Showing posts with label Press Release. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Press Release. Show all posts

Friday, September 7, 2012

买卖名校考卷 法律也没辄?

星期话题


Date :(2012-06-03) ● 傅丽云
于是多年前,商贩就瞄准家长这种心态,推出名校考卷,结果大受欢迎。近年来,报章陆续报道过翻印考卷、侵犯到版权的新闻,但商贩仍继续售卖,家长和学生继续捧场。福建会馆日前因为五校考卷被盗用,发警告信给一家网上作业出版社。本报法庭记者傅丽云,追查名校考卷买卖的种种问题。

一家提供免费下载名校考卷的网上作业出版社,今年4月接到新加坡福建会馆的警信,要它撤下和销毁会馆属下的五校考卷,否则将采取法律行动,引发家长在网站上热烈讨论。

新加坡福建会馆属校董事会监理员白南泉回答本报询问时表示,福建会馆严厉看待侵犯版权的事。“当我们发现商家和分销商侵犯版权,就会写信给它们,要它们停止分销并销毁手上所有的盗版考卷,同时须签一份保证书,遵从我们的要求。

“我们并没有发律师信给他们,只有当有关商家拒绝遵从时,我们才会发律师信或采取进一步的法律行动。” 福建会馆属下的五所小学,包括道南学校、爱同学校、崇福学校、南侨小学和光华学校。白南泉也是福建会馆教育组主任。他说,2001 年起,会馆已和本地出版商合作,每年出版五校的考卷合集,以合理价格在书局出售。他说:“这些合集不是为了商业利益,而是保护消费者,教育他们要购买原装版本,尊重知识产权。每年我们从合集收到的盈利都全归五校。”

福建会馆发出警告信根据资料,早在2001 年,福建会馆就针对版权侵犯事件发表谈话,表明出版合集不是他们办校宗旨,而是觉得商家高价出售考卷的做法,对家长太不公平,等于是一种剥削,虽然有版权问题,但像百胜楼这样公然卖考卷的情况,相当普遍。(蔡婉婷摄)才决定自己出版,让家长买到货真价实的考卷。不过他们受询时,不愿透露至今发出多少封这类信件。

Outreach Lesson Publication 把接到福建会馆警告信的详情,张贴在网站上,表明它已召回和销毁五校的所有考卷,并促请下载考卷的家长自行销毁考卷,以及通知其他可能下载考卷的家长。该网站郑姓负责人回答本报的询问时说,它是在另一提供免费考卷的网站 Misskoh.com 可能缺乏资源、无法更新最新的考卷后,开始在两年前把考卷放上网,供家长免费下载。家长电邮询问最新考卷他说,过去两年多来,一些家长电邮他们,甚至在11 月就询问是否有最新的考卷。

“我们愿意帮忙,就拨出时间整理。” 郑先生指出,他考虑到法律的问题,所以从2009 年起就发电邮给不同学校,说明他将把考卷放上网。多数学校都没有回应,只有一所热门学校要求取下考卷,而他也即刻在一天内撤下该校的考卷。不过,本报查证,该校的考卷还在网上。

郑先生说:“我们无意与福建会馆吵架。我们是在接到来信后才知道会馆出版和售卖自己的考卷。我们较早时没查证,是因为不知道福建会馆可能是版权拥有人。 “当然,另一问题是,到底这些考卷是否有版权,因为许多考卷含有第三方有版权的材料,如理解问答等。” 他认为,把这类材料用在考试上是获得许可的,“我们以为多数的公立学校和社区组织,会喜欢我们和Misskoh.com 所做的事。” 他指出,只要学校提出,他已随时做好终止服务的准备,但他还是希望多数的学校不会介意。

“怕输家长”(kiasuparents.com)网站丄,就上述事件引起热烈讨论。一名Chenonceau 家长建议,教育部应规定所有的学校,把自己的考卷上载到学校的网站。 “这对教育部来说是难事吗?已有许多免费分享这类文件资料的网站,教育部甚至不需要一个特用的服务器。学校各自为政,严重缺乏一个中央协调者。” 另一家长janet_lee88 说,如果学校都把考卷交给教育部,商家都没有生意,最终获益的是家长。考卷哪里来?南华、培华、南洋、公教、孺廊、圣尼各拉、莱佛士女小、英华…… 你的孩子在上述名校念书吗?如果是,那你就成了考卷供应商要找的对象了。为了收集齐全的考卷,翻印考卷的供应商寻求名校家长的协助,要他们收集好孩子一整年的考卷,再供给它们。

