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'I'll keep her at home until she gets transfer'
THE school year may have started almost a month ago, but Mr Sargit Singh's 12-year-old daughter hasn't attended a single day of school.
And it's not that she's playing truant.
It's because her father isn't allowing her to attend classes because he believes that the 45-minute journey back from school is "too dangerous" for his young daughter to make alone.
So he's keeping her at home until he can get the Ministry of Education (MOE) to post her to a school near where they live.
Mr Singh, 53, who is unemployed, said: "If I start sending her to school, I am afraid that MOE will be more reluctant to grant her a transfer to a school nearer to my place."
His daughter was posted to Chestnut Drive Secondary School in Bukit Panjang in December last year.
But Mr Singh said he wants her to be transferred to either Greenridge Secondary School or Zhenghua Secondary School, where his elder daughter, 13, is studying.
Both schools are much nearer - within walking distance - to his flat in Bukit Panjang Ring Road.
He said: "Chestnut Drive Secondary was her sixth choice. Why was she posted to a school so far away?"
An MOE spokesman explained that this was because Mr Singh's daughter did not meet the cut-off for the other schools.
Mr Singh said that he didn't feel it was safe for his daughter to take public transport home on her own.
"She has to take a bus and then a train - it is a bit complicated for a 12-year-old," he said.
"The school is surrounded by terrace and bungalow houses and the area is a bit deserted."
While a school bus is available to take Mr Singh's daughter to school, there are no scheduled buses for the return journey as the students finish their lessons and activities at different times.
Mr Singh is unable to pick his daughter up from school as he has difficulty walking due to multiple knee injuries he has suffered since 1975. He believes that it would be easier for him to deal with any family emergencies if his daughter could come home on her own.
Mr Singh explained that cost was another factor.
His wife, who works at the Singapore General Hospital, earns $1,100 a month as a health care assistant and is the family's sole breadwinner.
The Northwest Community Development Council provides an education bursary to Mr Singh's daughters, which amounts to $1,200 a year. This bursary pays for books, uniforms and other school-related costs.
Mr Singh said if his daughter were to go to Chestnut Drive Secondary, it would cost $50 a month in public transport fares.
In comparison, his elder daughter saves the money by walking home from school.
While he understood Mr Singh's concern over his daughter's welfare, principal of Chestnut Drive Secondary Teoh Teik Hoe said the environment around his school is perfectly safe.
Mr Teoh said: "There are 800 students in our school and most of them have no problem going back home on their own."
On helping Mr Singh's daughter, Mr Teoh said he has offered to allow Mr Singh's daughter to attend school in her primary school uniform until a transfer is successful.
He added: "She does not need to purchase books before the transfer. The school has also offered food coupons, free textbooks and uniforms to her.
"We have also invited Mr Singh to discuss how the school could assist with the family's financial situation in the longer term, in the event that a transfer is not possible."
No tuition at home
Both Greenridge Secondary and Zhenghua Secondary have told Mr Singh that they have no vacancies at the moment.
But Mr Singh said: "I am willing to keep my daughter home indefinitely until she is granted a request."
However, he admits that he is worried about her results as she is not having any form of tuition while at home.
Said his wife Jaswinder Kaur, 35: "I am getting increasingly worried about her as over a month has passed."
Her daughter too, is getting anxious.
"I would just like to go to school. I get up and I do nothing but sit around," she said.
She said the first thing she does when she wakes up is to ask her dad if either Greenridge Secondary or Zhenghua Secondary called.
Asked if he was being irresponsible by insisting that his daughter stays at home, Mr Singh said no.
Instead, he said: "I am worried about her safety, like any father would. I want what is best for her and our family."
Educators and counsellors The New Paper on Sunday spoke to were split on the matter.
Executive director of Beyond Social Services Gerard Ee, 49, said: "I wouldn't say the father is being irresponsible. He is concerned about exposing his daughter to certain risks if she had to come home by herself.
"Both (parent and school) have to listen to each other to come up with a solution."
Reverend Sam Kuna, 54, who has over 30 years of experience in counselling teens, agreed, but added that it was likely that Mr Singh doesn't understand how the school posting system works.
But a teacher, who declined to be named, said it is unacceptable that Mr Singh's daughter is being deprived of an education.
Said the 30-year-old English teacher: "Someone in the family can teach her to take the bus to school. Her mother can do it on the days that she is not working and Singapore is not a dangerous place.
"It just sounds as though he (Mr Singh) is using his daughter to try and pressure the relevant parties to grant her a transfer."
