Exams aren’t everything

PRIMARY EDUCATION

Govt accepts recommendations to gradually introduce other forms of assessment

Lin Yanqin, yanqin@mediacorp.com.sg

 

 

Education Minister Ng Eng Hen observing a class at Greenridge Primary. Ernest Chua

 

IT HAS been a proposal some parents have welcomed, and others worried about.

Having alternative modes of assessments in Primary 1 and 2 to the traditional twice-a-year examinations were among recommended changes to primary school education the Government accepted yesterday.

But it will not be a dramatic change overnight, said Education Minister Ng Eng Hen.

As the work of the committee reviewing primary education now enters into the implementation stage, Dr Ng signalled that it would be a long-term work in progress.

The timeframe, he told reporters during a visit to Greenridge Primary, is more of a “10-year plan”, as the Ministry of Education (MOE) starts to build more schools and train more teachers, while schools prepare to introduce bite-sized forms of holistic assessment. “As in most educational ventures, you have to train thousands of teachers, you have to make sure parents understand, you have to teach down to the very last child in the primary schools,” said Dr Ng.

He revealed that the ministry will spend about $4.8 billion to implement the recommendations, which include schools going single session by 2016 and introducing a Programme for Active Learning in areas such as sports and the arts.

The MOE also aims to lower the pupil-teacher ratio from the current 21:1 to 16:1 by 2015, build 18 new schools and upgrade 80 existing schools.

In the case of Greenridge Primary, although it introduced topical assessments — which test individual components such as reading skills — four years ago, these form only part of the pupils’ grades, as the school has continued with traditional exams.

This year, it will do away with mid-year exams, but may retain the year-end one.

“Parents still want some form of assessment to know that their child is ready for Primary 2,” said vice-principal Liza Rahmat. “We have to do this gradually.”

But the new system has notably taken the stress off pupils, she noted, as each assessment focuses on one area rather than the entire syllabus.

“Also, assessments are done in a classroom environment, such as through Show and Tell, so it’s not stressful like a traditional sit-down test or exam,” said Ms Liza.

That is not the only drawback of relying on exams at such a young age.

Dr Ng said: “If you give a mark, say 60. What does that mean? It doesn’t give feedback. The proper feedback to the pupil or to the parent is to say what (the pupil) was weak in and what (the pupil) was strong in.”

Parents at Greenridge yesterday were happy with the results so far.

Mdm Wendy Low, 32, said that compared with her older child who went through the previous exam-oriented system from the start, her younger child was better able to absorb what he was taught.

“He’s more confident because everything is broken into small components and he understands each topic better,” said Mdm Low.

From TODAY, News – Wednesday, 15-April-2009

GREEN PEAS: Small wonder

Study shows pea protein could prevent onset of kidney damage

EVELINE GAN eveline@mediacorp.com.sg

THE humble pea may soon play a significant role in combating chronic kidney disease (CKD) and high blood pressure.

A recent study, presented at the American Chemical Society’s conference, found that proteins in peas can naturally relieve symptoms of CKD and combat hypertension.

“In people with high blood pressure, protein could potentially delay or prevent the onset of kidney damage. For those who already have kidney disease, it may help them maintain normal blood pressure levels so they can live longer,” said study author Dr Rotimi Aluko, a food chemist at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, of his findings.

Dr Aluko, one of the researchers, fed small daily doses of concentrated pea protein to laboratory rats with kidney disease for eight weeks. At the end of the study, the protein-fed rats showed a 20-per-cent decrease in blood pressure when compared to diseased rats on a normal diet.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for CKD. End-stage CKD is irreversible, and the patient usually requires kidney dialysis or a transplant.

Cardiovascular complications associated with kidney failure can be fatal.

Singapore has one of the highest incidence of kidney failure in the world, with about 750 people diagnosed yearly, according to National Kidney Foundation statistics. About one in five Singaporeans suffer from high blood pressure.

