new skin.since the glass one had bandwidth exceeding.is it alil plain?haha i kinda like it.cons is have to scroll all the way down for the tag..went thru so many skins and everything..sucha dilemma when u see nice ones.hmm newaes woke up from my nap after dinner!!wad a pig.omg.haha.i wish i was rich.den i can go back spore aft diploma ends.dats when everyone is having their hols.argh.

4/16/2004 11:30:00 PM ·

School means study, not sales quotas
Our children should not be forced to raise funds for their schools

TODAY, 18 February 2004
By Suresh Mark Kumar

A revenue target is set; new products are manufactured and management sets a target for the sales force. Did you fail to sell your quota by the dateline? You get singled out, receive a stern warning and are cautioned not to return until everything is sold.

Sounds like a commercial company? Actually, this is a process that goes on in some schools in Singapore, intent on raising money for a variety of purposes.

A case in point: The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus-Toa Payoh (CHIJ-TP), which has been raising money for its new building. Last year, the school
unveiled a new range of products: Calendars and multi-purpose cards.

The management (principal and teachers) told its young sales force (students) to "sell everything (and) bring back $48".

When the deadline expired, there were some students who did not meet their target. But some teachers were having none of that. These students were told to go out and keep selling.

So the weary young "executives" laboured on, selling as best as they could. Finally, last week, the teachers relented and took back some unsold merchandise.

But in the process, some unhappiness was created in the workforce.

"I used my pocket money to pay (for part of the amount)," said 14-year-old Tina (not her real name), who got the rest of the money with the help of her family. "I had no choice. The first time I didn't finish selling, my teacher was so fierce!"

Her schoolmate, Andrea, (not her real name) also had to raid her piggy bank. Still, it was not enough to buy all the calendars and cards given to her.

Said the teenager: "Teachers are always unhappy when we don't sell. Even when my teacher took back some of the cards, she seemed very angry that we had not sold everything."

Are our children's arms being twisted in schools? No, argued the school's headmistress. "We expect that students put in effort," said Ms Theodora Tan, the CHIJ-TP principal, who revealed that some 200 unsold products were taken back eventually.

But she did add that when the teachers addressed a few students who were not putting in effort, "the message might have been misinterpreted" by the rest.

To be fair to the school, CHIJ-TP is not the only educational institution in Singapore asking its students to help raise funds for various projects.

That begs the question: Should children be burdened with such tasks?

As clichéd as this may sound, aren't children going to school to learn and not to work? Further, look at the damage being done. If the children don't meet their "sales targets", they are accused of being lazy.

If they grumble, they are chastised for not displaying the "school spirit".

If they use their own pocket money, they are poorer for the experience.

There is also the question of imparting the wrong values. If the teachers smile at those who can raise money and frown on those who can't, we are teaching the youngsters that to be "good", they have to bring in the cash.

These materialistic values could be why so many grow up to adopt the five Cs as their Singapore dream.

Also, the schools should realise (if they do not already), that the real people being taxed are the parents.

The parent of a student, Mrs Tan (who declined to be identified further), who paid for her child's unsold portion, felt the pinch. "They (CHIJ-TP) probably imposed it because some students can't be bothered. But it's not fair to all kids and even to us. Not all parents can afford it. Maybe we can buy one, but not all. Certainly not all the time," she said.

Added Tina's aunt, Mrs Ng (who also declined to be identified further): "When my kids were in primary school, I kept getting so many of these donation draw tickets. But I cannot confront the school, because my children are afraid they will get into trouble later.

"But I wish the Ministry of Education would do something about this. Why are they so silent even though so many parents have been complaining to the press over the years?"

Maybe it is high time we have some rules that mitigate some of these pressures that our children face.

Going to school should first be about studying. For our children, there is plenty of time to find work in commercial companies after they graduate.

It is then that they should start worrying about "meeting quotas" and bringing home the money.


my two cents worth..
after reading this article i guess i was kinda surprised at how the so called interviewed ij girls reacted.after being in ij for 11yrs and getting so many fundraising projects.this scenario isnt one u encounter at all.true that there maybe students where the family aint that well off.but hey im not well off too.fundraising is not for the techers u noe.its for the sch!which is our alma matar now.and by helping the sch nw..if we have kids they are gonna benefit from it in future.y the fuss.for the two girls to have said such comments..my assumption is they r in the lower secondary.cuz its that period of time where we take ij for granted.not till when we get to upper sec dat we realise the teachers are really helpful and always there for us as long as we ask for their help.teachers are human too.they prob have children that go to schs that also have fundraising projects.they noe how it feels like.if students really r struggling they will not force em to buy it or finish selling it.but smth its just that students r lazy.they really dun wanna sell it.dats when tchers have to lecture em.prob den the parents jump to the defence of their poor kids n point fingers to the sch.if the parents dun like the way ij does the fundraising stuff.u noe wad?my advice to u?get ya kid out of ij den.cuz u r depriving some girl that wants to enter ij so badly and when she does she knows how to cherish the ij spirit in fundraising.

