Archives to A Worm's Perspectives

Parents up in arms again over PSLE Mathematics paper

2009-10-15T10:56:00.001+08:00

Parents up in arms again over PSLE Mathematics paper

SINGAPORE: The first thing her son did when he came out from the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) maths paper on Thursday this week was to gesture as if he was "slitting his throat".

"One look at his face and I thought ’oh no’. I could see that he felt he was condemned," said Mrs Karen Sng. "When he was telling me about how he couldn’t answer some of the questions, he got very emotional and started crying. He said his hopes of getting (an) A* are dashed."

Not for the first time, parents are up in arms over the PSLE Mathematics paper, which some have described as "unbelievably tough" this year. As recently as two years ago, the PSLE Mathematics paper had also caused a similar uproar.

The reason for Thursday’s tough paper, opined the seven parents whom MediaCorp spoke to, was because Primary 6 students were allowed to use calculators while solving Paper 2 for the first time. Paper 2 makes up 60 per cent of the entire paper and consists of 18 questions.

Said Mrs Vivian Weng: "I think the setters feel it’ll be faster for them to compute with a calculator. So the problems they set are much more complex; there are more values, more steps. But it’s unfair because this is the first time they can do so and they do not know what to expect!"

These parents’ children are studying in both neighbourhood and "top" schools.

In response to MediaCorp’s queries, the Education Ministry said this year’s paper was "comparable" to those of previous years. "There is no change in syllabus, question types or number of questions," a spokesperson said.

"The introduction of the use of calculators does not have any bearing on the difficulty of paper. The use of calculators has been introduced into the primary maths curriculum so as to enhance the teaching and learning of maths by expanding the repertoire of learning activities, to achieve a better balance between the time and effort spent developing problem solving skills and computation skills. Calculators can also help to reduce computational errors."

But the parents MediaCorp spoke to said students were apparently so stumped that many — even top students who have regularly aced past school examinations — broke down in tears in right after the paper.

Private maths tutor Josephine Tan whose son studies at Anglo—Chinese School (Junior), said he told her that "many A* students in the top class... couldn’t finish all the questions".

According to posts on an online forum for parents, one example of the problem sums given was: "Jim bought some chocolates and gave half of it to Ken. Ken bought some sweets and gave half of it to Jim. Jim ate 12 sweets and Ken ate 18 chocolates. The ratio of Jim’s sweets to chocolates became 1:7 and the ratio of Ken’s sweets to chocolates became 1:4. How many sweets did Ken buy?"

Mrs Tan said: "They have spent months revising and preparing, but it’s so much tougher than they expected. It really put a big dent on students’ morale."

Another common gripe: There was not enough time for them to complete the paper.

A private tutor, who declined to be named, told MediaCorp she concurred with parents’ opinions. "This year’s paper demanded more from students. It required them to read and understand more complex questions, and go through more steps, so time constraints would have been a concern," the 28—year—old said.

However, the parents’ fear of poor grades for their children may be unfounded since they will be compared against the entire cohort’s performance.

And the answer to the question? 68.

TODAY/so

SEAB says PSLE Chinese Paper was fair to pupils

2009-10-15T10:51:00.001+08:00

SEAB says PSLE Chinese Paper was fair to pupils

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) said it has in place a process to ensure all examination questions are carefully set and vetted — so that they are fair to all candidates.

The board’s comment followed feedback that the recent PSLE Chinese examination paper contained a comprehension passage that was familiar to some students.

Some parents told online forums that the passage had previously appeared in an assessment paper with minor changes. They said it was unfair as students who had done the passage before would get more marks.

The board said questions are set by experienced and reliable examiners. The questions are then moderated through several rounds by specialists from SEAB and the Ministry of Education.

Papers are also trialled to ensure they are fair and to determine the level of difficulty.

The board said that although the setter had drawn reference from an external source, the passage is not a reproduction. It added the content and language in the passage had been substantially modified to be aligned to the assessment objective.

Comprehension questions set on the passage were not taken from any source. The board assured parents that pupils who had seen the other passage would not have been unfairly advantaged over those who did not.

This is the second time this year’s PSLE examinations are coming under the spotlight. Earlier, the PSLE Mathematics paper drew criticism for being too tough.

— CNA/sc

Why don't Singaporeans take 'no eating' sign seriously?

2009-07-16T09:20:00.004+08:00

Wed, Aug 15, 2007

The Straits Times

Why don't S'poreans take 'no eating' sign seriously?
By Andrew Chin

IT was a sight to behold. Something that outraged Mr Tang Juen Tee so much he decided to capture the spectacle on camera.

On a crowded MRT train at 10pm last Tuesday, a man having his own little "picnic" on the floor, taking his imaginary gravy train to the land of the well-fed.

Mr Tang, 34, a freelance IT consultant, said he has seen his fair share of people flouting the "no eating or drinking" rule at MRT stations and on trains - even though there are signs and recorded audio reminders to alert commuters.

There is a fine of up to $500 if you are caught.

