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MOM reviewing effectiveness of entry test for maids

Foreign manpower
  • The Straits Times (07 June 2011) : MOM reviewing effectiveness of entry test for maids
  • The Straits Times (03 June 2011) : Review English test for new maids
  • The Straits Times (03 June 2011) : Spare them the unnecessary pain
  • The Straits Times (03 June 2011): Don't make this test compulsory, but optional
  • The Straits Times Online (03 June 2011) : Criterion unfair – it takes years to learn English
      • MOM reviewing effectiveness of entry test for maids
      - The Straits Times, 07 June 2011

      1.   We refer to recent letters and articles in The Straits Times on the Entry Test for first-time Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs), following the tragic demise of Ms Sulastri Wardyoyo.

      2.   The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) introduced the Entry Test in 2005 as part of a package of measures to ensure first-time FDWs are able to adapt to working and living in Singapore.

      3.   The Entry Test was thus designed to ensure that they possess basic numeracy and literacy skills. It also helps ascertain the ability of FDWs to understand basic safety instructions, as most FDWs will be working in a highly urbanised environment for the first time. This is important, both for the safety of the FDW as well as the young children and elderly she may be taking care of.

      4.   Contrary to suggestions by some employment agencies (EAs), MOM has not made the Entry Test more difficult in recent months or years. It is also inaccurate to draw conclusions about the passing rate (2 Jun 11) from a single test session, as your newspaper did. In fact, close to 95% of first-time FDWs pass the test. To better assess whether a potential FDW can pass the Entry Test, EAs may use the sample test questions available on MOM's website.

      5.   The Ministry has been receiving suggestions and ideas on the Entry Test in recent months, in part due to policy changes in the FDW source countries. MOM is reviewing the effectiveness of the Entry Test to ensure it remains relevant, while taking into consideration the feedback received. We will work with key stakeholders as part of the review. Members of the public can email suggestions and views to mom_fmmd@mom.gov.sg.
      Review English test for new maids
      - The Straits Times, 03 June 2011

      Indonesian maid Sulastri Wardoyo's tragedy saddens the heart and boggles the mind ('Maid in ICU after trying to hang herself'; Wednesday).

      The fact that a young woman, who is married with a child, would be so driven to despair by the Foreign Domestic Worker Entry Test means that the system must change.

      There must be better ways for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to administer the test.

      First, maids should not have to sit for the test in Singapore. With the large number of applicants, the MOM could arrange for a central testing centre on home soil manned by minimal MOM staff or its appointees, at regular intervals in a year. If they are appointees, then it would be the MOM's responsibility to ensure their integrity and credibility.

      Second, a written test is unnecessary. We need maids to understand verbal instructions. We do not need them to be able to read and write. If they could read and write English, they need not be maids. It is not right to burden them with literacy demands when their job scope entails only cooking, cleaning and child-rearing. Could we not conduct a verbal assessment instead? This oral interview could again be done at a central testing centre on home soil or via webcam.

      Third, test standards need to reflect the nature of the job. Forty multiple-choice questions in 30 minutes mean 45 seconds per question. This is a tall order when both the language and the scenarios used in the test are foreign to the maid.

      In addition, re-tests should not be held on consecutive days. There should be adequate time in between re-tests for the maid to consolidate information and learn from her mistakes in the previous test.

      Nobody in their right mind would want to be a maid if they could help it. The fact that these women leave homes and families to come here in search of menial work means that they are at the end of their tether.

      We should not tip them over the edge by imposing unreasonable standards on them. We must temper our rigorous standards with a pinch of compassion and common sense.
      Spare them the unnecessary pain
      - The Straits Times, 03 June 2011

      Before the new rules came into effect, I had taken maids who were fluent only in Tamil on my foreign postings and frankly, I could not have asked for anyone better.

      A couple of my previous maids who had miraculously passed the Foreign Domestic Worker Entry Test had no recollection of the points raised in the test paper. This could be the result of intensive and forced coaching, with the mind going completely blank after regurgitation.

      The maids have to sit for the test only after their arrival in Singapore. Evidently, they would have to be repatriated if unsuccessful. The maids and their agents could be spared the trauma and financial burden if the test were conducted in designated centres in their home countries before their departures were finalised.

      I have encountered foreign workers in other sectors who neither understand nor speak English, and yet hold jobs which require them to interact with the public. Maids generally do not have to deal with the public, so as long as they are able to converse with and understand their employer in a language they both are comfortable with, why waste the time and resources on this test?

      A briefing on the relevant points in a language familiar to them would surely suffice.

      If Singapore has recognised Chinese, Malay, Tamil and other Indian languages as accepted second languages, why is the test not conducted in any one of these languages that the maid is familiar with?

      Unless the maid is already proficient in English, she is never going to be able to converse in and comprehend the language, even if she passes the test.

      The Ministry of Manpower should re- examine the raison d'etre for language testing of maids coming to Singapore.
      Don't make this test compulsory, but optional
      - The Straits Times, 03 June 2011

      Wednesday's report ('Maid in ICU after trying to hang herself') is most heartrending. Don't make this test compulsory for all maids, but optional, so that employers who choose to have only such maids have the choice to do so by paying the Ministry of Manpower for this extra service.
      The questions are too difficult for maids coming from a country where English is not commonly used
      - The Straits Times, 07 June 2011

      I was shocked when I read the sample questions for the Foreign Domestic Worker Entry Test. The questions are too difficult for maids coming from a country where English is not commonly used. It is impractical to expect maids who earn about $400 a month to achieve such a high level of understanding in a foreign language, unless they have had formal English education back home. What is the point of asking maids who fail a written exam to retake the same exam, once or even twice, within the next two days?
      Criterion unfair – it takes years to learn English
      - The Straits Times Online, 03 June 2011

      I read with great sadness Wednesday's report ('Maid in ICU after trying to hang herself').

      The criterion for all new maids to clear the written Foreign Domestic Worker Entry Test is unfair. It takes many years to learn the English language. The majority of maids come from poor communities and do not have the luxury of going to schools to learn English.

      It should be sufficient for the maids to take an oral test and to be tested on their performance on tasks relevant to their job scope. Basic spoken English should suffice.
      In comparison, security guards whose jobs are more demanding have to take only an oral test.

      My maid came from a remote part of Indonesia and spoke no English. However, she now speaks and understands English, even though she has never attended an English class. She was awarded an ITE Skills Certificate in Food Preparation, and the course was conducted in English. She is now also computer-literate.

      This example shows that maids are willing to improve themselves. Better understanding and patience are required from employers to train and nurture them.