“not knowing how to apply the knowledge is no knowledge at all”

How true this statement is, and you feel it especially when you have to work with these new graduates

Despite their good grades, they’re pretty much useless in the workplace unless given guidelines, or SOPs.

Think out of the box? Zilch

Resourcefulness ? Zilch

Firefighting ? Zilch

Assigning blame? That they can do very well. Sounds familiar? Like how parents blame the examination script when their children fare badly in the paper.

Sometimes, I feel like programming them out of the workplace.

At least, robots are more predictable. And is not a recurring cost.

Having undergone the education system in SG, I could agree with this article. All that hours of studying, having life mugged away for a place in the local Uni. Unless you get into one of the top few schools, self-expression is probably suppressed.

Schools here are in a race for everything, wanting to have the lowest entrance points, the best CCA award. Thoughts were/are not allowed to develop, model answers are imposed. If the school has tried a method and it works, they’ll swear by it and impose it on the students at the expense of their exploration and learning process. Doesn’t the existence of 10-year series speak for something?

And then they probably thought having project work in JC could nurture different mould of students. Different, unlikely. It is still a mould. In a neighbourhood college where write-ups done by students are determined by formats and teachers determining if the idea is good or not, in my opinion does not help in the development of the students.

While it all means good grades for the students but at what expense, all for the institution but the students?

& it leaves me more amused than awed when I came across an advertisement stating how a primary school (or is it kindergarten) child could do much higher level math with a caption below stating how she entered at 2.5years-old. What’s the joy of growing up and looking back on days of assessment books and tuition centres? Is that what parents today want their child to grow up with?

Of course there is something not very right about Singapore’s education system.

So far the indications show nothing have changed for the better, except more stress for students, teachers and parents (financially too).

But how to make a drastic change to the Canadian way? Or even a gradual change?

And the education system is just a part of and exists in the larger context of the social and political system. If these don’t change, how can the education system change?

And by the way, although Canada and Singapore are democracies, they are of different types – politically, socially and even physically.

Sg education system world class meh? Cannot speak, cannot write, cannot think. World crass more like.

very good article.

not sure one day will this type of sincere article be allow to publish in singapore newspaper.

very good for poor people like me.

maybe to rich people there are no difference.

i rather be a happy and healthy poor,

than a rich man who have cancer.

what about you?

One cannot but marvelled at how our leaders so proudly pronounced our ranking in education and other international rankings praising Singapore like changi airport and other achievement. BUT at the same time refuting other ranking that is not in our favour.

My personal take is that our education is but a mono-typical model for robots that emphasise more on academic results than the overall growth of out younger generation. I have the opportunity to interact with children, mainly teenagers, of foreign friends. They are quite articulate on the subject of politics of their own countries. Does our local bred Singaporean children have any inkling about the same topic? I really doubt so. Our system will only produce students to get good results but not a more rounded person.

I do not take too much pride in this so called top ranking in our education system despite the fact that “Dr.Kishore, dean of public policies of NUS proudly claimed that educational leaders around the world are flocking to Singapore to copy Singapore’s successful educational model.”

“All the children need to do is to study and get good grades.”

This is exactly what the Singapore education system is all about. The impact is know increasingly being felt.

In politics, policy is increasingly being made in a closed environment. Take the PAP government cabinet, for example, you have a “maid” in the form of Lee Kuan Yew, fronting any policy initiative and deflect criticism, whilst the Cabinet just “study” the policies and get good pay.

In economics, the same approach is applied. Local “entrepreneur”, just spend their time to make the profit, the “maid” — i.e. the Government — to search the determine the market, for example “go biotech, go financial services, etc”, doll out grants.

In social policy, you have a populace that just spend time “live to work” and get the “grade” — i.e. work harder, pay less, stay out of politics. Whilst the “maid” — the Government — do the politics.

“History has shown us that there are scores of high achievers without degrees, i.e Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Richard Branson, Walt Disney, Henry Ford, Frank Lloyd Wright, etc.”

You can add a Singaporean to that list — Sim Wong Hoo. But alas that particular star is increasingly fading in time!

The headline picture in the article reminds me of a sheep farm.

I think S’poreans have been badgered into anxiety (about jobs, bills, health, cost of living, etc) that they can no longer imagine another way to live their lives.

Mr Wing is correct and (by S’pore standards) brave to let his children take a year off to go travel. I salute that. ;)

Life is a marathon,not a sprint! – How true,life is indeed a journey,we travel to different destinations from time to time,we alight @ the path where we need to go,to find out what is right for our lives,what is good,the problem with the education system is,it is indeed flawed,yes,we may be no 1 in the world,so what’s the big deal?

Here are the questions i have to raise?

1) Can Spore produce world-class athletes?
Ans : Nope,we have the so-called “foreign talent” in all competitions @ all levels

2) Is Spore able to produce entrepreneurs & individuals with business acumen?
Ans : Nah,we have foreigners who come to Spore to enjoy the fruits of our hard-earned labor.

3) Does Spore have students with high IQ but low EQ?
Ans : Yeah,its pretty much materialistic out there,cause the adults behave in that manner too

4) With all the hype in getting good grades from primary school to local university,can graduates find good jobs with good pay?
Ans : Not any more,look how pathetic the pay has become,local grads are now working from waiters,to telemarketers,some are jobless,some teach tuition to other students,or settle overseas to find a greener pasture

When i was in Singapore Poly from 1995-98,every single one of us had been brainwashed from getting all A’s in all modules,our CCAs’ had to be perfect,we had to be No 1 in everything….that sucked,for a teenager like me,now fast-forward 14 years later,the world has changed,times have changed,its a global village out there,Spore can produce all the no 1 students in the world,that doesn’t guarantee survival in this world,i rather be street-smart than book-smart,i have had encountered with lots of young grads from the local unis,they can’t think out of the box, do not know how to communicate, i wonder how they are going to survive in the next generation.

I have found my forte,i know my strengths,as well my weaknesses,i am not perfect but i do know what my talents are,i have discovered myself @ the age of 23,for that i am thankful, i know i can make money for i have the tenacity & the resolve to take on the giants of this world,for goodness sake,teach your kids lifelong values of integrity,perseverance,be bold & brave,do not be afraid to ask questions,that is no right or wrong answers,people think & behave differently,do not streamline your kids from extremely intelligent to downright stupidity,instead teach them what it means to be a young brilliant & talented bunch we can be to the world,the best gift we can give to other people is ourselves,not our soul.

This is John Connor,i have spoken my mind,over & out!

The methodology of the entire survey was not known, so if policy makers want to sound convincing that we have done well, then get hold of the methodology in entirety and publish them alongside the results. This will help avoid giving the impression that survey results are only quoted when they show favourable achievements of the country. Either that or, publish surveys (and methodologies) with unfavourable results as well, and allow for crtitical thinking among the people.
(School) education is not everything. Life is much larger than that. In this aspect, I agree with the writer that we have yet to produce a world class achiever in the categories mentioned. At least short of using the same method to recruit ‘instant talents’ from other countries, where the pride element has been significantly diluted, just like how we plant ‘instant trees’ all over the island.

