Tag Archives: HENG SWEE KEAT

All the teachers of TKPS who were on the trip gave their best to watch over our children, and they deserve our greatest respect and gratitude. Our students tell of their teachers shielding them from falling rocks, and continuing to look after them despite their own injuries. Let us remember and live up to their selflessness and courage. We must also honour our children by remembering that they have been brave, rugged and tenacious, striving to bring out their personal bests, and excited about heading ever forward together with their schoolmates. Let us remember and draw hope from our children’s spirit to be the best they can be.

I would like someone to help me propose that the MOE Minister, the school principal and those teachers or administrators who coined the idea of the trip be removed from their positions. Furthermore, I am proposing the MOE compensate the dead child’s parents a sum of no less than 1 million dollars because this child would easily earn at least a million dollars in her life time and part of it would go out to support her aging parents.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew had a red box. When I worked as Mr Lee’s Principal Private Secretary, or PPS, a good part of my daily life revolved around the red box. Before Mr Lee came in to work each day, the locked red box would arrive first, at about 9 am.

In his days as PM, Mr Lee’s average bedtime was three-thirty in the morning. As Senior Minister and Minister Mentor, he went to sleep after two in the morning. If he had to travel for an official visit the next day, he might go to bed at one or two in the morning. Deep into the night, while the rest of Singapore slept, it was common for Mr Lee to be in full work mode.

Most of the lecturers I knew were part-timers. I am fine with that but when I realised that some of them are full-time civil servants, I was flabbergasted. Some of them openly state they were civil servants but some were evasive. I googled their names and found them in government directory listings holding good positions such as Assistant Directors in Ministries and Statuary Boards!

For the hopeful parents who think that their child will have a better life after the educational review, think again. The mindset that “good academic record is a better officer” has served Singapore well for 50 years and I doubt this successful model can be changed overnight. So I think it is still worthwhile to send your kids to tuition classes and drill them well to ensure they ace for their examinations. Good paper qualification still counts for a good start in your children’s career.

Members of parliament yesterday urged the Ministry of Education to stem the pervasive "tuition culture" in Singapore's education scene. In response to the MPs questions, Minister for Education Heng Swee Keat responded that Singaporeans need to adopt an "abundance mentality" rather than a "scarcity mentality". He said Singaporeans need to see beyond a single pathway to success.

It was a surprise for me to hear my name being mentioned when I was not even speaking on the motion, having left it to the good hands of my WP colleagues who run AHPETC and who had already explained the necessary details in response to the AGO report. Nevertheless, I must thank the Minister for bringing attention to my busy schedule.

A middle-aged couple have been re-selling exam papers from schools such as Raffles Girls’ Primary School, Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) and Nanyang Primary School online. Parents from Hong Kong believe the exam papers will challenge their kids, and are picking them up like they’re going out of style.

His identity card showed the address but the man, who cannot be named to protect his daughter's identity, actually lived in Balestier Road, which fell outside that radius. The property at the address he provided belonged to his uncle's sister and had been rented out. His acts came to light when the Education Ministry visited the place.