SINGAPORE – Parents raised hot-button issues like the stress of major examinations such as the PSLE at the latest and final edition of Conversations with The Straits Times, a year-long series of discussions involving editors and journalists from the newsroom.
On Dec 12, participants asked about alternatives to the Primary School Leaving Examination and tips for Primary 1 registration, given the pressures faced at these junctures in their children’s lives.
In response, ST editor Jaime Ho said that while national examinations have become less high-stakes than they used to be, more needs to be done for the education scene in Singapore.
He explained that the reason ST no longer covers the release of examination results is to evolve the narrative around education, reduce stress and focus on broader aspects.
“Through the stories that we tell, we also want to help evolve the narrative a little bit away from the kinds of inordinate stresses and focuses that we have built up over all these decades on education,” he said.
Mr Ho said ST no longer covers the release of exam results to help evolve the narrative around education.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Rather than leading with results, he said, the stories now focus on spotlighting schools and students with interesting achievements apart from academics.
The final instalment of Conversations with The Straits Times, which is part of a year-long series of events to mark ST’s 180th anniversary in 2025, was held on Dec 12 at the SPH Media News Centre in Toa Payoh, with 30 parents in attendance.
Mr Ho spent more than an hour in dialogue with the parents, together with senior education correspondent Sandra Davie and senior correspondent Jane Ng, who writes for ST’s Smart Parenting section in Life.