There is a BIG difference between schooling and education. Just because one has been to school and university does not necessarily make one educated. What constitutes an educated person? Are graduates from our high schools and universities educated? Or have they simply wriggled through some hoops and jumped some hurdles and got a bit of paper at the end of the sausage machine?

Do our young have a sense of adventure and fun? Are the young intellectually curious? Do they have a social conscience? How good are they at conceptualising and thinking in the abstract? How independent are they? How good are they at thinking on their feet? How good are they at formulating a view on a social, political or economic issue and discussing it? What are they passionate about? Are they able to pursue what excites and inspires them? Do tjhey have a sense of humour? Can they cook? – a fundamental survival skill. How open are their minds? Are they good risk-takers? How good are they at applying principles? How good are they at dealing with the nebulous and unknown? Are they good conversationalists? How good are their language skills?

As for all these international tests, which students are included in the tests? You will find that in countries like Canada and Australia the education systems do not weed out students who might not perform well. They are the ones who will drag the overall scores down. Remember, the tests are not externally supervised.

After reading the above, I remembered reading something by Fareed Zakaria. Couldn’t find the actual article but I’ve found something about it and pasted it below:

“Newsweek pundit Fareed Zakaria observed that students in Singapore score much higher than American students; but 10 or 20 years later, American students are ahead. “Singapore has few truly top-ranked scientists, entrepreneurs, inventors, business executives or academics. American kids test much worse, but seem to do better later in life and in the real world.”

The Singapore minister of education affirmed this interpretation, telling Zakaria that Singapore had an exam meritocracy, America a talent meritocracy. “We cannot use tests to measure creativity, ambition or the willingness of students to question conventional wisdom.”

Zakaria also quoted a Singaporean father who once lived in the United States. “In the American school, when my son would speak up, he was applauded and encouraged. In Singapore he’s seen as pushy and weird.” The father moved his son to an American-style private school.”

http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2006/julaug/features/nclb.html

Wu Yueyi # 7, wrote:

“They are quite articulate on the subject of politics of their own countries. Does our local bred Singaporean children have any inkling about the same topic? I really doubt so. Our system will only produce students to get good results but not a more rounded person.”

Students in America learn about their political system from young, and they dicuss politics, policies and social issues in the classrooms. So they would be very well versed and up to date with political and social issues..

Where can we have such thing here when our students are told to just study and not bother with politics?

P/S

Like Canada, Australia with a population just 4.5 times Singapore’s has produced many Nobel Laureates and won more Olympic medals than you can count.

It has excelled in the arts – music, literature, painting, photography and so on. It has a dominant presence in Hollywood. From Errol Flynn in the early days to Nicole Kidman, Mel Gibson, the late Heath Ledger, Naomi Watts, Rachel Griffiths, Hugh Jackman and on an on the list goes.

Rupert Murdoch is a dominant world media player. As was Kerry Packer.

Australians invented the black box and the pacemaker amongst a host of other inventions currently in common use internationally. An Australian figured out how to mass produce penicillin.

Surely there is a lesson there somewhere for the Singapore Government and our education bureaucrats if they stopped to think for a second, with an open mind.

under the current system, one has no choice but to get good grades to enter local uni.,

How true.

It’s saddening to see how people just hit the books 24/7, even in local uni. Yes, flying high IQ, but with no EQ at all. They seem to have immature thoughts, thinking that studying is the only way to do well in society. No one dares to do something different, no one dares to be different. And here we are trying to get people to be creative and stuff. The inertia to step up and be different is just too high over here. Not just the education system. Even parents are guilty of ‘brainwashing’ their children. It’s more of forcing than nurturing. Is this what education is all about? Apparently so, in S’pore. This is our so called 1st class education system. The problem is, what kind of people are we producing with this education system? Critical and adaptive? I don’t think so. Just mere followers. Period.

But then again, maybe thats what they want us to be. Excellent followers who do things exactly how THEY want us to. No questions asked. Followers with high productivity in whatever field they are in while at the same time, predictably obedient.

Politics? Blah, I think most would rather hit their books. Most can’t be bothered. This is apparent even in uni. Before they know it, it’ll be their turn to vote, and without prior knowledge of current affairs, especially in local politics, who do you think they would vote for? Of course the MIW.

This is one Fine Article.. it does more than merely hit the nail squarely on its head – it has driven down the last nail on the coffin of Singapore’s new generations to come.

If cultivating a society of Followers is all this administration is all about doing,
then they have seriously mistaken that New Foreign Citizens will do well to be their new flock of Sheeps.

I live in Malaysia and Singaporean to us is a race of mechanical or computerized Robots with gross attitute problems and its politicians having a phobia of being attacked by either Malaysia or Indonesia or both together.

That’s why it behaved like a band of wild wolves to in order scare off its neighbors, hoping to warn them not to attack it.

As for its extra-stringent paper chase culture, it need too, becoz it got no natural resources to sell and so have to heavily depend on human skill and specialized knowledge; just like an over-dressed hooker or gigolo.

It may well be an undisputable fact that Singapore’s education system is nothing but a rat race and paper chase, it is also erroneous to blame it all on the government and our school systems.

The first thing I urge all readers is to do a thorough self-assessment. What is root of the problem that causes parents to be so “kiasu” and unreasonable? What is the root that causes everyone to be so uptight about grades, grades and grades? Is the only reason the education system in Singapore? Will radically changing our system suddenly, miraculously create a eden-like paradise of self-expression and freedom?

I think not.

If anything, our flawed education system is a SYMPTOM, not the cause. The root cause cannot be attributed so convieniently or easily to a single scapegoat. Just pointing our fingers at the education system and claiming that it is the cause is EXACTLY what we are all criticising as bad – the Singaporean tendency to blame everything and anything except themselves.

I urge everyone to think through this properly. Why has Singapore evolved to such a nation? Why are we all so focused on grades? It is a variety of factors: Our forefathers came from poor countries, as immigrants, laboured under the British colonial system, and then built this country up from scratch. This could not be done without an attitude of hardwork and relentless labour. This could not have been possible without multitudes of citizens sacrificing their self-expression to take up jobs that benefit the country. If everyone became an artist and painter and writer in the late 1960s and 70s, what would have become of our engineering? Our architecture and building industries?

The very elements of our success is the cause of our current situation. We have worked hard, and gotten rewarded, and this system that has been proven to work, has been streamlined into everyday life in Singapore. The education system is a reflection of this problem. The system filters the best, and streams them into the most ‘valuable’ jobs. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists. These talents contribute to society, make inventions and policies that in turn boost Singapore to greater heights of success. Their children are told to do the same, to repeat the cycle.

Bear in mind that Singapore does not have the wide expanses of lands that Canada does. Bringing Canada’s system into a one-on-one comparison with Singapore’s system is as flawed as the government’s actions of only touting the reviews that cast our system in a favourable light. The grass is always greener on the other side. Just because Canada does it successfully does not mean it will have the same result for us. If we, Singaporeans, do not change our fundamental attitudes to life, nothing will change. Even if we adopted Canada’s system in widespread use, nothing will change. We will turn to rat races and paper chases of another type. We will continue to be “kiasu”. We will continue to blame others when fault is due to ourselves.

