http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,195118,00.html?
Students mocked for not collecting enough money
Flag day volunteers scolded, told to return only when tins full
March 09, 2009
LET DOWN: (From left) Alim, Hobart Wong, Quan Hwa and Ng Chee Kiat, from Saint Gabriel's Secondary School, said their efforts on flag day were not appreciated. TNP PICTURE: NG XI JIE
THE students were there to help raise money for a good cause.
But instead of getting pats on their backs for their efforts, they were mocked for not collecting enough. Some were even threatened with 'bad remarks'.
That was what four students from Saint Gabriel's Secondary School claimed after they participated in a flag day for the Apex Day Rehabilitation Centre for the Elderly.
They volunteered as part of their school's community involvement programme (CIP).
The number of CIP hours they put in contributes to the overall Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) grades for their O Levels.
A minimum of 24 hours over the four years of secondary school can get them one point, and they can get more points if they put in more hours.
Hobart Wong, 16, said students from the normal academic stream in his school had to report to the Apex collection centre in Dhoby Ghaut at 10am on 21 Feb. They were told to return by 3pm.
Hobart said the area was crowded as there were also students from other schools collecting donations for Apex.
'I went to Novena, Toa Payoh and Bishan as I thought I could get more donations elsewhere,' he recalled.
ST PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
But there were students asking for donations in those areas as well.
When he returned to the centre at 3pm, his tin was only a quarter full. He claimed a woman who was collecting the tins ridiculed him.
'She told me, 'The amount you collected is not even enough to cover the cost of the tin and stickers.'
'She was not at all appreciative of our efforts in helping to raise money,' he said.
He claimed she also told him to continue asking for donations and come back only when his tin was full.
Threatened with 'bad remark'
When he refused, he claimed the woman told him he would be given a 'bad remark', apparently on the report Apex would send back to the school.
However, Apex told The New Paper later that it does not do this.
Three of Hobart's schoolmates said the same woman had scolded them too. All three went back and spent more time getting people to put money in their tins.
One of them, Ng Chee Kiat, also 16, said he was told to get more and return two hours later, though it was raining heavily at the time.
Afraid of being given a 'bad remark' which he feared might affect the number of CIP hours awarded to him, Chee Kiat braved the downpour to ask for more donations.
He said he returned to the centre soaking wet at 5pm.
He said: 'Some of the students who had other (appointments) had to put their own money in so they could go home.'
When contacted by The New Paper on Sunday, Sister Marjorie Almodiel, Apex's centre manager, declined to comment on the students' allegations.
But she said Apex does not 'grade' its volunteer students according to the amount of money collected.
'Charity has to be done from the goodness of the heart, so there is no point in grading them,' she said.
Out of the 10 voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) we called, only one said it evaluates the students.
Lembaga Biasiswa Kenangan Maulud (LBKM), a Malay-Muslim organisation that helps needy students to further their education, said it would leave remarks such as 'could have done better' next to the student's name on a list, based on how much the student collects.
However, it did not peg specific grades to the weight of the tins.
A spokesman said the organisation does this for its 'own analysis' and the remarks are not sent to the schools concerned.
Other students we spoke to said they have come across organisations which send such remarks about their CIP work to their schools. (See comment.)
And schools we spoke to confirmed that they do get feedback from the organisations on the performance of the students.
But are the VWOs allowed to award students CIP hours based on the amount of money they collect?
Under the programme, which started in 1988, all primary and secondary school students have to clock at least six CIP hours every year.
A Ministry of Education spokesman said the number of CIP hours awarded to the student is decided by both the school and the VWO.
Teachers The New Paper on Sunday spoke to said the norm is to award one CIP hour to one hour of community service.
For instance, a student who does six hours of work for a flag day should be awarded six CIP hours.
A spokesman for the National Council of Social Services said its guidelines do not require VWOs to evaluate the performance of volunteers.
But, she added, some schools might ask the VWOs to assess the students' performances so there can be fairer allocation of CIP hours to the students..