家长则可以获得一套考卷。一些供应商甚至公然在贩卖的考卷上,附上联系电话,请家长联络他们。据了解,供应商在年终考试结束后就非常忙碌。长假一开始,许多家长就举家出国,供应商须抓紧时间收集考卷。之后,雇人把考卷上的答案涂掉,请专人解答,最后大量翻印,每年最新考卷就能出炉。也因为家长们长年累月的“鼎力支持”,考卷才能收集得如此齐全,而供应商之间也会交换考卷。名校考卷处处可见,不只是百胜楼、邻里商店,连大型购物商场,也有“考卷专卖摊”。

一名不愿透露姓名的二手批发商说,他售卖考卷约10 年,过去都是受高深教育、孩子在名校念书的家长买考卷,现在邻里学校的家长也知道考卷对孩子大有助益,购买的人越来越多。需求增加,考卷商贩越来越多,竞争越来越激烈,价格也比以往便宜。 “以前小五小六一套考卷,可卖到80 元,甚至100 元,现在只卖六七十元。不过,现在的家长很关注孩子的学业,考卷需求也越来越强,所以这门生意还很火红。”

他指出,也有人在网上卖,或把考卷制成CD 售卖,“但我们不觉得受到威胁,销路还可以维持。” 他解释,即使网上有免费考卷,也不是很多家长都上网下载,因为需要许多纸张和油墨,反而不划算。“买考卷,每面的成本才两分多钱,其实是较划算的。” 针对网上书店被福建会馆警告侵犯版权之事,这名批发商说,很多年前,就听说有同行被警告过,“我都卖了整10 年,至今都没事。” 1 月开学至3 月是“考卷旺季” 根据这名批发商,卖考卷也有季节。特别怕输的家长通常会预先下订单,一到年底就可以拿到最新的考卷。每年1 月开学至3 月是“考卷旺季”,至于临时抱佛脚的家长,则在 4 月考试前买来给孩子做。一些家长因为孩子的年中考试不理想,就在6 月假期开始前买考卷,让孩子在假期勤做恶补。也有家长为了给孩子过个“充实”的假期,而购买考卷。现在,一些供应商甚至提供“量身订做”和送货上门服务。

比如,现在进入6 月学校假期,一些家长只需要下半年的考卷,供应商就推出“半套考卷”。另外,也有新移民要为孩子准备入学考试,只订英文考卷。商家最怕商品过期卖不完,考卷供应商则没有这方面的烦恼,也不怕考卷过时。以今年为例,就有家长在找2010 或2009 年的旧考卷;即使2011 年的考卷今年卖不完,明年肯定也有家长在找。一名卖了3 年考卷的零售商说,对家境贫困、无力为孩子聘请补习教师的家长,名校考卷的帮助尤其很大,“家长只须买考卷让孩子多练习,对他们的学业一定有帮助。” 他说,名校考卷非常好用,教育部不应采取什么制裁行动,必须先了解考卷受欢迎的原因。他声称是从供应商那里拿货,不知道售卖考卷会侵犯版权。“我也不想抵触法律。如果接到不能卖的通知,就立刻停止售卖,反正考卷也只占生意的小部分。”

 另一零售商说,换个角度来看,商家也只是在帮忙家长,因为一般人是无法收集到这么多考卷的。“买一套,就一次过得到这么多好学校的考卷,对他们来说是非常方便的。” 小学考卷值多少?小一约15 所,约40 元小二有13 到15 所,45 元小三和小四约12 所,分别卖55 元 和60 元左右小五和小六有11 到13 所,70 元考卷有版权吗?教育部、校长和律师怎么看看考卷没注明“XX 学校拥有,翻印必究”的字眼,也没有集合成书,能算拥有版权吗?谁拥有版权?贩卖考卷现象十多年来不变,对于考卷到底有没有版权,消费者,甚至一些商贩,不是很清楚。