Wake up Singaporeans, and see the real thing that needs changing.

I read through all the other comments, though I wasn’t intending on responding, just on stating my opinions. I believe everyone has a right to their own opinion, and I wanted to respect that. However, upon reading #20, I could not help myself.

Quoted:
20) Sheikh Ridingcherokee on November 29th, 2009 7.38 pm

I live in Malaysia and Singaporean to us is a race of mechanical or computerized Robots with gross attitute problems and its politicians having a phobia of being attacked by either Malaysia or Indonesia or both together.

That’s why it behaved like a band of wild wolves to in order scare off its neighbors, hoping to warn them not to attack it.

As for its extra-stringent paper chase culture, it need too, becoz it got no natural resources to sell and so have to heavily depend on human skill and specialized knowledge; just like an over-dressed hooker or gigolo.
/Quote

Mr Sheikh, I am sorry, but your comment is grossly inappropriate and an exemplary example of the very things this article has tried to criticise. You have insulted every Singaporean by grouping all of us into your stereotype of “mechanical or computerized Robots with gross attitute problems”. Such blatant generialisation is, in my opinion, extremely inappropriate.

You also claim that Singapore is afraid of attacks. That is indeed true. I, as a Singaporean, am deathly afraid of war. It can bring nothing but disaster to our small, resourceless country. A war with nations many times bigger than us will be catastrophic for our economy. Not to mention, of course, all the lives that will be lost. However, our deterrence policy of nation defence has never, to my knowledge, been aggressive. If anything, we have only been responsive: reacting to aggression from other countries.

Lastly, your comment about us needing to have such a paper chase system is true as well. As I have outlined in my previous comment, such a system is a result of our past success. We need such a system partly because we have no resources to depend on. However, to liken us thus to a “gigolo” or a “hooker” is tasteless, rude and also entirely irrelevant. Pray tell, how does having a result-orientated system make one look like a prostitute?

Your comment is full of poorly thought out insults that have little to no bearing on our discussion of Singapore’s education system and its flaws. You seem to wish to only speak your mind about how Singaporeans are abhorrent to you. While I do wish to respect that everyone has a right to their opinion, yours is not really welcome when there is nothing constructive in it.

Although I do agree that the education system in Singapore is very stressful, I can’t help but wonder the role that parents play. I am fortunate enough that my parents never force me to study long hours beyond what is necessary. This is not to say they have never pushed me to strive for the best. I am in a local university now and even though school work can get very stressful, my parents have always encouraged me to do what I can. In fact, they have always told me that grades are not important when I tell them that I am not doing well in school.

Perhaps the role that the teachers play in our education system is also important here. My professors now are really understanding and they are constantly challenging students to not only think critically but disagree with what they teach in class.

However, I do see many of my younger cousins who are only in primary school and they have little time to play and enjoy themselves due to the never-ending tuition classes they have to attend. So, is our education system at fault here or the role that parents play? I think it is both.

Can singapore produce 1st word democratically unapathetic graduates?

Only in Singapore where you have so called “students” hogging public cafe and eateries like Starbucks and macdonald’s .
They are supposedly mugging while in fact they are depriving other customers of patronizing the establishments.
All for the sake of a paperchase…Come on…who are they kidding? Studying at a starbucks in orchard?
I wouldn’t employ a person based on his paper qualification alone . How often does one apply algebra on a daily basis? hehehhehehee
Paper qualification is good when you want to work in a GIC…and that’s about it!

Insightful article. Yes the pressure cooker here starts early too. I have been giving private tuition part-time to primary kids taking PSLE and I say
the pressure is reaching unhealthy, feverish levels. Schools and parents are so obsessed with the aggregate scores
and overload their kids with 24/7 homework, remedial classes, assessment books, tuition for almost every subject. Even for adults It’s really hard to enjoy learning like this, what more for little primary school kids?
Some parents even engage 2 tutors for the same subject! Crazy isn’t it? And I’ve had parents asking me whether
their kid has progressed-after EVERY lesson. They accept nothing less than a ‘A’ so that their child can enter an
elite secondary school. It is perceived as the ONLY path to security and success in Singapore…..Sadly they are probably correct based on the present Singapore-style meritocracy. You miss the boat and forever it may haunt you with no second chance.
The education system here is also modeled on ‘Cheaper Better Faster’; crank up the pressure every year and the kids run faster and faster. Something is going to give someday as they are not machines.
I really pity them. When these kids grow up do you they will make good team players? Will these be
creative sparks who can think out-of-the-box? Will they be happy? How to, when you wring all the humanity out of them from
such a tender age? More likely the do-as-you-are-told and OT every other night me-first and cover-your-ass types.
I hope the authorities will reduce their obsession with rankings at all levels before we all collapse from the pressure.

if we are ranked number 1 ??? why is it we need to have foreign talents ? and buy china table tennis peddlers?

Why is it Singapore has to lure FT’s and even lower skilled workers over??

Why is it we need the smile campaign to remind Singaporeans to smile? Why is it we need the courtesy campaign and all sorts of campaigns to remind Singaporeans on how to live their lives?

Yet we losses so many jobs to the immigrants.
Wow education is so great here.
Someone is not doing its job.

I agree with Vin’s response (Post #20) with regards to Singapore’s education system and its shortcomings.

Our relatively rigid education system is a legacy of our pursuit of industrialisation in the days when we were still a fledgling nation. The system was catered to churning out people equipped with the technical skills needed for Singapore’s industrial development in the shortest period of time. It worked fine then, given the urgency of the need to boost Singapore’s economic growth. At the same time, an “exam meritocracy” also evolved, which was a means the government used to socially engineer Singapore’s workforce to be more competitive quickly and efficiently.

Granted, times have changed and what Singapore needs is not more “human machines”. In our increasingly integrated world today, what we need is a workforce that not only possess the ‘hard’ technical skills, but also the ’soft’ skills – the ability to adapt, the capacity to innovate and the savviness to find their way around the “flat” world we now live in.

Admittedly, the system has not been the best at playing catch up and there are genuine flaws to it. But I believe that we should not diss it as if it is some unsavoury and repugnant thing. Yes, the overly rigorous nature of our education system, especially with regards to maths and science, does have its drawbacks (I’ve just completed my A levels and the cramming was indeed very painful). Yet, one should not discount academic rigour for it is an essential part of any education system in my opinion. The question is: how can we balance the cultivation of ‘hard’ skills with the need to nurture the ’soft’ skills as well as to give our young ample room to explore their own academic interests. At the same time, we also have to consider how we can develop our top talents without losing sight of those who may not be as academically-inclined.

On the whole, while the education system in SIngapore is far from perfect, it is definitely not pathetic as some make it out to be. Its flaws can definitely be improved. And it is my wish that through constructive discourse can we help to tackle these shortfalls and mould an education system that it truly world-class.