And SMRT reports an average of 41 commuters fined each month this year for flouting that rule.

A spokesman said staff members conduct random checks at stations and trains. Last year, 294 passengers were fined for consuming food or drink in the SMRT system.

From January to July this year, 288 people have been fined.

Still, what Mr Tang saw that night was unbeatable.

He was on a train heading towards Pasir Ris. At the Clementi station, a large man who appeared to be in his late 30s, ambled in. Dressed in a blue singlet and bermudas, he plopped himself down on the floor in the middle of the carriage when he found no available seats.

Then, crossing his legs, he took out a packet of roti prata, and started to chomp away.

By then, the standing crowd around him was staring in disbelief. "People's jaws were dropping," Mr Tang said.

"Many were staring at him, but the man didn't seem to bother.

"Maybe he wasn't aware of the stares or maybe he couldn't care less."

Still, Mr Tang said no one approached the man to tell him off.

"The guy is big-sized. Maybe nobody dared to," he added.

When a seat was freed about 15 minutes later, the man went for it. But the food fest didn't end there.

In a case of either compelling hunger or plain defiance, he proceeded to eat a second packet of roti prata.

And when he was done, he stunned onlookers a third time by casually placing the empty plastic packets on the floor between his legs and pushed them under the seat.

"Unbelievable," Mr Tang said, adding that he didn't know whether to laugh, sigh or get mad.

Yet, as shocking as the incident may have been to Mr Tang, it is not an isolated one.

Other reports of such commuters have hit the press recently.

On 9 August, a thread was started on The Straits Times' STOMP forum about a boy who got away scot-free despite blatantly eating on the MRT.

STOMPer Yoosuff, who contributed a photo of the incident to the website, claimed he saw a train officer a few seats away, but he did not stop the boy from eating.

On the same day, another thread was started about a man eating Hokkien mee on a train.

The thread has received more than 30,290 viewings, making it one of the most-viewed threads on the forum.

Many forum users aired their views on such behaviour.

Some, like netballxw, felt it was okay for commuters to eat small snacks, such as bread or curry puffs, as long as they didn't litter.

Others, like taurius58, wanted SMRT to clamp down harder on offenders, suggesting that they be issued Corrective Work Orders.

The curious thing is why some Singaporeans seem to feel it is okay to ignore the no-eating-and-drinking rule.

There are signs in every MRT carriage stating that those who eat or drink may be fined.

The sign is placed beside two others which indicate higher fines for smoking and taking flammable liquids or gases on board trains.

Most commuters take these two rules seriously. Yet, many seem to ignore the first.

One reason, perhaps, is the perception that the fine is "just for show".

Wrote STOMP forum user strugglist: "The question is whether the $500 fine is for real."

In another posting, MRT commuter Clement, 60, related an incident where he told off a woman for eating a bun on the train.

TROUBLING
He said he was troubled that other commuters saw her eating but did nothing.

"What if they spot a bag and it could be a security threat? We have to be civic-minded enough to do something instead of thinking someone else will do that," he said.

To this, another forum user responded that the security issue was "a total different thing compared to eating on the train".

The perception: Eating is a small matter.

But trivial or not, it is something that SMRT looks upon seriously.

A spokesman said: "Eating or drinking on board trains and at stations is both an ungracious act and rule-breaking behaviour.

"We take a serious view of passengers who eat or drink in our system."

The spokesman added that commuters can help to remind fellow passengers not to eat or drink in the trains and stations.

Rule-breakers may also be reported to staff members, who will locate the culprits if they are still within the station premises.

THINK WE HAVE IT BAD?
Besides littering, New York subway commuters may also be fined for wearing inline skates, putting their feet on seats and throwing stones, among many other things.

Last month, a Taiwanese man was fined NT10,000 ($460) for stepping over the yellow line at an MRT station platform, reported China Post.

In March, the London Tube introduced new rules making evading fares a crime. Offenders face arrest and a fine of up to £1,000 ($3,000).

Drink-and-eat MRT offenders on the rise

2009-07-16T08:39:00.007+08:00

Mon, Jul 06, 2009 The Straits Times
Drink-and-eat MRT offenders on the rise
By Maria Almenoar

COMMUTERS are caught munching or sipping at drinks at the Orchard MRT station at least five times a day.

Curry puffs, biscuits and soft drinks in plastic cups are the snacks of choice in the no-eating, no-drinking zones that are MRT stations.

'Their favourite excuse is that they rushing somewhere and this was their dinner,' said Mr Ng Chee Siang, an SMRT officer of two years who does a patrol every hour.

The majority of commuters are apologetic when caught, and stop eating or drinking immediately. They are let off with a warning.

Then there are the recalcitrant.

Said Mr Ng, 34: 'One student was blatantly eating a burger on the train and when I told him to stop, he said 'Just fine me, I don't care'.'

The fine is usually $30, even for repeat offenders. If the case goes to court, the offender may be fined up to $500.

But the patrols to catch commuters in the act and the fines do not seem to be licking the problem.