本报向教育部和律师查询,确定考卷是有版权的。随意翻印、售卖或使用,以及让人免费下载,都会面对法律的制裁。教育部发言人回答本报的询问时说,非法复制和售卖学校的考卷,等于侵犯知识产权。学校如果发现有人侵犯版权,可以采取法律行动,以维护它们的版权。

考题一出 版权自动产生擅长知识产权法的黄锦西律师(瑞信德律师事务所)说,考卷是学校老师拟的,一旦完成出题,版权就自动产生,“版权不必像专利权和商标那样,必须向当局申请注册才能受到保护。” 他指出,老师花心思出题,老师就是作者,考卷是老师们的心血,但考卷的版权属于雇主,也就是学校和教育部。如果校方要采取行动,版权拥有人——学校或作者(老师),任何一方都可采取法律行动。他说,若教师起诉,可以得到信誉受损的赔偿。若学校起诉, 可得到经济损失的赔偿;如果损失较难计算, 可选择法律规定的赔偿额, 即每侵权一次赔一万元但不超过20 万, 除非能证明实际损失超过20 万。

他说,即使是把考卷放上网供人免费下载,只要是商业机构,也算是抵触版权法令。 “跟商业有关的,即使是免费赠送的,也当作是‘卖’,因为它会对版权拥有人的利益造成负面影响。” 一名不愿透露名字的零售商,声称不知道考卷有版权,“如果当局追究,应该追究批发商,不是我们。” 针对这点,黄锦西律师提醒,批发商或出版商固然是侵权人,售卖者若知道他们售卖的是侵权品,也要负赔偿责任。 “因此,不管从什么地方,包括从网上拿到任何作品,都要小心, 不能随便引用。”

早在1998 年,学生报《逗号》的前身《星期5 周报》曾报道过卖考卷事件。教育部当时发警告信给金文泰一家兼卖小学名校考卷的复印商店,后者即刻停止复印考卷,并把所有考卷交回给教育部。学校间也交换考卷针对考卷问题,孺廊小学校长符俪蓉说,学校与学校之间有交换考卷的合作计划,让学生能从更广泛的考卷种类中获益;参与交换计划的学校要使用某校的考卷,需取得对方许可的。 “如果某校的考卷未经许可就被人使用,该校可以探讨学校的版权是否被侵犯,以及是否要采取法律行动。”

另一不愿名字见报的热门学校校长说,学校和别的学校交换考卷,是要让学生练习不同学校的考卷。她指出,现在学生作业做得很多,老师出题时尽量不拿作业的材料,而去参考读者文摘、报章等。 “老师出题耗费许多心思,整组老师出了题,交给科主任审,再经过副校长过目,审题经三四轮,整个过程相当辛苦。” 她也说:“即使是非牟利机构,如果没经过学校同意就把考卷放上网,供人免费下载,还是不礼貌的。如果是用来牟利的,学校就更加不会同意了。” 家长反应考卷的好处很多,除了与课程大纲和进度紧密挂钩,从历届考卷,也看得出学校的水平……市面上卖的一些练习册,已和课程大纲脱节,尤其是华文,种类太多,真不知该买哪本给孩子做……政府不是常说,让市场力量去自行决定吗?同样的,不论是家长下载考卷,或购买影印考卷,我希望教育部也不要加以阻止。 ——郑女士,41 岁,经理,两个孩子在名校念书我最近从一名家长口中,知道名校考卷对孩子的帮助很大后,就买了两份给孩子练习,也让孩子熟悉出题方式。 ——许女士,43 岁,文员,两个孩子在邻里小学念书许多家长认为,名校考卷水准高,多练习对孩子大有助益,日后应付小六会考就轻松多了。

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Singapore Placed Third at the 52nd International Mathematical Olympiad




Best showing since Singapore participated in the IMO in 1988
1.The Ministry of Education congratulates the Singapore team on their outstanding performance at the 52nd International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from 16 to 24 July 2011.

2.The Singapore team clinched four Gold medals, one Silver medal and one Bronze medal at the 52nd IMO. Singapore came in third out of 101 participating countries, after the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America. This year’s result is a tremendous improvement over our 22nd placing in 2010, and it is the best set of results since Singapore first participated in the IMO in 1988.

