MY DAUGHTER is in Primary 1 in a neighbourhood school. For her Semester Assessment 2 (SA2), also called year-end examination, I was astonished to find out there are six examinable subjects. Beside the three core subjects - English, Chinese and Mathematics - my daughter has to sit for another three 'Open-Book Exam' (in the exact words of the letter to parents), namely Social Education, Music and Art. All these SA2 exams are spread across a two- to three-week period.

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Okay what... in fact, PE & IT lessons should also be made examinable subjects in future so as to develop the individual, physically stronger & technically more competent.

Must thank the MOE trying to make your child a well rounded student. Prepare to sent your child to IMH if he could not sustain the system.

Perhpasyou have identified the "problem": why let yourself get stressed about it? Exams are designed to test learning. If your child has learnt what was taught, exams are not stressful things. Children do pick up their parents tensions regarding exams.

Perhaps we should have a system similiar to the reservist system. Every school leaver must continue to take exams so as to ensure that they remain "educated". If we believe in having tests and exams, then Pastors must be tested on the Bible (now they have song and dance included), civil servants must continue to take "imperial exams", teachers must continue to take (teaching exams), journalists must also take "reporters exams" and so forth. Even before one leave this world, we must also graded for perhaps one last time, at least in this world/life time.

It's another case of "lost in translation". Our policymakers must be mindful of whether policies like "study less, learn more" are actually being implemented on the ground, lest it be interpretted as another gimmick in PR. Children are like a blank piece of paper waiting to be coloured with beautiful pictures of creativity and skills, not hothoused or hardwired. Surely our teacher and school KPIs are some of the culprits to be relooked at. Perhaps a new generation of teachers need to be reprogrammed.

The parent's attitude to exams is the problem. If she does not impose any expectation on the child, there will be less stress all round. Or put it another way, if a parent choose to be stressed by P1 exams, that's her problem. Other parents and other child may have a different approach to inconsequential exams.

Take a peep at the 'Imperial Hall' at NUS to see why some undergrads go cranky. In the 80s there was an Education Technology Dept at NUS. It was located next to the Central Library. I was told that students who could not cope go there for consultation.

'Imperial Hall' is the study hall next to NUSSU.

this is the way to groom the child to be a docile, subservient citizen in future.

Parents are the ones giving all the stress to their kids. They take all assessments too seriously, wanting their chidren to be best in everything.

If only parents can leave everything to the school, then there will be no stress for their children. I don't see anything wrong in having an open book assessment for the non core subjects. This is only acting as a form of feedback for the teacher. Otherwise, how could the teacher know who are the kids more/less artistically inclined than others and to teach them more/less on that subject? You cannot teach someone who can't even draw an apple well to draw cartoon characters.There is no need for the child to do well as the grade will not be taken into consideration for the overall results.

During our days as students, our parents did not care what and how we were taught in schools although I coud still remember my mother always reminding me to work hard. But whether I studied or not, she did not really cared. Hence, generally there was no stress for school-going kids then.

Nowadays, most parents paid too much attention to their kids' education and created stress for their kids. But, here again, maybe we should not blame them because if they do not do it, their kids will be left behind when everyone else is doing it. This is the result of living in a co9mpetitive society.