Exam-focused parents leading kids astray

Home > ST Forum > Online Story
Jul 26, 2010
Exam-focused parents leading kids astray

YESTERDAY'S editorial ("Parents, don't panic") identified the nub of the problem concerning primary school examinations: Overly concerned parents are the source of exam pressure felt by children.

The move by the Ministry of Education to phase out Primary 1 exams by 2013 is timely. Yet many parents still fail to see the wisdom of this decision, going back to square one by needlessly pressuring their children with mock exams outside of school.

Quite clearly, such parents are not doing their children any favours. This "kiasu" attitude also betrays a distorted view of education - that passing exams is the be all and end all of going to school. This can only impoverish their children's learning.

The claim in certain quarters that Singapore children are only exam-smart will be reinforced by the reluctance of such parents to distance themselves from needless exams in the formative years of schooling.

Incidentally, could this be the reason for the paucity of outstanding thinkers, inventors and innovators in our midst? Is this why the dream of producing our first Nobel Prize laureate seems so remote?

Yes, exams are important, but only up to a point; they also have their place and time. However, parents must remember that education is not the filling up of a vessel but the kindling of a flame - to fall in love with learning; to learn to think, observe, analyse and reason in the search of knowledge and truth.

Parents who keep harping on exams to the exclusion of these raisons d'etre of schooling risk leading their children astray, short-changing them in the process.

Lee Seck Kay

My Comments:
Another timely reminder for myself not to overly stressed on Isa on EXAM.