Student Suggests No-school Wednesdays Among Others in Heartfelt Mail to Minister

Among the many documents and letters Education Minister, Mr Ong Ye Kung regularly receive, some really interesting ones stand out from the rest.

Just like this one that came via snail mail.

Primary School Student’s Heartfelt Mail to Minister

Image source: Facebook screengrab

Minister Ong Ye Kung shared on Thursday (16 Jul) that he opened a mail sent in by a primary school student. He described it as “a very colourful wishlist”.

Image source: Facebook screengrab

Fairly organised with a variety of colours used, the letter was filled with some suggestions the student had for the Minister which included:

• School to run from 9am to 3pm daily
• Limit homework per subject to three pages
• No school on Wednesdays, only Co-curricular activities (CCA)—with proposed timings from 9am to 12noon
• Students submit homework only on Friday 

The last point where “student can only hand up work on Friday” was also highlighted in yellow, together with a smiley face at the end. 

Her earnest wish to hear from Mr Ong directly was also indicated at the top left hand corner of the letter—and to ideally discuss about the suggestions in person. 

And as though to help better communicate her message across, the student drew a stickman figure of what appeared to resemble Mr Ong and her, exchanging snail mail with one other. 

Minister Responds to Student’s Letter

While the sender of the letter might only be a student, Mr Ong wrote in his post that he takes all suggestions “seriously”.

Using pen and paper, he replied back to the student with a simple note. He also thanked her for the suggestions and promised to relay them to the principal. 

Just like an unspoken secret between the two, Mr Ong promised not to reveal the student’s identity before he signed off.

He wrote: “I won’t say it’s from you…” 

“I take all their suggestions seriously!” wrote Minister Ong Ye Kung in a recent Facebook post. | Image source: Facebook screengrab

While we are uncertain as to whether the student’s suggestions will get approved, she has certainly highlighted some of the pain points that fellow students and their parents could be facing. 

Image source: Facebook screengrab

Image source: Facebook screengrab

From the comments, it appeared that parents are sharing similar sentiments of having a dedicated day for CCA, as well as for schools to start at a later timing. 

Image source: Facebook screengrab

Image source: Facebook screengrab

Image source: Facebook screengrab

Image source: Facebook screengrab

That said, there are many factors to be carefully considered such as the feasibility of having students submit homework only on Fridays. Teachers too, could be parents themselves. And having only the weekend to mark papers could affect their work-life balance.

Another Facebook user sought the careful consideration of Mr Ong regarding this matter. She brought forth the possibility that the time children spend away from school could be misused. According to her, many like her have emerged “just fine” with the existing education system. 

The slew of comments in Mr Ong’s posts also included other suggestions from parents such as extending recess or lunch breaks and reducing class size. 

While the saying goes that “parents know best”, perhaps students themselves—who are more well-versed with the school system—know what is truly beneficial for them. 

You can view Mr Ong Ye Kung’s full post here: 

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