KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

@floppy, just for mere discussion’s sake...what do u think of a radical overhaul of the entire secondary school posting system...change to all entry by DSA/selection interviews? Academic and other portfolio to be considered too of course, if the candidates have these to showcase.

Make it all like real-life job interview scenario. After all, that’s what future working life will be like. Let the secondary schools pick the best applicants, according to what criteria they value.

zac's mum wrote:@floppy, just for mere discussion’s sake...what do u think of a radical overhaul of the entire secondary school posting system...change to all entry by DSA/selection interviews? Academic and other portfolio to be considered too of course, if the candidates have these to showcase.

Make it all like real-life job interview scenario. After all, that’s what future working life will be like. Let the secondary schools pick the best applicants, according to what criteria they value.

The system is already broken. Don't make it worst

The only people who will benefit if there's a change to all entry by DSA / selection interviews / portfolio etc would be the rich, well-to-do and well-connected, which usually means the same people.

Frankly, as much as I hate to admit, to be good in any particular sports / performing arts etc, you need training and coaching, and these cost Furthermore, if one has to train or be coached on before or after hours (e.g. 5am swimming / running), you need time and someone able to chauffeur or chaperone the kid. Guess who are the ones with the time to do this long term?

A small handful of people may be extremely talented without training or coaching, but by and large, it's 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration. The current scholarship and public assistance can only support a small group of people. It's not easy to develop a good portfolio but at least, the current system calls for some balance. Exams is 'supposedly' meritocractic (though the well-to-do is still likely to do better, all things being even, as they have more resources to call on, e.g. tuition) and is less lopsided that a 100% DSA / selection interviews.

Hmmm...yes now I do see the bigger picture. The bulk of primary school education system is spent teaching the kids on the academic syllabus while they are all physically in attendance. So indeed for graduation they should rightfully be assessed on what they have been taught, and the weightage be given accordingly.

By the way there are some sports & performing arts where the barriers to entry are low (ie the kids don’t need rich parents to be able to excel in that field). Eg soccer, basketball, track & field (a kid who is self-motivated can and will spend endless hours practising of his own accord, at the free neighborhood facilities). Talented actors and cartoonists don’t need super expensive training either (they just need an experienced mentor to come along).

Kind of similar to how if a kid really likes to study, can spend all day studying and excel. But there’s room for richer parents to cough up $$ for more expensive tuition/coaching, which tilts the playing field.

my_melody92 wrote:In all honesty i am not aiming for top sch.
But an above average one..
And as mentioned below, i shld think am less inclined for DSA (and would channel efforts on academic instead).

my_melody92 wrote:After reading so much precious n valuable sharing, my mind is clearer.

Just to share my thots / my priorities:
- my kid's academic level is not the top definitely. Probably avg to abit above avg range in his n'hood sch. Doubt his academic level allow him to take so much time to train for sports n yet maintain satisfactory results. Hence am not prep to drill to that extent, for DSA.
- i want him to enjoy life sufficiently. Stress is inevitable and not nece negative but not be OVERLY stressed.
(Last week teacher gave a "All About Me" sheet upon sch reopen...perhaps as part of "p5 orientation". The part on What am i afraid of....he wrote he is worried abt his PSLE. That made me abit concerned as i need to help him manage expectation n anxiety when every enrichmt n sch teacher tell them "P5 is v tough", "P5 is a big jump", "Your P6 results is already determined at p5!"...)
- given opportunity, i will still consider letting him hv external coaching for his badmton...for the purpose of fitness n honing skills.

Your situation now is exactly what I went through back then. I think it is actually good for your boy to be worried of PSLE at P5, you could use this to kickstart his prep work for PSLE. At least better than my case where teacher told DD she cmi. For now on, you will be swinging your decision here and there especially on DSA.You can pm me anytime.

Hi my_melody
Ur situation is the same as mine. Though my kid is younger than urs, I already hopping that he can go via dsA (avg sch) will do, not aiming for any top schools as he is an average kid.

Don’t want him to struggle between academics and cca at top schools.

I know DSA is something done by many parents of primary school kids, but is it not best to leave it to our kids? Let them go find out themselves about DSA so that they get the satisfaction of getting in themselves. As parents we can help by finding out more about the programs to provide quick answers, but the bulk of the work should be done by the kids.

ChiefKiasu wrote:I know DSA is something done by many parents of primary school kids, but is it not best to leave it to our kids? Let them go find out themselves about DSA so that they get the satisfaction of getting in themselves. As parents we can help by finding out more about the programs to provide quick answers, but the bulk of the work should be done by the kids.

I am in this camp. But be prepare to accept kids decisions and trust the self accountability on their choices.

The kid still needs the parent to login to the new DSA portal with his/her Singpass account. But yeah, good idea for the child to do his own research and decide on which school/s to apply to. I think the better primary schools will also conduct career/DSA talks to the P5 kids to get them aware of their options & opportunities.

I agreed kids shld be involved in their own DSA and also schl selection, it must be a sport they are really passion in it. After years of pursuing from swimming to shooting, glad to hv successfully entered dream elite schl using shooting. My child really happy in schl and i am really surprised now willing to pack own schl bag earlier and does homework after schl as previously i hv to kept asking thru the day. I agreed some DSA very competitive as many applied using it especially badminton, swimming & leadership etc. Perhaps parents can consider some other unique sports for better chance. Another advantage now i realised was my child will be automatically enrolled in shooting cca while his classmate has to fight for a seat with many others who applied for it. I spoke to his coach and found out they will do cca leaders selection in Sec3 but kids with prior experience in primary schl n do well might be consider for selection in sec2, i translated that to more secure to get additional cca leader points to minus aggregate points in Alevel, smtg i m still not familar with as i think still hv time to find that out...Whilst many might find dsa short cut path, kids might not do well if they enter into schl above their scores etc but i feel kids can be easily blend in environment and as they grow, they will be capable to fit in the schl. I encouraged all to try DSA, at least try, it will be a good experience for the kids and they learn to take the challenges for dsa selection.

hi, anyone able to advise me what is the minimum psle score to get in FairField using dsa sport?