Top PSLE student sets new record with 294 score

Natasha, 12, (centre) whose father is a technician and mum,
a housewife, is from the gifted education stream.

A ST HILDA'S Primary pupil has scored a record 294 in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), beating the previous high of 292 set in 1993.

Natasha Muhamad Nasir, 12, eclipsed the record set by Nanyang Primary's Justin Lau in 1993.

Her score was 'outstanding', said the Singapore Examination and Assessment Board (SEAB) spokesman, as it was a good six points ahead of the next highest score of 288.

At St Hilda's on Thursday, Natasha, flanked by her younger sister and mother, smiled shyly as reporters shot questions at her. In the background, her father was recording the scene with a camcorder.

'I was worried if I could get 4A*s,' she said. The Gifted Education Programme (GEP) pupil had found the Science paper 'tedious'.

And on the day of her first PSLE paper on Oct 3, her maternal grandfather, 74, underwent surgery for his heart at the Singapore General Hospital.

Natasha, who was very close to him, spent the PSLE exam period shuttling between hospital and home.

'He taught me a prayer to say before the exam. I would say it before each paper,' she said.

He died on Oct 30.

'I would like to dedicate my results to him. Before I sat for the PSLE, he prayed for me,' she said.

Natasha, who plays the piano and violin and is in the Scrabble club, already has a place in Raffles' Girls Secondary and plans to be a paediatrician in future.

Her parents have left nothing to chance when it comes to bringing up Natasha.

When she was still in her mother's womb, they would would read aloud to her and played music for her to listen.

Her mother, Ms Zaharah Othman, 44, quit her flight stewardess job after Natasha was born so that she can give her 'quality time'.

When Natasha was three months old, she bought her an encyclopedia set. By two and a half years, she could read a book on her own.

Ms Zaharah and her husband, Mr Muhamad Nasir Atan, 47, a Singapore Airlines technician, live in a five-room Pasir Ris flat, but they volunteered at Gongshang Primary in Tampines to get Natasha a place in the popular school.

She went to St Hilda's when she got into the GEP at Primary Four.

The last time a Malay pupil topped the PSLE was two years ago, when Adil Hakeem Mohamad Rafee from Rosyth School scored 282.

Besides Natasha, another 14 pupils scored at least 286 in the PSLE this year.

Natasha was the top Malay student, while Vanessa Malishree Dharmaratnam from Raffles Girls' School (Primary) was the top Indian pupil with a score of 285.

Top Eurasian Santa Maria Priscila Nicole from CHIJ Katong Primary scored 272.

In all, some 49,817 Primary 6 pupils sat for the PSLE this year, a drop of 1.6 per cent over last year.

A total of 48, 665, or 97.7 per cent of the pupils, did well enough to move on to secondary school.

Of these, 63.5 per cent are eligible for the Express, 22.2 per cent for the Normal (Academic) and 12 per cent for the Normal (Technical) course.

SHATTERED EARTH

This is something very interesting. I mean the picture. Actually, I am more concerned with what will happen to the very planet if we do not take good care of it. :(

A man walks with his dog along a dry cracked reservoir bed in Alcora, eastern Spain. Negotiators working on a landmark global warming report don't need to go far to see the effects of climate change: The evidence is all around Valencia, Spain, where they are meeting. -- PHOTO: AP, FERNANDO BUSTAMANTE

Happy Holiday!

Hello everyone,

Nice of you to drop by. Well, for pupils of P4-1 (2006), your year as P5 has finally come to an end. Now, all of you should be provided to P6 next year. Congratulations to all, since none of you is retained. Haha!! :P

Next year is a very critical year for all of you. It is a test of how much you have learnt in your primary school - six years of learning! For those who have been consistently doing well, do keep up the good work. For those who are still struggling with your studies, I hope you will take this coming holiday to "brush up" your work. It is never too late, it is just whether you want to put in more effort to make it better.

Please let me know how you are doing in the tag board. If you don't mind, you can tag or e-mail me your results as well.

I wish you all the best!

Boyband banned

Students of a girls' school go into a rant over their principal's decision to disallow visit by an American boyband
By Debbie Yong
Students of a girls' school go into a rant over their principal's decision to disallow visit by an American boyband.

A DISTRACTION or a form of stress relief? It seems that The Click Five inspires vastly different reactions.
BOYBANDS cause a stir with their presence, but the absence of one last week created an even bigger uproar.

Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' Secondary School (PLMGSS) had topped an online poll conducted by local radio station 987FM two weeks ago and was to be rewarded with a surprise visit from American pop-rock band, The Click Five, last Tuesday.

