It was reported in Lianhe Zaobao on Dec. 20 that Juying Secondary School did not release a pair of N-Level certificates to students as a result of unpaid school fees.

A truncated translated English version by States Times Review has since been making the rounds online:

This is States Times Review's version:

According to reporters from Chinese papers Lian He Zao Bao, two N-level students from Juying Secondary School were not allowed to receive their official certificates because they owed school fees. The two Normal Technical-stream students with extreme poverty family background each owed the school S$540 and S$1,696, and only received their exam transcripts during the release of N-level results yesterday (Dec 19).

It is understood the two poor students were embarrassingly shamed by the school when their fellow school mates heard of the real reason why they were the only ones not given their N-level certificates.

An anonymous part-time teacher was enraged by the school’s mercenary actions and immediately went around the school collecting donations to crowd fund the amount to pay the school. The anonymous part-time teacher raised the full amount in less than a day, but the school refused to take the donation money – embarrassing the two poor students who were eagerly wanted their certificates back to join in the celebration with their friends.

The school then forced the parents of the students to meet, and discussed options to recover the school fees before finally returning their N-level certificates.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education (MOE) did not deny the incident and only repeated himself saying the government has a lot of financial assistance plans to assist local students.

[related_story]

Not the full picture

However, the States Times Review piece covered only a few points and missed out on specific details, besides containing embellishments.

It was mentioned in the original Zaobao article that the withholding of the N-Level certificates was to resolve the issue of unpaid school fees.

This was so as the school fees have not been paid up for over 10 years.

Even though this tactic made the students' parents step forward to resolve the issue in the end, it received mixed reactions from educators who commented on the issue.

One side of the story that was not aired sufficiently in the truncated English report was that the school was tolerant enough to wait more than a decade to resolve this issue.

This is the fully translated Lianhe Zaobao article with more details:

Two secondary four graduates who collected their results slip were unable to collect their N-Level certificates due to outstanding school fees.

The GCE N-level results were released on Dec. 18. According to Lianhe Zaobao reporter’s investigation, two students from Juying Secondary School's normal technical stream had owed the school S$540 and S$1,696 in school fees respectively. They were only able to collect their results slips instead of their certificates.

It is understood that these two cases of school fees were owed by the students for as long as 10 years, but they still have not been paid.

When speaking to Juying Secondary School, the school declined to reveal the family backgrounds of the two students, but the school will meet with the parents of the two students, to understand if they are going through any sort of difficulty, and to explore options to assist them.

A spokesperson for the school said the school has given out the results slips to students.

The day before yesterday, one of Juying secondary school’s part-time teachers, after hearing about the situation, started a donation drive for the students.

Many came forward with generous donations, and the required amount collected within a day.

As the school are finding others way to help, these donations would not be accepted by the school.

Even though these students do not need to have an N-Level certificate to apply for courses at ITE, but for many students, a certificate holds an important significance as a milestone in their academic journey.

MOE: Regardless of background, S’poreans will receive the best educational opportunities

With regards to the matter, an MOE spokesperson said: "MOE will provide financial assistance to Singaporeans who need this form of assistance, ensuring that all Singaporeans, regardless of financial backgrounds will receive the best educational opportunities.”

The spokesperson said students can sign up for the financial assistance package, for example.

They will not have to pay school fees and other administrative fees and enjoy other benefits, such as free textbooks and uniforms, along with transport and meal allowances at the canteen.

Mixed views from educators

The three senior educators that were interviewed have different opinions in the matter.

An educator, whose surname is Han, thinks that the school was not reasonable for keeping the certificates because of the matter of school fees.

He says: ”Students who do not pay school fees may have various reasons for not doing so. Furthermore, certificates are something that students study many years to get. No matter how the student has done, it is evidence of their hard work, which has no relation whatsoever to school fees. The school should deal with the matter in silos, and deal with the problem of school fees directly, and not 'detain' the certificate.”

Another educator, on the other hand, thinks the fact that school fees have been owed for 10 years goes to show that the school has been tolerant of the students.

He says: “The school’s decision to temporarily withhold the certificates is probably a way to communicate with the parents, and a call to the parents to come out to deal with the problem. Be it the family background or any other reason for not paying school fees, the parents still have to at least take responsibility to come out to the school and ask for help, or find other ways and solutions.”

This educator points out that the government funds a big portion of the operations of a school, and it comes from taxpayer's money, and therefore they have to act responsibly.

“If these parents chose to not pay their school fees over a long period of time, then would the bill be paid by taxpayers? Since the fees have been owed to the school for over 10 years, if they do not “withhold” the certificates, the parents may not feel a need to come out and solve the problem.”

SUSS Centre for Chinese Studies Associate Professor Foo Tee Tuan warns that we should not pass judgement before getting to know the circumstances of the situation.

Foo said: “From the school’s perspective, this is probably an administrative tactic, or else, the parents would not even respond. Therefore, this is understandable to a certain extent."

"The problem lies in the question as to whether this is the only method they can use to take action. The key issue at hand would be that of the family backgrounds of the students who owed the school fees."

"In the Internet age, we are quick to judge once something happens, but yet we do not confirm all the details of what has transpired. Ideally, we should slow down, and understand the entire situation before casting any judgement.”

Here are a few interesting articles you should check out next:

My Mom went on a day out with a film camera. Here’s how she views the world

Why you should reignite that kampong spirit with your neighbours