Peas — typically consumed fresh, frozen or canned — have long been recognised as a nutritious super-vegetable. Mrs Victoria Hally, a dietitian at The Food Clinic, told Today that they are low in fat, and packed with protein, vitamins, minerals and soluble fibre.

According to the UK-registered dietitian, the soluble fibre found in peas is also important in reducing blood glucose and blood cholesterol levels.

Regular peas contain about 4.3g of protein per serving (100g) while split peas, which are used in soups and dhal and are a good source of protein for vegetarians, contain significantly higher protein content at 16g per serving. An average Singaporean adult requires about 58 to 68g of protein each day.

But go easy on canned peas, advised Mrs Hally. “They are often preserved in high levels of salt which contribute to high blood pressure. Fresh, frozen or dried peas are healthier choices,” she said.

Mrs Hally also added that in spite of the promising study results, it is important to note that there is currently no evidence that the pea protein works on humans with pre-existing chronic kidney disease.

“It is important to note that CKD is a complex disease. Often, patients with the chronic condition will require medication to control high blood pressure. Pea protein alone may not be sufficient,” she said.

From TODAY, Health – Tuesday, 14-April-2009

That extra cash would sure come in handy...

CUTTING CPF CONTRIBUTIONS

We need to cover cost of living

Letter from Melvin Lim Soon Hin

DESPITE the extra incentive from the Jobs Credit scheme, several companies have resorted to reducing the salary offered for entry-level positions. A glance through job ads would show that a sales coordinator who would have been paid $2,000 a month last year would have to settle for only $1,500 now, while the wage for an admin position is down to $1,000.

We are among the most expensive cities in the world to live in; such a salary hardly covers the cost of living here. What is there left after our 20 per cent CPF employees’ contribution? Can we really survive on $1,000 or $1,200?

The Government should consider allowing low-income earners — say below $2,000 — to choose to pay a reduced (say, 10 per cent?) CPF contribution to make up for the loss in income. Alternatively, their employee contribution could be reduced and their companies could top up the remainder, since they are already getting funds via the Jobs Credit scheme.

It’ll lessen blow of pay cuts

Letter from Geeta d/o Gopala Krishnan

INSTEAD of deducting the full 20 per cent CPF contribution for both employers and employees, perhaps the quantum could be temporarily lowered during these hard times. For instance, if I have to take a pay cut of 5 per cent, lowering my CPF contribution from 20 to, say, 15 or 10 per cent would definitely help cashflow, and I would not feel the impact of the pay cut.

My employer would also need to fork out less as a contribution to my CPF — it’s a win-win situation for both employer and employee.

From TODAY, Voices- Tuesday, 14-April-2009

Cacophony at the symphony

Letter from Joseph Au

I WAS surprised to see a full house for a recent Singapore Symphony Orchestra concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall. However, I noticed that the balcony seats were mostly filled by youngsters whose tickets may have been sponsored by the concert organisers or schools.

I was initially glad students had the chance to attend such an event.

But halfway through, trouble started. Coughs rose from all over the balcony and continued without pause. The annoying, distracting coughs went on non-stop for the remaining 80 minutes of the concert.

If it was a deliberate attempt to cough as having fun at a “boring” concert, then I would suggest teachers should teach the students the proper etiquette at concerts. I also hope the students were not forced to attend such concerts just to gain extra-curricular credits.

From TODAY, Voices- Tuesday, 14-April-2009

A question of where to draw the line

Neo Chai Chin
chaichin@mediacorp.com.sg

SHOULD yellow safety lines be drawn further away from the edge of MRT station platforms, especially given that it will be 2012 by the time all above-ground stations have platform screen doors installed?

MP for Sembawang GRC Lim Wee Kiak yesterday revived the suggestion, following two recent track deaths.

Last month, a 71-year-old woman who was believed to have fainted, died after a train hit her at Clementi Station. In February, another elderly commuter died at the Bukit Batok station after he was said to have fallen and been hit by a train.

