SINGAPORE – More than 70 students from two schools here took the wrong O-level mathematics paper last Thursday (Oct 20), after a mix-up in the subject codes during registration.

A total of 73 Secondary 5 students – 24 from Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School (AISS) and 49 from Woodgrove Secondary School – were affected. They had taken the O-level maths Paper 1 from the revised syllabus with the subject code 4048, when they should have been given the paper from the old syllabus with the code 4016.

During the exam, students came across a few questions they were unfamiliar with. They later realised that the paper they had taken was different from the one they had studied for, after comparing the subject code on their entry proofs with that of their 10-year series.

In a reply to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) confirmed the mix-up on Monday (Oct 24) but said no other schools were affected.

The revised version is being examined for the first time this year.

The Straits Times understands that the current Secondary 5 Normal (Academic) students are using the old maths syllabus as they started a year earlier than the Secondary 4 Express students, who are on the new syllabus.

The SEAB said both schools “had indicated the wrong syllabus code during the registration process” in the early part of the year.

While affected candidates have taken the Paper 1 for the revised syllabus 4048, the topics examined are largely comparable with the syllabus 4016, it said.

After both schools learnt of the error, they immediately informed SEAB to ensure that the students took the maths Paper 2 the next day under the correct syllabus.

SEAB is currently working with the schools and the University of Cambridge International Examinations to ensure that “these candidates will be fairly assessed” in the maths Paper 1 exam.

“We will take into consideration the circumstances of the incident, the candidates’ performance in the school preliminary examination, their performance in the other mathematics paper and the cohort’s performance in providing a fair assessment to the candidates for the mathematics subject,” it said.

Some AISS students said they were shocked when they found out they had taken the wrong paper.

“I didn’t think this would happen,” said a student, who declined to be named. “There’s probably little difference between the papers. Hopefully I won’t be penalised.”

On candidates’ performance in preliminary exams being considered for assessment, the student said: “I think it is quite unfair, because we put in a lot more effort preparing for the O-levels.”

AISS principal Chew Ing Lim told The Straits Times she has met the affected students to assure them and check if further support was required. She added that students and parents are appreciative of the school’s efforts after the episode.

“Our immediate focus is to provide the necessary support to the students who are still in the midst of taking the national examinations,” she added. “The students have been encouraged to stay focused.”

Woodgrove principal Chee Chit Yeng told The Straits Times the affected students “have been briefed and their parent have been assured that they will be assessed together with the other candidates under the correct syllabus and would not be disadvantaged”.

“The school is reviewing our registration processes to ensure such mistakes of entering the wrong subject code will not happen in future,” he added.

This article was first published on Oct 24, 2016.
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SINGAPORE – A Facebook post with pictures of Hindu devotees helping and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on an elderly Chinese man has gone viral since it was first posted on Sunday (Oct 23).

It has been shared more than 1,800 times and attracted more than 2,200 reactions by noon on Monday (Oct 24).

The photos, taken by Mr Kumar V and uploaded on Facebook by his brother-in-law Mr S R Loganathan, depict the scene at a Shell petrol station along Serangoon Road.

The incident occurred on Sunday at about 3.45pm.

on Facebook

on Facebook

In the photos, a crowd of Hindu devotees can be seen gathering around the unconscious elderly man as one of the devotees, Mr U Silvakumar, places his hands on the man’s chest to administer CPR. Mr Silvakumar and the other devotees are dressed in their ceremonial attires.

Mr Silvakumar, 58, had first noticed a crowd at the petrol station as he was crossing the road. He had done his prayers in the morning and was headed to the temple to rest before the fire-walking ceremony in the evening.

When he looked closer, he saw the elderly man lying on the ground in the petrol station, while a few people were trying to fan him with scarves to improve the ventilation around him.

Immediately, the army military expert’s life-saving instincts kicked in. After determining that the man had no pulse or signs of breathing, Mr Silvakumar administered CPR.

“I first picked up CPR in 1982. It’s my nature to help,” said Mr Silvakumar.

Mr Kumar, who took the photos, told The Straits Times that he and his friend had earlier seen the elderly man trying to inflate his bicycle tyres at the petrol station when the ceremonial procession was on its way to the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple along Serangoon Road. He “looked normal” then, said Mr Kumar.

As it was drizzling, four devotees held up a ceremonial attire known as a vesthi to create a temporary shelter over the elderly man after he collapsed, said Mr Kumar, who is a ship boarding officer.

“Some people tried to make space for the elderly man, while others were waiting at the side of the road for the ambulance so that they could direct it to the exact location when it arrived,” Mr Kumar said.

“I felt very scared and I was just praying in my heart that this man could be saved,” he said. “I just wanted the uncle to recover. It looked pretty bad and he was not responding at all to the initial CPR and had no movements.”

A spokesman for the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that SCDF was alerted to the incident along Serangoon Road near Block 509 at 3.47pm. SCDF dispatched one ambulance and the man was conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

According to Mr Kumar, someone had managed to contact the elderly man’s wife using the man’s mobile phone.

Mr Kumar said the man showed signs of response just before he was taken into the ambulance.

“He was still unconscious, but we saw his stomach moving and immediately shouted ‘Om Sakthi’, which means ‘praise the gods’, in relief. It is a mantra recited during the fire-walking ritual,” he said.

Mr Silvakumar, who helped to revive the man, was equally relieved.

“It takes guts because everyone is watching but I was not really pressured. I was just praying for him to come through. If I can save him, I’m happy, but if I cannot then it is fate, but it won’t stop me from trying again.”

He added that he was “overcome with emotion” when he saw that the man’s normal heartbeat had returned according to the monitor in the ambulance.

“I was happy he came through. It is not every day we get the chance to revive somebody. It’s something I will never forget.”

Ms Aishu Kumar, the daughter of Mr Silvakumar, the devotee who performed CPR, told The Straits Times on Monday (Oct 24) that her 58-year-old father had been unaware that his heroic act has created waves online.

Describing her father as “selfless and caring”, she said he has influenced her and her siblings “such that we do all we can to help those people around us”.

“My family and I can never be more proud of the man we live with and who brought us up. Even as most of us are praising him, he does not actually know that he’s quite a sensation now. We didn’t even know about this incident till it came out on Facebook last night.”

Mr Loganathan, who is a manager at a funeral company, was not at the scene but posted the photos on his Facebook account after Mr Kumar sent him the pictures.

“My main concern was to let people know that by doing CPR, you can save someone’s life. In my line of work, I have seen many cases of death that could have been prevented, and CPR can save someone’s life in a split-second,” said the 35-year-old.

Netizens praised the actions of the men who helped, with some highlighting Singapore’s multiracial society.

Facebook user Nyonya Yusri wrote: “Regardless of race, language or religion… good job!”

Another user, Elmy Tahir, commented: “This is the kind of deed that make us proud to be a Singaporean.”

Ng Kwong Heng wrote: “Regardless Of Race Or Religion. God Bless You Brothers.”

This article was first published on Oct 24, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.