Forum: Why parents can’t help but feel stressed about the PSLE
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
I refer to the Opinion article “ Parents, please chill – your stress spreads to your kids
It does not help that the new PSLE achievement levels scoring system makes every point count, such that it could determine if a child can get into the desired secondary school. How can parents not be stressed?
Most of us are simply trying to give our children the best support we can – which often means packed weekends filled with enrichment classes, much to the dismay of the children.
Visiting a museum together was something we used to enjoy regularly as a family from when my child was in pre-school, up to Primary 3. Those were definitely happier times. Primary 4 started to get harder and results dipped significantly in Primary 5.
This led to panic and had me switching Chinese tuition midway through the year while adding mathematics to the schedule, despite my child’s objections.
My child is now a year away from the PSLE. Even as we heave a sigh of relief after the Primary 5 exams, we can’t help but worry about the 11 months ahead and the need to continue grinding away.
I also wonder why we are still debating whether to reduce class sizes of about 40 students now. Large classes mean less individual attention, forcing many parents to turn to enrichment classes. Until this dilemma is resolved, both parents and children will remain caught in this circle of stress.
Ling Seow Jing
