KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Wonder any parent came to the crossroad where your child did badly for o level?Send him to ITE or resit for cambridge.Otherwise let him serve NS first?Hope to get advice on this issue.

Resit for the O-level. Yr son needs a decent score of L1R4-26 pts for admission to polytechnics. Very very easy for a normal student to meet this score.

Above is a practical advice.

Agree with Innovate to get the child to resit for O levels.

What my DH's cousin did was to go to ITE and at the same time, he re-sat for some of his papers for O levels.

He managed to get into Polytechnic the following year after combining his results.

Its a little more challenging because one has to be very disciplined enough to juggle both ITE and O levels. But it set the momentum for taking his studies seriously.

I've been told you can get admission to some of the Australian unis with just N levels and a NITEC from ITE eg ITE nursing students can go straight to 1st year at Flinders U, even though their GPA can't get them into any of the polys. Anyone can confirm this?

If so, ITE may be a good choice for some students. The time taken to complete a 1st degree is no different from those doing their A levels/ IB in 6 years after PSLE. The unis may not be top notch but are pretty decent, considering the academic achievements of these students.

Resit, of course.
What could he do without an O level cert?
And getting an overseas degree that's not locally recognised might not serve him well next time.
Just my humble opinion.

Hi everyone,

Is kaplan or ITE then kaplan better ?
what are e recognised n good reputation private business sch for N lvs graduates?

aunty12 wrote:Hi everyone,

Is kaplan or ITE then kaplan better ?
what are e recognised n good reputation private business sch for N lvs graduates?

IMO, it is better to go to ITE, and then work very very hard for a place in the poly. Generally, ITE students who gain admission to the poly are highly motivated with a positive work attitude.

It depends on how badly he has done, and how much potential you think he can bring out in a year.

1. NS
Volunteerarily enlistment will waste time (usally a year). Next, without a proper diploma or A level certificate, your son is not allowed to enter command school. There are also certain rumors and "inside jokes" that I cannot state here.

2. ITE
ITE students are capable of going to poly, so long they bother to study just a little bit. My classmates who went for higher nitec courses commented that it was way easier than O levels, but that is their opinion. ITE is a small detour for your child and hopefully will wake him up. Do note however, ITE students have restrictions over choosing of courses at poly. What they are offered are based on what they study at ITE as well as their grades. Higher nitec basically means additional 2 years to his academic journey.

3. Retaking O levels
Retaking O levels is a great choice, and is the only choice if he wishes to go JC or to take up ever popular courses in poly. If you are confident that his L1R4 can go below 20 points, then this is the best option. Going back to local school is quite important. He needs guidance from teachers. Private insituations - unless highly recommended by someone professional or you know should be a no-no.

4. Kaplan/Private Business School
Diplomas from non-government entity are NOT recognised by major universities and companies. NUS/NTU/SMU/SUTD/SIT do not recognise diploma holders either than TP/RP/NYP/NP/SP. My NS friend was informed by SAF officers that his kaplan diploma was not recognised and listed his highest educational qualifications as "GCE O levels", losing him his chance to sign on as a pilot.