Transforming Education

Instead of lots of sit-down cognitive work that is not appropriate for their age, children in primary school should get more time to learn useful hands-on skills for daily life, e.g. cooking, cleaning, simple repair work. They should be exposed to more varieties of artistic expression, e.g. different genres of art, dance and music, and skills that may give them ideas for future hobbies and careers, e.g. cutting hair, gardening, looking after animals.

I am a concerned parent. I really want to cultivate hustle, confidence and communication skills in my child. I believe SG education system lacks deeply in these areas.

I see in my child how learning has been forced and accelerated even though he has yet to fully grasp the concepts of what he’s being taught in class. He enjoys learning but he’s also someone who thrives in much smaller group settings with more time, attention and guidance from teachers. The alternative to that is not heaps of additional homework. I would like to see him realise his best potential without the stress of having to hit the marks and excel in quick time.

We should be moving towards a truly inclusive education where individualised learning plans are the norm for every child. This will benefit both neurotypical and neurodiverse children and optimise their potential in an inclusive setting.

Not enough differentiation to support kids with special needs, different educational needs, those who need help socially/behaviourally. Classrooms are too full for teachers to really focus and support different kids and their needs.

Fixation on maximising marks for 11-12 yr olds rather than everybody being taught to maximise learning and interest in learning. The pressure on kids and parents is ridiculous.

Thanks for the great initiative. I truly believe parents who have realised our education system does not benefit our children’s well-being need to voice out and be consistent and persistent in order for change to happen.

Keep it up!

My daughter has benefitted from an afflilated secondary school which greatly reduces pressure of PSLE and also no anxiety o being in a brand new environment without any friends. Similarly, i have good friends since my Pri 1 days because most of us stayed together for 10 years in same primary and secondary school.

As a mother of twins who are getting ready for PSLE, I feel enormous pressure on the kids as well as parents. It has become a struggle for children to get outdoor play time. When children’s ‘work weeks’ (think school, remedial classes, homework, tuition, additional study time) become longer than adult work weeks, I think its time to question our education system. Where does the physical, emotional and mental health of the next generation stand in our priority list?

If we are to truly advocate mental wellness in our next generation, as well as how SG can be a place that is made for families, we need to urgently consider translating these ideals into action. The formative years of a child will impact for a lifetime. How a child turns out to be often goes back to how the child was shaped (or moulded) to think about ownself (grades define you!) and about the world (there is no place for failure!). We need to act now to reverse the tide.