Why so many miscellaneous purchases at school?

[H4VVK3Y3]

Hi parents,

I come from a school where the school fee essentially covered the majority of material required by the students, and textbook requirements were clearly stated at the beginning of the school term.

My son has just entered Primary One in a Singapore school. This is just the 2nd month and already there have been 3 letters stating we need/should purchase certain items for our children. Those ranged from yogurt drinks to magazines, and activity books. The thing I find very perplexing is that some of the items, when I called/emailed to verify, were said to be compulsory purchases. If they are compulsory purchases why wasn't it stated so in the book list/etc in the beginning of the term why are they suddenly coming up with "compulsory" items I am required to purchase?

Money is not the concern here, I feel like I am being taken advantage of just because my son is in school spending nearly half his day there. If I don't purchase these "compulsory" items for my child, chances are he will be left out, but if I do buy them for him, I am allowing the school free reign to do as they please at my expense, which I feel really uncomfortable about.

Is my situation isolated or are all schools in Singapore run in such an unscrupulous way? And if things are really this bad, what options do I have? Should I home-school my boy or are there schools which are more open in the way things are run?

Thanks~!

[ecureilx]

Is my situation isolated or are all schools in Singapore run in such an unscrupulous way? And if things are really this bad, what options do I have? Should I home-school my boy or are there schools which are more open in the way things are run?

Thanks~!

are you a local ?

[H4VVK3Y3]

No, but my wife is. Does that affect things?

[ecureilx]

No, but my wife is. Does that affect things?

Then. From what I know, you can't home school

let's wait for others to add some input

[PNGMK]

This depends on a lot on the local school admin (i.e. principal) - I sometimes wonder if they get kick backs for selling this shit. You should request a meeting with them and/or get involved with the parents group to push back on the school and/or raise money via fund raisers for genuinely important things. My son went to neighbourhood primary and secondary and they were quite reasonable so I am a little surprised. The teachers in MOE are poorly paid and I think the school budgets are under pressure right now as well so any absolutely non budgetted items will definitely result in parents paying.

Also 'compulsory' is not always true. The compulsory part is you have to get your child to school, in a uniform, with enough food (or money) and the books on the list. Anything else is ECA - not compulsory.

[DrScrumMaster]

It wouldn't surprise me if the school staff don't know what the word 'compulsory' means given the dubious quality of the communications received from my children's (local) schools.

[merichan]

No, but my wife is. Does that affect things?

Then. From what I know, you can't home school

let's wait for others to add some input

It is possible to homeschool as a PR/citizen. You have to request an exemption at the MOE ( The steps are on the MOE website, but to give you an example, anti-vaxxer parents usually get their children exempted to avoid the immunisations)

[merichan]

In my daughter's school there's a few extra purchases ( like the MOE-approved calculator, the supplies they use for their CCA's it probably happens about once a term in average)

[Sensei Michael]

The teachers in MOE are poorly paid and I think the school budgets are under pressure right now as well so any absolutely non budgetted items will definitely result in parents paying.

I must admit this is the *first* time I come across someone saying teachers in MOE are poorly paid. Overworked, most definitely, but poorly paid?

Local schools normally do not budget for many things, and *expect* parents to pay. It is simply the practice there.

[ecureilx]

I must admit this is the *first* time I come across someone saying teachers in MOE are poorly paid. Overworked, most definitely, but poorly paid?

Local schools normally do not budget for many things, and *expect* parents to pay. It is simply the practice there.

I should remind my 'cher friends they are paid excellently ... And tell them to splurge than living miserly.

[Sia White]

Some schools are like this, unfortunately. My sister`s child is in art school http://muzart.com.sg/art-courses/junior-art-class/ and they have a list with materials and tools they should bring at school. It is reasonable because children have to learn to be responsible with their own possessions.

[flyawayhome]

The teachers in MOE are poorly paid and I think the school budgets are under pressure right now as well so any absolutely non budgetted items will definitely result in parents paying.

I must admit this is the *first* time I come across someone saying teachers in MOE are poorly paid. Overworked, most definitely, but poorly paid?

Local schools normally do not budget for many things, and *expect* parents to pay. It is simply the practice there.

Erm poorly paid is pretty much a relative thingy?

But teachers in mainstream schools are sure stressed out with both teaching and managing CCAs.

[Sensei Michael]

Erm poorly paid is pretty much a relative thingy?

But teachers in mainstream schools are sure stressed out with both teaching and managing CCAs.

Definitely overworked and underpaid, but not "poorly paid".

[ecureilx]

Erm poorly paid is pretty much a relative thingy?

But teachers in mainstream schools are sure stressed out with both teaching and managing CCAs.

Definitely overworked and underpaid, but not "poorly paid".

Are you happier now, having p
Proved something that's very subjective?

[Sensei Michael]

Are you happier now, having p
Proved something that's very subjective?

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/14/the-5-h ... he-us.html

We are paid very well compared to teachers in many nations. But the amount of work is seriously crazy.

And no, I am still not happier, even if there are objective points to bring across. I wish teachers are valued more for their teaching and moulding of lives, than for scoring political points to ensure the promotion of the department heads and principals above them.