TR EMERITUS

By Tan Keng Leng, Guest Columnist

We are often told that the secret to the US’ success is its ability to attract the best talents from around the world, but even so, companies there that wish to employ foreigners are first required to prove that no American national is able to perform the job the foreigner is being recruited for.

Another frequent argument given is that foreigners bring in valuable experiences that locals lack. That is true only up to a certain point; a middle-aged foreign professional who has worked in a dozen or more countries certainly would fit this description.

However, a 20-something year old China national who has studied here at taxpayers’ expense since kindergarten up to PhD level definitely does not. Whatever knowledge he/she possesses, he/she studied it here, and whatever experience he/she possesses, he/she gained it here.

So what valuable experience does he/she have to contribute to the betterment of the country? And for that matter, is the country even attracting truly talented foreigners at all? We would like to draw your attention to the following GeBiz tenders below:

Proposal for 2009 EL Bridging Course (Tanjong Katong Girls’ School)

Objectives:

To help the foreign scholars develop proficiency and confidence in EL so as to be able to adapt to Secondary 3 lessons in English in the lead up to the ‘O’ Levels.

Desired Outcomes/Deliverables

1. Increased proficiency and confidence in EL
2. Cultural awareness
3. Familiarization with  ‘O’ level syllabus, format of EL paper and standards

Course Outline

1. Oral communications skills
2. Reading skills
3. Writing skills
4. Grammar Usage
5. Vocabulary building

Commencement date of course

Mid November 2009 – End December 2009

Resources

1. Set and marked written assignments
2. Vocabulary building exercises
3. Grammar teaching
4. Learning Journeys
5. Multimedia resources

Details of quote to include:

Cost per scholar per hour: $6.00 per hour

Number of hours per course: 250hrs

Number of scholars: 28 – 34

Number of students per class: 14-17

Curriculum Vitae of the Course Trainers (please attach)

ENGLISH LANGUAGE BRIDGING PROGRAM FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS ENTERING SEC 3 IN 2010

SPECIFICATION OF DETAILS OF PROGRAM

1. Target group: 6 students from China
2. Total number of hours of lessons: 200
3. Duration of program: November – December 2009 (lessons to be carried out over the 9 weeks in Nov – Dec.)
4. Program Objectives: The program should amply prepare these foreign students for a smooth transition from a Chinese learning environment to the local education scene by teaching them the essential skills to cope with the Secondary 3 ‘O’ level EL Program.
5. Qualifications of trainer(s): The trainer(s) must have at least a university degree in English Language / English Literature and some experience teaching English Language in a secondary school or to foreign students. The trainer(s) should be patient and encouraging in guiding these students. It would also be ideal if the trainer(s) is conversant in Mandarin. [The trainer(s) should submit his/her/their curriculum vitae to the school for consideration.]
6. Program Approach: The program must create a conducive learning environment of diverse learning opportunities to hone speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills in the learners. The learners should also be engaged in a series of writing practices which should be graded and which should consist of constructive feedback on how the learners can improve their language competency. The program must include various forms of formative and summative assessment, such that the students’ learning should culminate in their eventual performance at an end-of-program test.

Are we the only ones, or have others noticed the contradiction in the tenders as well? We are always being told that Singapore is a meritocracy, and that scholarships are handed out only to the best students. Is this really the case here?

After all, if the PRC students benefiting from these programs are truly of scholarly caliber, then shouldn’t they already be sufficiently proficient in English so as not to require these additional lessons?

Conversely, if they require such extensive English lessons just to keep up with locals as implied by the term “bridging program”, then doesn’t it prove that they are unworthy of their scholarships?

Moreover, local students who are good in all subjects except for one or two have to undergo additional tuition lessons paid for by their own parents; why then shouldn’t these PRC students have to pay for their own English tuition lessons as well?

Why should we taxpayers have to foot the bill for them, when we would much rather have the money put to much better use by nurturing talented local students to their fullest potential instead?

Instead of paying for additional English lessons for these PRC nationals, shouldn’t the government provide more bursaries for needy local children?

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