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Tag: Singaporeans

  • Singapore Students Spends Third Longest Time On Homework

    Singapore Students Spends Third Longest Time On Homework

    Students in Singapore are among the world’s most hard- working at home, clocking the third-longest time spent on homework, a report released this month has found.

    The country’s 15-year-olds said that they devoted 9.4 hours to homework a week, in the study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

    They came in behind students in Shanghai, who spend 13.8 hours a week on homework, and those in Russia, who take 9.7 hours.

    Students in Finland and South Korea spent fewer than three hours – the least among the 65 countries and regions surveyed – on homework each week.

    The global average was about five hours’ worth of homework each week.

    The report was based on results from a questionnaire in 2012 for the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), a test to measure academic achievement for 15-year-olds.

    Around 510,000 students took part in the test. They were asked questions about their school environment, families and attitudes towards subjects and school.

    The study found that students who did more homework scored higher in Pisa. For instance, Shanghai and Singapore, where students spent much of their time on homework, came in first and second respectively in the Pisa mathematics test in 2012.

    Across the countries and regions surveyed, students who came from socio-economically advantaged backgrounds tended to devote more hours to homework.

    A spokesman for the Ministry of Education (MOE) said Singapore’s weekly average of 9.4 hours on homework is “fairly reasonable for upper-secondary students, who would be preparing for the national examinations”.

    She said: “Homework, when used appropriately, can reinforce students’ learning, contribute to their progress and cultivate a healthy disposition towards learning.”

    But in response to parents’ concerns about excessive homework in recent years, schools have adopted policies to monitor and coordinate the homework load across subjects and departments.

    The MOE spokesman said: “Some teachers may get their students to complete their assignments in class or after school, rather than at home.”

    Swiss Cottage Secondary School student Nurul Amirah, 15, said her daily routine of homework and revision starts at 9pm and ends around midnight.

    “I spend more than 10 hours on homework every week. If exams are coming, I spend at least 15 hours. But I benefit from assignments that make me think more,” she said.

    She added that teachers and students list homework assignments on their classroom boards, so students do not get assigned too much work at any one time.

    Associate Professor Jason Tan, an education policy expert at the National Institute of Education, said: “The 9.4 hours do not seem that overwhelming, when students are taking six to nine subjects in Secondary 3.

    “But (the report) also doesn’t give any indication of the subjects the time is spent on, or the nature of homework, so it’s hard to draw any conclusions from this.”

    Prof Tan added that although students in South Korea and Japan were ranked low in the number of homework hours in this survey, they were not “learning any less”.

    “Their students spend long hours after school in cram schools similar to tuition centres, called juku in Japan and hagwon in Korea,” he said.

    It is difficult to set a “right” amount of homework for everyone, said Prof Tan.

    “Every student is different in terms of learning styles and interests, and each may need a different amount of time for practice.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Mosque Stands As Reminder of God Amidst Devastation During 2004 Tsunami

    Mosque Stands As Reminder of God Amidst Devastation During 2004 Tsunami

    BANDA ACEH, Indonesia – Thousands of Indonesians gathered on Thursday to pray at a mosque that was one of the few buildings left standing in Banda Aceh, the city flattened by the Boxing Day tsunami that killed at least 226,000 people 10 years ago.

    Pictures of the 135-year-old mosque left isolated in a plain of desolation after almost everything around it was wiped away were among the most memorable from the disaster, caused by a freak wave triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island in 2004.

    “Allah kept his house unscathed, that’s what we Muslims believe,” Azman Ismail, great imam of the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque, told Reuters. About 5,000 men, women and children crowded inside for its largest mass prayer since the tsunami.

    Aceh province bore the brunt of the devastation with at least 168,000 people dead from the tsunami which also killed thousands in Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

    Syahirizal Abbas, a local government official, said he was attending “to pray that the dead will be welcome to Allah’s side.”

    Although the tsunami brought devastation, Ismail said it had also led to peace in the province, which had suffered years of conflict between rebels and the military, as well as much needed development.

    “The tsunami should be seen as a blessing instead of punishment by Allah,” Syeikh Ali Jaber, an imam from Saudi Arabia, told worshippers. REUTERS

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • AHPETC Fined S$800 For Holding CNY Fair Without Permit

    AHPETC Fined S$800 For Holding CNY Fair Without Permit

    The Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC), run by the opposition Workers’ Party, was on Wednesday (Dec 24) fined S$800 for holding a festive trade fair without a permit earlier this year.

    A district court had found the town council guilty on Nov 28 for flouting Section 35 of the Environmental Public Health Act. AHPETC faced a fine of up to S$1,000.

    AHPETC ARGUES FOR NOMINAL FINE

    In its mitigation plea, defence lawyer Peter Low said AHPETC “is not deserving of the maximum fine” of S$1,000 and instead argued for a nominal fine of S$200.