Last year, 626 commuters were fined for eating and drinking, more than double the 280 in 2006. In 2007, 548 people were fined.

SMRT, which runs the trains of the North-South, East-West and Circle lines, could not say with certainty why more commuters were getting fined.

But a spokesman for SBS Transit, which runs the North-east Line, said: 'It must be noted that train ridership has also increased, which could explain why more commuters are caught flouting this regulation.'

Public transport ridership hit 4.87 million rides in the first quarter of this year, up from the 4.78 million in the same period last year.

SBS Transit has also seen a jump in the number of offenders. It handed out 10 offence notices in 2007, and 34 last year.

To deal with the masses traversing the stations daily, the two operators have put more than 500 staff on patrol to root out those who flout any of the other rules - not just those on eating and drinking.

Other regulations outlaw carrying of flammable goods and durians, and smoking. No commuters have been caught for being on board with flammable goods or durians in the last three years - but this could simply be because they can be concealed easily in bags or boxes.

Smokers, however, have been caught - three in each of the last two years. The maximum fine for smoking is $1,000.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) launched a 'gracious commuter' campaign on board trains and buses in May. It said that commuters have offered early feedback, saying they have seen an improvement in behaviour.

'You can cook only once a week, ok?'

2009-02-23T12:18:00.005+08:00

Sun, Feb 22, 2009The Straits Times

'You can cook only once a week, ok?'
By Jamie Ee Wen Wei

For a prenup, or prenuptial agreement, this one's among the more unusual.

For instance, she's only to cook once a week. He said this is to ensure they have 'quality time' together.

He, in turn, has to agree to reduce his smoking by 5 per cent every year. And no puffing away in the bedroom.

QUIRKY CONDITIONS
Some unusual clauses in their prenup:
- He is not allowed to drink alcohol every day. She has to drink at least once a week
- He has to reduce his smoking by 5 per cent a year, but without going below six cigarettes a day
- She cannot buy jewellery which costs more than 5 per cent of her annual income

JB nursing homes draw

2009-02-12T10:38:00.003+08:00

Straits Times Feb 12, 2009
JB nursing homes draw
Main factor is the lower fees; some also have facilities comparable to those in Singapore
By Melissa Sim

WHEN civil servant Gordon Yong, 39, needed to find a nursing home for his mother following her stroke, he found the ones in Singapore too expensive.

They were charging between $1,200 and $1,800 a month - far more than he could afford on his salary of under $4,000, which also supports his three-child family. His working wife also has to look after her parents.

He did the next best thing and got his mother a place in a home in Johor Baru (JB) for $600 a month. This is how Madam Leong Mew Peng, 80, came to live in Spring Valley Homecare, less than half an hour's drive from the Causeway.

Fellow Singaporean Alison Low, 58, checked herself into Spring Valley over two years ago - also for cost reasons.

The three-year-old home has 11 Singaporeans, making up one in five residents there. Of the 10 other homes The Straits Times inquired at in JB, eight said they had between one and 10 Singaporeans.

Checks with their kin showed cost savings to be the main draw of these homes.

A plug for these homes came in Parliament on Monday from Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who said Singaporeans could save money by using JB nursing homes. For what it costs to board someone in a private nursing home here, 'you can stretch it easily to pay for at least 21/2 months of nursing home care in Johor Baru', he said. The facilities there typically charge between $450 and $1,000 a month, compared to those here which ask for between $1,000 and $4,000.

Mr Khaw said another perk is that JB is 'near enough for relatives to visit'.

But 57-year-old supervisor Mohamed Waris, whose father is at Spring Valley, said he has problems finding a cab to go there. Nonetheless, he makes the journey every two to three weeks.

Those who check out JB homes are also finding some with facilities that are comparable to those here.

Spring Valley, for example, follows Singapore regulations and provides one toilet for every four beds. Its high ceilings and large windows make its rooms airy.

China Healthcare, previously known as Econ Healthcare, will open a 200-bed home in JB within two years, following its 100-bed facility in Kuala Lumpur. Its chairman, Mr Ong Chu Poh, said a home in JB would appeal to Singaporeans due to their familiarity with the town, its proximity to Singapore and the lower fees.

Mr Yong would agree that JB is still the best choice for him now for those reasons. 'I'm just unable to afford the rates here. But I do wish I was able to bring my mother back.'

simlinoi@sph.com.sg

Additional reporting by Jalelah Abu Baker

Twilight in JB, Forum

Johor idea draws flak

2009-02-11T10:07:00.001+08:00

Johor idea draws flak
By Salma Khalik , HEALTH CORRESPONDENT [The Straits Times, Feb 10, 2009]

A SUGGESTION by Health Minister that Singaporeans might want to consider staying at a nursing home across the Causeway in Johor where it is much cheaper drew flak from two oppostion MPs in Parliament on Tuesday.

Workers' Party chairman and Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim said the suggestion was 'quite a bad indication of affordability of our own health care services here, and also a reflection of our national values'.

