Initiatives to Engage Parents to Alleviate Pressure of PSLE on Students and Parents

Debated in Parliament on 11 Nov 2024.

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Christopher de Souza questioned how the Ministry of Education plans to engage parents more to reduce PSLE-related stress and prevent burnout for both students and parents.
Chan Chun Sing emphasized that examinations like the PSLE are meant to be learning checkpoints, not to be entirely stress-free, and that the focus should be on teaching students to manage pressure and view assessments positively.
He stressed that parents must adopt a mindset that values learning over grades, and highlighted MOE’s efforts such as Subject-Based Banding and alternative pathways to reduce grade-centric pressure.
The Minister noted that removing exams like the mid-year assessments was intended to create space for holistic learning, but some parents’ reliance on tuition centres for mock exams undermines these shifts.
Chan called for a whole-of-society effort, urging parents to model learning-focused behaviors and utilize resources like the Parenting for Wellness initiative to support their children’s educational journey.

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Christopher de Souza

Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Education how does the Ministry plan to further engage parents to alleviate the pressure of the PSLE on students and parents to prevent their mental burnout.

Chan Chun Sing

Examinations, such as the Primary School Leaving Examination, serve as useful checkpoints for students to gauge their learning and enable them to progress smoothly to suitable learning environments.

All examinations come with some amount of pressure. Our starting point should not be to remove all stressors for our students, but to inculcate in them skills to manage pressure, and the mindset to view assessments as an essential part of learning and growth.

Parents play a critical role to inculcate this mindset. Let us work together to help children embrace learning beyond grades, so that they can develop the right attitude towards learning. Give our students the space and opportunities to realise their full potential by discovering new passions and becoming curious, creative learners for life. To support this, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has introduced efforts, such as providing more options and pathways in our education system, including through Full Subject-Based Banding and different opportunities in higher education.

Conversely, if parents are overly anxious about grades, children will not understand the intrinsic value of learning. When MOE removed mid-year examinations to reduce the overemphasis on grades and create space for more engaging learning experiences, some parents turned to tuition centres which provided mock mid-year examinations. This runs counter to the shifts we are making in our education system, and the mindset shifts we are trying to cultivate.

Educating our students requires a whole-of-society effort. We seek support from parents to complement schools' efforts by modelling behaviours that focus on learning and self-improvement, rather than on grades and outperforming others. In addition, parents can use the various resources provided by MOE and other agencies, including from the Parenting for Wellness initiative, to support our children through their educational journey. Many of us in this House are parents. It is incumbent on us to help our children grow with the right mindsets in learning so that they can thrive in life beyond schools.

Summary written by AI (learn more)

Christopher de Souza questioned how the Ministry of Education plans to engage parents more to reduce PSLE-related stress and prevent burnout for both students and parents.
Chan Chun Sing emphasized that examinations like the PSLE are meant to be learning checkpoints, not to be entirely stress-free, and that the focus should be on teaching students to manage pressure and view assessments positively.
He stressed that parents must adopt a mindset that values learning over grades, and highlighted MOE’s efforts such as Subject-Based Banding and alternative pathways to reduce grade-centric pressure.
The Minister noted that removing exams like the mid-year assessments was intended to create space for holistic learning, but some parents’ reliance on tuition centres for mock exams undermines these shifts.
Chan called for a whole-of-society effort, urging parents to model learning-focused behaviors and utilize resources like the Parenting for Wellness initiative to support their children’s educational journey.

Questions identified by AI (learn more)

Initiatives to Engage Parents to Alleviate Pressure of PSLE on Students and Parents | PAPERCUTS

Initiatives to Engage Parents to Alleviate Pressure of PSLE on Students and Parents

Debated in Parliament on 11 Nov 2024.

Summary written by AI (learn more)

Christopher de Souza questioned how the Ministry of Education plans to engage parents more to reduce PSLE-related stress and prevent burnout for both students and parents.
Chan Chun Sing emphasized that examinations like the PSLE are meant to be learning checkpoints, not to be entirely stress-free, and that the focus should be on teaching students to manage pressure and view assessments positively.
He stressed that parents must adopt a mindset that values learning over grades, and highlighted MOE’s efforts such as Subject-Based Banding and alternative pathways to reduce grade-centric pressure.
The Minister noted that removing exams like the mid-year assessments was intended to create space for holistic learning, but some parents’ reliance on tuition centres for mock exams undermines these shifts.
Chan called for a whole-of-society effort, urging parents to model learning-focused behaviors and utilize resources like the Parenting for Wellness initiative to support their children’s educational journey.

Questions identified by AI (learn more)

Full Transcript

Christopher de Souza

Chan Chun Sing

Examinations, such as the Primary School Leaving Examination, serve as useful checkpoints for students to gauge their learning and enable them to progress smoothly to suitable learning environments.

Summary written by AI (learn more)

Christopher de Souza questioned how the Ministry of Education plans to engage parents more to reduce PSLE-related stress and prevent burnout for both students and parents.
Chan Chun Sing emphasized that examinations like the PSLE are meant to be learning checkpoints, not to be entirely stress-free, and that the focus should be on teaching students to manage pressure and view assessments positively.
He stressed that parents must adopt a mindset that values learning over grades, and highlighted MOE’s efforts such as Subject-Based Banding and alternative pathways to reduce grade-centric pressure.
The Minister noted that removing exams like the mid-year assessments was intended to create space for holistic learning, but some parents’ reliance on tuition centres for mock exams undermines these shifts.
Chan called for a whole-of-society effort, urging parents to model learning-focused behaviors and utilize resources like the Parenting for Wellness initiative to support their children’s educational journey.

Questions identified by AI (learn more)

Initiatives to Engage Parents to Alleviate Pressure of PSLE on Students and Parents

Summary

Questions Identified

Full Transcript

Christopher de Souza

Chan Chun Sing

Summary

Questions Identified

Initiatives to Engage Parents to Alleviate Pressure of PSLE on Students and Parents

Summary

Questions Identified

Full Transcript

Christopher de Souza

Chan Chun Sing

Summary

Questions Identified