    He urged the court to take into account the particular circumstances that the town council found itself in at the time of the offence. Among them, that AHPETC was uncertain as to whether the National Environment Agency (NEA) would require the town council to apply for a permit for organising its Chinese New Year fair.

    The town council also went ahead to fill up the application form it received from the NEA despite having reservations over the requirements in the form.

    Mr Low also argued that the town council showed substantial compliance of NEA’s demands, and when the town council highlighted to NEA that some of the requirements were unreasonable, the agency “maintained silence as to why it imposed unreasonable conditions”. These conditions include getting support from the area’s Citizens’ Consultative Committee for the running of the fair.

    Mr Low said AHPETC “honestly believed it was justified in proceeding without a trade fair permit”.

    Prosecution lawyer Isaac Tan though said the town council was deliberate in its action and unremorseful.

    Elaborating on his grounds for sentencing, District Judge Victor Yeo said the undisputed fact was that the town council made a conscious decision to start its fair a day earlier despite being told by the NEA that its application for a permit was incomplete. He reiterated that the true objection of the town council centred on the conditions attached to the permit and not the requirement for a permit.

    He added AHPETC had also ignored repeated warnings by the NEA that it could face prosecution if it continued with the fair. The fair ran its full course for three weeks.

    A nominal fine, said the judge, would send the wrong signal to others who want to organise temporary fairs.

    “In deciding on the appropriate fine to impose other than the duration of the the temporary fair, I have also considered the nature and the scale of the temporary fair. Suffice for me to note, the event was held at the sheltered Hougang Central Hub, in the vicinity of commercial shops and residential blocks, where considerable human traffic can be expected. The size of the fair was not small as it covered about 560 square metres, accommodating five stalls and numerous benches,” said District Judge Yeo.

    AHPETC UNABLE TO ORGANISE ACTIVITIES, SAYS SYLVIA LIM

    AHPETC Chairman Sylvia Lim said she respects the court’s decision but is not satisfied with the outcome, adding that the issue is a matter of public interest.

    “The reason why we contested the case in court is not because we want to give any problems to any Government agency but we believe there’s a public interest question involved. How Government agencies should exercise the powers given to them under the law and whether they act in a just and fair manner,” she said.

    She added that the town council has been hampered in managing common areas under its charge, and that it has not been able to organise activities to benefit residents in the area.

    This, said Ms Lim, has also affected the town council’s revenue source.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • PAP: Change Or Out The Door You Go

    PAP: Change Or Out The Door You Go

    Single-party governments in Southeast Asia are failing across the region unless they are able to reinvent themselves.

    This was what Norshahril Saat, a PhD candidate at the Department of Political and Social Change, Australian National University and a graduate of the National University of Singapore, wrote, in The Straits Times.

    “Are dominant parties of the last century doomed to fail in the 21st?” he asked.

    “Twenty years ago, dominant single-parties were a recognisable feature of South-east Asian politics. Indonesia’s Golkar, Malaysia’s Umno and Singapore’s People’s Action Party were marching to the beat of their own drums, proving to be too formidable for opposition parties.

    “Today, however, the drumbeats are not as confident as in the 1990s: the rhythm has either slowed down – as in Malaysia and Singapore – or is in disarray, as in Indonesia,” he said.

    He pointed how “all three parties have held their congresses” over the last month.

    “Umno and PAP leaders told cadres to persevere or risk losses in the next elections, while Golkar’s leaders acknowledge their crisis.”

    Already, change has taken place in Indonesia.

    “For the first time in its 50-year history, Golkar has become an opposition party,” Mr Norshahril said.

    “During former president Suharto’s New Order administration (1966-1998), Golkar’s authority was unmatched by the opposition parties PDI and PPP. Even after Mr Suharto’s resignation in 1998, Golkar was somehow able to stay in government through forming coalitions with the winning parties and appointing members to the Cabinet.

    “After this year’s legislative and presidential elections, Golkar chose Mr Prabowo Subianto’s opposition Red-White coalition.”

    Golkar lost.

    In Malaysia, even though the dominant party has also weakened tremendously, it has however managed to retain government.

    “In contrast, Malaysia’s Umno stayed united after the disastrous 2013 elections, though the possibility of splits looms large in the years to come,” Mr Norshahril said.

    “At this year’s Umno General Assembly, Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is Umno president, warned party members to unite and to kick-start the party’s renewal process. He urged senior members to give young members a chance to lead the party. The party’s deputy president, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, also urged party members to work harder to regain grassroots support, saying: “…do or be dead!””

    “Similar alarm bells sounded during the PAP’s 60th-anniversary rally,” Mr Norshahril noted.