and to the journalist that wrote this article..i can detect some bias in u..(bias detection in com n media comes handy.hehe)by ya use of words and quotes.i tink if u are a parent yaself, u r prob one of those parents that think fundraising is a waste of ya money.and im sad for u cuz u nv got a chance to have and education in ij or some sch which values fundraising as the sch believes it helps to teach their children some values.u shld look n listen more carefully instead of rattling off.obvious their is BIAS ok in u.cuz if u r not.how come i dun see u turning the table over and quoting from parents or students that r ok and v supportive of this fundraising stuff?if u wanna be an elite journalist..dun be bias ok?thanks.

at sch again..gonna do BIS.which i noe nuts abt.think my 'honeymoon-ing' days of going home and relax after sch r over.its the mugging time once again.humph.ciao*

4/16/2004 10:50:00 PM ·

an article i got with thanks from azaria =)


School means study, not sales quotas
Our children should not be forced to raise funds for their schools

TODAY, 18 February 2004
By Suresh Mark Kumar

A revenue target is set; new products are manufactured and management sets a target for the sales force. Did you fail to sell your quota by the dateline? You get singled out, receive a stern warning and are cautioned not to return until everything is sold.

Sounds like a commercial company? Actually, this is a process that goes on in some schools in Singapore, intent on raising money for a variety of purposes.

A case in point: The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus-Toa Payoh (CHIJ-TP), which has been raising money for its new building. Last year, the school
unveiled a new range of products: Calendars and multi-purpose cards.

The management (principal and teachers) told its young sales force (students) to "sell everything (and) bring back $48".

When the deadline expired, there were some students who did not meet their target. But some teachers were having none of that. These students were told to go out and keep selling.

So the weary young "executives" laboured on, selling as best as they could. Finally, last week, the teachers relented and took back some unsold merchandise.

But in the process, some unhappiness was created in the workforce.

"I used my pocket money to pay (for part of the amount)," said 14-year-old Tina (not her real name), who got the rest of the money with the help of her family. "I had no choice. The first time I didn't finish selling, my teacher was so fierce!"

Her schoolmate, Andrea, (not her real name) also had to raid her piggy bank. Still, it was not enough to buy all the calendars and cards given to her.

Said the teenager: "Teachers are always unhappy when we don't sell. Even when my teacher took back some of the cards, she seemed very angry that we had not sold everything."

Are our children's arms being twisted in schools? No, argued the school's headmistress. "We expect that students put in effort," said Ms Theodora Tan, the CHIJ-TP principal, who revealed that some 200 unsold products were taken back eventually.

But she did add that when the teachers addressed a few students who were not putting in effort, "the message might have been misinterpreted" by the rest.

To be fair to the school, CHIJ-TP is not the only educational institution in Singapore asking its students to help raise funds for various projects.

That begs the question: Should children be burdened with such tasks?

As clichéd as this may sound, aren't children going to school to learn and not to work? Further, look at the damage being done. If the children don't meet their "sales targets", they are accused of being lazy.

If they grumble, they are chastised for not displaying the "school spirit".

If they use their own pocket money, they are poorer for the experience.

There is also the question of imparting the wrong values. If the teachers smile at those who can raise money and frown on those who can't, we are teaching the youngsters that to be "good", they have to bring in the cash.

These materialistic values could be why so many grow up to adopt the five Cs as their Singapore dream.

Also, the schools should realise (if they do not already), that the real people being taxed are the parents.

The parent of a student, Mrs Tan (who declined to be identified further), who paid for her child's unsold portion, felt the pinch. "They (CHIJ-TP) probably imposed it because some students can't be bothered. But it's not fair to all kids and even to us. Not all parents can afford it. Maybe we can buy one, but not all. Certainly not all the time," she said.

Added Tina's aunt, Mrs Ng (who also declined to be identified further): "When my kids were in primary school, I kept getting so many of these donation draw tickets. But I cannot confront the school, because my children are afraid they will get into trouble later.

"But I wish the Ministry of Education would do something about this. Why are they so silent even though so many parents have been complaining to the press over the years?"

Maybe it is high time we have some rules that mitigate some of these pressures that our children face.

Going to school should first be about studying. For our children, there is plenty of time to find work in commercial companies after they graduate.

It is then that they should start worrying about "meeting quot

4/16/2004 12:24:00 PM ·