3.The Gold medallists are Ang Jie Jun of Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Lim Jeck of NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, Joseph Kuan Jun Jie and Ding Yue of Raffles Institution. The Silver medallist is Ang Yan Sheng of NUS High School of Mathematics and Science. The Bronze medallist is Ryan Kor Chong Luck of Raffles Institution. Three of the six-member team were also ranked within the top 10 in a field of 564 participants — Lim Jeck, Joseph and Jie Jun were ranked 2nd, 4th and 6th respectively.

4.The Singapore delegation to the IMO was led by Associate Professor Wong Yan Loi, Department of Mathematics, National University of Singapore; and Mr Wong Wei Kit Derrick, a teacher at Victoria Junior College. Associate Professor Tay Tiong Seng from the Department of Mathematics, National University of Singapore, one of the chief trainers, was also part of the delegation.

A Joint Effort

5.Our students’ participation in the International Mathematical Olympiad is a joint effort between the Ministry of Education and the following organisations:

National University of Singapore; and
Singapore Mathematical Society.

Background on IMO

6.The International Mathematical Olympiad brings together the best and brightest students from around the world, challenging and stimulating their minds in the spirit of competition. Through a rigorous and demanding set of six questions, students demonstrate their mastery of mathematical concepts, as well as creativity in problem solving.

MOE Press Release....
July 26, 2011

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Zero for 'O' Levels







16-year-old Xavier Ong tweeted the cover page of his 'O' Level Social Studies examination paper in November last year 13 minutes before the exam started.

He was given a T for all his subjects, meaning "termination of results due to exam misconduct".







Xavier Ong, the teenager who had his 'O' Level results terminated after he tweeted a picture of one of his examination papers, says he still has a future ahead of him despite that.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

PSLE Info sheet by MOE

INFORMATION SHEET ON THE 2010 PSLE RESULTS









Thursday, September 16, 2010

Former JC students selling school notes online



Take note if you are a junior college student in need of extra help to ace the exams.

You can go online and find former junior college students willing to pass on their school notes - but for a fee.

Related link:
» 'Students sell work that's not theirs'

Take the case of one seller who calls herself TripleAceTuition on hardwarezone.com.sg. 'Quote your price. Will sell to the highest bidder,' she said in her post.

Similarly, a quick search on the Internet for A-level notes will yield links to various websites, ranging from the forums at Singapore Press Holdings portal Stomp to a Facebook group.

The notes most in demand are for general paper, economics, geography, chemistry, physics and mathematics.

Two ring files of notes can cost $30 to $100, depending on the subject and the volume of content.

In a practice which is believed to have started in 2007, online sellers are quick to call attention to the pedigree of their notes.

'Hwa Chong Institution and Raffles Junior College notes are hot,' said a seller who wanted to be known only as Christopher.

'The response from potential buyers is almost immediate. Within one or two days, I can get four to five replies,' added the 18-year-old, who advertises on Stomp. He has just finished his A levels at Hwa Chong.

Materials on offer include lecture notes, school exam papers and worked solutions provided by teachers.

After negotiation, money is transferred to the seller's bank account before the notes are mailed, or cash is paid upon meeting in person.

But is it an infringement of copyright laws, given that the notes are the efforts of school teachers?

Checks by The Sunday Times reveal that most of the sellers seem to be unaware of, or disregard, the restrictions.

Their view is that they are no longer students of the school and do not expect any repercussions.

Also, they feel the exchange of notes is similar to getting them from friends in other JCs or buying them from the school bookshops.

Furthermore, most transactions are done through private messaging online or SMS. Hence, the identity of the seller is kept anonymous.

Under Singapore law, people who commit copyright offences can be fined up to $100,000 and jailed up to five years, or both.

However, a check with the vice-principals of Victoria Junior College and National Junior College shows that they are unaware of such ventures.

But there is at least one case of action being taken abroad to curb the practice.

In April last year, a professor from the University of Florida sued an online site, Einstein's Notes, which paid students to upload their lecture notes.

The lawyers for both sides have yet to arrive at an agreement.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.
By Debby Kwong

Tue, Dec 15, 2009
The Straits Times

Friday, July 30, 2010

Past exam papers hot items


Private tuition is a booming industry, albeit one that is outside the tax system, and allows many retrenched professionals and executives to survive unemployment.