    “Party secretary-general Lee Hsien Loong warned cadres to treat the next election, due by early 2017, as a national contest. He also cautioned members about possible losses if they did not work hard.

    “Calling the next election “a deadly serious fight”, Mr Lee also spoke about the possibility of a freak election result that could see the party lose power.”

    However, Mr Norshahril is more lenient in his assessment of the PAP.

    “So far, the PAP has done everything right to avoid Umno’s and Golkar’s mistakes,” he said.

    “First, PAP has given its young members more say in the party’s decisions. It has not repeated Golkar’s failures, of totally ignoring the renewal process, or Umno’s, of leaving the renewal agenda till too late.”

    But Mr Norshahril questioned the wisdom of PAP’s use of “young candidates”.

    “Mr Lee’s decision to place young candidates in the 2011 election appears to have backfired at first glance. Netizens questioned the fielding of Ms Tin Pei Ling – then 27 years old – who was considered lacking in political experience.

    “Still, the decision has allowed the young candidates to make their mark at the grassroots level,” Mr Norshahril thought.

    He also said that, “populism is necessary in politics, but does not guarantee election success”.

    “PAP politicians have been actively posting selfies on social media, telling the public of their outreach.

    “However, as Umno members will tell them, repeated selfies, Facebook and Twitter updates and “I Love PM” campaigns do not automatically translate into votes.

    “Thus, the PAP must not rely too much on such populist moves.

    This is even though the PAP has claimed that it is not a populist government. It looks like its action suggest otherwise and the PAP does seem to want to pander to populist sentiments.

    However, even so, this is unlikely to matter.

    What is more important is for “the PAP needs to be daring enough to break from its past, including its past ideology,” Mr Norshahril said. “Political ideologies have to be made relevant to the political realities of the day.”

    However, Mr Norshahril believes that the PAP is on the right track.

    “The PAP has taken tentative steps to strike out on a new path. For the first time in 32 years, it has amended the party’s Constitution, calling for a “compassionate meritocracy” and “democracy of deeds”. The party has pledged more help for those in the lower-income group and the pioneer generation.”

    “The party would be wise to continue to refresh its ideology, and to allow current leaders to state their disagreements with their predecessors in a respectful manner,” he ended by saying.

    However, what Mr Norshahril did not point out was that when the PAP first started out, it has started out on a constitution of “equality” but it removed this in 1982.

    The latest amendment to its constitution does not include any mention of “equality”.

    Moreover, it is unlikely that Singaporeans’ assessment of the PAP is as generous as Mr Norshahril.

    Where wages in Singapore are one of the lowest here, as compared to the other developed countries and where Singapore has become the most expensive place to live in the world, many Singaporeans are now unforgiving towards the PAP government, believing that the PAP has “lost touch with the ground”.

    Many also believe that the PAP no longer has the heart of the people and do not trust the PAP to lead Singapore anymore.

    Mr Norshahril’s opinion piece seems to act as a warning to the PAP but also as a simplistic hope that the speeches that the PAP has made would actually translate into actual change. Seasoned political observers would understand that the PAP’s current behaviour is only a continuation of its use of its typical rhetoric to sway the people’s minds without any actual change to the policies.

    As the Asia Regional Director for the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Michael Vatikiotis, said, “for established elites in the region it’s that last point about a genuine democratic system that is hardest to swallow. Power can be responsibly wielded, even in the name of the people, but is not easily surrendered.”

    It is unlikely that the PAP would give up its throne without a fight.

    Indeed, the soon-to-be general election will be a “deadly fight” because the PAP will fight to the end for its hold onto power.

     

    Source: www.therealsingapore.com

  • Dormitory To Be Constructed In Jurong East

    Dormitory To Be Constructed In Jurong East

    Listed construction firm Lian Beng Group is teaming up with listed dormitory provider Centurion Corp to build a 7,900 bed dormitory for foreign workers in Jurong East, not far from major industrial plants on Jurong Island.

    The two companies said the proposed facility, which will also include a training centre, will provide better quality accommodation for Singapore’s foreign workers.

    They were selected to build the centre, in Jalan Papan, in the vicinity of Jurong East MRT station, by an entity set up by the Association of Process Industry.

    Lian Beng will take a 49 per cent stake in the joint venture, while Centurion will hold the other 51 per cent. In their filings with the Singapore Exchange on Tuesday, the two firms did not disclose the cost of the project.

    The process industry encompasses plants involved in the manufacturing of petroleum, petrochemicals, specialty chemicals and pharmaceutical products, and companies providing process construction and maintenance works to the plants.

    The self-contained community with extensive recreational facilities and amenities will sit on about 1.5 ha, with a lease tenure of 23 years.

    The development is scheduled to be completed by mid-2016 and is will have easy access to Jurong Island where most of its workers are expected to commute to for work.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com