Daily Lessons from Life 03 February 2014 - Report on funding cuts for independent schools "inaccurate": MOE

"Report on funding cuts for independent schools "inaccurate": MOE - CNA 03 February 2014

SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Education (MOE) has said that a media report on funding being cut for top independent schools in Singapore is "inaccurate".
Responding to queries, MOE has clarified that six schools received additional funding while four schools had their funding trimmed following its review of funding for the independent schools.
MOE said it regularly reviews the funding of schools to ensure that they are adequately funded and that the resources are well spent.
MOE explained that the new funding formula, which has both a fixed and variable component, seeks to provide more equitable funding to the schools.
MOE said in recent years, it had received feedback on the burden of fund raising placed on parents, students and other stakeholders.
It stressed that it is in this context that it has advised schools to moderate their fund raising activities and to take into consideration the cost of operating any additional facilities.
MOE said it will continue to approve fund raising requests by schools based on the educational merits of each request, adding that this applies to all schools, including independent schools.
The ministry said schools are encouraged to invest their resources efficiently in achieving maximal outcomes. In this context, MOE has advised independent schools on the judicious use of air-conditioning. This is in line with the ministry’s goal to be ecologically sustainable and cost-effective in operating the schools.
It added that school classrooms should be naturally ventilated.
For classrooms that have been air-conditioned, MOE has advised schools where practicable to retrofit the classrooms with fans so that the classrooms have the option of being naturally ventilated."

I really like what Minister Heng and his officers are doing at the MOE. The MOE team is on the right track as far as I am concerned!

Lessons for me are:

1. to support the 'Every School is a Good School' vision, no preferential treatment should be given to the so-called traditionally 'better schools'. Why? They are already 'better' and while we know some will say that you cannot be 'penny wise pound foolish' as developing the very best of the young student cohorts will need extraordinary resources, which I agreed except that they can find those resources since being resourceful is one of the key attributes of being 'good'!!;

2. while many have been preaching or bitching about how some of our young people are spoiled at home with air-con, maids, etc and just have to rush from one enrichment class to another and be a 'good student that score A grade for all the subjects tested', no concrete moves had been made to 'guide' the students to actually behaving 'normally' and 'not spoiled'. So, with this 'natural cooling' encouragement message from the MOE, hopefully the kids can 'experience' some REAL life conditions that 'other students' experienced?!!?;

3. the point on 'parents and students' being burdened with fund raising is a VERY GOOD POINT which I am sure many school going parents and the students HAD raised many times in the past to no avail. Someone high in the pecking order FINALLY heeds, or sees, it as an issue to tackle and go straight at it. Yes. Parents and students SHOULD NOT be burdened with raising fund for the schools as the MOE's budge will cover the ESSENTIAL needs. If not, it is NOT doing its job!! Parents and students, and the schools, if they insist, CAN raise fund for some other charitable causes by gong the extra miles in their community involvement projects (CIPs). Of course, while we want to cultivate a public spiritedness in our youngs, we also must balance the need to study and the desire to serve publicly.

There will be dissenters from the alumni of the so-called 'good schools'. Let them be. It is their rights to express their feelings, some for and some against. The MOE simply just has to DO THE RIGHT THING!

Since we start with the schools to be more conscious of the running costs, we can perhaps extend the initiatives to those restructured public hospitals that have 5-star hotel type of lobbies, atrium and toilets and 'expensive' parking and cafeteria foods? Or is it just too much good things to ask for? :-)