Good night.

It’s until recently, when I got into a local U, that I realized how ignorant I’ve been.

I’ve been a science student all my life (before getting into U) and though I do have some interests in them, the lack of true appreciation of how it really works, eludes me from really gaining understanding of the matter.

Perhaps I lack the aptitude of flair for science and the fast-paced educational system only further impedes my want to really understand and appreciate nature.

Though I’ve been thinking since secondary school, I still question my true gain in education. My As in sciences (and all other subjects) do not give me much happiness. All I know is, I’m not a smart person, and I’ve to work extremely hard to achieve what others (the gifted) can achieve without much effort.

All my life seems to be revolving around that and it is utter sadness!

I would very much want to travel around the world too as I, too, believe that traveling and immersing in different cultures makes a person more-rounder. I’d love to know more about the world and how people from all walks of life view life. Yet, sadly, I doubt my want for this can come any sooner because I’m from a very poor family.

After interacting with my current course mates, I am, after 19 years of my life, truly learning things which I have an interest in – Politics, the media and the rest of the world.

Most people from my course seem to be pretty jaded with the education system too and they are more concern with doing the modules/electives they have interest in than good grades. This is perhaps one of my greatest gifts in U. Now, I have the courage (and encouragement from my peers) to pursue what I really want and not be held back much from the need to obtain a good GPA.

I’ve always had a great interest in literature but haven’t had the chance to really study it. I will study it next semester when school reopens because I’ve come to terms that even if I don’t do well, at least I’m doing what I like and perhaps I’ll live with less regrets.

Singaporeans should not whine about their system which they Accepted .

This is the process of evolution. As a young nation, we had to have something to show for to ‘level up’ to the industrialised nations hence the rankings. it is the late-comer’s way to make up for the race. i dont blame them for the pragmatic nature of things done over the last 40 years.

But the world has changed and so now the birth pangs of a new era are crying out for change as people realise that the old ways cannot work anymore. whole society must change.

For example a recent case really startled me.

I run an education biz and used to be in the teaching force. recently one of my teachers, a very good teacher resigned because she said its difficult to carry on in this company (new set-up) because there are no ‘ten-yr series’ to follow in the teaching process. i told her b4 that as a new set up we need to come out with a new program that takes into consideration new areas of concerns that non-Singaporean students have as they are different from ours in terms of background and way of learning. but she needed a structure, with ten-yr series and guide books to use before she can conduct a course. while this may be a tried and tested strategy to do tuition for the 1980-90s, it can no longer work if we want to pioneer new curriculum and ways of teaching, more so if we want to become an edu hub.

i was sad to see her go but at the same time realised that maybe our teachers, being products of the system, can’t find their way through the ambiguety of the uncharted world of teaching and learning without their ten yr series to guide them.

ANd this teacher produced lotsa As for my tuition classes. but was at a loss when it came to pioneering a new program. in other words, they are effective only within a gilded cage.

I participated in many surveys before, some paid and some not.

One word…rubbish, as often than not, surveyees prone to give guided answers or answers that project better images for the surveyors or sponsors.

Dont believe in surveys, they worth nothing more than used-car salesman.

I have relatives in canada whose children are very happy with the education system there. They are singapreans who emigrate to Canada. They came back to singapore for holiday and i managed to have the chance to chit chat with them. Her child was a happy kid and look forward to end of school holidays. I doubt any of our chldren here had the same mentality of going back to school asap. Singapore educational system is no matched for canadians. It is never comprehensive and tested a lot of nonsense IQ, Memory capacity and lots of bif bomastic and jargons questions. How do you make a kid happy studying here? That kind of answer only canadians will know. Our million dollar ministers had never enjoyed studying the fun way and now they make all of our children suffers.
This is the type of money paid to “talents” that could have empolyed 50 canadians academics o re-worked our education system.

.I have relatives in canada whose children are very happy with the education system there. They are singapreans who emigrate to Canada. They came back to singapore for holiday and i managed to have the chance to chit chat with them. Her child was a happy kid and look forward to end of school holidays. I doubt any of our chldren here had the same mentality of going back to school asap. Singapore educational system is no matched for canadians. It is never comprehensive and tested a lot of nonsense IQ, Memory capacity and lots of bif bomastic and jargons questions. How do you make a kid happy studying here? That kind of answer only canadians will know. Our million dollar ministers had never enjoyed studying the fun way and now they make all of our children suffers.
This is the type of money paid to “talents” that could have empolyed 50 canadians academics o re-worked our education system.

@ Chua Lee Loong: sadly it is FORCED to accept for most.

Nevertheless.

Thank god I went to Canada and graduated from a fine University. I have no doubt that had I remained in the local system, I would have ended up in ITE. Their education system is definately superior to Singapore’s. At least they did not screw up for forty years insisting on a bilingualism.

Perhaps those who got the cheek to classify Singapore’s education as among the top in the world have had some goodies given under the table in the form of obscene incentives, like the obscene salaries and bonuses for ministers to stop them from becoming corrupt.?

A an employer, as a human resource manager, as a trainer, as a professor, and as a mentor to the newly graduated university students who came under my wing, I must sincerely and truthfully say that graduates from the Universities in Singapore are way off in terms of initiative, independence, creativity, imagination and innovation when compared to even the 3rd rate university graduates from Australia, Canada, UK and US.

They are so afraid of making mistakes, and always need to be guided from every stage of a project given to them. I find it so irritating and waste of time to continue to train or mentor them that I either post them to other departments or fire them within their probation period.

But there are something good about them – obedient, quick to please, and subservient (if you can accept these qualities as positive).

So, I advice all those out there, don’t take the words of those report at face value, take it with a big handful of salt, pepper and chilies.

We will not have any good scientists and inventors. Most people study hard without understanding and get good grades and results for career purposes. Why other people in other countries study for interest.

Years after graduation, the Sg graduates dont remember much taught in school. While the foreign students fondly recall everything. We produce a lot of text book Singaporeans who hogged the ten year series and exams papers. We dont product life learners and enthusiasts.

As someone who teaches uni students, has kids going through school here and who has studied overseas, I have a somewhat different perspective from the comments offered here.

(1) The local unis have begun looking beyond grades as the sole criterion for admission. There are too many students getting 3 A1s on the ‘A’ levels that we can’t look at that as the sole criterion anymore. So, just a warning to the muggers out there. You won’t get as far as you think.

(2) I have found my students surprisingly motivated and intelligent as compared to (for example) American kids. I agree that Singaporean students are naive, and look for “model answers.” This is something that they can be trained out of. I would also like to emphasize that when you “model answer” an interview question, you are going to be unlikely to be selected for admission- you sound too robotic.

(3) Students in uni are surprisingly busy. Some of my students are sportspeople, have outside jobs, run their own businesses, or are involved in UNREWARDED CCAs (i.e., they have real hobbies and are not doing things for hall points). There appears to be a high correlation (in my class) between being an all-rounder and getting high grades.

