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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - I pity Ng Eng Hen...</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>kojakbt_89 <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>May-11 8:36 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 62) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>32988.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>Ng Eng Hen apologized for giving “wrong” impression that mother tongue weightage will be reduced
May 11th, 2010 |
Author: Your Correspondent
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/0...that-mother-tongue-weightage-will-be-reduced/
In a most stunning U-turn, Education Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen now says that the weightage for mother tongue languages in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) will not be reduced after all.
On 21 April 2010, the Straits Times published an article with the title “Mother tongue weighting in PSLE could be cut” which quoted Dr Ng as saying that the “high weighting given to mother tongue languages in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could be reduced.”
He added that his ministry is “studying” whether “it is educationally sound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much at the Primary 6 level.”
“The worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in his educational pathway even if he did well in other subjects,” said Dr Ng in an interview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao.
The proposed change did not go down too well with certain segments of the population with the usually compliant Union of Chinese Teachers calling for a meeting with Dr Ng to express its reservations.
The Straits Times Forum received a deluge of letters from Singaporeans, many of which opposed the move to reduce mother tongues weightage in the PSLE.
A petition launched at Hong Lim Park last Sunday garnered more than 2,000 signatures in less than two hours while a Facebook page started to oppose the reduction of mother tongue weightage have more than 5,000 members so far.
In a press conference at the Istana today, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reassured Singaporeans that the weightage of the mother tongue in the PSLE will not be lowered.
“I think this would send the wrong signal, that we are downgrading Mother Tongue. Certainly, it will not be efficient in helping the student to reach the level which we would like him to reach,” he added.
In a rare public apology, Dr Ng ate the humble pie and said in MOE’s press release:
“In my interview, I said MOE was looking at options to address the over-emphasis on exams, where “MTL counts for so much in the PSLE.” Singaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce the weighting of MTL in PSLE. This is not the case. The MTL Review Committee has not proposed any change to the PSLE scoring system. But I should have chosen my words more carefully and apologise for creating that wrong impression.”
Is this a “wrong” choice of words, a “honest” mistake or another embarrassing U-turn? We leave it to Singaporeans to judge for themselves.
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http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/0...that-mother-tongue-weightage-will-be-reduced/
In a most stunning U-turn, Education Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen now says that the weightage for mother tongue languages in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) will not be reduced after all.
On 21 April 2010, the Straits Times published an article with the title “Mother tongue weighting in PSLE could be cut” which quoted Dr Ng as saying that the “high weighting given to mother tongue languages in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is now under review and could be reduced.”
He added that his ministry is “studying” whether “it is educationally sound for mother tongue language performance to count for so much at the Primary 6 level.”
“The worry is whether it could exclude someone from progressing in his educational pathway even if he did well in other subjects,” said Dr Ng in an interview with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao.
The proposed change did not go down too well with certain segments of the population with the usually compliant Union of Chinese Teachers calling for a meeting with Dr Ng to express its reservations.
The Straits Times Forum received a deluge of letters from Singaporeans, many of which opposed the move to reduce mother tongues weightage in the PSLE.
A petition launched at Hong Lim Park last Sunday garnered more than 2,000 signatures in less than two hours while a Facebook page started to oppose the reduction of mother tongue weightage have more than 5,000 members so far.
In a press conference at the Istana today, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reassured Singaporeans that the weightage of the mother tongue in the PSLE will not be lowered.
“I think this would send the wrong signal, that we are downgrading Mother Tongue. Certainly, it will not be efficient in helping the student to reach the level which we would like him to reach,” he added.
In a rare public apology, Dr Ng ate the humble pie and said in MOE’s press release:
“In my interview, I said MOE was looking at options to address the over-emphasis on exams, where “MTL counts for so much in the PSLE.” Singaporeans became concerned that MOE was proposing to reduce the weighting of MTL in PSLE. This is not the case. The MTL Review Committee has not proposed any change to the PSLE scoring system. But I should have chosen my words more carefully and apologise for creating that wrong impression.”
Is this a “wrong” choice of words, a “honest” mistake or another embarrassing U-turn? We leave it to Singaporeans to judge for themselves.
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