AMID shops selling things like designer bread and wristwatches is a little stall that hawks an unlikely item in most countries except Singapore – school test papers.

These bound documents, covering English, Maths, Science and Chinese in the 2009 exam, are sold at between S$30 and $40 per set. There are scores of such vendors all over the city.

In two nearby blocks of three-storey buildings in a suburban town centre, I counted no less than 15 tuition centres that offer almost every subject a child faces in the city’s stressful exams.

Others teach Life Sciences, Creative Writing or “Preparation for Primary 1”. Two are music centres, one teaches art and another provides Japanese lessons – mostly supplementary subjects.

At another suburb a kilometre away, 12 or more tuition centres are flourishing. Private tuition – together with the trade in test papers – has become a booming industry, probably raking in hundreds of millions of dollars and providing jobs for thousands of people.

These figures may be too conservative, if one takes into account what Singaporean parents spend on tuition to give their kids a head start.

A reporter who did a random interview with 12 students found that their parents spent an average S$500 a month on their tuition fees. In another case, a Chinese-language newspaper reported a father spent almost half his monthly salary, or S$960, to pay for his son’s English lessons.

In other countries, old test papers are generally used to wrap fish, but here it provides a living. Why are they so marketable?

Just as in societies like China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, Singaporeans worship academic achievement, maybe a little too excessively, some believe.

They have seen success often going to graduates with distinctions. They are picked for high office. It is exam results that often decide how well people are to live.

This is making test papers of top schools a hot commodity. Designed by individual primary and secondary schools to test their own pupils annually, they have long been packaged and sold. The higher ranked the school, the greater the demand.

In this small city of 700sq km, there are at least 500 tuition centres, each with a database of home tutors for parents to select from. The teachers charge hourly rates: S$15-S$20 for Primary 1-6, and S$20-S$28 for secondary 1-4.

Some tuition even takes place online, where test papers can be downloaded more cheaply. Some top junior college graduates have taken it further by selling their study notes on the web.

The exact size of the trade is not officially known because the thousands of people involved – especially freelance tutors or test paper vendors – work outside the tax system.

With the weak employment market for graduates, this is useful. It has allowed many retrenched professionals and executives to survive the crisis of unemployment.

More importantly, the role of the home tutor appears greater than the government is ready to admit. It touches the life of almost every Singaporean.

The Sunday Times conducted a poll in 2008 of 100 primary, secondary and junior college students and found that only three students did not have any tuition at all.

Even some university students have sought special tuition, but the starting age is getting lower. Two in every 10 involve kindergarten kids.

Contrary to belief, not all who seek help are students of average or poorer grades. They include straight-A students, too.

Predictably, the world crisis has pushed up the number of private tutors, many settling into it because it is recession-proof. This has allowed some jobless to survive.

A few with flair have actually done well enough to make it a career. For example, a physics tutor to 80 students reportedly earns about S$20,000 a month. Even students – undergraduates and Junior College students – are earning good pocket money this way.

The term “private tuition” is generally disliked by fun-loving teens and, one suspects, by the government, too, for two reasons.

First, the vast number of Singaporeans who rely on outside tuition is interpreted by critics as indicating that the school system is far from adequate.

Second, a lot of this thriving revenue is going to individuals, rather than the Treasury – unreported and untaxed. It is part of the underground economy that no finance minister wants to have.

Does tuition help to improve grades? The answer cannot be “no” when 97% of students have done it.

It provides a crucial help to children who are weak in certain subjects, be it English, Maths or Chinese. Singapore schools supply a general education that is quite modern and diverse.

It is winning accolades from some countries which have adopted its methods of teaching. However, it also faces criticisms for not producing creative workers good at solving problems.

A retired school principal commented: “Our children are very good at Science and Maths, but they are not groomed to be independent thinkers.”


Saturday July 10, 2010
Insight Down South by SEAH CHIANG NEE

Thursday, January 14, 2010

9 A1's for this foreign Scorer


17-year-old Anderson Secondary School student, Li Yannan, is one of the top scorers in last year's O-level exams.


The China-born student's results are even more impressive, considering the fact that she set foot in Singapore two years ago and started learning English only then.


She told RazorTV in crisp and clearly-enunciated English: "Initially, it was very hard for me...but thanks to the school, they offered me a lot of help, and I think practise makes perfect, so I did a lot of exercises to help me improve my English".


