MOE passed the buck to Principal

A very good example of how MOE works. Makes you think twice if you want to make a complaint against them. It's wasting time, you can have serious haemorrhage (and vomit blood, tol hui). If you have a weak heart, I advise you to consult a doctor first. If you are prone to motion-sickness, beware. You will be sent on a merry-go-round.

Dear Madam

Teacher Harasses Student

We refer to your letter dated 28 Oct to Rear-Adm Teo Chee Hean. Minister of Education.

2 We have spoken to Mr Mohd Said b Ja'afar, the Principal of Chai Chee Secondary School about your concern for your ward's education in the school. He has looked into the matter and would be taking the necessary measures.

3 The Principal has indicated that he would like to meet you and discuss ways in which the school could collaborate with you to help your ward further in her schooling. Please do contact the school to arrange for a suitable date and time to meet with the Principal.

Yours faithfully

Wong Sher Ling (Miss)

Executive Officer, Schools East

Schools Division

for Permanent Secretary (Education)

cc Principal, Chai Chee Secondary School

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My husband and I met Mr Mohd Ja'afar and the then acting vice-principal Mr Ong. Excuses were made by the Principal for the teacher's behaviour and his non-action. He tried to push away his responsibility as much as he could. The Principal suggested getting the school counselor to befriend Xiaoran and helped her to adapt to the school life.

Talk cock. Nothing was done. Xiaoran was promoted to Secondary 2, she had a new form teacher who was reasonable. When Ms Loh saw Xiaoran one day, she remarked sarcastically,"You looked okay wat. Where got stress and depression!?" grrrrr........

End of the year, I purposely requested for a report from the school counselor and Principal........

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Tell your father to come!!

Xiaoran's parents meanwhile in China were getting more worried. Her mother fell ill worrying about her only daughter's ordeal and her constant crying over the phone. Her father tried to find other friends in Singapore to help. He found an ex-teacher of Chai Chee Secondary School to see the principal. He managed to get a photocopy of my ward's Mid-year results.


Xiaoran had just finished her Final Year Exams. Ms Loh had told her that her report book would be given to her only if her father come personally to the school to collect it. Ms Loh would not let go, she must have her way. She abused the child verbally, she threatened, she humiliated her, she didn't care if the poor child was already stressed, worried, terrified and now on the brink of a nervous breakdown.


Seeing Xiaoran in this state, I regretted not taking action earlier. I was waiting for the teacher to change her mind, obviously she's not and NEVER! The father doesn't want to make matters worse. His daughter arrived in Singapore a cheerful, confident child, hoping to gain from our World-class education, but now she is reduced to a depressed, stressed and terrified girl who is afraid to go to school and whose morale is at an all time low.


I would like MOE to send a Senior Officer to meet my ward, myself, the Principal and Ms Loh. I want to resolve this matter and would like MOE to clarify its stand on this.

Sir, there are many issues regarding MOE that I would like to bring up but I would like you to help me with my ward's problem first. This is most urgent as my ward's most dreadful day is coming soon - she is getting her report book on 3rd November.

***************************ooOoo*****************************

This letter was sent to then Education Minister, Rear-Adm Teo Chee Hean on 28th October 2000. Guess what happened.

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Go and don't come back!!

First semester ended on 26th May. Xiaoran had been in Singapore for more than a year, thousands of kilometres away from home and her beloved. It was not only her first trip abroad but also her first time away from her parents. As her grandfather was not well, he had just had a heart bypass, she was eager to go home.

I booked her air-ticket for 22nd May and she left that day. I had written a letter earlier, for her to give to Ms Loh but discovered later that she didn't because she was too terrified. Why? Because a few days before she left for home, Ms Loh had asked the class which foreign student was going home earlier. Xiaoran raised her hand and she was told,"Go and don't come back." Do I hear a threat?

Xiaoran told me Ms Loh didn't allow her to go back earlier, I assured her that it was nothing to worry about. I then wrote the letter asking the teacher for permission to leave earlier. But Ms Loh had instilled such great fear in Xiaoran that she had decided when she leave, never to return to Singapore.

On 26th May morning, my hubby went to school to get Xiaoran's report book. Ms Loh refused to hand it over, citing the reason Xiaoran had left school without permission. She refused to acknowledge that my hubby was the legal guardian of the child. She insisted she wanted to see the child's parents. My husband tried to talk to the Principal but couldn't locate him.