Fellow WP member Low Thia Kiang (Hougang) asked: 'Is the Minister suggesting that Singaporeans who cannot afford medical treatment or step-down care here should now consider such facilities in Johor?'

If so, is the minister 'outsourcing the Government's responsibility to provide affordable health care service to Malaysia', he asked.

This riled Mr Khaw Boon Wan.

'I'm not saying that if you are poor I will put you in an ambulance, send you across the Causeway to a Johor nursing home. That is not what I said and please don't twist my words,' he retorted.

In fact, the Johor option is not for the poor, who are heavily subsidised in Singapore.

'Everybody can afford health care in Singapore whether acute care or long-term care,' said Mr Khaw.

The suggestion was aimed at middle-income families who need to pay for the care themselves. It gives them choice.

'I just wanted to point out to Singaporeans that there are options like this,' Mr Khaw said.

The cost of nursing home care will always be more expensive in Singapore, as doctors and nurses are paid more, and construction cost is also higher.

Since many people visit the elderly in homes only on weekends, it makes little difference whether the person is housed here or in nearby Johor.

It's part of globalisation and this is already happening with Singaporeans going to Bangkok for Lasik to treat short sightedness and Americans and Russians coming here for treatment.

It is also not something that should, or can, be prevented, said the minister.

Singaporeans are already crossing the causeway for cheaper petrol and medicine.

'By allowing the flexibility of consumers walking across the Causeway... they benefit. I don't think we should constrain them from doing so.'

JB nursing homes for old folks?

2009-02-11T10:04:00.002+08:00

JB nursing homes for old folks? [Today Online Tuesday Feb 10, 2009]

Since a “significant” number of Singaporeans visit their relatives who are in nursing homes only at the weekend, why not place these elderly folk in homes in Johor Bahru – where one month’s fees in a Singapore private nursing home could buy two-and-a-half months of care?

Making this suggestion, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said he recently visited a site in JB where a Singapore investor was planning such a facility. “I probed him on how much he is going to spend ... It’s mind-boggling. It’s so low. My cost of putting up a polyclinic is probably more than his cost of putting up a 200-bed nursing home.”

He added: “You can always ambulance in the elderly and the family members can visit the elderly on weekends. As this nursing home CEO told me, even in Singapore when they put the elderly in homes, they also only visit them once a week ... So what’s the difference in putting them in JB?”

Mr Khaw was responding to a question from MP Lam Pin Min on whether caregivers should be given an allowance. The minister said he preferred to use Eldershield, though the payout of $400 was too small and “should be pushed up to $800”.

In 2006, Mr Khaw sparked a minor controversy when he mooted the idea of retirement villages by private developers in neighbouring countries where land was cheaper. After his proposal was misunderstood by those who saw it as “dumping” one’s parents, he clarified that he felt such an intent was the worst sin possible. Alicia Wong

S'pore to have highest concentration of millionaires by 2017

2008-05-11T10:23:00.001+08:00

Nicholas Fang
Fri, May 09, 2008
The Straits Times

SINGAPORE will leapfrog Hong Kong to have the highest concentration of millionaires in the world in 10 years, a new Barclays Wealth report says.

A total of 40.7 per cent of all households in the Republic, or 436,000 households, are set to boast net wealth in excess of US$1 million (S$1.36 million) by 2017.

That means two out of every five households in Singapore are projected to be millionaires by then. The report looks at the combined wealth of household members.

The data used measures aggregate wealth, financial wealth such as currency, deposits, loans and insurance, as well as non-financial wealth such as property and land. Liabilities are subtracted from the total.

Last year, Singapore ranked second with 23.3 per cent, behind Hong Kong's 26.4 per cent. In 2017, Hong Kong is expected to register 39.4 per cent, ahead of Switzerland, which maintains its current third ranking.

Barclays Wealth, the leading wealth manager in Britain, said Singapore's efforts to move away from manufacturing into higher value-added activities like technology and financial services had helped its rise.

Mr Didier von Daeniken, Asia-Pacific chief executive of Barclays Wealth, said at a press conference yesterday that the opening of previously protected sectors, such as financial services, and various free trade agreements had also helped Singapore's cause.

He added that Singapore's future millionaires would likely come from a growing number of rich entrepreneurs.

The report, by Barclays Wealth and the Economist Intelligence Unit, said wealth held by high net worth Singapore households, defined as those with more than US$1 million, could hit US$1.6 trillion.

Mr von Daeniken said this presented great growth opportunities for private banks. 'Asia now represents 25 per cent of high net worth individual wealth globally, 60 per cent of the world's population, but only about 10 per cent of the income of the major private banks.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on May 7, 2008

Mum, you could be paid $23k a month

2008-05-11T08:41:00.003+08:00

HR experts estimate economic worth of stay-at-home mums, but others say it's not right to fix dollar value
By Shuli Sudderuddin
Source: Straitstimes.com May 11, 2008

Here's a number - $22,568 a month - that's bound to make any mother's day today.

That is what a top human-resource practitioner calculates as the worth of a stay-at-home mum in Singapore.

