Storified by Singapolitics ·
Wed, Sep 12 2012 04:22:57
Education was a hot topic online today with the announcement that the Education Ministry was going to scrap the banding of secondary schools from this year. This is how MOE squeezed their major policy announcement into 140 characters.
The reaction was generally positive. Many welcomed the end of banding.
Very significant move. As a parent, i welcome it. Question is how to get the parents to accept this change and react accordingly?
The skeptics will scream conspiracy, but as a concerned citizen and parent, I say these are the first baby steps we must take. No one changes something overnight, we must do it gradually, If we shout down every single initiative, then we become like Them, where nothing against our idea of things will ever step forth.
There were some sceptics though...
I have my doubts that this will significantly help to ensure that "every school is a good school". There must be more to be done. Abolish banding and reducing awards do not stop Principals from competing for the top PSLE/GCE scorers.
Keeping on the topic of education: With the PSLE written papers just about two weeks away, one parent blogs how she ensures that her son who will be sitting for the exam, gets a good balance between revision and R&R...
Meanwhile, a mother of three young kids blogs on the competitiveness and the accelerated curriculum of our local education system. While the spotlight has fallen on preschool education, she suggests that the Government take a more broad ranging review of the system...
And yes, there was no way we were going to miss out on Day Two of the royal couple's visit in Singapore. The impeccably dressed Prince William and Princess Catherine braved the tropical heat to spend the morning at Gardens By The Bay before heading to the Rolls-Royce factory...
In the afternoon, the glitzy couple headed to the heartlands and mingled with folks at
Strathmore Green estate in Queenstown...
By far the most talked about bit of the visit: the award-winning performances put on by a well-dressed tai-chi group and schoolchildren depicting an imaginary Singaporean estate where outdoors areas experience peak usage at 3.45pm.
