Thursday, November 24, 2011

Top PSLE Student 2011

A female student from Rulang Primary School emerged as this year’s primary school leaving examination (PSLE) top scorer.Yasmin Ziqin binte Mohamad Yousoof achieved an aggregate score of 283, the highest amongst the 45,251 primary 6 students that sat for the examination this year, according to results announced on Thursday.Out of 17 top students listed by the MOE, three came from Raffles Girls Primary School and St Hilda’s Primary School each. The others came from schools such as Tao Nan Primary School and Greenridge Primary School.The MOE said that out of the total number of examinees, 97.4 per cent or 44,106 students may proceed to secondary school. Out of that number, 62.9 per cent are eligible for the Express course while 23.1 per cent and 11.4 per cent qualify for the Normal Academic and Technical courses, respectively.Six schools also made it into the list of those who have made good progress in the PSLE results. They are: Ai Tong School, Anderson Primary School, Bukit View Primary School, Kheng Cheng School, Park View Primary School and White Sands Primary School.This was based on criteria such as achieving at least 5 per cent improvement in percentage of students who qualify for the Express course as well as positive improvement in pupils able to enter Normal Academic and Technical courses as compared to 2010 results.Parents whose children qualify to progress can submit their choices of secondary schools through the Secondary One Internet System (S1-IS) which is accessible 24 hours a day from 12 noon today till 3pm on 30 November.They can also submit the option form through their child’s primary school which started from 12 pm to 3pm on Thursday and will continue from 9am to 3pm between 25 and 30 November.Results of the postings will be released on Wednesday, 21 December and pupils are expected to report to the secondary schools they are posted to on the day after at 8.30am.Last year, out of 45,049 students who took the examination, Alex Tan from Rosyth School emerged as the PSLE top student with an aggregate score of 282 and straight As in all his subjects.More about the story

Monday, November 14, 2011

Does S’pore need tools to hammer home filial piety?

Deborah Choo
"Love cannot be a legal obligation, and genuine concern cannot be commanded by a court order."
- Alice Chen Yan, Sydney Globalist writer
A devoted mother, drenched from running miles under the rain to the nearest hospital, cradled her child in her arms and sang the old classic "天黑黑" ("Dark skies"). Years passed. Her son soon set up his own family.

Day by day she grew older. Her husband passed away. She developed problems walking. Her health deteriorated, and she was soon admitted into hospital, her life relying on machines for support.
That day, it was raining too.

"Dad, grandma always treated mum and you so badly. How can you still be sad for her?" the grandson asked his father at the hospital.

His father looked out into the rain. Pitter-patter, pitter-patter…
It was Singapore in the 60s. A mother cradled her feverish son in her arms, desperately flagging a vehicle. None stopped. Rushing to the hospital on foot, she frantically grabbed a nurse to seek help. Wait, she was told.

Settling in a chair, she sung that classic song.

This fictional story is the plot for a 2010 TV advertisement 'Father and Son'. Spearheaded by the National Family Council and supported by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), the ad aimed to promote the value of filial piety.
Setting aside the controversy that followed, an MCYS spokesperson told The New Paper last year that the reason for the ad was because "Singapore's population is rapidly ageing and the traditional value of filial piety may be lost in an increasingly globalised society."
But is it true that filial piety is making way for modernity?
An alarming story broke this week of an elderly couple who was forced out of their eldest son's home after a heated discussion that eventually culminated in the police's involvement.
Foo Tin Tak, 62 and his wife, Tham, 55, claimed their son owes them money. He in return claimed his father had threatened to kill him with a knife during the quarrel.
Foo and his wife, both of whom have difficulties walking, resorted to spending two sleepless nights at a fast-food outlet before approaching the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh for help. They are now settled into a congested three-room flat with another family. Their youngest son, 27, is also living together with them now.

To be fair, a single story is not suggestive of an emerging trend.

Law used to underscore tradition

Respect and filial piety has long been the cornerstone in Asian societies. Almost like an unspoken defining social contract that has been carried on through generations, the government is now taking on a proactive -- and some might argue, an invasive -- role to preserve this tradition.

In this Asian country, singles face limitations such as the purchase of HDB flats since most children are expected to live with their parents until marriage. Also, a special type of CPF housing grant is made available for married child living near his or her parents -- specifically either in the same town/estate or within 2 km of the married child's HDB flat.
Monthly monetary contributions too are seen as an act of reciprocity. In the event filial piety fails though, there is the Maintenance of Parents Act of 1995 where parents can use to sue their scions for monthly allowances.

As of 2009, there has been about 1,400 applications filed for maintenance at the Tribunal, out of which about more than 1,000 maintenance orders were made. It is recorded that in 2008, over 170 applications were received.

Interestingly enough, most parents who resorted to this measure are Chinese fathers, usually single -- either widowed or divorced.

The burgeoning need, it seems, to take recalcitrant children to task may serve as a safeguard for the cultural value of filial piety.

However, as Vivian Balakrishnan, former Minister of MCYS and current Minister for the Environment and Water Resources rightfully pointed out, the law should be used as a "last resort".
A blunt instrument as that might be a tad too harsh; sometimes almost tantamount to inflicting damage on a family relationship that might already be teetering precariously on the edge of resolution.

