PSLE? Don't worry

PSLE? Don't worry

SINGAPORE - Smiles, hugs and kisses were the order of the day.

And unless you noticed that the parents waiting at the front gate lingered a little longer than usual as they watched their child enter and disappear into the school, you wouldn't have known that it was the first day of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).

In short, it was like a regular school day outside Nanyang Primary School on Thursday. Well, regular at least from the "outside".

"My daughter is a self-motivated child who puts a lot of pressure on herself. I don't want to add more pressure on her than she already has," said one father.

The 43-year-old, who declined to be named as he is a teacher himself, explained that his daughter was too nervous to study the night before.

He said: "My wife and I told her to read something light instead, but she was still very anxious."

He was not the only parent who took a more relaxed approach.

Another father said he just made sure his child "didn't break down", while a mother said she did not prepare her child at all for the exams as "she is too young" for stress.

Mr Shawn Tan, 40, a general manager, said that his child has been preparing for the past six months with revision exercises, so he did not want to add to the strain.

In the news

The PSLE has been in the news lately, following parents' complaints that it is stressing out pupils too much.

But some good news came when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced at the National Day Rally last month that the PSLE T-score would be replaced with wider grade bands, similar to how students get A1 to F9 for the O levels.

The T-score, which is based on how well a pupil performs compared to his peers, has been criticised for sorting children too finely, as even a single point can make a difference.

And on Wednesday, as part of his plan to move the focus away from exams, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat revealed that by 2017, all secondary schools will offer an applied learning programme to help students use what they learn to solve real-life problems.

There will also be a learning-for-life programme, in which students will discover their strengths and interests by participating in activities like arts and sports.

In Parliament last week, Minister of State for Law and Education Indranee Rajah said that the "education system is run on the basis that tuition is not necessary", although she acknowledged that there would be parents who believe that tuition would give their child an advantage.

When The New Paper asked 44-year-old housewife Joyce Lee if she had sent her son for tuition classes, she replied, "Of course!"

She said: "Primary 6 is a crucial time for pupils. Tuition gives them the discipline to study as they may not do so when they are at home."

She added that she, like other parents, had gone to the school to show support for their children.

So despite the slight drizzle on Thursday, parents were gathered outside the school gate to fetch their children after the exam.

Chatted

Carrying an assortment of umbrellas, they chatted heartily with each other.

At 1pm, the school gate was opened.

Soon, the first pupil emerged from the gate. His mother immediately walked towards him as other parents cooed in unison, "Wah first one!"

She hugged her son tightly, but not before exclaiming to the crowd: "He (is the) first one out, (but I) don't know whether to be happy or worried!"

zacsoh@sph.com.sg


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