(4) I do agree that students have difficulty thinking outside the box here. I agree that life outside school is important to cultivate such thinking. To be fair, most North American students have trouble thinking outside the box too. The thing I have noticed about students is once you show them they are ALLOWED to and are REWARDED for thinking outside the box, they will do it.

(5) I am surprised no one has mentioned that the schools in Singapore have essentially no teaching value add. The real teaching is done in tuition centres. By the time the kids go to school, they already know the subject. Kids that don’t go to tuition centres are left behind, because the majority of kids in the class already know the material, and hence the school teacher moves on.

Kids are also trained in the tuition centres in strategies to answer standard questions. This includes such minute examination-based things like how to phrase a response to a comprehension question.

In other words, schools serve almost purely as a vehicle for formal assessment and classification (i.e., streaming). The high rankings etc. in education we have are based on the competence of our tuition centres, not our schools.

We should have some alternative way rather than sticking to this century old principle.

I believe the article is pretty biased against Singapore’s system of education. While it may be true in parts, they have not been substantiated with a critical analysis of the situation.

While it is important to note that America has better top scientists, entrepreneurs etc. it is highliy possible that it is a problem of statistics. If we all agree that these people are one in a million. There would only be 4 in Singapore. Play the numbers with the Americans you’ll have 304 (not including immigrants). 304 is a more than an enough number to fill up the newspapers/journals for a year!

Likewise, we can apply this simple problem of statistics to explain why it is more difficult for us to attain the best of the best in the field of sports. If you tell me that Canadians (with their system) can produce an Usain Bolt, I’ll laugh it off. It takes more than just ideology to be the best. What you need is first the raw talent; the DNA sutied, genetics.

When you quote the literacy rate, you have to note that literacy rates samples the population. As we all know, the education system developed only after independence. As such, we have a substantiable number of elderlies who are illiterate. As such, are you saying that we should be sending the elderly back to school now? So that we can make the numbers look better?

I suggest that proper thought be put into quoting seemingly true facts.

Furthermore, we must always realise that Singapore does not have the large land of Canada to subsist from. If we slack and fail. There are no fall-back options. Hard work is needed. And that character has never been naturally selected against in nature. Unless, we can successfully aestivate/hibernate. But who’d like that?

The writer may not remember Singapore was in the same mode of educational system like Canada during the British Empire days, stretching over the Malaysia days and early Singapore Independence days. What happened then? So many of us could not make it to secondary schools and left schools after the PSLEs to become labourers, itinerant hawkers, pirate taxi drivers, peons, etc. Does the writer want Singapore children to repeat the footsteps of their forefathers instead of to be the best in whatever we do and aping the West?

I couldn’t agree more with the line “passing standardized examinations with good grades does not necessarily mean that one has a better knowledge of the subject than another with lesser or failed grades. In most cases, it simply shows that the person is better in the art of taking examinations.”

I feel that it is quite obvious that the “brain drain” problem here is in huge part due to our very own stressful education system. Such stressful life will, no doubt, cause a sharp increase in the number of Singaporeans to look for greener pastures elsewhere where life is not as stressed as here.

Perhaps the government should really seriously start taking genuine actions towards this problem before the “brain drain” problem soon becomes insurmountable to overcome in the future.

The education system isn’t stressful. It’s banal.

Rote learning algorithms however efficient doesn’t breed the kind of thinking and idea generation that is required to be a true intellectual. If it’s out of the book, our students are at a loss.

Sure, we produced human robots with a set of efficient task completing tools but need them to innovate or take theory and turn them into practical applications and they’ll stare at you dumb founded.

Our education system is the best no doubt. But you want great leaders, thinkers and innovators, we’re the wrong country to breed them.

It so easy to score A in Singapore…it doesnt mean that we r smart >.> I and many others always ‘Cheat’ last time.

For example, we always know without fail that this year paper will repeat itself from last year (50%), previous year (25%) and last (25%). By studying the last 3 years, u r bound to get As and with honors. But issit what i want? I feel like a cheater lol. All the NUS papers are like that one. Someone u can ask ur lecturers for clues one, like which one wont come up.

This is only memorizing…nothing to be proud of!

Indeed, as a student, I have more than once felt the urge to attend school overseas, in the US or in Canada. I even told my parents that I would pretty much prefer enrolling in an International School here in Singapore as I felt that their education system held more promise.

Yet, my parents, even after listening to my arguments, said NO. (probably largely due to the fact that i am in an elite JC and my parents think that this is the way to go)

So, is it the parents, or the children who keep holding on to this current education system?

Personally, I feel that students these days in fact have a louder voice, a voice that dares to speak up against traditional mindsets and our government. I, for your information, do bother to read the news every single day. And do choose to do things based on my own passion, rather than walk through the routes some overarching body said we must, or risk a career crisis in the future.

But perhaps it’s just my group of friends, perhaps it’s just us few. I do not know.

But one thing i am for sure, is that my children will not be studying in this education system. If it doesnt change for the better.

jonlatio

“Students in America learn about their political system from young, and they dicuss politics, policies and social issues in the classrooms. So they would be very well versed and up to date with political and social issues..”

Yes, but then they grow up and vote in governments that start illegal wars, which kill hundreds of thousands of people. So you have to wonder, what sort of social and political education produces such a gun-loving, belligerent, war-mongering society.

Singapore doesn’t educate kids. It trains future salaried workers.

Very good article. I got many knowledge from this article. The most I like is “Canadian public education is free for all its citizens and permanent residents – from kindergartens to high schools.”. :D

Cheers!

This article looked like it gave a good analysis of Singapore’s education system but on closer inspection it’s rather one-dimensional. While it is unreliable to use the ranking of an education system to measure its effectiveness, the same applies to the number of Nobel Prize winners or Olympians a country produces. The point on children being blinded by materialism and money, failed marriages,and poor social interaction skills etc. being the trade-off is simply a slippery slope fallacy.

I agree that having good grades does not constitute better knowledge of a subject. However, the use of examination grades may not be perfect but its has thus far been the best measurement tool we have to assess a student’s level of understanding and their knowledge acquired. To understand why a country structures its education system in a certain manner, we need to first understand the motivations behind it. Singapore lacks natural resources and human capital is its key resource. To invest in its people so as to nurture them to meet the immediate demands is a necessary “evil” for Singapore’s progress. Perhaps, in time to come, its people will start embracing life as a marathon.

nickyname,

Yes, they grow up but then they get to vote in the govt that they want.
How many of us get to do the same, how many of us get to vote for a govt that we want?

My point was that those kids don’t just study, they also learn to have a life.
What Change? @ 51, says it very simply and rightly for the system that we have.

maybe the education system was specially designed to be so stressful that u will not have time to think abt the important political issues at hand…

I don’t think it is accurate to talk about a single Singapore education system. Before independence, Singapore inherited a system from the British which left 60% of singaporeans with primary education or less. In 1965, less than 1% of Singaporeans have a university degree. At this point, the Canadian system is far more advanced. So, when comparing statistics like “94.4% of Singaproreans are literate”, these include those above 50 years old who are educated under the colonial system.

