Forum Letter Replies
Policies are set by schools
We refer to the letter, “Not really Catholic, and it’s a shame”, by Ms Geraldine Chay (March 30).
The placement of pupils into national secondary schools is primarily based on merit. Nonetheless, the affiliation policy of government-aided schools recognises the support of key partners like parents and the community. They are key partners in education, helping to maintain a school’s tradition and ethos, and supporting the holistic education of its students.
Phase 2B of the Primary 1 Registration Exercise recognises the contributions and ties that parents have with the schools and communities, including parents endorsed by a church or clan directly connected with the school.
In the Secondary 1 Posting Exercise, students from affiliated primary schools are eligible for priority posting to their affiliated secondary schools if they indicate these schools as their first choice. Even so, as the posting is based on merit, affiliated students need to work hard and do well to increase their chance of being admitted into their school of choice.
While affiliated secondary schools cater to the needs of their communities first, many have vacancies and take in non-affiliates through the posting exercise.
Any decision to change affiliation policies, including the cut-off point for students from affiliated primary schools, is made by the schools’ board of management, in consultation with key stakeholders, including MOE, parents, alumni members and their communities.
Ms Chay also asked about the selection of principals. In government-aided and independent schools, the principal is jointly appointed by the school’s board of management and the MOE, taking into consideration a number of factors, such as the professional competence and leadership capability of the proposed candidates, their appreciation of the values and ethos of the school, and, where relevant, their religious affiliation.
All the principals of our Catholic schools today have been appointed with the endorsement of both the schools’ boards of management and MOE.
Mission schools have a well-established heritage which gives them a distinctive identity. Nonetheless, they are sensitive to the need to preserve the common space for our pupils in a multi-racial and multi-religious society.
This is important because it is in schools, including the mission schools, that children of different backgrounds build bonds and develop shared aspirations as Singaporeans.
Director of Schools
Ministry of Education
Not really Catholic, and it’s a shame (Ms Geraldine Chay, Today Voices, 30/3)
I REFER to the recent debate over St Joseph’s Institution’s student intake policies.
I come from a family with many SJI and Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) alumna. Catholic schools should remember their roots as schools built by Catholic missionaries; such Catholic schools should not turn away from their roots for the sake of staying competitive.
Many of these schools are now being headed by non-Catholic principals, who may not see the importance in keeping the schools “missionary”. Gone are the days where these mission schools were led by Catholic brothers and sisters, who gave themselves wholeheartedly to the cause.
Prayers during assembly and Catechism classes are also disappearing from school curriculum and the majority of the students are now non-Catholics.
I have some questions for these schools:
During the Primary 1 registration, do popular Catholic schools give priority to Catholics at Phase 2B, when compared against the many non-Catholics who volunteer?
Why do non-Catholics fight for a place in a Catholic school and then demand secularism? This has caused many Catholic schools to remove mass prayer sessions and pastoral care classes, all of which I was exposed to when I was a child.
Why are non-Catholic principals chosen to lead Catholic schools in the first place? It is no wonder that Catholic schools end up being “elitist”, as non-Catholic principals will eventually bow to the pressure for the school to excel strictly in academic terms.
I am sad that the Catholic Archdiocese can do nothing about this issue since all schools are now under the charge of the Ministry of Education.