Another Conman Spotted...'Gifted' private tutor told by MOE

[GTIking]

  On 7/30/2012 at 4:05 AM, Throttle2 said:

These are very sad people.....

 

parents who do not spend sufficiet effort to equip ones child by investing in resources like these are also sad because of stinginess

[Alim]

He has a Gift of Gap to lie.

[Jim]

  On 7/30/2012 at 6:55 AM, Tonyhawk said:

lol, i think it was admitted as much by the ministry, that in their 10-20 years of running the GEP, only found 1 or 2 truly gifted individuals. the rest, while smart, are not gifted. i think that might suggest that the "gifted" quality they are looking for, can be trained and squeezed out of the individual. lets just say if we did an analysis on the backgrounds the kids in the program, i wouldnt be surprised they came from the upper strata.

 

oh, and there are plenty of less gifted in the GEP.

 

You wouldn't say so if you actually know people who went through the GEP programme. In my JC days, GP was the toughest subject because I could never finish writing in 2.5 hours. Count myself lucky if I just about complete my last sentence right on time.

 

My friend from GEP finish his GP paper in about half an hour, goes on to sleep at the table for the next two hours, and leaves a patch of drool on his paper by the time it was to hand it in.

 

I don't usually have to complete my sentence when talking to him, because he will figure out what I am saying, sometimes long before I figure it out myself.

 

But if you don't spend enough time with him, you will think he is just a chao ah beng, since he speaks more Hokkien than English, and his English has a beng accent, and his family weren't rich.

 

Then again, if your definition of "truly gifted" is the Nobel Prize, then no, he is not quite that calibre.

 

Background does matter - I know of one other GEP friend in the same batch entering Johns Hopkins straight after O levels, and if facebook is any gauge, very very very few GEP students are still in Singapore, since Singapore has no use for their talents, so there is no way MOE knows what they are doing. Almost all scholars leave the government when their bond is completed, and almost without exception, they are under-utilised when still trapped in Singapore.

 

The pioneer batch of GEP students is barely 40, and most are just a few years into their post-"bondage" life, so it is silly to conclude anything.

 

And lastly, I believe everybody is gifted. The GEP programme is looking for very specific maths and language gifted types, based on conventional IQ tests.

 

I believe parents should devote more time and energy to find the gifts of their children, rather than shoehorn them into the GEP programme.

 

You have to spend time around Rafflesian types to know how it is like to be super insecure about their intelligence despite being very smart, because they are constantly surrounded by super-smart people.

[Sosaria]

  On 7/31/2012 at 3:25 AM, Jim said:

You wouldn't say so if you actually know people who went through the GEP programme. In my JC days, GP was the toughest subject because I could never finish writing in 2.5 hours. Count myself lucky if I just about complete my last sentence right on time.

 

My friend from GEP finish his GP paper in about half an hour, goes on to sleep at the table for the next two hours, and leaves a patch of drool on his paper by the time it was to hand it in.

 

I don't usually have to complete my sentence when talking to him, because he will figure out what I am saying, sometimes long before I figure it out myself.

 

But if you don't spend enough time with him, you will think he is just a chao ah beng, since he speaks more Hokkien than English, and his English has a beng accent, and his family weren't rich.

 

Then again, if your definition of "truly gifted" is the Nobel Prize, then no, he is not quite that calibre.

 

Background does matter - I know of one other GEP friend in the same batch entering Johns Hopkins straight after O levels, and if facebook is any gauge, very very very few GEP students are still in Singapore, since Singapore has no use for their talents, so there is no way MOE knows what they are doing. Almost all scholars leave the government when their bond is completed, and almost without exception, they are under-utilised when still trapped in Singapore.

 

The pioneer batch of GEP students is barely 40, and most are just a few years into their post-"bondage" life, so it is silly to conclude anything.

 

And lastly, I believe everybody is gifted. The GEP programme is looking for very specific maths and language gifted types, based on conventional IQ tests.

 

I believe parents should devote more time and energy to find the gifts of their children, rather than shoehorn them into the GEP programme.

 

You have to spend time around Rafflesian types to know how it is like to be super insecure about their intelligence despite being very smart, because they are constantly surrounded by super-smart people.

 

Glad you've pointed that out. GEP people are just "strange" and have high ability in some niche areas/subjects, but can be absolutely inept at other things. Doesn't mean that academically smart can guarantee a good fit in GEP programme. Their training is very different and not suitable for everyone. What happens to those who fall by the wayside? Some even end up doing badly for PSLE.

 

Parents should think twice even if their child can qualify for GEP - it's not necessarily a good thing for the kids social circle to be so confined, and their academics go on a slightly different track. Most important thing is that the kid does well in PSLE - first priority! GEP is another thing entirely.

[Tonyhawk]

lol, how do you know i dont? maybe you know me better than myself.

