MOE $150 Eagle Award Cheque Fiasco

[makapaaa]

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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - MOE $150 Eagle Award Cheque Fiasco</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>

Subscribe </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgF noWrap align=right width="1%">From: </TD><TD class=msgFname noWrap width="68%">SGNEWSALTE <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate noWrap align=right width="30%">Jan-14 11:26 pm </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT noWrap align=right width="1%" height=20>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname noWrap width="68%">ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 10) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%" rowSpan=4> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>5325.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>Always remember, any handouts from the govt will always have strings attached that ultimately takes more from you than what they give.
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20090115-114759.html
Why is bank account needed to cash cheque?
MY SON recently came back from school overjoyed that the Ministry of Education had given him a $150 cheque for the Eagles Award, in recognition of his academic results and leadership qualities in a uniformed group.
He handed me the cheque and his identity card, and asked me to cash the cheque for him the next day. As he was in school that day, I went to the bank alone. The cheque was an OCBC order cheque dated Dec 15, 2008.
The bank teller told me curtly that he could not encash the cheque, and that the person named on the cheque had to open a savings account with the bank.
A minimum amount of $500 was also needed to open the account.
I asked him how on earth a 15-year-old boy who was still in school would have $500 to start a bank account.
He said that it was the bank's policy and that he could not do anything about the rules laid down by the bank.
Furthermore, he demanded that the person named on the cheque be physically present to start a bank account or withdraw money.
He further advised me to take my son to the bank that Saturday to open an account. I said that my son might be free on Saturday, but that I would not be.
He said that he could not change bank policy and that come what may, I had to find a way to go with my son to the bank.
I would like to return the cheque to the ministry as this has been an albatross around my son's neck, and we would be much happier without the cheque.
Mr Heng Cho Choon
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[halsey02]

Uniquely Singapore, Pay $500 to get $150...

 

[kakowi]

hmm, i went to the asiaone forum as indicated by the link above and as usual in the cyberworld (i thought asiaone will be different), the trend is to trade insults - probably as a form of intimidation so that no one will ever complain or to feel superior to either that man or the MOE

well, in this case, that man appears to be questioning two points:

(1) the MOE method had resulted in inconvenience to parents unneccessarily and they could have considered that some children do not have banking accounts; and one other point - savings accounts in general have service charges if the amount is below $500 and cancellation charges if account is opened and closed immediately

(2) the service levels at OCBC where the teller is rather curt and perhaps rude - a bit surprising because that was not my experience
​

But the MOE's method has a lot of operational efficiency and it may help to create a culture where every student has his/her own savings account.

My suggestion to that parent is to open a NTUC Fairprice savings account for his son (i am not sure of the age criteria) as it does not have monthly service charges nor minimum balance requirement. It also earns interest that is higher than the other banks.

Other than the service quality issue - which i take seriously if i were part of OCBC's management - i feel this matter is water under the bridge and certainly not one that is neccessary to write to the press.

Well, congratulations to that parent on his son's acheivement.

 

[kuntakinte]

I am not sure if the ministry is moronic or the parents ?

Anybody ??

My nieces and nephews have been receiving such "handouts" from the school, we just banked these cheques in their respective POSB saving account. It is not that they received these cheques everyday, but, I guess my brothers and sisters are good parents where they get them started saving when they were very young. So, whoever these kiddos get their awards, they just banked them to their respective accounts.

So, what's so difficult ???

 

[eErotica69]

I am not sure if the ministry is moronic or the parents ?

Anybody ??

My nieces and nephews have been receiving such "handouts" from the school, we just banked these cheques in their respective POSB saving account. It is not that they received these cheques everyday, but, I guess my brothers and sisters are good parents where they get them started saving when they were very young. So, whoever these kiddos get their awards, they just banked them to their respective accounts.

So, what's so difficult ???

Ditto, I had a POSB account when I was in Primary One. If this idiot can write to the forum, surely he would not be some igorant parent! What IQ this idiot Heng guy has!

Dunno what moronic parents they are. Also dunno what moronic forumers are there here who claimed that parents need to give $500 to get $150. They can't tell the differnece between S$500 deposit and $500 payment!!