It's good just to have an idea of where the kids are up to.  It's not like Senior exams or anything, just basically to see where they're at.  DD is in Prep this year so it's the first year I've had a school aged child and already the kids are getting home readers and they had to do an oral report for the teacher and were assessed on it.   It was only basic things just to have an idea of where they're up to and to see if they need something extra, like maybe another story read to them before bed or something like that.  Nothing to stress over, just gets them ready for harder testing as they get older, and gives an indication of where each child is and where the class as a whole is also.

Without comparing, I do think that kids in Singapore are given too much academic lessons and not enough play and social interaction. The public school hours start at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 1:00p.m.

When she returns home, she has worksheets for every subject. That is fine by me. The pressure comes when teachers start to need to meet their own deadlines and therefore put pressure on the kids to hand in their work.

My daughter was given the role as the leader at school. For 8 weeks she did a pretty good job at finishing her homework on time and collecting them from her friends for the teachers. Then on the 9th week, she fell ill and she fell back on her homework. For that, the teacher took the leadership role off her by actually telling her in private,"I have to take your leadership away." Rots!!! She came home that day not talking until at night, she told me, she wept. I was not sure that was the right way to handle a child's development to learn about leadership. So I went to the teacher and told her about it. Guess what? She told me my daughter had been informed earlier about not handing in her work on time. That's bullshit! I oversaw my daughter schoolwork everyday and it was only on the 9th week that such a thing actually happened. And that was the week she fell ill. And why did the teacher even speak to her in PRIVATE about her role as the leader in the first place? She does not have any disciplinary problems and if it is about not showing a good example of being the leader who hands over homework on time, is it necessary even to treat it like a boss-employee relationship? And so the next day, the teacher gave her back the role AND give her 2 weeks to buckle up! Why does she even want to teach a child with such discipline? The kid does not have any discipline problem in the first place.

So if you are asking me how tough life is at school and home for a kid in this country, it is tough. My husband is Australian, went to public school and we have two kids who attended both public and private schools in Australia. The public school system in Singapore is comparatively more academic oriented and examinations do not test kids' knowledge of the subject they have learned but the skills at them tackling examinations. This is why this country is also known for the tuition culture for kids.....they have to attend private classes to help them with homework.

http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?p=24749

Here you see parents talking about giving kids more tuition or finding the best tuition centers for their kids. The competitiveness in studies, focus in academic achievement rather than whole child development is felt very early.

http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/messages/5/860152.html?1233647594

my kids are in year 2 and pre primary and they get tested on what they know. my son has words he is tested on weekly and he also has other testing as well (he is 7) next year he will under go NAPLAN which is a AUSTRALIAN based national testing to see how the kids are. My school is a exception to many as my principal is very much into the kids getting a education.

I think kids need to be tested. they need to learn to study as well

What is wrong with a few question and answer sessions at the earlier stages of schooling.

Testing in all Australian schools starts at grade 3 at this time.

There is too much cottonwool with children these days. Dont give them anything difficult while they are learning and can learn from their mistakes, and when they have to face the real world on their own they could crumble and the possibility of no person to assist them.

Teach the children to cope with tests and difficult tasks. Its all about life experience.