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- It was reported in the news that the Ministry of Education (MOE) has a “long-standing practice” of withholding the original copy of a student’s Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results slip if school fees are not paid. MOE told Yahoo! News Singapore on Tue (26 Nov) in response to queries that the real aim of doing so “stems from the underlying principle that notwithstanding the fact that the cost of education is almost entirely publicly funded, we should still play our part in paying a small fee, and it is not right to ignore that obligation, however small it is”. “Further, students from lower-income families can apply for financial assistance that covers their miscellaneous fees, uniforms, textbooks, transport and school meals. If it is about money then the easier solution would be to reduce subsidies and financial assistance,” it added. MOE’s statement was made in response to an earlier case brought up by Gilbert Goh, founder of Transitioning.org – a support site for the unemployed. Mr Goh made a Facebook post highlighting the plight of a student whose original PSLE result slip was withheld by MOE, as her parents had incurred $156 in unpaid school fees. Eventually, a kind member of the public paid the school fees for the student so that she can get her original PSLE result slip. Mr Goh did not reveal the name of the school she was attending nor her name probably to safeguard her identity. MOE said the parents of student in question had not settled the miscellaneous school fees for two years in spite of several reminders. Additionally, her parents has also not applied for any financial assistance, which the ministry said “would have covered all the costs”. MOE added that the student “will still receive a copy of the results”, and “can still apply for secondary schools and will progress like all students”, in response to Mr Goh’s assertion that a student’s original copy is required for admission into secondary school. MOE also accused Mr Goh of “trying to call into question the intention and values of the MOE” with the Facebook post. MOE said, “Our educators, parents and members of public will have to decide whether the MOE’s action is fair and educationally sound, and what the lesson of this teachable moment for our children is.” Former NCMP Yee: Many from lower income group not aware of help After MOE went public asking members of public to decide “what the lesson of this teachable moment for our children is”, former NCMP and opposition member Yee Jenn Jong wrote on his blog the next day (27 Nov) recounting his experience working with the lower income group who sometimes could not even pay for children’s school fees (‘Unpaid school fees – What are the teachable moments?‘). He said that the reported incident by Mr Goh reminded him of a case he took when helping out at the Meet-People-Session in Aljunied GRC sometime back. Near closing time one evening at 9.30pm, a 2nd year diploma student rushed desperately seeking help. It turned out that she had unpaid fees and was told by the school that unless she paid up, she would not get her official results which she needed to register for her third and final year courses. “She was very distressed because the last date to register for her courses was like that next day or very soon after that. She was sobbing as she told her story,” Mr Yee recalled. She is the eldest in the family with her illiterate mum working part-time supporting the family. Needless to say, the family was constantly in debt, borrowing from relatives. Her previous year fees had been paid by an aunt who was not able to give her another loan so soon. The student had to work part-time but the money earned wasn’t enough to pay for the school fees. She was naturally worried that she would be kicked out from the school for owing school fees. In fact, she did not even know what her 2nd year results were because the school’s policy was that they wouldn’t release any results with fees outstanding. Luckily Mr Yee has a friend working in the school and was kind enough to go out of his way to help. His friend linked up Mr Yee and the student with the school’s finance manager. The school didn’t know of her financial situation. “The finance manager was very kind and revealed that she had passed and may register for the third year courses and asked her to apply for a bursary,” Mr Yee said. The school also gave her time to pay up for the previous outstanding fees, which she eventually borrowed from her relatives to pay off. She also got a bursary for her final year of studies. Mr Yee himself tried to help by engaging her on a part-time basis to do work at his company. Eventually, she graduated and found a job in an MNC as a web designer. Mr Yee opined, “Hers is a happy story that could have turned out badly. I asked why she did not try to apply for any financial assistance before then. She said she was not aware (even though the school had schemes and were indeed kind and fast to act when her situation surfaced).” “It is hard to blame her as she was not yet an adult then and the family already had so much problems. Relatives were afraid of them requesting for more financial assistance. She only came to the MPS because she shared her problems at a church meeting and her friend suggested going to meet her MP, which she promptly rushed to because the MPS happened to be that evening,” Mr Yee added. “The problem often is that when there are persistent unpaid fees, there are often some deep issues or dysfunctional family situations. I am not sure if the family would be in a good situation to talk to the child about the learning points of having to pay their dues if they had many other daily stresses or were dysfunctional.” Mr Yee said he did not know why the PSLE student in Mr Goh’s case didn’t apply for financial assistance. “I know schools have lots of ways to help low income family pay for fees and even get pocket money allowances because I have been involved in helping to raise such funds for schools. The young lady I had helped could have raised her problems to the school much earlier and she would likely