local school to international anyone?

[Blaze]

Hi Blaze... The term mother tongue is not applied in the 'strict sense'. One just needs to get special approval from the MOE to learn another language. Lots of non-Tamil Indians are learning their mother tongue or 'Hindi' the Indian national language. So are a few foreigners learning chinese. 'Sit in' allows you just to attend classes... the specific approval means you take the exams too.
mumbaigirl

Thank you for your response, mumbaigirl.

I, however, remain confused. Can my children get away without taking compulsory 2nd language since they are foreigners ? All the way to College in SG ? What if they were to become PR ?

I would like them to learn a second language, but maybe without the pressure of exams.


Thank you
Blaze.

[mumbaigirl]

hi blaze,
the rules are clear-cut. foreigners are exempted as their mother tongue would be english or some other language not taught in schools here. once the child is a PR he has to learn some second language. if he starts school before becoming a PR he takes an exepmtion which continues even if changes his status to PR midway.
mumbaigirl

[Blaze]

hi blaze,
the rules are clear-cut. foreigners are exempted as their mother tongue would be english or some other language not taught in schools here. once the child is a PR he has to learn some second language. if he starts school before becoming a PR he takes an exepmtion which continues even if changes his status to PR midway.
mumbaigirl

Thank you mumbaigirl. That clears it for me.
Blaze

[Mara]

Thank you everyone. We are moving to Singapore in December and your postings have been very informative. Seriously.

Kiwi, would love to hear the stories you mentioned about local and International Schools.

If budget wasn't a problem, where would you all prefer to send your children to school?

[mumbaigirl]

I would do local for 3-4 years and then international.
regards,
mumbaigirl

[wk]

Mara,

Depends on a few factors:

1) Age of child
2) Parent's views on what "education" means to them.
3) How long will you be in Singapore & which country you will be going back to in the future.

In my personal opinion, as far as preschoolers and kindergarteners are concerned - there are good local preschools which are cheaper than the "usual" international ones.

At elementary level, up to Primary 4 or 5, the local system gives the children a good grounding in Mathematics & instills some discipline in them. at Primary 6, the children have to take the PSLE, which is a kind of entrance/streaming exam to get into Secondary school. They would probably spend this whole year being grilled, doing exams etc to prepare them for the exam. The local system is still very much focussed on getting good grades in tests & exams, so if that is what you want for your kids (which many parents do), then it should suit you fine.

Drawbacks of the local system vs International Schools:
- rather narrow curriculum; humanities & arts are pretty much ignored until the child reaches Secondary 1 where many children are suddenly overwhelmed when they realise that they have to study subjects like Geography, Literature, History & take exams!
- depending on which school you go to, the teaching of English leaves much to be desired - your child will probably pick up Singlish; not a problem if you are a English-speaking household & able to "correct" their mistakes at home.

If your intention is to make Singapore your home, then by all means, put your child in the local system. Very competitive but if your child is of above average intelligence, should be able to prepare him/her for the local Universities. Many local students do go to foreign universities (good ones) but I believe that they are more "conservative learners" (i.e. sit & listen & take notes, then mug for exams) compared to kids who have gone through the international systems where they are encouraged to be more vocal in class (i.e. listen, think & speak up/ask questions about the topic they are learning).

[vaishali]

As a Singaporean born chutney (I'm part Indian and part English), my parents had to make the tough decision of either sending me to local schools or to International. I went to a local kindy, which I enjoyed (I still have memories of it), but my parents hated the fact that I started to speak with a strong Singlish accent (Note: My Mom sounds like the Queen of England). Therefore, they chose to send me to an International School instead.

My Mom had gone to a local school during the course of her time in Singapore when she was a teenager (Raffles girls) and remembers the competitiveness for grades and the rigidity in which they taught. She didn't want that for me.

Just do what you feel is best for your child. In the end you will be fine. I for one am glad that my parents sent me to an International school (UWC), as I met so many friends from different cultures and experienced a comprehensive schooling system that allowed for after school activities such as choir and sports. I myself was an avid netball and badminton player, and was a part of the School Orchestra Choir.

I just thought that everyone would appreciate someone's perspective who has "been there, done that" so to speak.

And just to answer the question about timing in International Schools, most of them finish the school day at 3pm. Local schools let out much earlier I believe.

Hope I helped.

[Mara]

Dear Vaishali,

That was a very insightful reply you had posted. I personally think that it gives me a better understanding of how to tackle this little dilemma that keeps niggling in my mind. And for giving me a little more peace of mind, a great big Thank You.

As you say, it comes from someone who's been there and done that, and from someone who's a 2nd generation resident of Singapore (to some extent)...the insight really sheds some light into this aspect of life in Singapore.

Hope Singapore is as interesting and welcoming a stay as everyone says it will be...

Mara

[vaishali]

Dear Vaishali,

That was a very insightful reply you had posted. I personally think that it gives me a better understanding of how to tackle this little dilemma that keeps niggling in my mind. And for giving me a little more peace of mind, a great big Thank You.

As you say, it comes from someone who's been there and done that, and from someone who's a 2nd generation resident of Singapore (to some extent)...the insight really sheds some light into this aspect of life in Singapore.

Hope Singapore is as interesting and welcoming a stay as everyone says it will be...

Mara

I'm happy to have been some help I feel Singapore is a very interesting place to grow up. There are so many cultures to come in contact with! It is however a little restricting. If you are an "ang moh", then you will always be treated a little better than everyone else. It makes for being a little closed minded to the world outside of Singapore. Just as long as you teach your child that life is not all maids, country clubs and posh International Schools, then they will be fine Just keep them grounded is all.

[Leigh Ann]

On top of this, the International Schools charge a bomb in fees and the kids are generally only there for a couple of years on average. Fact I recently learned: Last year, the very first student graduated from OFS that had started in primary school and gone right through. I think for young children it would be very upetting to have your friends moving away all the time (we plan to be here for a while).

I've been lurking for a while and thought I'd register so I could comment! I attended SAS in first grade, we moved to Indonesia, then I came back in third grade and stayed right through high school graduation. All the coming and going of students and friends is not a big deal. It's got some real advantages. Cliques aren't an issue Students tend to not alienate one another as all your friends could move this week and and where would you be if the rest of the class hated you? Friendship-making skills are always being sharpened and you get the chance to really know so many different people, rather than hanging out with the same five kids forever. Also, if your daughter brings home a boy you can't stand, don't worry. His family is being transferred next month! OK. That was a little joke. But really, it's not a big deal. I had one friend who had been there as long as me and several who had been there from fifth or sixth grade on. When the children get close to high school age, families try to stay put if at all possible. But my long-term friends all agree that it's not a major deal. Certainly none of us suffered from it. Settling into college wasn't a big deal, either. We knew how to make friends in a hurry.