- Audrey Tan Ruiping and Bernice Huang, newsroom interns
Students mocked for not collecting enough money
Flag day volunteers scolded, told to return only when tins full
March 09, 2009
LET DOWN: (From left) Alim, Hobart Wong, Quan Hwa and Ng Chee Kiat, from Saint Gabriel's Secondary School, said their efforts on flag day were not appreciated. TNP PICTURE: NG XI JIE
THE students were there to help raise money for a good cause.
But instead of getting pats on their backs for their efforts, they were mocked for not collecting enough. Some were even threatened with 'bad remarks'.
That was what four students from Saint Gabriel's Secondary School claimed after they participated in a flag day for the Apex Day Rehabilitation Centre for the Elderly.
They volunteered as part of their school's community involvement programme (CIP).
The number of CIP hours they put in contributes to the overall Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) grades for their O Levels.
A minimum of 24 hours over the four years of secondary school can get them one point, and they can get more points if they put in more hours.
Hobart Wong, 16, said students from the normal academic stream in his school had to report to the Apex collection centre in Dhoby Ghaut at 10am on 21 Feb. They were told to return by 3pm.
Hobart said the area was crowded as there were also students from other schools collecting donations for Apex.
'I went to Novena, Toa Payoh and Bishan as I thought I could get more donations elsewhere,' he recalled.
ST PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
But there were students asking for donations in those areas as well.
When he returned to the centre at 3pm, his tin was only a quarter full. He claimed a woman who was collecting the tins ridiculed him.
'She told me, 'The amount you collected is not even enough to cover the cost of the tin and stickers.'
'She was not at all appreciative of our efforts in helping to raise money,' he said.
He claimed she also told him to continue asking for donations and come back only when his tin was full.
Threatened with 'bad remark'
When he refused, he claimed the woman told him he would be given a 'bad remark', apparently on the report Apex would send back to the school.
However, Apex told The New Paper later that it does not do this.
Three of Hobart's schoolmates said the same woman had scolded them too. All three went back and spent more time getting people to put money in their tins.
One of them, Ng Chee Kiat, also 16, said he was told to get more and return two hours later, though it was raining heavily at the time.
Afraid of being given a 'bad remark' which he feared might affect the number of CIP hours awarded to him, Chee Kiat braved the downpour to ask for more donations.
He said he returned to the centre soaking wet at 5pm.
He said: 'Some of the students who had other (appointments) had to put their own money in so they could go home.'
When contacted by The New Paper on Sunday, Sister Marjorie Almodiel, Apex's centre manager, declined to comment on the students' allegations.
But she said Apex does not 'grade' its volunteer students according to the amount of money collected.
'Charity has to be done from the goodness of the heart, so there is no point in grading them,' she said.
Out of the 10 voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) we called, only one said it evaluates the students.
Lembaga Biasiswa Kenangan Maulud (LBKM), a Malay-Muslim organisation that helps needy students to further their education, said it would leave remarks such as 'could have done better' next to the student's name on a list, based on how much the student collects.
However, it did not peg specific grades to the weight of the tins.
A spokesman said the organisation does this for its 'own analysis' and the remarks are not sent to the schools concerned.
Other students we spoke to said they have come across organisations which send such remarks about their CIP work to their schools. (See comment.)
And schools we spoke to confirmed that they do get feedback from the organisations on the performance of the students.
But are the VWOs allowed to award students CIP hours based on the amount of money they collect?
Under the programme, which started in 1988, all primary and secondary school students have to clock at least six CIP hours every year.
A Ministry of Education spokesman said the number of CIP hours awarded to the student is decided by both the school and the VWO.
Teachers The New Paper on Sunday spoke to said the norm is to award one CIP hour to one hour of community service.
For instance, a student who does six hours of work for a flag day should be awarded six CIP hours.
A spokesman for the National Council of Social Services said its guidelines do not require VWOs to evaluate the performance of volunteers.
But, she added, some schools might ask the VWOs to assess the students' performances so there can be fairer allocation of CIP hours to the students..
- Audrey Tan Ruiping and Bernice Huang, newsroom interns
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