have gotten a bursary from day 1 but she said she was not aware of support schemes and did not know that she would have qualified,” Mr Yee explained. Kindergarten principal and teacher visit family who hasn’t paid school fees for child Mr Yee then told a second story, also about a family who owed school fees. Apparently, one family had not paid their child’s kindergarten school fees nor the school bus fees. The school bus refused to pick the boy up and he stopped attending the kindergarten altogether. The principal and the form teacher then decided to visit the family. Mr Yee recounted, “They reached the home of the family just as the father and son were stepping out. The father was apologetic and promised to pay up the fees. He thought that the school had come to chase for the debts. The school explained that they were not there for the fees as they had already asked the Board for permission to waive off the fees.” “They just wanted to ask the child to go back to school as they did not want him to miss out the memorable final weeks. They even asked the bus company if they could sponsor the bus trips for the final period for the family,” explained Mr Yee. So, what are the teachable moments? “It can be to tell the family and child that they need to pay for all financial obligations. It can also be to tell them that there’s grace in the society if there are truly situations that call for it,” Mr Yee said. “I hope the young preschool boy will grow up well and one day remember that the school (kindergarten) he attended reached out because they did not want him to fall behind no matter what the family circumstances were; that if he is financially capable one day, he can pay it back to others.” Mr Yee did not think that many families like to owe money especially over education. It is embarrassing to the child. “With persistent unpaid fees, there are often stories behind these which can only be known if we probe further. Probing needs time,” Mr Yee further opined. “As much as there are teachable moments to the families, there are also engagement opportunities by the schools and by social welfare organisations to use these as trigger points to dig further and to help families work a way out of problems.” In fact, this was exactly what Mr Goh did – to help those low income families who especially are not aware of the many confusing government schemes available. Rather then accusing Mr Goh of having ulterior motives, perhaps MOE should thank people like Mr Goh for surfacing such cases which apparently fell through the crack. MOE should be asking why the PSLE student had owed 2 years of school fees. Did the school principal or teacher bother to find out like what the kindergarten principal and teacher did for the family of the preschool kid? https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2019/11/28/moe-says-gilbert-goh-trying-to-call-into-question-intention-and-values-of-the-ministry
Hong Kong leader says sorry as protesters insist she quits
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam apologized to its people on Sunday as an estimated 1 million-plus black-clad protesters insisted that she resign over her handling of a bill that would allow citizens to be sent to mainland China for trial.
Organizers said almost 2 million turned out on Sunday to demand that chief executive Lam step down in what is becoming the most significant challenge to China’s relationship with the territory since it was handed back by Britain 22 years ago.
Sunday’s demonstration came in spite of Lam indefinitely delaying - though not withdrawing - the bill on Saturday in a dramatic climbdown that threw into question her ability to continue to lead the city.
On Sunday, she apologized for the way the government had handled the draft law, which had been scheduled for debate last Wednesday, but gave no further insight into its fate.
Organizers pressed ahead with the protest to demand the bill’s full withdrawal, as well as to mark their anger at the way police handled a demonstration against it on Wednesday, when more than 70 people were injured by rubber bullets and tear gas.
More at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-extradition/hong-kong-leader-says-sorry-as-protesters-insist-she-quits-idUSKCN1TH00P
Simply say SOR-LEE and let's move on? I wonder who she learnt this abominable political manoeuvre from.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam’s “sincere” apology wasn’t sincere enough
Facing the people.
In her third press conference in nine days during what has been the most tumultuous period of her time in office, Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam today (June 18) acknowledged the controversies and anxieties that the extradition bill has caused, conceded that she has to “personally shoulder much of the responsibility,” and offered her “most sincere apology to all people of Hong Kong.”
Still, she repeatedly refused to completely withdraw the hated bill—which would allow Hong Kong to send suspects to mainland China once it becomes law—a major and as yet unmet demand from protesters. However, she pledged that the legislative process for the bill would not resume unless “anxieties and fears” over the bill can be resolved.
Of the five main requests demanded by protesters—the bill’s withdrawal; Lam’s resignation; an investigation into police violence against protesters; retracting the designation of the protest as a “riot,” and an assurance that no protesters will face criminal charges—Lam delivered on one when she stood by the police commissioner’s decision yesterday (June 17) to retract the designation of the protest as a riot. However, those who are accused of attacking the police with bricks and metal poles will still be charged for rioting.
A change in tone
Her statements mark a dramatic change in tone since June 10, when Lam effectively ignored the calls of an estimated 1 million demonstrators who had taken to the streets the day before to protest a hated extradition bill that would allow Hong Kong to send suspects to mainland China to face trial. “There is very little merit to be gained to delay the bill,” she said. “Hong Kong has to move on.”
