Top scorers deserve praise too

I AGREE with Mr Chan Cheng Lin ("Focus on students who beat the odds"; last Friday) that we should praise students who have made progress despite negative circumstances, and that our education system should not be too focused on academic achievements.

However, I question the Ministry of Education's policy of not naming top scorers in national examinations, as well as Mr Chan's distaste for praise for students who have excelled.

What is wrong with commending those who did well in their studies? They must have worked extremely hard.

Are their achievements less remarkable because they did not come from disadvantaged backgrounds?

Mr Chan and the public should realise that being top in anything is no easy task.

It requires effort and perseverance to top a national exam. We should not downplay these students' efforts just because we want to de-emphasise the nation's focus on grades.

I hope that we are not turning into a nation that turns our noses up at people who have worked hard at being the best in their studies.

Let's give credit where it is due. This includes students who "beat the odds", excelled in non-academic areas, as well as those who topped their cohort in their studies. All of them deserve commendation.

Chong Sze Kah (Madam)
ST Forum, 12 Jan 2015

Focus on students who beat the odds

I AM disappointed that local schools offering the International Baccalaureate have once again named their top scorers ("S'pore tops Asia-Pacific in perfect IB scores"; Tuesday).

This contradicts the Ministry of Education's policy of not naming the top scorers of national examinations, to reduce society's over-emphasis on academic performance.

Like for other national exams, media coverage should be given to IB

students who overcame challenges to attain academic progress, even if their results were not stellar, or who did well in co-curricular activities.

I hope that when the next batch of IB results is released, the schools and the media will move the spotlight away from the top students.

Chan Cheng Lin
ST Forum, 9 Jan 2015

What's wrong with celebrating success?

CELEBRATING success is common.

We celebrate success in business, sports and overcoming the odds, through awards or media publicity.

So what is so distasteful about celebrating students who excel in their studies ("Focus on students who beat the odds" by Mr Chan Cheng Lin; last Friday)?

Like Madam Chong Sze Kah ("Top scorers deserve praise too"; Monday), I struggle to comprehend the Education Ministry's reluctance to name the top scorers in national exams.

After all, we are a meritocracy, even as we attempt to de-emphasise academic grades. It is this system that is responsible for where we are today.

Contrary to what some may believe, celebrating academic excellence can motivate other students instead of creating stress for them.

We must not be afraid to give credit where it is due.

In this way, we demonstrate consistency in our policies.

Lawrence Loh Kiah Muan
ST Forum, 14 Jan 2015

Good to move away from academic focus

I DISAGREE with Madam Chong Sze Kah ("Top scorers deserve praise too"; Monday).

The Ministry of Education did the right thing by doing away with school rankings and moving towards the notion of "every school is a good school".

However, it will take time for this message to sink in among students and parents.

There is really no need to revert to the practice of singling out the top scorers in national exams.

Achieving top exam scores is a reward in itself, and motivates students to do even better in their future academic pursuits. The media should not be used to "reward" them further.

It is time our society moved on to encourage our young to take pride in voluntary work, nation building and the like, and not exam scores.

Our youth should learn that being top scorers in exams does not equate to success in life.

Ling Ming Hui
ST Forum, 14 Jan 2015