Hwa Chong's new Scholastic MSG system

Okay, I shall just give an overview of the current system. Apart from academic studies, there is still the scholastic part, which worries the cohort the most. Because, if you get B3(65) or below for independent studies( ace + projects), you will be sent to 3Q.

Lets take a underachieving sec 2 boy as example, lets take it he gets 20 for semifinals, adding the 5 marks from prelims, total 25marks. Now, you will know that he needs to get at least 40 for his ace to get promoted. This is still possible to get promoted.

However, 1/4 of the whole cohort only gets around 16 for semifinals. In this case, adding the 5 marks from prelims will get them 21 marks. They need to get 44 for ace to get promoted. Losing 6 marks for ace is not difficult. Considering we have our studies to focus on, CCAs until 7pm for 2 out of 5 working days, and on those days reaching home at 8pm. To get enough sleep one needs to sleep for at least 8 hrs. Let's say students have to get up at around 6am (5:15am for me), then he will have to sleep at 10pm. 2 hours for homework, ace, dinner, entertainment.

I got 15 for Semis only, which leaves me 20 marks for Projects day. So I have to get 45 out of 50 for Ace. Fortunately, I managed to get 27/30 Ace for Term 1 and 2 so I still have some hope, I need to get 18/20 Ace this term or else I'm scr*wed. However, some people are not so fortunate, they lost a lot of ace for Term 1 and 2 and dropped out in Semis, leaving them no chance to get B3 for IS. I believe this system is just too harsh, some of us, like me, didn't really have a good group and a good topic. We would be sent to 3Q no matter how hard we worked, also by doing this, I believe many talents will be lost as they are not given a chance at all to showcase themselves.

The Hwa Chong syllabus is already much faster than normal schools, we still have to deal to two extra subjects, independent studies and oral communication. How is it possible? People will tend to forget and procrastinate(even if it is just for a few hours, it matters a lot in this kind of schedule). And when you do not get promoted, you go to the O level class. That equals to being sent to the bottom of the whole school. It is not simply getting transferred to another class. It also affects one's morale.

I suggest that we could tweak the system a bit. Instead of stating the criteria as C5 for oral and B3 for independent studies. Why not just let it be C5 for OC and B4 for IS since it is still a new subject to us. Though this is only a slight decrease in requirement, it is still valuable to many people. Moreover, we were only informed of this in Term 3 Assembly.

Dr Hon once said: "We believe in providing students flexibility, within reasonable limits, to pursue their passion and dreams." (In the SMB message on 17/8/10 by LiewPL titled "Hwa Chong in the News - Hwa Chong's Support for YOG Athletes") This new system is forcing us to speak up and send those whom might be talented but shy and those whom were perhaps careless during their Projects Day to 3Q. This also ruins our "dreams" and what we hope to become in the future, by sending us to 3Q we will only be demoralized and instead deprove, hence pulling us further away from our dreams...

I hope someone reconsiders.