Yannan added that she liked the "all-rounded" education system in Singapore, which included project work and "CCAs, which there isn't in China".


Her tips for students to overcome difficulties like she did?

1. Stay focused in class,

2. Take notes in class,

3. Practise,

4. Seek help when in doubt, and

5. Get enough rest.


Thurs 14 Jan 2010

Singapore Top's Scorer: Raffles or Hwa Chong ?


Malaysian Lai Kai Rou said she had moments while she studying, when she felt like throwing in the towel and giving up, but she persevered because she realised that "it's part of my responsibility".


With 10 distinctions, the 16-year-old beat more than 37,000 students to emerge as Singapore's top scorer in the 2009 GCE O level examinations.


Speaking with RazorTV, she said she was very surprised as she did not have very high expectations of herself and according to her, was "never very excellent academically".


She said she owes her success to being focused and consistent, as well as to her school, CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls' School.


The school churned out 14 top scorers this year, the highest number in the school's history.As for her future, Kai Rou said she is now in a 'dilemma', and is deliberating between applying for Raffles or Hwa Chong Junior College.


Thurs 14 Jan 2010

2009年O水准会考 成绩三年来最佳


2009年O水准会考 成绩三年来最佳

新传媒新闻报道,2009年O水准会考成绩放榜,考获五科或更多科及格的成绩是三年来最好,全国状元来自圣尼各拉女校,而两名马来状元和欧亚裔优异生,他们的母语,不约而同都是华文。

今年的状元出自圣尼格拉女校,来自马来西亚的她考获十科A1。

全国状元 圣尼格拉女校赖凯柔(十科A1)说,“我从来没有想到要成为最好全新加坡最好的那一个,我从来没有想过,因为我觉得一直这样想会给自己很大的压力。”

除了全国状元之外,在其余42名全国成绩最优异的学生当中,13名也来自圣尼各拉女校。去年共有3万7400多名考生应考,考获了五科或更多科及格的考生,占总数的81.1%。这比2008年的80.8%和2007年80.3%的成绩都好。 值得一提的是,今年九个非华族的优异生当中,就有三个的母语是华文。

欧亚裔优异生 南侨中学韩伟祥(七科A1)说,“我学华文因为我是半个华人,作为华人的人都应该学华文。我从小我的妈妈就觉得华文很重要,就一直叫我读华文。”

马来优异生 克信女中Annabelle Latif\(七科A1)说,“学习华文的挑战是在口试上不知道怎样用华语来发表。我会看华文电视剧,然后我会学那些人怎样用华语沟通。”

一分努力一分收获,两人肯用心,他们的普通华文考获B3。

受访的两名学生都表示,父母并不担心他们学习华文会影响英文的学习,更希望子女能够学习中华文化,这对子女学习华文的心态起着正面的影响。

11 January 2010 2147hrs
吴俍祥

Friday, January 8, 2010

Failing Rate in PLSE 2009


Neighbour School Shine out in PSLE 2009








Neighbour School Shine out in PSLE 2009


Top student Ranking in Chinese Press Ad











Top school Result in Chinese


Top PSLE student from Qifa Primary








The top primary six student this year is Qiu Biqing, 13, a girl from Qifa Primary
School in West Coast, with an aggregate score of 290.



The top Malay and Eurasian students, Syafiqah Nabilah Bte Shamshera and
Samantha Annabelle Neubronner are both from Raffles Girls' Primary School.



The top Indian student is Muhammad Saad Siddiqui (below)from Anglo-Chinese School (Primary).
Other top students come from Nanyang
Primary School,Gongshang Primary School, Rosyth School, South View Primary School, Greenridge Primary School, Nan Hua Primary School and Rulang Primary School.



A total of 48,541 Primary six pupils sat for the Primary School Leaving
Examinations (PSLE) this year. Among them, 47,117 pupils (or 97.1 per cent) will proceed to secondary school.



In terms of course eligibility, 63.1 per cent are eligible for the Express course, 22.4 per cent for
the Normal (Academic) and 11.6 per cent for the Normal (Technical) course.



