Oct 21 2009
A parent asks whose fault is it? The system, SEAB, parents, teachers or students?
I am a mother of two girls. My first daughter went through PSLE two years ago and it’s my second daughter’s turn this year. Being a parent who had gone through two years of PSLE where the Math paper was said to be difficult, I could empathise with those parents who showed anxiety and concern over this year’s Math questions.
As a parent, an ex teacher and a tutor, I view PSLE in different perspectives. I beg to differ on Clarice Sim’s blog when she mentioned that students came out crying after the Maths exam. These are 12 year old kids we are talking about. It is not so much of not being able to face failure or feeling guilty but more of being frustrated for not being able to do their utmost best. At that point of time, obviously and definitely they will feel demoralise after putting in a lot of effort preparing for PSLE. Even we as adults do feel the same way when things do not go our way, what more a 12-year-old child!
I have no idea how the overall Math paper was. Based on the grouses by my students and news information plus the questions that I managed to get from the media or my daughter, I must say that the questions were quite tough for an average 12-year old. My daughter came home and wrote down some of the difficult Math questions as best as she could remember (a few questions were similar to those that have appeared on media). Students are supposed to finish each question (Section C: Problem Sums) under 10 minutes, which they were not able to it. Maybe adults will also find difficulty doing the sums under 10 minutes, what more a 12-year-old.
I supposed SEAB has its own set of objectives when setting the questions. One of the reasons probably is to identify the cream of the crop. However, the cream of the crop may only constitute about 10% of the cohort and the majority of the students are average while a handful is below average. I believe, as an ex teacher, they should set a certain number of difficult questions for the high flyers. However, even my A* student complained the paper being too tough. So who or what is at fault here? The system, the setters in SEAB, parents, teachers or students?
Wartik Hassan is a mother of 2 girls, aged 14 and 12 years. A former school teacher and tutor with about 15 years of teaching experience. She is now working in CRPP (Centre for Research of Pedagogy & Practices) at NIE doing educational research work. Currently pursuing a degree in English Lang in Unisim.
