MathPlus's definitions

Singapore’s GEP

Short for “Singapore’s Gifted Education Programme,” that has sulked up so much taxpayers’ money, yet has achieved so little—an elitist programme that equates high academic achievement with giftedness.

At best, Singapore’s GEP—every parent’s secret desire for their child to get into it—creates the illusion of nurturing individual creativity, when it actually breeds conformity and produces academic snobbery among its members.

by MathPlus October 24, 2018

Singapore

A “tuition nation” where your grade six exam score more or less determines your future—the fear of failing and not getting into a school of choice reduces your chances of a decent or quality education, because the top or popular schools have “better teachers” and more resources.

Because of its high-stakes exams, Singapore is probably the world’s most stressful country for a child to experience a normal childhood—and she will be at a disadvantage if her parents can’t afford to send her for private tuition.

by MathPlus July 11, 2018

Who Wants a Sinovac Shot?

The Chinese equivalent of “Who wants a Covaxin jab?” When China is aggressively involved in vaccine diplomacy, by donating millions of its home-made partially trialed and 50⁺% effective vaccines to poor or emerging countries, whose populations have mixed feelings about these WHO-unapproved shots—is China trying to redeem itself or to make up for its earlier lies and cover-ups for failing to alert the world of the pandemic?

When beggars can’t be choosers, even if the vaccines have got zero WHO approval, how dare millions of recipients worldwide cynically or skeptically ask: “Who wants a Sinovac shot?”

by MathPlus March 23, 2021

White Terrorist-in-Chief

The latest notorious title conferred on Donald J. Trump for the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol, when his diehard supporters-turned-terrorists stormed the building, and threatened to kill the Vice President and endanger the lives of lawmakers.

Liar-in-Chief, Pinocchio-in-Chief, Divider-in-Chief, Faker-in-Chief, …, Pharisee-in-Chief, Hoaxer-in-Chief, Conspiracist-in-Chief, White Terrorist-in-Chief, it’s hard to imagine another rogue or fake leader collecting so many ignoble titles while in office, except perhaps for Kim Jong Un who has been honored with dozens of laughably flattery titles.

by MathPlus January 25, 2021

Doom-and-Gloom Math

The hypothesis that a large proportion of the people in the developed world would lack the critical thinking and quantitative skills required of a 21st-century citizen, because the politics of nativism, populism, and racism plaguing their societies have directly or indirectly brainwashed or radicalized them.

Thanks to Trumpism or right-wing politics, clothed under white supremacism or white Christian nationalism, millions of adults and children have fallen victims to the gospel of doom-and-gloom math, who blame millions of immigrants and refugees for stealing their blue-and white-collar jobs and for invading the promised land of their forefathers (who did the same thing to Native Americans).

by MathPlus April 28, 2023

Trickle Down Mathematics

A cute sounding phrase, which is 99.99% bullshit, that is used to justify the high royalties demanded by half-baked math authors in academia, or the high fees charged by most overrated textbook math consultants or general editors (who are notorious in giving cosmetic feedback to a manuscript).

Educational publishers in Singapore reluctantly give in to trickle down mathematics, hoping to increase the odds of their approved textbooks to be adopted by more local schools, by displaying as many PhDs on their book covers.

by MathPlus November 17, 2021

MASKHØLE

Someone who grudgingly wears a face mask in public after being fined at least once for failing to do so previously.

After being fined $300 for her first offense and $1,000 for her second offense for refusing to wear a mask in public, Arna is now a repentant maskhøle, who has been

warned that a third offense would land her behind bars.

by MathPlus March 13, 2021