PM Goh's Teaching Experience is still relevant
In year 2001, on his Teachers' Day rally speech, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong had recounted his teaching experience as an English relief teacher at a Chinese primary school while he was waiting for his A-level result. He told his audience of some 7,000 educators that, "I discovered very quickly that I was talking over the heads of the students. Most of them did not even know their ABCs and could not understand a word I said. They were mostly the children of farmers and workers in Lim Chu Kang. They spoke Hokkien at home. English was an alien tongue. I found out how difficult it was to impart knowledge. I had to learn to make myself understood." (ST, 01/Sep/2001)
If we look at the fact that about 45% of today's Primary 1 students are from English speaking family and 55% from non-English speaking family, it would not be difficult for us to understand that PM Goh's teaching experience is still relevant to us. (Ref1*)
Yes, it is true that, in today situation, most non-English speaking children have gone through 3 years of pre-school education where they know more than ABCs, and their parents are mostly educated & have the means to engage tutors for them when needed. But these common conditions, which apply to all children, should not let us overlook the fact that children from non-English speaking family have to face the following situation which PM Goh's students need not to when they started their education.
Firstly, today's school's medium of instruction is in English.
Secondly, with different family language background, all students obviously do not start at the same starting point.
Thirdly, more and more young teachers and principals, due to their own educational experiences, which are likely to be overwhelmingly in English, might be so used to an English speaking environment that their attentions may, at times, not focus on using plain and simple English to explain their lessons.
Fourthly, as observed by PM Goh in a ST interview published on 24/Jan/2001, today's children are learning more difficult words at younger age. He was shocked to see that, from Primary 1, his nephews are learning words that he would not have known until Primary 4 or 5. (Ref2*)
Fifthly, although most parents are educated, but many of them are not from English medium school, therefore they might not be able to assist their children studies effectively.
In view of the above, one would agree that besides parents own responsibilities and efforts, the MOE & schools should take some precautionary measures.
One such measure may be for MOE to provide a periodical review and reminder of the language profile of the students to primary school teachers and principals.
Our teachers and principals are professionally trained. They are constantly trying their best to provide quality education for all. Hence, if they are aware of the above facts and concerns through periodical review and reminder from MOE, that will certainly help them to better cater for the different needs of their students from different family language background.
Sorry:
If this acticle sounded un-fair to teachers, principals or MOE, I should say sorry. This is not the intention of this article. My concern is: What if there is overlooking of the facts mentioned, will primary school children be able to tell the adults "I Not Stupid"? (Ref3*)
These 45% and 55% figures are only applicable for Chinese Primary 1 students enrolled in school year 2001.
EXTRACTS FROM PRIME MINISTER GOH CHOK TONG'S INTERVIEW
WITH THE STRAITS TIMES, AS PUBLISHED ON 24 JAN 2001
The Education System
Q: A recurring concern is the stressful education system. Some readers ask whether the Government can review the system.
PM Goh: The Government has done so and has taken off some 20 per cent of materials off the curriculum. So the load has been lightened and they have moved into project work. Project work gives them more time but then, they've got to think more and do more research. I would say the stress comes not so much from the educational system but, very often, from the parents themselves. Many parents would send their children for swimming lessons, ballet, piano, calligraphy, and so on. So they want more free time for their children but they are in fact occupying their children's free time, for good purposes because all this will develop their own children. Is it stressful for the kids? I don't think we should underestimate the kids. I think most children can learn more than we thought they could learn.
Q: One of the complaints is that the educational standard is rising every year, imposing ever greater demands on students.
PM Goh: I have looked at my own nephews in Primary 1. I was shocked to see that, from Primary 1, they are learning words which I would not have known until Primary 4 or 5. So I asked the minister the same question, if we are going too fast...all these words, I'd never heard of until I was much older and with full sentences and so on. Well, my nephew seems to be able to cope and he's not exceptionally intelligent. I would say he's just a normal kid. I went through his work, I just encouraged him. He did not get full marks and so on, but I did not stress him. I said: "Try your best." So yes, the point is, the school is giving them more and more. It is right that, from time to time, the Education Ministry must review to see whether we are not moving at too fast a pace for the average child. So that's important, which I think they have done periodically.
Q: From the parents' view, the education system and the society are structured such that they have to put pressure on their children or else they would not be able to make it in society.
PM Goh: It is our fate in Singapore where people are our only resource. You can't sit back and just watch the rice grow or the oil being pumped out from the bottom of the sea. So, we therefore spend a lot of time in nurturing our kids.
etc......
"I Not Stupid" is the English title of a local Chinese film show (xiao3 hai2 bu4 ben4) by Jack Neo (liang2 zhi4 qiang2). Its story was about primary 4 streaming & the pressure on EM3 students & their family. The show was on local cinema from Feb 2002 to Apr 2002.