Mr David Ang, executive director of the Singapore Human Resource Institute, picked five roles she plays daily, from executive housekeeper to chef and driver.

Assuming she works 17 hours a day, she would make $22,568 a month at the market rate for such jobs.

On top of this, he counted a 13th month bonus, leading to a princely $293,384 a year.

The Sunday Times had asked him to figure out a Singaporean mum's worth, in the light of a study done in the United States which estimated that a full-time mother could earn up to US$117,000 (S$160,000) a year.

The US study was conducted by Salary.com, a firm which studies workplace compensation. The US$117,000 sum is based on a mother doing 10 jobs, from housekeeper to psychologist and chief executive.

Another HR practitioner here, Mr Gene Yap, a human capital consultant with Aon Consulting, estimated that a Singapore mum's work is worth $8,481 a month.

This is based on spending 30 per cent of her time on marketing and housekeeping, 40 per cent on supervising children's activities like a teacher, and 5 per cent as a family motivator.

Both the Singaporean calculations factored in rest days, like the rest of the country's working population.

Whether it's $23,000 or $8,000, mothers were amused when told of the results.

'I don't think housewives would get that much money. Not all mothers cook or teach their children daily,' said Madam Kee Chooi Hua, 34, a housewife with three children.

Said housewife Sandy Lim, 53, who also has three children: 'Who will want to pay a housekeeper $23,000 a month? I enjoy my work and I don't do it for money.'

Some working mothers like Mrs Maria Loh, 41, a financial planner, feel the figure is justified. 'If you add all the duties a mother performs, the figure is accurate. And if she works and has to forgo work opportunities, then even more cost is incurred.'

But mothers' roles are too important to be quantified, said several women MPs.

'A mother's job is priceless if done well,' said Ms Denise Phua, 48, an MP for Jalan Besar GRC and mother of two.

'There is no cookie-cutter price or standard solution; mothers must know how they can add value to their children's lives.

'I'm best at preparing my children for the future and being a friend to them. Things I'm not so good at, like cooking, I outsource,' she said with a laugh.

Madam Halimah Yacob, 53, an MP for Jurong GRC and mother of five, felt it was impossible 'to put a monetary value to what mothers do. It is far beyond $200,000'.

Ms Jean Yip, 48, founder of the Jean Yip hair-salon group and parent of three, agreed: 'Mothers take care of both the emotional and physical needs of husbands and children. That's why Mother's Day is always more celebrated than Father's Day.'

Ms Laurrieta Alaabons, 37, director of LAMC Productions which promotes concerts and a mother of one, said: 'I think to give a dollar value to a mother is nonsense. A mother is a jack-of-all-trades and you cannot put her responsibility down in dollars and cents.'

Ms Constance Singam, 70, chairman of the Association of Women for Action and Research, said the value of a mother's work is underrated.

'The trouble with society now is that women, who often do housework that can't be valued in economic terms, don't get the appreciation they deserve.'

Even those in the HR field agree.

Said Mr Ang: 'We can estimate how much the jobs might pay, but mothers are also involved in deep emotional bonds and life lessons which will stay with their children all their lives. Now, who can put a dollar value to that?'

Additional reporting by Terence Lee and Carmen Onggo

New rules to ensure safety of patients in high-risk treatments

2008-03-24T09:57:00.008+08:00

Source: Straits Times
Mon, Mar 24, 2008 The Straits Times

But MOH will let professional bodies decide on benefits of low-risk treatments
By Salma Khalik, Health Correspondent

THE Ministry of Health (MOH) will draft rules to govern higher-risk beauty treatments, such as liposuction, said Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday.

The guidelines will outline which doctors can perform the procedures, the training they need, and where they can be done, he said.

The move is designed to protect patients, said Mr Khaw, who gave liposuction as an example of a treatment that could be risky.

Today, the procedure is offered by doctors with various backgrounds - from plastic surgeons to general practitioners (GPs). Some do it in an operating theatre, while others use their clinics.

The minister said: 'Any operator who flouts the regulation will be investigated.'

'When asked whether the rules would extend to a recently publicised list of controversial aesthetic treatments, including mesotherapy, where a 'fat-busting' drug cocktail is injected, Mr Khaw said he was not familiar with the procedures.

Mr Khaw's statement comes after a top Health Ministry official last week likened mesotherapy and 10 other treatments to 'snake oil'.

Dr Tan Chor Hiang, the ministry's senior director for health regulations, said doctors would be asked to stop the procedures unless they can provide scientific evidence that these treatments work.

This had some doctors - for whom these treatments made up a large part of their business - up in arms.

While some of the treatments might be banned in some countries, they are allowed in others, they argued.

Speaking to the media yesterday, Mr Khaw said he would leave it to the professional bodies - the College of Family Physicians and the Academy of Medicine - to decide if there are benefits to these treatments, which he called 'low-risk with dubious benefits'.

In a statement issued yesterday, the ministry said: 'Regulating this business is particularly challenging as often, scientific evidence is missing or inconclusive.'

