You know how important the selection of a Primary School is to a parent in Singapore, when a father is charged for falsifying his address to get his daughter into the Primary School that he hoped for.
And there are many parents buying and renting homes in a specific area in Singapore, for a higher chance to get into the area’s popular primary schools.
So then, do all popular, elite or SAP Schools really live up to their hype?
Here’s the second interview of a teacher who had experienced teaching in popular and SAP schools, and her take on the system. Read the 1st interview here.
Why I choose not to put my child in Popular Primary School OR SAP School?
‘Perhaps the distinction between schools and cultures are marked as determined by the sort of families children come from. It is inevitable that schools in geographical areas with higher income demographics will tend to have more fluent parents.
It isn’t just the money that determines how kiasu parents and a school is, I would say that it adds to more pressure for teachers and also children from less well-off homes.
Not all SAP schools have rich or stellar academic results either. Many of our so called elite schools in Singapore are not all SAP schools. SAP schools give greater pressure because of their Chinese standards. Then depending on which SAP school, the overall academic focus may vary.
I have two SAP schools near me. Both require parent volunteer programme to help assure admission. However I find both lacking in holistic development. Having said that again, I also have a much sought after mission school, crazy Parent Volunteer scheme too… And I also wouldn’t enrol my children there.
These schools all lack a holistic development focus.
Honestly, I just have no illusion that schools can provide holistic Education simply because there is far too much administrative demands on teachers , the existence of a very rigorous and demanding assesment/ examination system and too little time for children to be given time to develop.
POPULAR schools, even the neighbourhood ones with more kiasu parents, just make this lack of holistic development worse. Since getting into these schools are so competitive, the parents are likely more ‘kiasu’.
These neighborhood schools are extremely popular with parents and are high academic achieving schools. One of the popular schools in the east had a principal that told Primary 1 parents that they should not complain about their children’s teachers. Cos the teachers will be upset and their children’s lives will ultimately be miserable. True story.
I think many schools not just SAP schools are into awards. The neighborhood popular schools are also very into earning awards like best progress, and in various niches. It is ingrained into the system that there needs to be consistent external validation of school excellence.
Teachers are assessed to death with their EPMS* yearly. And so are principals and superintendents and Deputy Directors. Schools are not ranked? Are awards not important? Think again. If they aren’t , what sort of tangible evidence do they use to ascertain performance?
Ultimately it falls on us the parents- what we desire for our children and our temperaments.
I know some amazing parents and kids who excel in system. And the children come out rather intact and have their passions still there. But there are also many who stumble and flail under the pressure.
However I believe the system is not all useless and there also many merits.’
– An ex Primary School teacher with young children, who are NOT yet in the Primary School System.
*EPMS – Employee Performance Management System. Teachers are assessed on certain grades (A,B,C,D) to determine their work performance bonuses for the end of the year, as well as the potential to increase in their teaching grades.
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So you have read it for yourself in these two posts, from two teachers’ perspectives of popular, elite or SAP schools. Don’t say “Nobody told me it will be like that…”.
Here’s wishing all parents going through the Primary 1 registration process for the first time this July, all the best for the Primary School selection for your child!
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Go to Part 1 of this post.
Here is MOE link on Primary 1 Registration Phases and Procedures
Here are more posts on our Primary 1 journey;
Primary 1 Orientation – What to Expect
Primary 1 – The First Two Days
Primary 1 in an Inclusive Programme
Thanks for this post!
Not only primary school, pre-school also must go Elite ones… spent thousand over when the kid is 18mths old.. Gosh!