But apparently the school's principal said 'no' and the band visited CHIJ St Joseph's Convent (SJC) and Zhonghua Secondary School, the second- and third-ranked schools in the poll, respectively, instead.

The students found this out only on Tuesday night and one of them, a disappointed Secondary One girl, collected 300 signatures for a petition to the principal, Mrs Lee Siew Choo, to allow similar events in the future.

One of the students who signed the petition said: 'The school has misused its authority. The way the school makes decisions for its students is unjust and unfair.'

A few students felt that the school should have consulted them first. To address the concerns raised, the principal spoke to the entire cohort on the last day of the school term last Friday.

'We do encourage the students to speak up, but they need to learn that there are proper channels for addressing their concern.'
- MRS LEE SIEW CHOO, PLMGSS principal
She cited her reasons for rejecting the radio station's appeal: The principal had been given the responsibility to make decisions in the interests of the school and she was worried that the event would be a distraction for the Secondary Four students sitting for their O-Level examinations.

The pop culture element of the event also did not tie in with the school's values, she felt.

Following her address, six students wrote in separately to Stomp's Media Club website to air their disagreements with the reasons given by the school.

Said one writer, a Secondary Two student who did not want to be identified, fearing disciplinary action: 'It is an excuse to say that something small like this could be a distraction.'

A Secondary Three prefect added that she felt the school was being too rigid, especially since the examinations for the rest of the students were over by then.

The principal of SJC, Mrs Dolly Chan, said she decided to be flexible about the matter.

She saw the band's visit as a form of post-exam stress relief for her students, but she clarified: 'It should be done in moderation. We are not encouraging them to turn into groupies and follow the band everywhere.'

The six letters posted on Stomp garnered about 1,000 views each over the past week and have spurred comments both for and against the PLMGSS girls. In response, the school wrote to Stomp on Wednesday, refuting allegations made by the students online, such as the school's suspension of two students over the incident, and that students have no say in the autonomous school.

Mrs Lee explained to The Sunday Times: 'We do encourage the students to speak up, but they need to learn that there are proper channels for addressing their concern. A public forum wasn't quite the right place to do it.' She said she was 'saddened' by the language used in the forums. 'Kids nowadays tend to have many demands, and many cannot cope with the disappointment when they don't get what they want,' she said.

Outsiders have also chipped in with their views. Said an ex-teacher, in her late 20s, who declined to be named: 'Students these days are too vindictive. By going to the media, they are only ruining the reputation of the school.'

One contributor, who claimed to be an alumnus of the school, wrote: 'I am ashamed of this batch of brats...You are not mature enough to see that your principal means well. You are abusing your powers and the media.'

Student charged with abusing teacher in class

A 17-YEAR-OLD student was charged on Wednesday with using abusive language on a teacher in class earlier this year.

Jeremy Tan Wei Liang is accused of abusing Ms Tang Anqiong, 36, at Clementi Woods Secondary School at West Coast Road on April 26.

His lawyer, Mr Edmond Pereira, told the court that he would be making representations. A pre-trial conference will be held at Community Court on Dec 5.

If convicted, he faces a fine of up to $5,000 under the Miscellaneous Offences Act.

Tradition meets joy for Deepavali

Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, falls today and celebrates the victory of light over darkness. Hindus commemorate this day with enthusiasm, combining traditional beliefs and practices with the spirit of reverence, togetherness and celebration.

SETTING THE PLACE AGLOW

Mr Prakash Kejriwal, 38, lights candles with his family - son Laavanya, eight; wife Veena Prakash, 35; and daughter Esha, three - outside their home in Meyer Road as part of the Deepavali celebrations.

Hindus traditionally welcome the festival by laying broken rice on the floor in a floral pattern. Then, candles and lamps are lit around the house to mark the triumph of good over evil. The festival, also known as the Festival of Lights, is celebrated by Hindus all around the world.

HELPING THOSE BACK HOME

DEEPAVALI is a time when foreign workers here would send money home to relatives in India for the festival.

Foreign worker Ariva Lagan, 29, fills up a money transfer slip before joining the queue of about 60 people at a Western Union money transfer shop in Little India.

He's remitting $1,150 to his mother, father and sister in Tamil Nadu. He usually does this every two months after getting his salary, but this time, he is doing it two days before Deepavali so that they can buy new clothes and things for their celebrations.

He says he will call his family and friends in India to wish them well.

Today, he is going to the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, dressed in new clothes, with his Indian national friends. Many of his friends have also remitted money through Western Union to their families.

