DSA 2023

[carcar]

RI brings back football CCA for juniors, announces more admission pathways on 200th anniversary bash

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/r ... S0I_QPsaYo

[bbbay]

Full RI 200th founder’s day ceremony recording.

I personally like the part where 4 generations of students shared their experiences of RI spirits. Especially the 1st one (scroll forward to 2:26) from class of 1954. He revealed how RI selected it students back then when there wasn’t a national PSLE exam.

https://www.youtube.com/live/9CN44C1PyuM?feature=share

[carcar]

Full RI 200th founder’s day ceremony recording.

I personally like the part where 4 generations of students shared their experiences of RI spirits. Especially the 1st one (scroll forward to 2:26) from class of 1954. He revealed how RI selected it students back then when there wasn’t a national PSLE exam.

https://www.youtube.com/live/9CN44C1PyuM?feature=share

Thanks to share.

Quoted from the speech by a current student, Class of 2026 (scroll to 2:38:06)
"... yet when we first arrived in year 1 or even year 5, the experience of being in an institution with such a long standing tradition and exceptional reputation was immense. Like all of you, I too felt great pride and joy in being a Rafflesian, but I also felt the weight of expectation being Rafflesian carries great honor and responsibility to reign supreme in every sphere, no less, not so easy, when surrounded by peers whose ability and quality and strength, can make one feel like a small fish in a big pond."

This is so true. It's important for the students who are going to such prestigious school to remind themselves not to keep comparing themselves with others, instead, focus on their own improvement and make the best out of his/her time there. If they have the correct mindset, this will go a long way in their life.

[Avenue3]

ST Forum letter: Give all students a chance at DSA by beefing up school resources

https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/fo ... -resources

Interesting views. However, all schools cannot cater to all students.

A possibility is to exclude exotic themes in DSA which are available only in some schools/available to parents who can spend money. How many people have access to canoeing, gymnastics, squash etc.

[bbbay]

Interesting views. However, all schools cannot cater to all students.

A possibility is to exclude exotic themes in DSA which are available only in some schools/available to parents who can spend money. How many people have access to canoeing, gymnastics, squash etc.

Hmm… maybe out of 100 DSA places , 95 are for non exotic theme, only 5 are for exotic theme?

If a student is a world class golfing potential because parent are well off enough to pay out of pocket for golf country club/expensive coaching since young, that student is still a talent?

[ChiefKiasu]

...
If a student is a world class golfing potential because parent are well off enough to pay out of pocket for golf country club/expensive coaching since young, that student is still a talent?

That is interesting. There are sports, and there are expensive sports. There are natural-born talents, and there are trained talents. I suppose it doesn't matter, as long as the desire to win is built into to athlete, and fueled by his/her own passion.

[zac's mum]

Not denying that a talented golfing kid is talented, but if the pool of trainees were widened to even the lowest income primary schoolers, I’m sure we can find even more natural talents to nurture.

[Avenue3]

Hmm… maybe out of 100 DSA places , 95 are for non exotic theme, only 5 are for exotic theme?

If a student is a world class golfing potential because parent are well off enough to pay out of pocket for golf country club/expensive coaching since young, that student is still a talent?

There is no problem if the kid wants to go to neighborhood school. But parents want the kid to go to Raffles or similar coz they spent a lot on golfing, then...... people complain that it is unfair.

[bbbay]

There is no problem if the kid wants to go to neighborhood school. But parents want the kid to go to Raffles or similar coz they spent a lot on golfing, then...... people complain that it is unfair.

I understand people may feel unfair. I have no vested interest in this matter. But just for discussions sake, could it be a reasonable system to spread the risk of return in investment in grooming talent?

Using golf as an example again. It can be expensive to offer sport like golf to the masses. And Singapore has no track record of producing world class golfer, to warrant investing so much in primary schools to have golf as a CCA.

If parents are willing to take the chance and invest out of pocket themselves, not knowing how it will turn out, and the child does indeed show promising result later on, then it could be reasonable the country offer the child a place (out of 100 DSA places) in say RI (where it has more resource/network to further groom/expose the child) as a reward for the parent/child’s prior investment of personal time and money?

We have to be mindful that if the child indeed show promises, many countries will fight to get the child into their countries’ schools too. RI or not, may not mean anything to that child. We should treasure talents, if they serve Singapore, and all of us can benefit from it?

[zac's mum]

Usually the best golf (or fencing, or bowling, whatever expensive sport) coaches…are not the ones coaching the schools’ CCA team. They are coaching privately and charge a lot more. So it is doubtful anyway that the sports talent will be brought to the highest possible potential via a school CCA. Just saying.