THE school year may have started almost a month ago, but Mr Sargit Singh's 12-year-old daughter hasn't attended a single day of school.
And it's not that she's playing truant.
It's because her father isn't allowing her to attend classes because he believes that the 45-minute journey back from school is "too dangerous" for his young daughter to make alone.
So he's keeping her at home until he can get the Ministry of Education (MOE) to post her to a school near where they live.
Mr Singh, 53, who is unemployed, said: "If I start sending her to school, I am afraid that MOE will be more reluctant to grant her a transfer to a school nearer to my place."
His daughter was posted to Chestnut Drive Secondary School in Bukit Panjang in December last year.
But Mr Singh said he wants her to be transferred to either Greenridge Secondary School or Zhenghua Secondary School, where his elder daughter, 13, is studying.
Both schools are much nearer - within walking distance - to his flat in Bukit Panjang Ring Road.
He said: "Chestnut Drive Secondary was her sixth choice. Why was she posted to a school so far away?"
An MOE spokesman explained that this was because Mr Singh's daughter did not meet the cut-off for the other schools.
Mr Singh said that he didn't feel it was safe for his daughter to take public transport home on her own.
"She has to take a bus and then a train - it is a bit complicated for a 12-year-old," he said.
"The school is surrounded by terrace and bungalow houses and the area is a bit deserted."
While a school bus is available to take Mr Singh's daughter to school, there are no scheduled buses for the return journey as the students finish their lessons and activities at different times.
Mr Singh is unable to pick his daughter up from school as he has difficulty walking due to multiple knee injuries he has suffered since 1975. He believes that it would be easier for him to deal with any family emergencies if his daughter could come home on her own.
Mr Singh explained that cost was another factor.
His wife, who works at the Singapore General Hospital, earns $1,100 a month as a health care assistant and is the family's sole breadwinner.
The Northwest Community Development Council provides an education bursary to Mr Singh's daughters, which amounts to $1,200 a year. This bursary pays for books, uniforms and other school-related costs.
Mr Singh said if his daughter were to go to Chestnut Drive Secondary, it would cost $50 a month in public transport fares.
In comparison, his elder daughter saves the money by walking home from school.
While he understood Mr Singh's concern over his daughter's welfare, principal of Chestnut Drive Secondary Teoh Teik Hoe said the environment around his school is perfectly safe.
Mr Teoh said: "There are 800 students in our school and most of them have no problem going back home on their own."
On helping Mr Singh's daughter, Mr Teoh said he has offered to allow Mr Singh's daughter to attend school in her primary school uniform until a transfer is successful.
He added: "She does not need to purchase books before the transfer. The school has also offered food coupons, free textbooks and uniforms to her.
"We have also invited Mr Singh to discuss how the school could assist with the family's financial situation in the longer term, in the event that a transfer is not possible."
No tuition at home
Both Greenridge Secondary and Zhenghua Secondary have told Mr Singh that they have no vacancies at the moment.
But Mr Singh said: "I am willing to keep my daughter home indefinitely until she is granted a request."
However, he admits that he is worried about her results as she is not having any form of tuition while at home.
Said his wife Jaswinder Kaur, 35: "I am getting increasingly worried about her as over a month has passed."
Her daughter too, is getting anxious.
"I would just like to go to school. I get up and I do nothing but sit around," she said.
She said the first thing she does when she wakes up is to ask her dad if either Greenridge Secondary or Zhenghua Secondary called.
Asked if he was being irresponsible by insisting that his daughter stays at home, Mr Singh said no.
Instead, he said: "I am worried about her safety, like any father would. I want what is best for her and our family."
Educators and counsellors The New Paper on Sunday spoke to were split on the matter.
Executive director of Beyond Social Services Gerard Ee, 49, said: "I wouldn't say the father is being irresponsible. He is concerned about exposing his daughter to certain risks if she had to come home by herself.
"Both (parent and school) have to listen to each other to come up with a solution."
Reverend Sam Kuna, 54, who has over 30 years of experience in counselling teens, agreed, but added that it was likely that Mr Singh doesn't understand how the school posting system works.
But a teacher, who declined to be named, said it is unacceptable that Mr Singh's daughter is being deprived of an education.
Said the 30-year-old English teacher: "Someone in the family can teach her to take the bus to school. Her mother can do it on the days that she is not working and Singapore is not a dangerous place.
"It just sounds as though he (Mr Singh) is using his daughter to try and pressure the relevant parties to grant her a transfer."