Another unthinking comment is that Canada produced many Nobel Prize winners. To compare Singapore and Canada in an objective way, I looked at the number of Nobel Prize winners provided in the last 44 years of their respective education systems (ie anyone born after 1959.)

I looked at the profile of these Canadian winners and found none were born in the last 50 years. In fact, the youngest was born in 1941.

suspect our education is a mirror reflection of our political system. If the leader need the citizens to be a good follower and efficient worker, then the education system is more likely to tune to produce an obedient and just follow order, no question asked student. Has anyone notice or am I right to say our school do not encourage the student to speak up.

As one of the few Singaporeans who coasted through primary & secondary school more concerned about organising the next soccer game or camp out at our local parish, I totally agree with the author. Not only do Singaporeans fail to understand that life is a learning process and you have to be self – driven to study in order to learn.

Unlike most Singaporean children our age at the time, my friends and I had a life and only put in the necessary effort around the exam period. And asa result we have personalities that allows us to interact with anyone from any background with the only barrier being language.

The Singapore education system needs to change and be more like Canada’s to influence thinking instead of mugging where everyone learns at their own pace instead of the teacher’s. After spending much time learning at my own pace I now hold a Bachelor’s degree and I am planning of taking my masters all this because I chose to learn at my own pace and had parents who allowed me to do so.

I agree with the above article completely… The singapore education system has A LOT to be desired… everyone knows it. I was never a top student, never in the best class… sucked at Chinese. In fact the education system probably affected the way i felt about myself and most likely had a strong effect on a lot of students. With streaming.. major exams (PSLE) at just twelve yers old… Should twelve year olds even BE subjected to that?

While i may not be a wonderful authority on the subject, i did spent a year doing my senior year in high school in Canada ( somewhere between O levels and A levels) While at that school, i managed to excel academically. Everything seemed so much easier, the teachers were friendlier, everything was more relaxed. Sure it was work too, but for once i did not feel like a dunce. I ended up doing well enough to go to a top-ranked Canadian University. Which i am currently in now.

If i had stayed in Singapore, i would probably just have gone to the poly and be working now. (Not that there is anything wrong with the poly) In canada, ( ontario) university students can apply for a student loan for their undergraduate education. this is avaiblable to all citizens and PRs. Plus university fees are not that exorbitant as compared with some places in the US.

The SIngapore education system i feel does not really prepare students that well for the future. Yes, you learn good work ethics, you KNOW how to study for exams having done that since day one, but it all comes at a price. The stress, the tears, the sleepless nights, the amount of money spent on tuition classes. Whatever happened to teaching in schools?? Could this be due to 35-40 student size classes? lack of indivualized attention?

We all get fed model answers for A levels, O levels, we rely on ten year series to get us through. Do we really know how to think? Since going away to study and being at university here, my mind and world was opened to so much more than i had ever realized. Whenever i return home to singapore, i realize how different it is, we may not be backward to speak, but sometimes you have to liberal in your thinking to move forward.

Quenderin,

Your comment has been disallowed as it is almost 900-words long.

Pls keep your comments to 500 words or less.

Thank you.

All these years of our education system, no one dared to question the relevance of streaming, sap schools and independent ‘elite’ schools.

Cheong Weng Lee gives a comprehensive scenario of what the Canadian educational system is like. May not be perfect…

Study with ease. Confinement of thoughts and oppression of creativity is seen in our education system. Little room is given for individual nurturing, always about how well you do in your examinations.

Hence our generation and next, the youth will lose the very essence of interaction to the world at large, selfishly looking for self to do well, lacking the warm and compassion of helping others. Lack of venturing spirit.

In any establishment, the natural process of growing up in tandem with nature and our well-being will bring forth enormous benefit of character than the regimentation of conformity.

As Weng Lee wrote, Canada produced many Nobel prize winners and famous
businessmen. Singapore has yet to see any outstanding personnel apart from Sim Mong Woo, the polytechnic boy made good with his Creative Technology. The many others are just so so.

The flaw of our educational system has yet to be unveiled by our ‘million dollar ministers’ and the top educators of the Ministry of Education. Or maybe, they just do not want to rock the boat. Better to be safe.

System failure but no return mode.

Let’s not overgeneralise about how terrible Singaporean youths are, and how wonderful Canadian youths are in comparison. Singaporean students actually do do a lot of community service, and while everyone’s going to say that this is because it looks good on the transcript, in my experience in an overseas university, it is naive to believe that overseas students have only wonderful ideals about how society should be in mind. There are indeed a significant proportion of Singaporeans with maids, but it is again a generalisation to believe that Singaporean youths cannot take care of themselves. I have seen my fair share of over-protected American students who greatly rely on their parents, and I do personally know many fellow Singaporeans who go on backpacking trips all over the world.

There are many other misleading statements made in this article that really need to be pointed out:

” While in Spore the handicapped are considered an embarrassment and kept in the homes by their families, here in Canada volunteers bring them out shopping and they are encouraged to participate in recreational activities.”

“Canadians constitute less than 1 per cent of the world’s population but provides 10 per cent of the world’s peacekeeping forces in its selfless and unceremonious way. Volunteerism has become second nature to Canadians.”

About the second point, I’m not sure this is about Canadian volunteerism as much as it is about Canada wanting to be a major player in world affairs. And also, Singapore’s military does provide valuable support to things like patrolling the troubled coast off Somalia to ward off pirates, relief efforts for natural disasters in this region, etc. In my mind, the very fact that we are even contributing is already surprising for a nation as small as ours.

“The unscientific assumption by Singapore’s leaders that if you are not good at passing examinations with good grades, you are unlikely to make good for the rest of your lives, is laughable. History has shown us that there are scores of high achievers without degrees, i.e Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Richard Branson, Walt Disney, Henry Ford, Frank Lloyd Wright, etc.”

May I point out that those people didn’t get good grades, and therefore dropped out of university, because the university assumed they were unlikely to make good? Every country’s education system factors in grades as a significant indicator somewhere or another. In the US, the SATs are a major indicator of whether a university is likely to accept you or not. There’s just no way around this. True, Singapore may place more emphasis, but this article has lost all sense of proportion.

“Even our much respected figure of MM Lee, despite all the fine education and good grades he had, did not know that one needs to peel off the egg shell before a hard-boiled egg can be eaten. (As related recently by his daughter in a Straits Times article.)”

This is most amusing. MM Lee did not in fact go through a Singaporean education system. How could he? He was fully educated and ready to lead the country before our education system was in place. And are we forgetting that his fine education and good grades under the comparatively horrible Singaporean system, which the author thinks he’s a product of, produced such an important figure in the almost miraculous success of Singapore?