The 2009 Primary six cohort is the first batch of pupils under Subject-based Banding who sat for the PSLE. Subject-based Banding, a refinement to the previous streaming system, was implemented from the 2008 Primary 5 cohort to give pupils the flexibility of taking a
mix of subjects at Standard or Foundation levels depending on their strengths and abilities in each subject.



Only 1,424 students did not pass the exam, they have a choice of enrolling in Assumption Pathway School or NorthLight School, or re-taking their PSLE.



Out of 44 children who were home-schooled, 37 took the examinations this year. Seventeen, or 46 per cent, did not meet the benchmark.

Top PSLE girl could hardly speak English


Top PSLE girl could hardly speak English

When Qiu Biqing came to Singapore at 10 years old, her English was so bad that she had problems forming full sentences.

Three years down the road, she is Singapore's top PSLE student, with a score of 290 and an A* in English. She also says she wants to be a lawyer or a writer. Biqing came from Guangzhou in 2006 and started school in Singapore at primary three at Qifa Primary School.

Her father, Mr Qiu Guo Hua, 45, is a research fellow at the National University of Singapore, and her mother, Madam Xie Xiaojin, 42, is a research assistant there. They both work in a physiology lab. At the time, she was too embarrassed to speak to anyone with her broken English. She only started to improve after much encouragement from her classmates and teachers. She told Lianhe Wanbao, "My form teacher in primary three was Indian, which
forced me to speak in English - that really helped me a lot."

To improve her English, she read English books widely. From picture books from the children's section, she has now progressed to Harry Potter and books by Jodi Picoult (author of "My Sister's Keeper"), which she said are her favourites.

Principal Debra Saw said, "Qiu Biqing's is very modest, and very helpful towards her classmates. She is the most well-rounded student I have come across in recent years."

Here's why PSLE maths must be tough





Here's why PSLE maths must be tough AS EXPECTED, this year's Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) mathematics paper evoked an emotional outcry from some parents, as was the case in previous years. It will not be the last time either.


Some students cannot solve mathematics problems because of lack of aptitude or attitude. Some can solve only the types of problems they have been taught to solve, and using only prescribed methods. Only a few can solve new types of problems using original methods.


Every exam, especially a public one, should identify these three categories. Complaints will naturally come from the second but for the good of Singapore and the really gifted, the third must be discovered and nurtured. Parents may cry foul but how can there be unfairness when all pupils sit for the same papers?




Should fairness be such that every pupil is eventually classified as 'average'? Fairness should give every student an equal chance to learn and do his best; it should not decapitate those who are head and shoulders above the rest.


We should be realistic enough to realise that equal opportunity does not mean, and should never produce, equal achievement, painful as this may be to accept personally.


What is unfortunate is that in Singapore, a student's future is so often determined by just one exam.Some flowers which blossom late can also be of matchless beauty. Not doing well in any exam does not necessarily mean a student is inherently poor in that subject.


On the other hand, good exam grades may only be due to the mastery of examination techniques. Is a student good at maths and science? Only time will tell. Some parents complain that if they, as adults, cannot solve the maths questions posed in this year's PSLE, how can one expect a child to do so. Well, it all depends on the adult or the child. Or how about another common complaint, that the maths poser was phrased in language which was so hard to understand when the exam was not to test a pupil's English skill?


Well, there is no such thing as an exam of maths only. The PSLE maths paper is an exam on maths in English. We cannot divorce any subject from the linguistic medium used, whether it is in maths or any other subject.One should aim high and climb hard, but one should not expect the mountain top to be whittled away for one's benefit.


Ee Teck Ee

More top scorers from neighbourhood



[Photo: Top PSLE students from South View Primary, John Zhang, 12, and Michelle
Lim, 12.]

NEIGHBOURHOOD schools have trumped their more storied counterparts in producing top students in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).


Seven of the 13 best students this year came from schools in the heartland: Qi Fa in West Coast, South View in Choa Chu Kang, Greenridge in Bukit Panjang, Rulang in Jurong West and Gongshang in Tampines.


Last year, only two neighbourhood schools produced top scorers.

