly five years after it was recommended by a a 32-member, government-appointed expert panel. Experts have said that including special needs children in the Compulsory Education Act would compel parents who do not send their children to school – due to lack of awareness of opportunities, or fear of their children being seen in public – to do so.

    It also guarantees to provide enough places for special needs children. Currently, some Sped schools have long waiting lists.

    The Ministry of Education (MOE) has pledged that there will be enough school places for all Singaporean children.

    A quarter – or about 440 – of the 1,770 children with special needs per cohort are currently exempt from the Compulsory Education Act, according to MOE figures. They have moderate to severe special needs, such as autism, intellectual disabilities and cerebral palsy.

    Of this, about 40 children do not go to school.

    The remaining three-quarters of the cohort – whose disabilities are mild, including conditions like dyslexia – are in mainstream primary schools.

    The Compulsory Education Act passed in 2000 requires all Singaporean children to complete six years of primary education in national schools before they turn 15. Parents can be fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed for up to a year otherwise. Besides those with moderate to severe special needs, children attending designated religious schools or being homeschooled can be exempted.

    Dr Janil Puthucheary, who is Minister of State for Education, will chair an advisory panel appointed by MOE to look into implementing the new policy.

    “Over the years, MOE and various voluntary welfare organisations have worked closely to enhance the quality, accessibility and affordability of Sped. We have also implemented measures to strengthen support for children with special educational needs in mainstream schools,” said Dr Puthucheary.

    “The advisory panel will have some work ahead, to make sure that we implement compulsory education in a way that serves the needs of all children, but with the community and the professionals coming together I’m sure we’ll be able to.”

    Mr Ng said that his ministry is mindful of the challenges involved in implementing compulsory education for children with special needs, noting that there will be a small group of children with serious conditions who cannot attend school or whose parents may still prefer to teach their children at home.

    “We will need to work out exemption processes for this group to ensure their interests and welfare are safeguarded. But the overall policy intent is clear, as is our determination to facilitate what will be in the best interests of our children.”

    The welfare community lauded the move.

    Dr Victor Tay, president of the Association for Persons with Special Needs, said that Singapore had signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1995, which states that every child has the right to education.

    “Somehow we did not put it into effect fully, because perhaps the Sped sector was not prepared and was still building up its resources and curricula,” he said.

    “But there has been more discussion about moving towards a more inclusive society in the last few years, and schools are more ready now for such a mandate.”

    Today, there are a total of 18,000 students with mild special educational needs in mainstream schools, while another 5,500 with moderate and severe needs are supported by Sped schools.

    These schools are provided substantial funding by MOE – significantly more than the mainstream schools – which goes towards paying specialised staff and providing tailored support for students.

    In a Facebook post on Friday, Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin said that MOE’s plan to include children with Special educational needs in the Compulsory Education Act “is a huge step in making Singapore a more inclusive society”.

    “The changes to the Compulsory Education Act support the recommendation in the Second Enabling Masterplan for more support in enabling children with special needs to access education in both mainstream and Sped schools. This will help children with special needs to realise their potential, and open up opportunities for continual learning, and employment,” he wrote.

    He noted that MOE has been working closely with Sped schools over the past few years to improve the quality of education, affordability and accessibility for students. Support for children with special needs in mainstream schools has also been improved, so that they can learn and develop in a natural setting.

    Mr Tan said the Ministry of Social and Family Development will be working with MOE and the new advisory panel to further build on efforts to enhance the learning opportunities for children with special needs, “so that they are better able to develop and build competencies”.

     

    Source: The Straits Times

  • MOE And FAS Confirm Revamp Of Schools Competition

    MOE And FAS Confirm Revamp Of Schools Competition

    The Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) have confirmed that the national ‘B’ division schools football competition will be revamped next year, with the proposed new tournament format allowing each school to play more matches.

    Under the current competition set-up, schools are divided into four groups in each of the four zones (North, South, East and West). The top two teams from each group progress to their respective zonal knockout stages, and teams that reach the zonal semi-finals also qualify for the national championships.

    Schools who fail to make it past the initial group stage however, will be eliminated. This means that most of the school teams play only five games a year on average, while the finalists get to play 18 games.

    However, TODAY understands that under the proposed new format, teams will be segregated into three divisions after the group stage.

    The top two teams in each group will qualify for the School Premier League 1 (SPL 1), while the third and fourth-placed teams will advance to the SPL 2. The remaining teams will be grouped in the School Zonal League (SZL).

    The 16 teams in SPL 1 and SPL 2 will then be divided into four groups. They will play home-and-away round-robin matches, with the winner of each group moving onto the semi-finals.

    Similarly, in the SZL, likely to be contested by eight schools, the teams will be divided into two groups of four. The top two in each group will advance to the semi-finals.

    These changes will see each team playing at least eight games each year. The finalists for the SPL 1 and 2 get to play 16 games in total, while the finalists in the SZL will play 10 games.

    The MOE and FAS, who will jointly organise next year’s competition, met with the participating schools last week to brief them about the proposed changes and gather feedback.

    “MOE and FAS will be co-organising the ‘B’ Division National School Games (NSG) Football tournament from 2017 to enhance the competition experiences for our students,” an MOE spokesperson told TODAY.

    “This collaboration will allow more schools to play more matches as part of the NSG, in support of students’ development.

    “MOE is currently working with FAS on the details of the competition, including the changes in the competition format. MOE will brief the participating schools when the details have been finalised.”

    An FAS spokesman added: “One of the key objectives of the proposed changes is to give our youth footballers more balanced and competitive matches, which will contribute to their development.

    “We are in the final stage of discussions, and an announcement will be made in due course.”

    The revamp is part of the FAS’ development plan for youth football, which was conceptualised and unveiled by technical director Michel Sablon earlier this year.

    The 68-year-old, widely recognised as the man who transformed Belgium into a footballing powerhouse, had then highlighted the need for school players to have more match experience, which he believes will go a long way to developing them into better footballers in future.

    TODAY understands that most schools were pleased with the proposed changes, although there are concerns that the additional matches will lead to a packed schedule, leaving little time for coaches to organise training sessions.

    A school teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, praised the new initiatives. “This is a positive move by the MOE and FAS because a lot of our players crave to play more matches,” he said.

    “But friendly games are logistically hard to arrange, so once the team is out of the competition, there is nothing to draw the students back to committing their time to training.

    “A longer season will also mean more game time for the team, which is important for the students if they are to develop into better players.”

    A school football coach, who also did not want to be named, added: “I’m glad this is being put in place. The only way for players to improve is to have more match experience.

    “It is especially crucial during their developmental years. This is when they start to progress from learning the basics of football to understanding things like tactics, positioning and awareness. All these traits are best honed during a match-setting.”

    TODAY also understands that the MOE is studying a proposal by the FAS to change the Primary School football competition to 8v8 or 9v9 matches instead of the current 11-aside format, while also ensuring that every team will get to play more matches

     

    Source: TODAY Online