Dr Lim also asked if public transport operators are liable when commuters sustain injuries using their facilities, and if close-circuit televisions (CCTVs) were operating during the recent mishaps.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Teo Ser Luck said the Land Transport Authority would review the impact of moving the yellow lines further in — for example, if this would affect "traffic flow" on the platforms.

On speeding up the installation of screen doors, Mr Teo said this is difficult, as work can only be done between 1.30am and 4am daily. Haste would "endanger more lives".

As for the CCTVs, these were in operation during the recent mishaps, but they were not always manned. Instead, Mr Teo said, the operators have staff patrol the platforms and play recorded safety messages to raise awareness among commuters.

From TODAY, News - Tuesday, 14-April-2009

A freeze on rent will be unfair: Fu

THE Housing and Development Board will not freeze industrial and commercial rental increases made before the recession took root, but tenants who have renewed their leases since January have had their rent reduced by 5 per cent.

This approach, Senior Minister of State (National Development) Grace Fu said, ensures HDB rents are not “disconnected” from market realities.

In both instances, rents were adjusted to the market conditions at the time. Freezing earlier rental increases, as suggested by MP Lee Bee Wah (Ang Mo Kio), would then result in unfair outcomes for tenants, whose rents are fixed and reviewed every three years, said Ms Fu. “A freeze on rent increases is not equitable as it will result in different rental subsidies for different tenants who may have renewed their tenancies over different periods of time.”

Instead, the 15-per-cent rental rebate announced during the Budget was a better way of helping industrial and commercial tenants, she added. “For the small number of tenants who face substantial rental increases in spite of these measures, HDB will stagger the rent increases over the tenancy term.”

But HDB, which conducts regular reviews of market rents, will monitor the situation closely.

Meanwhile, the Government will also not step in to guarantee loans to property developers, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said in reply to another question by Ms Lee. Total loans to the building and construction sector, mostly to developers, grew by 22 per cent in the 12 months to February, and while loan growth to the sector has tapered recently, it is still at the relatively high level of $50 billion, said Mr Mah.

“Besides bank loans, a number of developers have also managed to raise capital through other means, such as rights issues or private placements,” he said.

938LIVE, CHANNEL NEWSASIA

From TODAY, News - Tuesday, 14-April-2009

All pumped up for clean energy

Some things that should have been done so many years ago, and yet are deployed just now. Well, we’ll catch up, and get there.

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WORLD’S LARGEST CNG STATION

Union Energy to roll out 2,000 new CNG taxis over the next couple of years

 

TIMOTHY OUYANG

timothyouyang@mediacorp.com.sg

 

IT’S said to be the world’s largest compressed natural gas (CNG) refuelling station and it will open its doors to Singapore motorists in August.

Located along Old Toh Tuck Road off Bukit Timah, the 7,000-square-metre development will stay open round the clock and will be able to refuel up to 46 vehicles at any one time. The station, to be named C-Nergy, is Union Energy’s first foray into CNG, and the gas supplier is pumping $11 million to grow the compressed natural gas market here.

Speaking to Channel News Asia at the station’s groundbreaking ceremony yesterday, Union Energy general manager Ellen Teo said: “We have another related company dealing with taxis. So, this is good synergy between the two businesses.”

Its related company, TransCab, operates some 2,600 taxis — 500 of which run on CNG. And the new station will help service TransCab’s increasing fleet of CNG taxis, as the company plans to roll out another 2,000 new taxis over the next one to two years.

The station will be Singapore’s fifth — three are in operation with a fourth expected to open in Serangoon North this month.

Industry watchers said that the Republic needs more such stations to support the running of CNG cars on Singapore’s roads. They estimate that about 10 stations would be needed to refuel some 30,000 CNG cars in the future.

Said Mr Alexander Melchers, chairman, CNG Committee at the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore: “We need more stations in the east of Singapore. The natural gas pipeline network mainly covers the west and people living in the east are still deprived of efficient access to gas stations.”

Currently, there are more than 3,000 CNG vehicles plying the Republic’s roads.

- Channel News Asia

 

From TODAY, News – Friday, 10-April-2009