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the education system in singapore aims at its excellence for its students, often offering them various opportunities for them to stand out individually, inculcating values needed for the long run in the future. however, it also brought disadvantages along with it. due to student's not able to manage their own time properly, it resulted in them having bad time management and other factors that would restrict social mobility of their child that undermines the development in their potential.

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summary of some viewpoints (by news articles) 

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summary of some viewpoints (by news articles) 

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- students prioritising other things that are irrevelent to them that made them feel tired during lesson times

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Positive outcome with good time management 

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Positive outcome with good time management 

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- will not experience the impacts of having bad time management:

see improvement in terms of health problems like having a better immune system with better sleep due to good time management

see improvement in terms of education by having significant improvement in their grades

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basic thoughts on lack of time management // members viewpoints on lack of time management 

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basic thoughts on lack of time management // members viewpoints on lack of time management 

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- kids and teens are proud that they only have 4 hours of sleep per day due to lack of time management
- some don't really care or might not even realize that it's an important factor that affects you in terms of education and health issues

Serena:  I think that time management  plays an important role in life as having good time  management brings you positive impacts in terms of education (grades) and health (physically but more mentally)

Eunice: Having good time management ensures that we still have time to do what we love and have enough rest

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solutions//what can be done to solve this problem

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solutions//what can be done to solve this problem

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solutions:
- to have a well planned schedule so that you will know well what you are going to do at a certain timing
- to be on task and not get distracted and swayed so easily by technological devices ( self-discipline)

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impact:
- leading to lack of sleep which also leads to:

brain potential will drop in terms of how much they can learn and consolidate

dampens creativity

emotional problems

stunt their growth in height

- lack of punctuality
- procrastination
- unhealthy eating habits

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Home > About Us > > Newsroom > 2009 News Articles/ Reports

05 Jan 2009

By:Salma Khalik

More than three-quarters of the teenagers here are compromising their health and performance in school by not getting enough sleep.

A study of students in six schools last year found that four in five of them were not getting the recommended eight to nine hours of sleep on school nights; half of those in the study were getting only five to six hours.

Dr Lim Li Ling, director of Singapore General Hospital's Sleep Disorder Unit, said: 'When children don't get enough sleep, the consequences are significant. It affects their learning and growth.'

She noted that many teens in sleep deficit are high-achievers who think sleep is an option they can do without.

'Some proudly let me know that they sleep only four hours a night. It's not something they should feel proud about. It affects their brain potential - how much they can learn and consolidate.'

Dr Lim, a neurologist by training before specialising in sleep problems, said a lack of sleep also dampens creativity, and may cause emotional problems or even stunt their growth in height.

Few teens who go through school with just six hours of sleep a night are happy children.

A study in the United States found that even top students do better with sufficient sleep: Tracking a group of students two years before and three years after school hours were changed to allow them more time in bed, the study found a significant improvement in their grades.

Even their levels of mischief fell.

Dr Lim said the majority of teenagers here do not get enough sleep because, on top of their school work, they spend time 'doing what teens like to do', such as chatting online.

Physically, they remain alert till late at night, which enables them to do this, even though they really need to hit the sack to get the rest their bodies need for another school day.

The heavy load of school and co-curricular activities also takes its toll on sleep.

Secondary 2 student Denise Tan, who wakes up at 5.50am is a typical teenager who is 'sometimes sleepy at school'.

But her schedule seems beyond her control: As a school swimmer, she trains thrice a week and does not get home till 6pm on those days.

Still, she gets to bed only between 10pm and 11pm, after homework and watching about an hour of television - and this teenager does not even play computer games or chat online on school days, unlike some of her classmates at St Joseph's Convent.

Most teenagers try to make up by sleeping in on weekends. Denise, for example, is in bed until almost noon on Saturdays. She has to be up by 8am on Sundays to go to church with her family.

Dr Lim said make-up sleep may work in the short term, but is not good for the body.

School commitments aside, some young ones do not get enough sleep because of medical problems.

Nur Natasha Abdul Rahman, nine, wakes up tired as she suffers from obstructive sleep apnoea. This causes her to wake up many times a night, preventing restful sleep. She either falls asleep in class or learns very little on the days she is awake. She failed her Primary 3 exams last year. Treated at KK Women's and Children's Hospital last year, she now gets a good night's sleep, and has been allowed by her school to attend Primary 4.

Sleep apnoea affects between 1 and 3 per cent of children here.

NO DOZING CAN LEAVE KIDS DAZED

'Some proudly let me know that they sleep only four hours a night. It's not something they should feel proud about. It affects their brain potential - how much they can learn and consolidate.'