 

  On 7/31/2012 at 3:25 AM, Jim said:

You wouldn't say so if you actually know people who went through the GEP programme. In my JC days, GP was the toughest subject because I could never finish writing in 2.5 hours. Count myself lucky if I just about complete my last sentence right on time.

 

My friend from GEP finish his GP paper in about half an hour, goes on to sleep at the table for the next two hours, and leaves a patch of drool on his paper by the time it was to hand it in.

 

I don't usually have to complete my sentence when talking to him, because he will figure out what I am saying, sometimes long before I figure it out myself.

 

But if you don't spend enough time with him, you will think he is just a chao ah beng, since he speaks more Hokkien than English, and his English has a beng accent, and his family weren't rich.

 

Then again, if your definition of "truly gifted" is the Nobel Prize, then no, he is not quite that calibre.

 

Background does matter - I know of one other GEP friend in the same batch entering Johns Hopkins straight after O levels, and if facebook is any gauge, very very very few GEP students are still in Singapore, since Singapore has no use for their talents, so there is no way MOE knows what they are doing. Almost all scholars leave the government when their bond is completed, and almost without exception, they are under-utilised when still trapped in Singapore.

 

The pioneer batch of GEP students is barely 40, and most are just a few years into their post-"bondage" life, so it is silly to conclude anything.

 

And lastly, I believe everybody is gifted. The GEP programme is looking for very specific maths and language gifted types, based on conventional IQ tests.

 

I believe parents should devote more time and energy to find the gifts of their children, rather than shoehorn them into the GEP programme.

 

You have to spend time around Rafflesian types to know how it is like to be super insecure about their intelligence despite being very smart, because they are constantly surrounded by super-smart people.

 

[Throttle2]

  On 7/31/2012 at 3:25 AM, Jim said:

You wouldn't say so if you actually know people who went through the GEP programme. In my JC days, GP was the toughest subject because I could never finish writing in 2.5 hours. Count myself lucky if I just about complete my last sentence right on time.

 

My friend from GEP finish his GP paper in about half an hour, goes on to sleep at the table for the next two hours, and leaves a patch of drool on his paper by the time it was to hand it in.

 

I don't usually have to complete my sentence when talking to him, because he will figure out what I am saying, sometimes long before I figure it out myself.

 

But if you don't spend enough time with him, you will think he is just a chao ah beng, since he speaks more Hokkien than English, and his English has a beng accent, and his family weren't rich.

 

Then again, if your definition of "truly gifted" is the Nobel Prize, then no, he is not quite that calibre.

 

Background does matter - I know of one other GEP friend in the same batch entering Johns Hopkins straight after O levels, and if facebook is any gauge, very very very few GEP students are still in Singapore, since Singapore has no use for their talents, so there is no way MOE knows what they are doing. Almost all scholars leave the government when their bond is completed, and almost without exception, they are under-utilised when still trapped in Singapore.

 

The pioneer batch of GEP students is barely 40, and most are just a few years into their post-"bondage" life, so it is silly to conclude anything.

 

And lastly, I believe everybody is gifted. The GEP programme is looking for very specific maths and language gifted types, based on conventional IQ tests.

 

I believe parents should devote more time and energy to find the gifts of their children, rather than shoehorn them into the GEP programme.

 

You have to spend time around Rafflesian types to know how it is like to be super insecure about their intelligence despite being very smart, because they are constantly surrounded by super-smart people.

 

 

Smart is good. Very good.

 

Street Smart, now that is a different class.

[Viceroymenthol]

Errr dunno which era you are from, but there are many GEP people still working in singapore: doctors, lawyers and civil servants, some businessmen. Just had lunch with several of them over the weekend. Granted some of the GEP people prefer to work and live overseas after graduating from their top universities but they are the exception rather than the norm. There are also many GEP students who are now languishing in dead end, albeit well-paid, jobs so attendance of the GEP programme is no indication of future performance and career success.

Edited July 31, 2012 by Viceroymenthol

[Requiemdk]

  On 7/31/2012 at 10:06 AM, Viceroymenthol said:

Errr dunno which era you are from, but there are many GEP people still working in singapore: doctors, lawyers and civil servants, some businessmen. Just had lunch with several of them over the weekend. Granted some of the GEP people prefer to work and live overseas after graduating from their top universities but they are the exception rather than the norm. There are also many GEP students who are now languishing in dead end, albeit well-paid, jobs so attendance of the GEP programme is no indication of future performance and career success.

 

He's actually right.... only if you look at the upper end of the GEP, and that is directly linked to one part of the brain drain issue in SG. The figures are actually quite alarming, but I'm guessing that it's not actually hard to see why SG fails to consistently retain the very top end of its talent pool.

[Jim]

  On 7/31/2012 at 10:06 AM, Viceroymenthol said:

Errr dunno which era you are from, but there are many GEP people still working in singapore: doctors, lawyers and civil servants, some businessmen. Just had lunch with several of them over the weekend. Granted some of the GEP people prefer to work and live overseas after graduating from their top universities but they are the exception rather than the norm. There are also many GEP students who are now languishing in dead end, albeit well-paid, jobs so attendance of the GEP programme is no indication of future performance and career success.