Mr Khaw said the ministry is not changing its stance. But there are a lot of 'grey areas'.
He added: 'Meanwhile, doctors should be aware that they should not prescribe procedures of dubious benefits to their patients, exposing them to unnecessary risk or financial cost. If they do so, they will be considered unethical.'

Consumers need to take responsibility when they seek such treatments, the minister said, referring to reports that some people would look for other sources for the treatments if doctors are not allowed to do them.

Doctors who offer these treatments must also know that if things go wrong and patients complain, 'they could be subject to investigation', he said.

When contacted by The Straits Times last night, Dr Chong Yeh Woei, a GP who does some aesthetic treatments, said many countries are 'struggling' with this field.

The difficulty lies in the lack of data, he said.

'It's not going to be easy to come up with guidelines. But it's good they are addressing it. There must be a reason why they are concerned and, ultimately, patients' safety is paramount.'

salma@sph.com.sg

Girls behaving badly

2008-03-22T22:03:00.006+08:00

Source: AsiaOne
Sat, Mar 22, 2008 The Straits Times

Some girls here are getting wilder and getting into trouble with the law. They are getting arrested for causing serious hurt and rioting. They also join gangs and experiment with sex at a younger age, some as young as 10. Joan Chew, Chia Mei Liang, He Xingying and Ong Dai Lin report on young girls running wild.

JANE joined a gang at 13 after getting to know its members through her friends. She skipped school to smoke, drink, play cards and steal bicycles at void decks.

At first, she was just looking for a bit of fun. But soon, she was sniffing glue at HDB staircases, selling illegal cigarettes at the housing estate opposite her school and picking fights with other gangs.

During one of these fights, the police showed up. By 14, she was placed in a girls' shelter after her father declared her Beyond Parental Control.

Other girls like Jane are getting into all kinds of trouble with the law.

Last year, 46 girls - aged seven to 19 - were arrested for causing serious hurt and rioting. Another 766 were picked up for theft.

Overall, the number of girls arrested over the past three years for causing serious hurt and rioting has come down, according to police.

But more parents are giving up on delinquent daughters than sons, and seeking help at the Juvenile Court. In the last two years, more Beyond Parental Control complaints were filed against girls than boys.

In 2006, 86 girls were hauled to court by their parents and declared out of control, compared to 61 boys. The figure for girls was 70 the year before.

Children declared Beyond Parental Control are those below 16 who misbehave to such an extent that their parents feel they can no longer control them and need the court's assistance to manage them.

More girls are also experimenting with sex, some as young as 10. In 2006, teenagers accounted for 12 per cent of about 12,000 abortions performed in Singapore. Of these, 19 were carried out on girls below 15, according to the Health Ministry.

More girls between the ages of 10 to 19 are also contracting sexually transmitted infections. In 2006, more than 500 of such cases were diagnosed at the Department of Sexually Transmitted Infections Control Clinic - a three- fold increase from five years ago.

Self-mutilation is another emerging spectre. Although there are no statistics available, counsellors and social workers say girls are more likely to cut or bruise themselves than boys.

The danger is that when they are not taught other coping methods, the cuts get progressively deeper, till they land in hospital.

Cyber bullying

ANOTHER worrying trend is cyber bullying among girls, abetted by the Internet and mobile phones today.

Many hide behind computer screens to bully their victims, instead of confronting them in person. On blogs, they abuse their victims using expletives, deface their pictures and spread vicious rumours about them.

Since polytechnic student Esther Chia, 18, set up a blog documenting her daily life last May, she has seen mocking photographs of a boy imitating her 'doe-eyed innocent look'. Others have left jeers like 'you are ugly' and 'you suck' on her blog.

'When I have had a hard day, seeing such comments when I get home makes me feel worse,' says the teen who receives about 3,000 hits on her blog daily and is now hardened to the routine abuse.

According to Ms Esther Ng, who founded Coalition Against Bullying for Children and Youths in 2005 to stamp out such behaviour, female cyber bullies choose to assault others online because they can stay comfortably anonymous.

'The Internet is one of the simplest tools to use. It is easily available and the bully doesn't have to face the victim. It also spreads faster and the bullies think they will not get caught,' she adds.
Increasingly too, girls are using their cellphones to record acts of bullying and aggression. They then post the video clips on free video-sharing websites like YouTube to humiliate their victims.
For extra bragging rights, they also circulate the clips among their friends using Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) or Bluetooth technology.

A widely circulated and disturbing four-minute video posted online was brought up in Parliament in January by Jalan Besar GRC MP Lily Neo. It showed four girls laughing gleefully as they punched, slapped and stripped their 13-year-old victim at an HDB staircase landing. They stopped only when onlookers gathered.

The victim hung her head in shame throughout. But like many other bullying clips posted online, it spread like wildfire. Ms Ng observes: 'There are schools where almost everybody has seen the video.'

Hard candy

THE Internet is also used by girls to hunt down men willing to pay - in cash or branded goods - for sex.

