|
WE ARE a group of taxi drivers who attended a 5 1/2-month taxi tourist guide course conducted jointly by the Singapore Taxi Academy (STA) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
We thank the Government for giving us a chance to upgrade ourselves to become taxi tourist guides.
We were also asked to go on numerous field walks to popular tourist attractions, such as Clarke Quay, the Botanic Gardens, the Singapore River and Raffles Landing Site, and Fort Canning Park.
Could the STB address the following issues:
Why was there a high failure rate in the practical examination in October-November 2005, whereas on product knowledge (written test), we scored a pass rate of more than 90 per cent?
We were unhappy with the testing method in the October-November 2005 practical exam as those who had a good command of both English and Chinese were not given a chance to pass the practical exam. By contrast, those who could not answer questions correctly were able to pass the exam.
The STB had accepted and approved STA training programmes before this tourist guide course, so we should at least be given a certificate of completion issued by both organisations.
Could the STB address the latest issue in letters dated Nov 27 last year that it sent to all appellant candidates? Why should candidates have to retake the practical exam when they have already gone through numerous practical retests? Again, why is there a high fee of $350 to go to the appeal panel to moderate our scores in order to pass?
Ong Cheap Guan
(This letter carries 5 other names)
|