Moreover, blatant propaganda does not go over well with the public. In a recent NUS survey, one in two out of 200 Singaporeans revealed that the campaigns are excessive.
The staggering amount of finances poured into campaigns might go a lot longer — and in a more subtly supportive way — when it's given out as financial support to the elderly who need it.
I do not speak for all Singaporeans when I say this: Yes, we are modern and may prefer our freedom and independence, but we remain willing to provide for our parents.
The metaphorical saying goes that "If you tell a child he can fly, he will believe he can fly".
To draw a parallel, positive reinforcements such as awards (which are comparatively given less prominence in our society) encourages not only the polite and filial citizens in our midst, it also acts as an invisible check on the people by the people.
If the next generation is continually being raised under a highly reprehensive society where constant reminders via campaigns or even legal conditioning that elicits only fear, over time they will believe that they are ungracious and unfilial. This only serves to propagate the opposite intention more pervasively through generations.

So instead of legislative imposition from higher authorities down the societal pyramid, let's work collectively as a society — to lead by example, and be generous where credit is due.
Deborah Choo used to write for an array of websites such as Youth.SG and The Online Citizen. She now blogs in her free time.
Under our "Inspiring People" monthly column, we highlight the incredible journey of one person who has overcome tremendous odds to achieve personal success. This column celebrates the triumph of the human spirit and we hope it will inspire you to reach for your dreams, too. This month, we bring you Jeremy Lim, whose fragile condition has not stopped him from actively pursuing his dreams.
Each time one of his bones breaks, it's like a sword has pierced his body.
“The pain is as excruciating as it is traumatic,” describes 21-year-old Jeremy Lim, who was born with brittle-bone disease.
Yet when he was only 12-years-old, Lim held back his tears and told his mother that he was not in pain after breaking his arm and leg from a fall.

His mother, Wong Liang Ming, recalled, “In the car, he was the one comforting me, saying, ‘Don’t cry, I’m okay’."

“And as I carried him into the house, with the help of my husband, there he was holding back tears just so I won’t feel bad. And he told dad that it’s not mummy’s fault. There he is in pain and protecting me. … At that point, I have the highest respect for my son,” she said.
Lim’s reaction perhaps stems from a philosophy he holds close to his heart, that “nothing can change what happens to you but you can change how you react to an incident”.
“From an early age, my parents taught me to look at the bright side of life because if you look on the bright side, there will not be a dark shadow in sight,” Lim told Yahoo! Singapore in an hour-long interview.

Lim was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, also known as brittle-bone disease which affects one in some 20,000 births. As a child, his bones would break with a “pop” sound every other week as he rolled over in his sleep or tried to open a box of toys on his own.

His bones are sturdier now thanks to an experimental drug he has been taking the last 13 years to increase bone density. The last time he broke a bone – his collarbone – was a few years ago.
Still, Lim’s delicate condition has not stopped him from reaching out to help the less fortunate or from steadfastly pursuing his dreams.

‘Only natural to help other people’
If he looks familiar to some, Lim was a young ambassador for the National Kidney Foundation’s children’s medical fund from 2001 – 2005. His stint ended after malpractices by former NKF chief executive T T Durai were uncovered.

As ambassador, Lim would collect cheques, give speeches, visit beneficiaries’ homes to cheer them up and check on their health.

When he was in Temasek Junior College, Lim participated in school initiatives to help the needy. He went with other students to collect newspapers and recyclable material from households to raise money for charity. If there was no lift at a particular flat, Lim, wheel-chair bound, would stay behind to look after the collected material, he recalled.

He would also visit old folks’ homes and talk to residents to cheer them up.

His mother recalls that his charitable nature was apparent from his younger days. In primary three, Lim would take the school-issued pledge card and enthusiastically ask his father’s friends to donate to charity.

“With my condition, I want to focus on what I can do, focus on making a positive difference in the lives of the less fortunate... I think God has been kind to me, he’s given me a lot of blessings. It’s only natural for me to help other people,” said Lim.
He listed several people who have helped shaped his life.
There was his then-principal of Pei Chun Public School Chen Keng Juan who offered him a place to study when many other schools rejected him because of his health condition. “Some even thought I was mentally ill,” said Lim.

Then in Temasek Junior College, principal Loke-Yeo Teck Yong had ramps retrofitted and a lift built in the school in preparation for Lim’s attendance there. During the orientation games, organisers made him a station master when he could not participate in the games.
“It’s not about the hardware, it’s about the heartware,” said Lim. “It made me feel very included.”
“I don’t think I could be where I am today without these people. There’s so many people in my life whom I’ve had the honour of meeting. They’ve touched my life, they’ve wanted me to succeed and helped me to achieve my goals,” he stated.

Pursing his passions

This year, Lim fulfilled one of his dreams to be a published author. He wrote and published his autobiography titled “Beyond Bone Breaking”, where he shared life experiences that he hopes will inspire readers.

The book contains a foreword by former President S R Nathan, whom Lim first met when he was 12. The pair have kept in touch through the years.

Other than writing, Lim counts Japanese animation as among his passions. He has shelves of Japanese anime figures at home.

The second year student at the National University of Singapore is now deciding between majoring in Japanese studies or new media communications.

He once had dreams of becoming a genetic engineer but realised chemistry was “too abstract” for him. He is considering writing, animation or even opening a toy shop selling Japanese toys as career options.

No matter what choice he makes, he has already shown many people the path to touching people’s hearts.

“Jeremy has made a difference in our lives,” said Lim’s mother, Wong. “People say society is less gracious (now). Maybe they are put here to remind us we must be humble and count our blessings.”