Popular advertisement websites such as SgAdsOnline and Craigslist Singapore carry advertisements of teenage girls offering one-night stands for fast cash.

Others use sexy blogs as a tool to hunt down Sugar Daddies willing to pay for a 'relationship'.
One 17-year-old, who calls herself a 'teenage Lolita', documented her sexual experiences and said she is looking for a man who can give her $500 per meeting.

She wrote that she is 'not poor' but 'hankers after the better things in life'.

'I'm not selling my body. I call it a mutually beneficial relationship,' she declared in one entry.

Others post photographs of themselves in skimpy outfits on social networking websites like Friendster and Facebook.

Teen blogger Celeste Chen thrusts her hips suggestively in a midriff-baring blouse in one MTV-style video posted on her blog. The 17-year-old schoolgirl's Friendster profile features a wallpaper of her in a backless top, matched with black hot pants and high heels. She declined to be interviewed for this report.

Why are girls behaving so badly?

Counsellors say dysfunctional media influences like pop star Britney Spears, rising materialism and weakening family bonds are possible factors.

Many girls feel pressured to look good and dress well. When they do not have the money to buy what they want, they resort to begging, borrowing, stealing or selling sex.

Most start out by shoplifting items like accessories, clothes, bags and cosmetics, notes Ms Eileen Chua, assistant director of Lakeside Family Centre, which has seen more delinquent girls over the years.

Sandy, 15, says she took to peddling illegal cigarettes at the void deck to supplement her $5 daily allowance. She made about $150 a day.

'I used to steal money from my father but my friend told me not to do it. She introduced me to selling cigarettes instead,' says the Secondary 3 dropout.

But the money ran out soon after she ran away from home.

Bad girls, good homes

IT USED to be that bad girls who stole, fought and joined gangs mostly came from broken families. Not any more, say counsellors.

In recent years, many who face court orders or get caught by the police come from intact homes, says Dr Carol Balhetchet, director of youth services at the Singapore Children's Society.
In 2006, 69 per cent of new probation cases involved delinquent youth who come from two-parent nuclear families, according to the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).

'Teenagers today have the attitude that no one can discipline them or make them do what they don't want to do,' says social worker Ms Chua.

Indeed, Mr Mohamed Juffri openly admits he has lost control of his eldest daughter, who just turned 14. She tells lies and stays away from home for days at a stretch. 'I'm worried that she may be hanging out with gangs.

I don't know who her friends are,' he says.

Last month, the 40-year-old security officer and his sales promoter wife hardened their hearts and filed a Beyond Parental Control court order against her.

'This is our last resort. We do not want her to waste her life away,' he says sadly. In between all the 12-hour shifts he worked, she became a stranger.

Sister Maria Sylvia Ng, formerly in charge of Poverello Teen Centre, a drop-in centre for delinquent youth, warns: 'If parents do not inculcate values in their children when they are young, there is no holding them back when they reach adolescence.'

Farhana, 14, knows her mother loses sleep whenever she hangs out with friends at West Coast Park past 11 pm. But she shrugs it off.

She used to see very little of her mother, who worked long hours as a restaurant helper. The Secondary 2 student rationalises: 'When I wanted to talk to her, she was always not there.'
Her mother has quit her job to spend more time with her, but it is too little, too late for Farhana. She rants: 'I don't understand my mother. I tell her who I'm with but she's still worried. When I come home late, she calls the police. We often quarrel about this.'

Dr Balhetchet says teens like Farhana often make it difficult for parents to talk to them. In their desire to grow up fast and be independent, they send out messages to their parents to 'leave them alone'.

But what they really hanker after - at any age - is time and attention. So most neglected youth misbehave to get their parents to notice them, notes counsellor Stella Tan from Yong-En Care Centre.

'They know that their parents will have to spend more time with them in order to scold them,' she says.

She stresses the importance of parents being there for their children.

'When they are young, they may bore you with minor details about school. But if you shut them off, they grow up thinking that you do not have time for them.

'Eventually when you start to get interested in what they do, they will say they have no time to talk to you.'

Ministry wants doctors to stop 'aesthetic' treatments

2008-03-21T19:20:00.001+08:00

Source: AsiaOne Health

THE Health Ministry has decided to put a stop to doctors offering patients a range of controversial, unproven beauty treatments.

Banning these treatments threatens to wipe out millions of dollars in business for countless doctors engaged in the lucrative 'aesthetic medicine' scene.

Dr Tan Chor Hiang, the ministry's head of regulations, told The Straits Times last night that they will be advised to 'stop these practices immediately'.

'Recalcitrant doctors will be referred to the Singapore Medical Council,' she warned. The profession's watchdog is already investigating the aesthetic medicine practices of six doctors, including a specialist.The ministry has been concerned about the booming aesthetic medicine market, estimated to be worth $200 million a year.

Over 1,000 general practitioners (GPs) and specialists have taken to offering a wide range of unproven treatments - everything from fat-busting injections and skin treatments to remove flaws or 'whiten' the complexion, to applications of growth hormones or stem cells for a more youthful appearance.

