YOU Letters

Is it time to relook the appraisal system system for schools? Does a performance-based bonus structure may affect principals’ willingness to retain poorer students?

I am the parent of a Sec 4N student. My personal thoughts are that unfortunately, this is reality. This is what our “world class” education system is like. For those who learn at a different pace, it’s either keep up or get out.

I also agree with The New Paper’s Mr Santokh Singh’s views of the appraisal system. One must be very careful when using performance-based appraisal systems, when great power is given to some individual within the school.

What about the client? Does anyone care if they get the best service? Does anyone get feedback from the students if teachers are effective? After all, if a teacher is very effective from the students’ point of view, surely it must be good for their appraisal, but in the current system is it this taken into consideration ?

Again in my personal experience, little resources are given to Normal stream students. They are pigeoned-holed and often labelled as trouble makers, and often their self-esteem has taken a battering. My daughter needs constant reassuring by us, the parents, that she has the potential and why should she be any less than an Express stream student?

Thankfully, in the midst of all this, there are few wonderful teachers that are still doing it for the calling. This year, my daughter is being taught by a lovely lady who is a teacher, mentor and mother to the students. I cannot see what this teacher gains in the new appraisal system. She’d be better off teaching one of the top classes but she does what she does from her heart.

I recall when I was in school in the 70s. The class composition was a mix of the good and not-so-good. Today, it’s very different, but society is not like that. One needs to relate and mix with all levels of society for a harmonious society to thrive. I fear for the future.

Adrian

I was born into a family of teachers. My dad was a teacher, so was my sis, Godpa (Dad’s elder brother), aunts, uncles and cousins, no less then 10 all added up together. But I’m glad all of them have retired from teaching because I am beginning to question the teaching profession. Is it really a profession or is it just another job?

Teaching was supposed to be a well-respected career. Teachers and principals were always looked up to. I was surprised and shocked by media reports about a principal who flashed the results of her students, asking them to leave if they did not make the grade.

The first question I asked myself why did she even bother to go into the education profession in the first place? Is it because of the money? I am a manager in the hospitality industry. Many of the staff I hire are in their 20s and have one common characteristic - lack of PR / EQ. But can you really blame them when teachers and principals are behaving in this manner?

Yet another occasion was when I attended a seminar, and a teacher asked what could be done about the transportation system in Singapore and how we could improve it. She cited the example of how she has students living in the same block as her but would always get to school late because they took the bus and she walked. It took her 5 minutes while her students took 15 to 20 minutes.

She queried if something could be done about improving the transportation system. It got me wondering: There would’ve been 1,001 ways to resolve the problem but she simply threw / handed “her” problem to someone else.

Much needs to be done with our education system and I say let’s start from the top down. KPIs for principals and teachers need to be re-looked and revised every 3 years. KPIs for the ranking of schools needs to also be revisited. Here we are praising our students for the number of As in their scores.

But what happens after school? What kind of society are we cultivating? Singapore needs an identity, but at the rate we are going, it makes me wonder if I want to recognised as a Singaporean 50 years down the road when the next generation takes over?

If Singapore can spend loads of money importing foreign talent for the sports fraternity, why can’t we do the same for the education fraternity? I love my country but I am not at all impressed with the current education system or the graduates from this system.

Ronald Teo

Should the disabled in Singapore be given free public transport?

It is a shame in this day and age of a gradual emergent social consciousness and prosperity in Singapore, that while the elderly and students get fare concessions, the blind and physically handicapped get no relief at all.

Edmund Wan executive director of SAVH mentioned that about 80% of its 2,800 blind members take public transport, and considering that many of these are in very low paying jobs, full fares hurt their pockets and further impoverish them. Don’t they deserve as much consideration?

Comfort Delgro maintained that they had invested 200 wheelchair accessible buses in response and were non-committal when asked to comment on why they did not allow free or concessionary rides to the blind and physically handicapped. One would think that such concessions would hardly make a dent in the company’s takings. It would be such a gracious act of altruism if it could further extend its generosity by giving concessions or free rides to such socially disadvantaged unfortunates, and be a beacon to kick off the impetus towards a more socially gracious citizenry and environment that Singapore poorly lacks.

MM Lee Kuan Yew’s astute pronouncement: “A gracious Singapore? Not in my to lifetime”, is a damning indictment of the sorry state of social graciousness in Singapore, despite the great strides we are making towards a First World country economy and development. Let us have less lip service and no more campaigns with wordy tabloids, but more action to set examples for a gracious Singapore society. For a start, what about fare concessions for the physically disabled, public transport companies?

George Pasqual

I travel extensively around ASEAN. I witness much kindness from public transport operators in these region. If a person is physically challenged in any manner, there is no payment needed.

We don’t even need to go that far. Just hope over to Malaysia and you’ll see how gracious they are towards the disabled.

Noah

I believe the disabled should receive discounted or free public transport. Their family’s resources are likely to be heavily strained because of their condition and they are not likely to be earning much income, if at all.

Their earning ability is also probably among the poorest in the society and the last thing they should endure is the indignity of not being able to afford basic transport. After all, they have as much of a right as anyone else to pursue their dreams, careers and desires.

Peng Tie Lun

Does medical information belong to a patient or to the doctors and hospitals that provide it?

We should know the outcome of our examination/test (colonoscopy, balloon operation in the head, etc.) so we can make informed decisions to other medical consultations eg. sinseh, Chinese medicine, etc.

Many times when I consult the Chinese sinsehs to get some medicine, they need us to show them the medical report as I had many tests/operations done in hospital.

Yes, we only want a photocopy of the medical report not the original one which should be free of charge.

JS

A lot of medical jargon is not understood by patients, and it is not difficult to get a copy of the test results. Often, patients might need to refer back to their previous illness records and might not be able to do so, by memory alone.

I agree that medical information should be given out to the patient on irregardless of whether the patients need it or not. It might also be considered as a value-added service for the patients from the hospitals/GP.

Melvyn

All doctors and hospitals should automatically give patients their full medical reports to avoid waste, duplication and time. Most patients are educated, and the more information they have, enables them to ask relevant questions and make better informed decisions.

Now with the Internet, we can also research the subject and not take one person’s (even though it’s a doctor) evaluation as the only correct one. Nowadays it is important that one takes one’s computer to the hospital so that anything prescribed or diagnosed can be verified immediately by the patient or relatives, to ensure the best treatment.

Chen Swee Ling