Lam’s decision to defiantly press ahead with the law brought popular anger to a boiling point, and by Wednesday (June 12) last week, tens of thousands had occupied major roads in the city as they demanded the bill to be withdrawn. The protests turned violent as police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at the largely peaceful demonstrators, engulfing Hong Kong in its worst political upheaval in years. Many accused the police of using excessive force, including against journalists.
That evening, local broadcaster TVB aired a pre-recorded interview with Lam, who once again came across as aloof and arrogant. In comments that were later widely ridiculed, she compared accepting protesters’ demands to withdraw the extradition bill to a mother giving in to her spoiled children’s demands. Lam’s paternalistic attitude only served to further inflame the public.
Still, Lam refused to budge. It wasn’t until until Saturday (June 15) that she again addressed the press and changed course slightly, saying she would indefinitely suspend—but not withdraw—the controversial bill. The concession was unlikely to have satisfied protesters’ demands to have the law scrapped altogether, but it was her other comments during the 75-minute press conference that infuriated the public. Her refusal to condemn or apologize for the police force’s aggressive tactics, and her insistence that protesters were violent rioters, disappointed many. She also stood by the police’s description of Wednesday’s protests as a “riot,” which carries much heavier jail terms than those for lesser charges.
On Sunday (June 16), an estimated 2 million people returned to the streets to vent their anger, marking the eighth consecutive day of protests of varying sizes. Protesters again demanded that the extradition law be completely withdrawn, for the characterisation of the protests as a riot to be retracted, and for Lam to resign. That evening, Lam apologized through a statement written in third person issued by the government. But again, she said nothing of the protesters’ other demands.
Full story at https://qz.com/1646660/extradition-law-hong-kong-chief-carrie-lam-apologizes-again/
Joshua Wong just got released from prison itching to go back in again?
Protesters had blocked several lanes of Harcourt Road, a main thoroughfare through the city’s financial center, snarling traffic. At one point, some protesters outside the government headquarters formed a line of open umbrellas on the ground. People used umbrellas to protect themselves from pepper spray fired by police last week, and in mass pro-democracy demonstrations five years ago that became known as the “Umbrella Movement.”
The government temporarily closed the Central Government Offices and canceled a meeting of the Legislative Council’s transport panel. There was a very light police presence in the area.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-20/hong-kong-government-closes-headquarters-as-protesters-gather
Gotta hand it to this lad. He's got more balls than 69.9% of Sinkies combined.
Li Ka-shing warns Hong Kong is a 'spoilt child' set on a dangerous path!!!!!!!
If the trend was not stopped, the city would have gone "totally wrong" in as little as five years.
In his second interview with a major mainland news outlet since November, Li advised the city's government to invest more in innovation and technology to improve competitiveness, and not to focus solely on poverty relief.
The chairman of Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Hutchison Whampoa, who is ranked 20th in Forbes magazine's list of the world's super-rich this year, told online news service Caixin.com: "My family was poor and there was a time when we were left completely destitute. I will never forget that. I very much understand what it is like when you need to worry about making ends meet every day.
"And it is also natural that such a situation gives rise to populism. But the important point is that society should find ways to resolve problems and not get stuck in a state of anger."
He said Singapore had been outpacing Hong Kong in recent years - without the advantage of having mainland China as its hinterland."Singapore is congenitally deficient while Hong Kong is a spoilt child. Populism is rising in Hong Kong, and if this goes on, the city would look totally wrong in five to six years."
He blamed politicians for the rise of populism, criticising them for taking advantage of social problems as a "platform to get votes and power".
More at https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1442186/li-ka-shing-warns-hong-kong-spoilt-child-set-dangerous-path
Li’s heart is in TeochewLand, even though he made most of his wealth from CuntoLand. Essentially, Li is an outsider like what Robert Kuok said of himself in his biography.
As long as you have paid your taxes, you are deemed to have done your part for society. It is the job of the government to make good use of taxpayers’ money. The more important role is that of the electorate - to hold the government accountable for the proper use of taxpayers’ money. In a system where every idiot can cast a vote, this is doomed to flounder - just take a look at PAP’s SinkaPoor and Trump’s America; if each and every Hongkie were accorded a right to vote at the polls regardless of how clever or retarded he/she is, then nothing ever changes. The masses do not even know what is good for themselves, how would they know what is good for the country as a whole?
Latest: PLA troops have moved into Hong Kong.
Tiananmen part 2 happening soon??????
If only them Hongkies had been sufficiently sensible to call it quits after staging the mass protests; by trashing the Legco building they have certainly taken things too far.
This time it's probably war.