Search the Community

While Singapore teens have been proven to do well in problem-solving, Singaporeans still fare poorly in spoken English and lack confidence in articulating their views, said Member of Parliament Hri Kumar Nair yesterday. While Singapore teens have been proven to do well in problem-solving, Singaporeans still fare poorly in spoken English and lack confidence in articulating their views, said Member of Parliament Hri Kumar Nair yesterday. Far too often, he shared on his Facebook page, he has attended meetings where Singaporeans kept silent, giving the impression they are ignorant. So, although Singapore teens scored well in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) released on Tuesday, beating students from 43 other economies in its problem-solving test, there is still room for improvement. Singaporeans he dealt with are mostly "hardworking, knowledgeable and have a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to their work", said the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP. "But they are often let down by their standard of spoken English and a lack of confidence to persuade or articulate their views on their feet. Many employers I know share this view," the lawyer added. These are what he considers important aspects of education which Pisa does not test. Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/singaporeans-fare-poorly-spoken-english-says-mp-hri-kumar-nair-2014040