Top student from Qifa Primary




Name /School / Score
Qiu Biqing /Qifa Primary School /290
Chen Muhe /Nanyang Primary School /287
Joyce Sin Jie Yin /Gongshang Primary School /287
Choong Kai Xin /Rosyth School /287
John Zhang Jiong /Yang South View Primary School /286
Lim Xuan Li, Michelle/ South View Primary School /286
Syafiqah Nabilah Bte
Shamshera /Raffles Girls' Primary School / 286
Chua Gek Yee / Greenridge Primary School /285
Yap Kwan Yi / Nan Hua Primary School /285
Lim Kai Bing, Danson / Nan Hua Primary School /284
Faith Nadine Choo Yun
Sum /Raffles Girls' Primary School /283
Roscoe Lim Yi Cheng /Gongshang Primary School /283
Katie Chan Kar Yan /Rulang Primary School /283




source:
Thu, Nov 26, 2009
The Straits Times

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

小六会考全国状元高分创纪录(2007)新闻报道

新传媒新闻报道,小六会考成绩放榜,今年(2007)的状元考获294的总积分。教育部告诉记者,这是现有的小六会考制度实行的17年来,最高的总积分。

考到294分的是一名马来女生,来自圣西尔达小学的纳塔莎。她的成绩,远远高出今年全国第二高的积分,288分。

会考期间,因为外公住院,她多数时间在医院温习功课。父亲是技术人员、母亲是家庭主妇的纳塔莎说,成功的秘诀在于喜爱阅读。

纳塔莎表示,“我两岁就开始阅读,我认为这帮助很大,我通过阅读丰富知识。”

这是圣西尔达小学继2000年来,第二次出了全国状元。

除了圣西尔达小学,位于裕廊西72街的伟群小学也有学生考到优异的成绩。在这所邻里学校,状元考到了287的总积分。

中午12点,领取成绩单的时间已到,伟群小学的礼堂也坐满了学生,但就是不见梁凤娉的踪影。到了12点20分,她终于出现,校长王介中也宣布,这名文静的女生的积分,属于全国第三高。梁凤娉紧张的情绪也因此一扫而空。

梁凤娉的父亲梁国强表示,“她的成绩从小一到现在,在班上不是第一就是第二,一路来也是在最好的班。一路来,六年。”

梁凤娉的母亲杨亚叶表示,“多鼓励她,鼓励她,不要给她太多压力,因为她本身的要求已经是很高了,所以我不敢给她压力。”梁凤娉已经在直接收生计划下,获选进入国大附属数理中学。

整体上,(2007)今年的及格率和去年一样,97.7%的考生符合升中学的条件。在EM3源流,有18名学生在所有三个EM3科目中考获一级的最佳成绩。

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日期 : 22 November 2007

97.1%可升中学 状元287分(2008)


新传媒新闻报道,小六会考成绩放榜。在近5万名考生当中,97%的学生可以顺利升上中学,和去年的成绩相差不远。而今年的全国小学生的状元则来自南洋小学。

今年考获全国最高分的15名小学生当中,南洋小学就占了其中四名,当中还包括了全国状元黄彦静。她以287的总积分独占鳌头。

黄彦静表示,“这次真的是很意外,因为平时我不是好像全班最高的分数。可能是因为我平时付出很多努力温习功课,所以才会得到这种成绩。”

他的父亲黄子麟医生表示,“彦静她对这些功课很认真,所以我们时常都要特地带他们去外面看电影,让他们轻松一下。”

南洋小学今年共有44%学生考获超过250的积分,也就是相当于全国最优异的10%的成绩。

南洋小学校长王梅凤表示,“孩子们的努力是从一年级一直下来的努力,他不是在六年级会考的时候才开始用功,才开始努力。”

一些邻里学校的表现也一样亮眼。南山小学几乎所有的学生都能够升上中学,其中75%的学生可以进入快捷源流,是学校历来最好的成绩。其中有三名学生考获278的高分。他们认为在邻里学校就读,一样可以有好成绩。

南山小学状元何蕙敏表示,“就是要用功,不断地努力不要放弃,还有加上家长和老师们的调教,我们也可以一直发展。”

这次的全国小六会考,有63%的学生可以进入快捷源流,21%是普通学术,12%则是进入普通工艺课程。学生可以从即日起,到下个星期三,通过网络或者学校,报读自己心仪的中学。教育部将会在下个月18日,让他们知道是否进入这些学校就读。

以下这则新闻打印
自新动网
日期 : 20 November 2008