FIT FOR A GODDESS

Mohan Gurukkal, an Alankara priest, decorates a statue of Sri Mariamman, the Hindu Goddess of Rain. Hundreds are expected at Singapore's oldest Hindu temple to light oil lamps as offerings to her.

Boy, 13, trapped in flat as vandals padlock gate

POLICE had to resort to 'breaking and entering' on Wednesday - so that Mr Ng Cheng Heng could get into his Bedok Reservoir Road flat.

Vandals suspected to be loan sharks had used a lock and chain to padlock his four-room unit in Block 708, while his unsuspecting 13-year-old son was inside.

Mr Ng, 46, a marketing executive, rushed home after his wife, who had got home earlier at 6.30pm, found the grille padlocked.

Police had to break the lock.

Mr Ng was angry that the vandals had put his son at risk by trapping him inside.

He added: 'It is terrible that the loan sharks are harassing us like this, when we are not their debtors.'

Another neighbour a floor above had his unit vandalised on Tuesday.

Mr Ng, who has made a police report, said harassment of residents in his block by loan sharks acting for illegal moneylenders went back as far as 2000.

The debtor the loan sharks were after is believed to live two floors above Mr Ng's unit.

Fearing for the safety of his only son, he has got him to stay at his sister's house over the past few days, as the school holidays have started.

A woman who wanted to be known only as Madam Lim, from a unit two floors above Mr Ng's, told Lianhe Zaobao that her husband did borrow money from loan sharks previously.

But that debt had been paid off five years ago, she said.

Since 2005, repeat moneylending offenders may be sent to jail while loan sharks harassing debtors may be fined between $4,000 and $40,000 and jailed up to three years.

An amendment to the Moneylenders Act in 2005, which provides for the jail terms, came into effect last year.

The maximum fine for illegal lending is now $200,000.

Previously, a first-time offender could be fined only up to $100,000.

There were 10,221 complaints last year about unlicensed moneylenders and harassment.

The figure was 1,510 in 1995.

Gifted scheme kids to mix more with others

FROM next year, all nine primary schools offering the Gifted Education Programme (GEP) will be taking steps to get GEP pupils to mix more with those not in the programme.

GEP pupils will, on average, spend between a third and half their lesson time with their non-GEP peers.

The change follows a successful pilot project to encourage mixing, which has been running in two GEP primary schools since January.

The push for integration is in part a response to long-held criticism that the GEP is elitist and churns out students who have problems relating to their non-GEP peers.

Come next year, the nine GEP primary schools will encourage integration in either of two ways:

One is by putting GEP pupils with non-GEP pupils in the same form class, but pulling them out for core GEP classes in English, maths and science.

The other way is by keeping GEP pupils in their own classes, but getting them to join the other students for classes in physical education, art and music, among others.

Minister of State for Education Lui Tuck Yew, while visiting Nan Hua Primary, one of the nine GEP schools, said it was important to let pupils, especially brighter ones, mix with a wider group of people, so they can understand the challenges others face and find ways to learn from them.

Started in 1984, the GEP was aimed at enabling the top 1 per cent of each cohort to reach their full potential.

The programme will be discontinued in secondary schools next year, since the integrated programme schools have their own programmes for gifted students.

But GEP has continued to run in primary schools, said Rear-Admiral (NS) Lui, to uphold 'the philosophy and practice of having distinct programmes for students of higher ability'.

In recent years, letters to the press have voiced concerns that GEP students not mixing with students outside the scheme. A 2004 study of 16 GEP students by then-university student Don Shiau backed the discussion up by saying GEP students were ostracised by non-GEP ones.

At Nan Hua Primary, one of two GEP schools in this year's pilot project to encourage mixing, 44 Primary 4 GEP pupils have been 'twinned' with 45 of their non-GEP peers and divided into three classes. They attend the same classes, except in English, maths and science.

In order not to compromise academic rigour, the non-GEP pupils were picked from those in the top 2 to 5 per cent in GEP tests and from among those strong in English or maths.

The school's principal Lee Hui Feng said each of the three classes had equal numbers of GEP and non-GEP pupils, so neither group would 'feel that it was the majority, or feel lesser compared to the other'.

In a maths enrichment class yesterday, GEP pupil Celia Ong, 10, was helping Estee Leong, also 10, to build structures with plastic blocks.

Estee said it was interesting to 'work with GEP students'; Celia said she had made more friends as a result.

Overall, Rear-Adm Lui was pleased to see 'the familiarity' the pupils had with each other.

'They say they are really not so conscious of this labelling and tagging. They have a chance to interact with more students,' he said.

Besides Nan Hua and Tao Nan which were on the pilot project, Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) and Catholic High also made moves to integrate their GEP and non-GEP pupils this year.