 

My peers were the very first batch of GEP students, when it was still very exclusive. Cant say about GEP these days, like every other school also have GEP. Anyway, many of the younger ones are still stuck with a scholarship bond, and like I said, Singapore has no use for GEP talent, so if you can still see them around, they are bound to go nowhere.

 

Also, one of the things that caught my eye about this conman, is that I'm pretty sure a 36yo cannot possibly be GEP in ACS primary, so the liar didnt bother to put in much effort to lie properly.

Edited August 2, 2012 by Jim

[Viceroymenthol]

  On 8/2/2012 at 4:35 AM, Jim said:

My peers were the very first batch of GEP students, when it was still very exclusive. Cant say about GEP these days, like every other school also have GEP. Anyway, many of the younger ones are still stuck with a scholarship bond, and like I said, Singapore has no use for GEP talent, so if you can still see them around, they are bound to go nowhere.

 

Also, one of the things that caught my eye about this conman, is that I'm pretty sure a 36yo cannot possibly be GEP in ACS primary, so the liar didnt bother to put in much effort to lie properly.

 

36 years old means he took the tests in primary 3 in 1985 and entered primary 4 in 1986.

 

If you were the first batch, which was one or two years before this guy (if I remember correctly), why couldn't he possibly?

 

Please clarify, thanks.

[Viceroymenthol]

Every other school??? Only nine schools have GEP at primary level. Sir, you are very much deluded.

[Mkl22]

  On 8/2/2012 at 4:35 AM, Jim said:

My peers were the very first batch of GEP students, when it was still very exclusive. Cant say about GEP these days, like every other school also have GEP. Anyway, many of the younger ones are still stuck with a scholarship bond, and like I said, Singapore has no use for GEP talent, so if you can still see them around, they are bound to go nowhere.

 

Also, one of the things that caught my eye about this conman, is that I'm pretty sure a 36yo cannot possibly be GEP in ACS primary, so the liar didnt bother to put in much effort to lie properly.

 

 

which batch? There were actually 2 batches when it first started. one group started from Pri4 onwards and another from Sec1. both batches started in 1984.

 

if i'm not wrong. its was rosyth and RGPS for Primary and RI and RGS for Secondary. ACS was added later on.

Edited August 2, 2012 by Mkl22

[Neost]

GEP or not GEP...... is all academic.

 

In real life, the know how to make money is the only yardstick and measures of success.

 

I went out with a group of friends recently. All from ITE and all are towkays. They tend to see opportunities than problems. Compared to my university mates, most are still working for people and all kpkb overwork and underpay.

 

 

[Tonyhawk]

  On 7/31/2012 at 10:06 AM, Viceroymenthol said:

Errr dunno which era you are from, but there are many GEP people still working in singapore: doctors, lawyers and civil servants, some businessmen. Just had lunch with several of them over the weekend. Granted some of the GEP people prefer to work and live overseas after graduating from their top universities but they are the exception rather than the norm. There are also many GEP students who are now languishing in dead end, albeit well-paid, jobs so attendance of the GEP programme is no indication of future performance and career success.

 

Nailed it. I agree with everything.

 

 

[Tonyhawk]

  On 8/2/2012 at 9:11 AM, Neost said:

GEP or not GEP...... is all academic.

 

In real life, the know how to make money is the only yardstick and measures of success.

 

I went out with a group of friends recently. All from ITE and all are towkays. They tend to see opportunities than problems. Compared to my university mates, most are still working for people and all kpkb overwork and underpay.

 

lol. to each his own.

 

my measurement of success is the joy i bring to my friends and family.

[Jamesc]

  On 7/31/2012 at 10:06 AM, Viceroymenthol said:

There are also many GEP students who are now languishing in dead end, albeit well-paid, jobs so attendance of the GEP programme is no indication of future performance and career success.

I wish I had a dead end albeit well-paid job!

 

[Viceroymenthol]

  On 8/2/2012 at 9:03 AM, Mkl22 said:

which batch? There were actually 2 batches when it first started. one group started from Pri4 onwards and another from Sec1. both batches started in 1984.

 

if i'm not wrong. its was rosyth and RGPS for Primary and RI and RGS for Secondary. ACS was added later on.

 

ACS started in 1985

[Viceroymenthol]

  On 8/2/2012 at 9:11 AM, Neost said:

GEP or not GEP...... is all academic.

 

In real life, the know how to make money is the only yardstick and measures of success.

 

I went out with a group of friends recently. All from ITE and all are towkays. They tend to see opportunities than problems. Compared to my university mates, most are still working for people and all kpkb overwork and underpay.

 

You are another misguided one. For every ITE towkay, there are 10 more who have to wipe tables. And I don't mean throttle2 style.

 

Never underestimate the value of education.