I was reading the news article concerning parents up in arms over the recent PSLE mathematics paper, and my only response to that article was... "GET USED TO IT."

It brings back memories of My year's PSLE mathematics paper which had parents up in arms as well (seems like parents love that little arm exercise just to lambast the state eh). If I'm not mistaken, my year was the first year the paper was too difficult for the students to handle. Then again, if you look at it from the state's perspectives, my batch was the much-talked-about '88 Dragon batch so perhaps the rationale for the high level of difficulty was to do an easier streaming process.

(brings back thoughts of inequality, but that's another topic altogether)

Back to this year's paper, hey face it. There's the use of a calculator, parents should have obviously known that the standard would at least be slightly harder considering that the child now can use an additional calculative brain, so to speak, to aid him/her in the exams. DUH, the paper would be difficult. SO GET USED TO IT.

.

Besides, it's not as if this is the first time such a "arm-raising" exercise has happened over a PSLE paper. Come to think of it, it's JUST the PSLE paper; there's a whole road of opportunities for any child after those 4 papers. And with all the new schemes coming up, even if you go to a Normal (Academic) Stream, do well enough prove your worth and get promoted to the Express Stream. Same thing for the Normal (Technical) kids. Back in my time, there wasn't anything like that. So make full use of it for goodness sake.

(brings back thoughts of meritocracy and pragmatism)

Besides, parents ought to remember that at the PSLE or whatever national exam it may be, there's always moderation. There's the elusive bell-curve. So it doesn't matter if you get 50% cause if you're the top of your cohort, then hey you get your A* (goodness, even this term sounds ancient to me). SO PARENTS: TAKE A CHILL PILL MAN! HAVE SOME CONFIDENCE IN YOUR KIDS. STOP PROTECTING THEM >> THEY GOTTA LEARN HOW TO SURVIVE IN THIS HARSH SINGAPORE ACADEMIC LANDSCAPE.

(brings back thoughts of inequality & meritocracy again)

Urgh, Sociology's screwing my brain.