A well written article and though I am neither in Singapore or Canada, I could relate to it as an Indian, as India too have an education system very similar to Singapore. Here too, if you are not an academic performer which means being good in the art of writing exams, things get tough for you. But when I think of it, India has it more as a side-effect of a large population. With so many to feed, it becomes very hard to gauge the progress of students, unless you have very highly qualified and devoted teachers, which requires good education and so it is a cycle. It is hard to individually guide every kid, without forcing him or her, taking care of all round development. So everyone is fed the same and then filter who survives it best. Atleast that has higher probablity that the “best” ones will be able to learn and do the job. And being a large population, it is an ongoing competition for job, to earn, or otherwise just be left behind as good jobs are less in supply than the demand. Probably it is lack on enthusiasm on Govt. and Education system to improve this cycle for better. I am not sure if Singapore too has the same problem
A good thing is that India has seen so called non-performers in school doing good later in life and is a ray of hope that the schooling or educations system is being beaten slowly, which may someday change things for good here.

As a graduate student pursuing education in the US, and who has prior education in Singapore from primary school to uni level, I would like to say that S’pore education system has prepared me well to compete with the American students. Even my Korean and Japanese colleagues here envy SG education system. Considering the fact that we have no natural resources, became independent in 1965, and most of our ancestors were poor and illiterate immigrants, our current achievement is indeed remarkable. Let’s give credit to our policy makers and ourselves for the positive achievements.

However, to move further in this globalized village based on our natural resources alone, we have a lot to fine tune. Most of the contributors above have pointed out that we have been trained to function within system with fixed reference point, and once the reference point is removed, we lost our bearings. We have also tried to mould our child and student to take the same reference point as we do in the past, i.e. meritocracy. Ironically, though meritocracy has provided a leveling ground for different races to compete equally, it has become the only benchmark where we measure ourselves. This could be why SG has been a culture-desert as our society does not value people of different talents sufficiently, whereas skill that is translatable into income-earning ability has been strongly encouraged, pursued, and enshrined. The US educational system seems to be able to take on multiple reference points. You are highly valued for being able to contribute to the community regardless of your background. You are awarded for originality. You are recognized for being unique. This could explain why American college system is a hotbed for diversity and a strong magnet for foreign talents, though they do have standardized entrance exams like SAT, GRE, GMAT, etc.

Educational system with quantifiable benchmark like grades is easier to capture and formulate, and our education system has served our society well by producing workforce relevant to the society in the past. However, no educational system is static as the needs of the society are dynamic, particularly when SG is intricately bounded in this globalized village. Yes, we should demand changes that will continue to enhance SG competitive edge. However, I think the question that we have to ask ourselves is whether we are willing to tolerate diversity and different form of lifestyle. Are we willing to send our child to neighborhood school? Are we willing to take on less prestigious job so that we have more time for family members and friends? Do we welcome foreigners who will increase our pool of diversity? It is only when we seek less perfection within ourselves; stop measuring ourselves against others; willing to make time for other people; open more space for people to decide who they are and who they want to be; tolerate people who are different from us (including foreigners) that that we could demand changes in our education system. I believe when sufficient people live a different lifestyle that does not commensurate with what the current education system is producing, there will be more changes reflected at a systemic level. I am not saying that we ought to seek complacency in order for changes in the education system to take place. I am saying that we ourselves have to be the hallmark for tolerating diversities, and in fact honor and value different lifestyles. We are the ones who must be willing to say “It is wonderful if I go to Laselle instead of NUS or NTU or SMU”; “It is terrific that you have a different lifestyle from me”; “It is remarkable to have traveled in other countries at the expense of my no-paid leave,” etc.

Dear Lee Cheong,

I’d like to raise some issues about your article about Canada’s education system. While I believe that both Singapore’s and Canada’s education systems aren’t perfect and can be much improved on, you make some misguided albeit well-intentioned statements in your article.

Firstly, your statements about examinations, and I quote “Studies have shown that passing standardized examinations with good grades does not necessarily mean that one has a better knowledge of the subject than another with less or failed grades.” – I’d really like to see those studies, and you should have quoted them. I personally disagree with this statement. One has to apply the knowledge one has acquired in an examination, so here is a fallacy.

Your assertion that Singaporean children tend to be more withdrawn and reserved is also unfounded, and is anecdotal and not a fair representation of Singaporean children. As for the levels of literacy in Singapore, and I’m assuming “English literacy”, – I think it’s a little biased as a lot of the older generation are Chinese-educated.

Also, your assertion about Singapore’s lack of Nobel and Olympic winners and notable cultural figures is also unfounded – the world doesn’t work by proportions or population ratios. How is this an indication of Singapore’s education pitfall? It is also purely scientific that academic achievement correlates with socioeconomic status (Dill, 2006). Your example of notable figures such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are exceptions to the norm. Even Bill Gates was educated in Harvard. Richard Branson came from a family of wealth and Walt Disney was a cartoonist. Although their success is not attributed to their academic achievement, they put in effort and hard work to build up their companies.

An as much as the phrase “Money doesn’t buy happiness”, many studies have irrevocably shown that socioeconomic status is directly associated to health (Adler et al, 1993 and Williams, 1999). Sadly, money DOES buy health.

I do believe that the Singaporean education system is deeply flawed and streaming breeds prejudice, elitism and stress. However, no education system is perfect, not even Canada’s. Lee Cheong, your article is not without merits. However, it is purely an opinion piece which is based on several wrong assumptions and over-generalization.

50) What Change? on November 30th, 2009 11.04 am
“Singapore doesn’t educate kids. It trains future salaried workers.”

Without workers produced methodically continuously, who is gonna carry the carriage ridden by the rich? Who is gonna help the rich earn more money?
Without skilled labor there is no Boss. Because the Boss would have to be the Worker.

An education institution manufactures employees for the workforce. People study to become an employee. Many study business and MBA but still work for people.
Rare few do not follow the rat pack. They become entreprenuers. Monkey see monkey do is not for them.

No amount of remake will ever change the system. We are too entrenched in a process that has been dished out to us for years. I blame the ever embracing and grip of the mandarin/conformanity look East policy by our leaders. While they had the benefit of Western liberal thought it would it would have been too difficult to rule Singapore with such democratic principles as practiced elsewhere.
The solution was very simple. Keep coming up with the communist bogey and you will get a submissive population who would have surrendered every iota of dignity and self respect to the rulers. The education system mirrored all these and will continue to bug our population for years to come and who cares for Nobel Prize winners, we can always buy any number we want.

I want to follow-up on my response to my above article. Unknown to Cheong Wing Lee and many readers in Singapore, the early Americans had to drive out and unjustifiably decimate many native tribes in order to occupy the land. Their early industrial base was built upon African slave trade. Most Canadians today are living on land of the native tribes, and they had even forced the natives to comply with their way of living by separating the natives’ children from parents, and sent off these children into their so-called settlement school. British’s rise to imperial power was heavily dependent on African slave trade and colonization where they siphoned off the natural resources of the colonized people. Just visit the British Museum to see the national treasures they have yet to return to the other countries. I think the Canadians, Americans and British have a lot of historical baggage that they have to answer for. Yes, they may be more advanced than Singapore in terms of their technological advancements, their education system, their alternative to choices and different lifestyles, but they have not sufficiently acknowledged and compensated for the horrible misdeeds they had severely inflicted on other tribes and races. The good news is that there more Canadians coming to term with their past, and are in the process of reconciliation with the natives.

