with sub-par English?

Letter from Victor Sng Hoe Peng

The letter “Good English starts at home” (Sept 5) mentions ways in which Singaporeans can better their English. In reality, it will be far from easy.

As children here attend school for at least 40 weeks in a year, it is natural to expect them to pick up good English there. Sadly, many appear to have learnt very little.

If you mingle with schoolgoing children, you may be aware that a grammar item is now taught for a day or two, with few repetitive lessons. In most schools, reliable English textbooks are not used, and only countless teacher-prepared worksheets are given.

In the past, one grammar item was taught for one or two weeks, and each item was systematically scheduled (from the simple to the complex) to be covered in every primary and secondary school level.

Now, anything and everything, regardless of the difficulty level, can be taught quickly every day, according to the whims and fancies of school heads and teachers. For pupils who are weak in English, this fast-paced teaching method is of no use.

In addition, it does not help if such pupils have family members or tutors who do not speak and write good English.

To get everyone to have good English, it is very important that teachers themselves speak and write standard English and that they are able to teach good grammar consistently and correct pupils’ errors religiously.

I have personally seen startling examples of school teachers’ mistakes and misconceptions.

Once such mistakes are “taught”, they stick like glue in pupils’ minds for a long time.

I hope the Speak Good English Movement can help teachers with dubious skills in English, for the benefit of the many hapless children they teach.

Only full integration can save Europe

The euro zone’s crisis is dragging down the global economy – full economic, political union is now urgent

Nouriel Roubini and Nicolas Berggruen

SINGAPORE — The Real Estate Developers’ Association of Singapore (REDAS) has raised concerns over a potential oversupply of private homes in the near term, especially with the uncertain global outlook.

today Saturday September 10, 2011

REDAS urges Government to review land sales programme

REDAS president Wong Heang Fine made the call at the association’s Mid Autumn Festival celebrations at the Shangri-La Hotel yesterday.

The association is urging the Government to review its land sales programme to ensure that new supply is introduced only when the market is confident of absorbing it.

With the possibility of demand for private homes dropping due to an uncertain economic outlook, developers are pointing to the need to reign in supply.

[mOnOcrAcy  DEVILS  ? ? ? ?]

In the second half of this year, the Government will put up for sale 17 private residential sites under the Confirmed List of the Land Sales Programme.

Including recent sites sold, an estimated 53,000 private homes will hit the market over the next few years.

To ensure a more sustainable market,

REDAS wants the Government to moderate its land sales by putting more sites on the Reserve List instead of the Confirmed List.

That way, land is put up for tender only when there is sufficient interest.

“The Reserve List actually works well because all of us can actually trigger the land sales and each of us can then look at the particular site a bit more carefully,”

Mr Wong said.

“The Reserve List allows some flexibility, whereas in the Confirmed List, the Government would have to sell the site, irrespective of market conditions,” he added.

Echoing this sentiment, group chief executive officer of Frasers Centrepoint Lim Ee Seng said there is “adequate” supply in the market and he does not see the need for more sites to be introduced in the near term.

While he felt the REDAS suggestion is “good in such uncertain times”, property analyst Nicholas Mak said “the difficulty lies in balancing the number of sites on the Confirmed List and the Reserve List”.

Mr Mak, who is research head at SLP International Property Consultants, added that the Reserve List is not perfect as developers might be inclined to cherry-pick sites they are attracted to.

Cushman & Wakefield Singapore vicechairman Donald Han felt the Government is unlikely to change sites on the Confirmed List this year.

“The sales of site programme for the first half of next year is currently on the drawing board and they may probably finetune it slightly so that it is a little bit more on the Reserve List and probably less on the Confirmed List being offered, in view of current market conditions,” he added.

For now, developers are still optimistic that demand for private property will hold.

Mr Kwek Leng Beng, executive chairman of City Developments Limited, said:

“I mean you put the money in the bank, you are getting very little interest. If you buy stocks and shares, volatility is so great.

“So you have (an) alternative investment asset, and I think that’s good if you can diversify. But as I’ve emphasised, don’t buy if you cannot pay.”

REDAS also urged the Government to review the various property cooling measures introduced so as to avoid artificially suppressing genuine demand.

[TryIng to pUsh Up  prIces to eArn hIgher  cOmmIssIOns  ? ? ? ?]

While take up rates for property launches are still relatively strong, developers said market conditions could change  in the next three to six months.

Obama goes big, investors unimpressed

WASHINGTON

The people of this country work hard to meet their

responsibilities.

The question tonight is whether we’ll meet ours.

The question is whether, in the face of a national crisis, we can stop the political circus and do something to help the economy.

US President Barack Obama— Mixing punchy rhetoric with sarcastic jabs, United States President Barack Obama challenged lawmakers to “pass this jobs Bill” — a US$447-billion (S$547-billion) package of tax cuts and new government spending designed to revive a stalling economy as well as restore his own political standing.

Games sector to get boost

Who is Master Ryuho Okawa?

“The world population is now over seven billion and growing towards ten billion. My thoughts are focused on how people living in over two-hundred countries can be in harmony with each other, work together and live in happiness on this Earth whose world population is approaching ten billion”.

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HIS  MISSION:

TO  CREATE  AWAKENED  PEOPLE