Xiaoran returned to Singapore at the insistence of her father. He had spent a large sum of money in sending her to study in Singapore. Xiaoran went to school on 26th June but cried everyday for 2 whole weeks. She called her parents several times a day, begging to return to China. Ms Loh had picked on her daily since her return from China. She kept asking to see her parents.

At that time, for Chinese nationals to travel out of China, they needed to go to Beijing to process their visa and placed a sum of money as collateral. It was a hassle. Besides there were us, the legal guardians.

Xiaoran's parents were here in February for the Chinese New Year holidays. They brought gifts for the teachers and met most of them. Ms Loh gave them a cold reception. The father later remarked that the form teacher was so stuck-up and seemed to look down on Chinese nationals.

Ms Loh refused to talk to us, insisting the parents fly over to see her. She constantly harassed my ward on this, bringing this matter up every now and then. Attempts to see the Principal came to nought because he was always not around. He is famous for his disappearing acts. My husband wrote him a letter, but no reply came from him. When my husband finally saw him, he tried to make excuses and cover up for the teacher and himself. He considered us nuisance and tried to avoid us.

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Should students be terrorised in school?

Another day, Xiaoran forgot her Maths textbook, Ms Loh made her bring all her textbooks to school the next day. Imagine my skinny ward bent under the weight of her heavy, bulging school bag. The silly terrified girl really brought ALL her books!

Two months later, after lunch one day, Xiaoran asked for permission to shop for Bata white shoes. She had just started school and her 2 pairs of white shoes were bought just 2 months ago. She said Ms Loh wanted the whole class to wear only white canvas shoes which must not have any other colour or accessories on them. Xiaoran's shoes had some white trimmings on them.

The shoes failed the teacher's expectation. So my frightened ward went shoe hunting. She spent one whole afternoon searching from Parkway Parade to Suntec City to Orchard Road. She came back that evening happily with 2 pairs of all white, plain canvas shoes.

I had another Indonesian ward in the same school, in Secondary 2. Her teacher didn't make the students wear all white canvas shoes. This ward's shoes had blue trimmings. So this is not the school's policy. Someone made her own rule.

Before my ward was admitted to the school, she was asked to give a donation. The Principal, Mohd Said Bin Jaafar, assured us,"This is a one-time payment." Several months later, Xiaoran came home with a letter appealing for contribution to the school by advertising in the school magazine.

Ms Loh told the foreign students, everyone had to buy a one-page advertisement space. I spoke to Xiaoran's father. He didn't want to advertise as he had already donated a sum of money to the school. I returned the letter, turning down her request.

The letter came back again with the message,"All foreign students must place an advertisement."

I returned the letter again with a note referring to the Principal's assurance. My ward was the only foreign student in her class who didn't advertise in the school magazine. Ms Loh took it badly. I wonder,"Was someone trying to excel in this fund-raising exercise?"

The worst nightmare commenced after the June holidays.............

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The letter that Rear-Adm Teo Chee Hean never read

A letter I sent to MOE addressed to then Education Minister Rear-Adm Teo Chee Hean. It was a cry for help but it was hijacked. It was carbon copied to the Principal of the school. Follow the wayang. Warning -12 pages.

*******************ooOoo***********************

Dear Sir,

RE : Teacher Harasses Student

I am the guardian of a 15-year old Chinese girl who came to Singapore on April 1999. She took a test and was accepted by Chai Chee Secondary School. She went to Secondary 1/1 on 7th January 2000.

On 10th January 2000, she was made to copy Chapter One of her Maths textbook. Reason? She didn't wear her name tag. With the help of my maid, she copied 21 pages of it after finishing her other homework, from 9pm until past 12 midnight. Despite my telling her she didn't have to do it.

Why was she punished? Her form teacher Ms Loh Yoke Hwee had told the class to order their name tags and to wear them at all times or they would be punished. Every student in that school has to wear a name tag. Her classmates started school on 3rd January. My ward went in later, and she was only told on that day.

The school bookshop had sold out the name tags by then. Being a foreigner, she needed the help of her classmates to bring her to the shop that makes name tags. They went the next day which was a Friday. The name tag would only be ready on Monday, 10th January. She could collect it after school.

That Monday morning, she was punished. Ms Loh didn't bother want to know why she still didn't wear a name tag. She just punished her.

Later I asked my ward, Xiaoran, what did the teacher do to the pages she had copied. She said the teacher just put them aside without a glance. I presumed they ended up in the dustbin. That's the first unpleasant experience my ward had in a Singaporean school.


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