Commenting on the recent case of a couple who was fined S$9,000 for lying about their address to get their child into a popular primary school, SMU Dean of Students and Professor of Sociology (Practice) Paulin Straughan pointed out that these parents’ actions, coupled with other “tell-tale signs” like parents’ pre-occupation with enrichment lessons, reflects that there may be too much at stake in national examinations like the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). “The perception is that if you don’t do well at the PSLE and you don’t get streamed to your desired school, you won’t have the kind of opportunities to rise to your potential,” she explained. “The difference after PSLE is quite startling, because you get your IP schools, your independent schools, and then it’s down the stacking order. So parents feel that if you don’t do everything you can in the formative years of their education – which is really primary school – once they cross over into secondary school and they’re in this traditionally feared stage of teenage rebellion, they want their children to be in an environment which they consider safe.”