-Dr Lim Li Ling, director of Singapore General Hospital's Sleep Disorder Unit, on sleep-deficient teens, many of whom are high-achievers and who think sleep is an option they can do without.
" Back to previous page

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4 in 5 teens not getting enough sleep (The Straits Times, Mon, pg B2)

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Home > About Us > > Newsroom > 2009 News Articles/ Reports 05 Jan 2009 By:Salma Khalik More than three-quarters of the teenagers here are compromising their health and performance in school by not getting enough sleep.

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summarized cause:
- students use their time to play games and stay on social media
- they do not a have well planned schedule (some students assign a specific amount of hours to do homework and set aside time if needed for tuition and extra activities)
- Laziness

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Singapore's children do not get enough sleep. But it is a necessary trade-off, said some parents.

Given the competitive environment here, it is important their kids spend time on extra classes and enrichment activities, they said.

Contrary to popular perception, school and schoolwork are not the only - or even main - reason why some pupils do not have enough sleep, based on interviews The Sunday Times did with 10 families.

Instead, factors like a hard-striving attitude, lessons outside school and a lack of parental supervision seem to be the biggest culprits.

One parent, who wanted to be known only as Madam Lew, 45, said her 10-year-old daughter who is in Primary 5 participates in activities such as sailing, netball and enrichment classes, as well as ad hoc writing competitions. She sleeps about eight hours a day, and is often tired.

Last month, the NurtureSG committee, which promotes the physical and mental health of children, issued a batch of recommendations. Those aged between six and 13 should have nine to 11 hours of sleep a night, it said. This is in line with similar guidelines by the United States' National Sleep Foundation.

Said Madam Lew: "It's not because of the school's schedule. It's about what she's trying to prove."

Then there's Javier Lim, 11, a Primary 5 pupil at West View Primary who gets about 71/2 hours of sleep due to co-curricular activity (CCA) commitments, maths olympiad classes, and private tuition.He said: "I'm used to it. If I were to call this busy, I wouldn't be able to manage my mid-year, or end-of-year exams."

Most families said their children have about eight hours of sleep every night - below the recommended nine to 11 hours.

Last month, the NurtureSG committee, which promotes the physical and mental health of children, issued a batch of recommendations.

Those aged between six and 13 should get nine to 11 hours of sleep a night, it said. This is in line with similar guidelines by the United States' National Sleep Foundation.

Experts stressed the need to cultivate good sleep habits from young, and pointed out that a lack of sleep has a negative effect on cognition.

On the bright side, some schools have initiatives that promote a better work-life balance for pupils.

Hougang Primary School has since January incorporated CCAs into curriculum time. Pupils no longer stay back after school for CCAs, which could last till 5.30pm before.

It is not known how common this practice is among schools here.

Housewife Wong Fei Wan, 42, whose daughters are in Primary 2 and Primary 5, said they spend an hour in the playground in the afternoon, and sleep for about 91/2 hours.

Still , the demands of homework can take their toll.

Housewife Emmanuelle Tan, who is in her 40s, has a daughter in Primary 5 who attends the Gifted Education Programme at a top primary school - more than an hour away from home by public transport.

Her daughter, who sleeps at 11.30pm and wakes up at 5.30am, often spends about three to four hours on homework daily, including graded project work that is set even during exam periods.

She also has eight hours of tuition a week, full-day chess tournaments on some weekends, and weekly classes with a g randmaster.

"She feels very tired and dozes off a little in class," said Madam Tan.

Some people have suggested that early school hours - starting at about 7.30am - could be a problem.

One parent, Ms Yap, 40, whose children attend Opera Estate Primary, disagreed. "If you start late, you will end late. I don't like the idea of them having a late lunch."

Then there are students who stay up late using social media. One primary school teacher, who wanted to be known only as Madam Ong, 49, said: "Some students look very tired, but that's not due to homework. It's due to gaming, Facebook, Instagram... Some parents don't supervise them because they are so busy."

Others, she said, stay up late to wait for their parents to get home.

Government Parliamentary Committee for Health chairman Chia Shi-Lu said that while many are aware of the importance of adequate sleep, having more people act on this requires a mindset change.

"It's the same as exercise... The question is how to make sure we have the necessary discipline."

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Schoolwork 'not key reason' for lack of sleep among pupils

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Singapore's children do not get enough sleep. But it is a necessary trade-off, said some parents. Given the competitive environment here, it is important their kids spend time on extra classes and enrichment activities, they said.