On 19 October 2007, two trainers who were under the employment of FiloMaths apologised concurrently to its founder Mr Chua Kim Leong on their respective blogs. Here are their statements republished in full:
By Mr Wong Ding Jie
Apology: Maths Specialist
“To readers, one and all, and also to Mr. K L Chua, To Mr. Chua giving me an opportunity to teach, I am grateful. I am a current trainer of FiloMath, Maths Specialist and understand that my introduction into it was a rather personal one for me and I had inadvertently assumed that the personal attachment was reciprocated. Therefore, during my time there I had taken a stand such that I expected more involvement of myself into its business activities.
I apologise for trying to mind the business which I have no right to do so and also for imposing my own ideals of a business model on Maths Specialist. Mr. K L Chua, owner of Maths Specialist, has every right to run the business in the way he sees fit and I had am in no place to comment or criticise him and Maths Specialist.
As for my blog entries, it is regrettable to say that I have used certain inappropriate terms and expressions to discuss about Mr. Chua and Math Specialist and its workings. I apologise for that too. I understand that words are to be chosen before it is said and done.
Once again, I apologise to Mr. K L Chua and Maths Specialist for letting my personal thoughts, feelings, emotions and life affect the professionalism which should have been exhibited by me.”
By Mr Zhou Shuai Xun
Apology. Mr Chua. Maths Specialist. FiloMaths
“Here, I sincerely apologise for the wrongful statements made at the blog entries listed below. This apology extents to all readers, including parents, students of Maths Specialist, trainers and especially, found of Maths Specialist, Mr. KL Chua.
Blog entries about FiloMaths titled; Inside Story. FiloMaths. [2] Inside Story. FiloMaths. [3] Inside Story. FiloMaths. are based on groundless criticisms and are removed. Below are the wrongful assumptions made;
1. Salary I have understood his method of calculation of the salary and it is actually not unfair like I have claimed it is. The use of the money from the percentage share of fees is up to Mr. Chua to decide and I shouldn’t be making groundless assumptions like how he would use it. The percentage share of fees is deemed to be fair after detailed calculations. He is the head tutor, the fact that he should get a bigger share is undeniable. I have underestimated the skills, cost and time dedication of running a company/ business.
2. Work Essentials BBQ letter -Mr. Chua should be informed of the BBQ no matter if I am inviting him. I have no reason to be hiding the letter from him. Mr. Chua, as the head tutor, has every right to place students in my class without my (trainer’s) consent. The fact is that I am using his classroom to teach. Mr. Chua also have every right to charge parents for late fees payment. Since it’s stated in the terms and conditions of the enrolment/ registration form. Under the terms and conditions of the enrolment/ registration form, replacement lessons are subjective to availability. If not, every parent would want replacement lessons. Whether the missed lessons should be under ‘Replacement’ or ‘Extra’, it’s up to Mr. Chua to decide, based on the availability of either of them. About how Mr. Chua, founder of Maths Specialist, runs his company, I, as a trainer, have no rights to question and interfere with the organisation of the company.
3. Oracle’s Words This section consist only of assumptions and predictions which does not reflect reality. Assumptions and predictions are made based on groundless inferences. Again, I apologise for the inaccurate and unreliable information presented in my blog entries. There are many ways to get my points across, and I admit that this (blogging) is not the best course of actions to take, as it’s the wrong method of communication. Thank you Mr. Chua, without you, I would never have the opportunity to teach, and at the same time, learning much more.”
WE ARE SEEKING ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1. WHAT PRECISELY WERE THE ACCUSATIONS OF SUCH A SERIOUS NATURE WHICH WARRANTED MR CHUA TO DEMAND UNRESERVED PUBLIC APOLOGIES FROM THESE TWO PEOPLE? WE DO NOT SEE ANYTHING AMOUNTING TO LIBELOUS ATTACKS.
2. WHAT EXACTLY WERE THE CONTENTS OF THE DELETED BLOG POSTS OF MR ZHOU SHUAIXUN?
3. AT THE TIME OF ISSUANCE OF THE PUBLIC APOLOGIES, MR WONG DING JIE AND MR ZHOU SHUAIXUN WERE STILL STUDYING AT SRJC AND NANYANG POLYTECHNIC RESPECTIVELY, AND WERE BOTH AROUND THE AGES OF 17 AND 18. EVIDENTLY TOO YOUNG AND GROSSLY UNQUALIFIED TO TEACH, WHY WERE THEY EVEN HIRED AS TRAINERS IN THE FIRST PLACE?
MR CHUA NEEDS TO STEP FORWARD TO CLARIFY.
Note: FiloMaths is not black-listed at the present moment (5 July 2014), however it’s status may change over time based on our investigations. Updates shall be provided accordingly.