'This is not medicine,' Dr Tan said. 'Such services should never be offered on the pretext that they are medical in nature and are medically beneficial.'

The ministry began cracking down on such practices from September last year, telling about 20 of the bigger operators to stop.

Prominent plastic surgeon Woffles Wu and anaesthetist Christine Cheng were among those targeted. They complied immediately.

Dr Cheng was unhappy to have been singled out, and asked why the ministry did not inform all doctors.

The ministry explained that it did not realise earlier how widespread aesthetic medicine had become.

'Doctors are also advertising these services more aggressively,' Dr Tan said.

An online check showed close to 30 clinics still promoting the treatments, including mesotherapy which involves multiple injections of drugs to dissolve fat. This treatment is not allowed in some countries.

Madam Halimah Yacob, head of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health, welcomed the ministry's ban, saying people trust doctors to provide approved and safe procedures.

But she wanted more action to regulate such treatments 'or they may end up in unauthorised beauty salons which could be worse'.

Dr Tan said the ministry's main concern is 'doctors performing unsubstantiated procedures, being unethical and subjecting patients to unacceptable health risks'.

'Without having proper scientific evidence, it is not known whether these practices can cause harm in the medium or long term,' she said.

The ministry is in talks with the Academy of Medicine and the College of Family Physicians to draw up proper procedures and the minimum training doctors need before offering them.

'Once these standards are ready, they can be used for regulating the practice of such procedures,' she said.

Treatments which doctors can and cannot do

2008-03-21T19:03:00.002+08:00

Source: Strait Times

TREATMENTS which all doctors have been banned from performing:

Mesotherapy: A non-surgical procedure which involves making microinjections into the middle layer of skin. It claims to break down fat, and improve circulation and lymphatic drainage.

Carboxytherapy: This non-surgical procedure, similar to mesotherapy, infuses carbon dioxide through a tiny needle. The process is said to kill fat cells and stimulate blood flow.

Endermologie: A non-invasive deep-tissue massage performed with a machine to reduce cellulite. The procedure claims to break down fat, water and toxins so that these can be drained away by the body's lymphatic system.

Microneedling dermaroller: A hand-held rolling pin, used to make microscopic punctures, is run over the skin. The procedure claims to induce the production of new collagen, and smooth out scars and wrinkles.

Skin-whitening injections: These claim to reduce blemishes like acne, chicken pox and other scars, and to iron out wrinkles.

Growth hormone to 'combat ageing': The hormone testosterone is administered either through injections or creams applied to the skin, and followed up with human growth hormones delivered through micro-injections.

Stem-cell application for skin rejuvenation: Patients undergoing this treatment consume a protein extract which claims to regenerate ageing tissue by using protein or chemical messengers to send signals to cells to 'teach' them to regenerate.

Vacustyler: A patient undergoing this treatment puts his or her lower body in a chamber, which claims to stimulate the lymphatic system and improve circulation. The procedure claims to eliminate cellulite, varicose veins and other leg problems.

Slidestyler: Working the same way as a vacustyler, this uses a mechanical gliding stroke massage technique to 'improve lymph circulation'. The patient is hooked up to a machine which sends pressure waves over the body. It is claimed that the waves are able to decongest the body, improve lymph drainage and tackle cellulite, varicose veins and other leg problems.

Bio-resonance: Patients undergoing this are bombarded by electro-magnetic waves delivered by a machine. The treatment claims to help patients overcome addictions like smoking.

Colonic cleansing for 'detoxification': This procedure involves introducing a tube into the rectum to flush the colon with water. It claims to reduce food intolerance, improve the skin, reduce cellulite, raise energy levels, reduce weight and enhance immune function.

AESTHETIC treatments that doctors can do:

Botox injections: These are administered around the eyes or mouth to banish wrinkles temporarily.

Collagen/filler injections: These are administered to plump up the lips and reduce the appearance of sunken eyes.

Intense pulsed light: The treatment involves targeting the skin with light of different wavelengths to 'rejuvenate' skin or remove hair.

Thermage: This procedure heats the collagen in the deeper layers of the skin to tighten sagging skin.

Chemical peels: Chemicals are applied to remove the fine outer layers of skin.

JESSICA JAGANATHAN

Medical note
The Singapore Medical Council Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines, Article 4.1.6 reads:
'A doctor shall not in his professional capacity support the services provided by persons or organisations that do not provide legitimate medical or medical support services, for example, beauticians, beauty parlours, health spas, colonic cleansing services, etc.'

Why an Archive?

2008-03-21T12:10:00.001+08:00

This archive was created to keep an archives of all the links used in the parent blogsite A Worm’s Perspectives. This is to prevent dead links as some news articles are moved to new sites after a few days. With this site, all links referred to by the parent site will have a copy here. However where possible, the original links will be used.

The original archives was sited here. For easy maintainance, I have decided to transfer the archive to this new site, although the old one will not be deleted. The archived articles will be transferred here in stages.