I’ve lived in Singapore for over 10 years and I have heard many Singaporeans talk about their “pressure cooker” education – where memorising was emphasised over understanding, parents added to the pressure from schools, etc.

However, the author of this article weakens his argument by continually making statements that are incorrect or taken out of all context. For example, he stated “Canada’s literacy rate is 99 per cent and placed at 19th in world standing, while Singapore’s is 94.4 per cent and placed at 74th”. I’m reminded of the famous quote “lies, damned lies, and statistics”. He fails to explain the real cause of this difference – how Singapore has come from poverty and third world status to wealth and first world status in the last 40 years. Therefore, many older Singaporeans do lack a good education and suffer from higher illiteracy levels. I do not have the information to hand but I’m willing to bet the literacy rate among Singaporeans below the ago off 40 is at least 99%.

Also, the Singapore government has already acknowledged that more students here need to develop critical thinking skills as Singapore transitions further to becoming a Knowledge Economy rather than a Manufacturing Economy. Changes have been introduced to the education system and more are likely – but only a naive person would expect radical changes overnight when the system works well in many other ways and is otherwise rated among the best in the world.

Singapore is right to be proud of what it has achieved but there will always be naysayers. Wing Lee Cheong, you are entitled to your opinion but stick to the truth if you want more people to believe you.

Bernard Chan,

Your comment has been disallowed as it is more than 1,200-words long.

Pls keep your comments to 500-words or less.

Thank you.

I agree with the article’s assertion that Canada’s education system is akin to a marathon and Singapore’s education system is akin to a sprint. Eventually, it’s Canada that will outlast Singapore. I think Singapore’s education system is no good in the long run. Good grades merely show students are good at exams but not so in terms of real-life applications.

A well written article. As a Singaporean who had gone through the educational system, I could’nt agree more. We were “processed” from primary six onward and if one did not achieve good grades then we were allocated to school that had been “branded” as “school for bad boys” e.g. (Gan Eng Seng Secondary School). A few of us managed to finish “O” level and worked our way out of the country to further our studies. Some of us had become proffessors and senior managers in multinational companies. However, many had not make it. The system condemed young students from the age of 12 to a life of misery. The difference between good school and bad school in Singapore make a big difference when applying for a local university places beside obviously the examination results. The current system had to change if Singaporean want to create a prosperous society with an educated and balance population.

May I quote Vin’s – The system filters the best, and streams them into the most ‘valuable’ jobs. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists. These talents contribute to society, make inventions and policies that in turn boost Singapore to greater heights of success. Their children are told to do the same, to repeat the cycle.

What is the “best”? Here’s the root of the problem. Most of us, like Vin, will conveniently classified someone who top the grades in schools, earn a government scholarship, and make their way up as doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, or top civil servants. Who says that a society is built by these people only? Great nations will not be what they are now, if they don’t have the poets, artists, musicians and philosophers to “engineer” creativity and innovation among their citizens. Vin, you are very engineer in thinking, I must say.

Sorry, but the system does not filter the best as you claim. It just filters the best who know how to tackle examinations. And most of these “talents” are valued by our other systems who treasure followers than innovators. And in turn these followers help boost Singapore Inc. or Singapore Bureaucracy into greater heights. Look around the asian stock exchanges, and you will notice the ratio of GLCs to private enterprises is pretty high here. Why? Because we just need people who are easy to tamed and can’t take much risk, the very kind of “talents” our GLCs want.

And what is a system. System is a set of interacting or interdependent “entities” forming an integrated whole. Singaporeans are but part of the “system”. And who make or scope this man-made system? In a non-consultative system of governance like us, it can only be the top (not best) guys in our ministries.

Hence, systems like “two is enough”, “no dialects on media”, “university grads produce university grads” and others, have shaped or socially engineered Singaporeans into our present state. Well, may be it will take something like Madoff, Stanford, or Lehman, before Singaporeans can have a wake-up call. Until then, most of us are like the characters in the movie “The Island” – just waiting to be lucky enough to be chosen in a lucky draw, and have their organs harvested through the HOTA.

Despite all the achievements and ranking, we still do not have a capable and good leader for the next generations. Yet again, this govt resort to finding someone, with no credible standard, from the military to lead the cuntry.

There is simply no room in Singapore for someone to be different, even beyond education. I have a first-class honors business degree from one of our 3 local universities, but chose not to work for a bank, consultancy or financial house like all my peers. I went into the arts and media industry.

Five years later I am severely regreting my choice. My salary has been meagre compared to my fellow graduates, who have long bought their condos and cars. I am not getting job satisfaction either – writers and creative professionals are second class and poorly appreciated by their employers. The job opportunities available are a bore. It’s not the money I’m harping about- it’s the fact that from what I made, I still cannot afford a HDB flat with its renovation costs and COV. What kind of life are you leading when you can’t even afford basic goods and get scant respect in your career choice?

So thinking beyond grades, even good grades won’t get you a better life. You have to sell your soul and pick a job that PAYS, like a sales-based job. The only ticket to a better life here is to make money.

That is why i have never regretted my choice applying for an Australian Pr should we sink and from as far as many can see, the float system is failing us.

I came back from my studies in Sydney to Singapore. I did accountancy, enough for me to guarantee a PR status. However, I deided to give Singapore one more try. 6 months into my job hunt, faced the Singapore I knew that prompted me to leave for Sydney 3 years before. Highfalutin, government intervention into personal spaces, poor workplace relations etc.

I did my IELTS, checked my eligibility with the Australian immigration, paid a sum of money and am on the way to get my PR visa approved. There is no turning back. Everytime I look around me, the Singapore I grew up in, I feel sad to leave, the friends, family, places of nostalgia. BUT I know, that amout of loss woudl never replace the opportunity LOST should I forgo my chance to work and reside overseas permanently. Definately, this is the place not for my children to grow. I do not want to be judged and judge people in a discriminating manner nor through endless streaming. I want my children to travel during their holidays without principals telling them they require permission to do so and I want my children to know the undamentals of democracy and free elections, something which I have been deprieved.

Last Aug my son and I were in Singapore for 3 weeks to visit my dad.

There was nothing much to do in Singapore so we went to the Science Centre three (3) times. Each time we saw the same painful thing repeated over and over:

Singaporean students of my son’s age (12 to 14) standing up in two straight lines facing the teachers. Most of them jump up and down with hands raised to gain the teachers’ permission to go into the gift shop. Once inside the shop they just ran around or acting as if they have never seen those displays and acted extremely happy or enthusiastic. Even queing up at the Science Centre MacDonald’s they would act hyperactive and happy. Observe it yourself in the Science Centre or elsewhere. In short, it was just NOT a natural human being behaviour. They behaved like those apes in the Planet of Apes!

On one of the visit, I saw a group of students (same age group) from Hong Kong. They spoke Cantonese. Their actions and behaviour instantly flashed back the skiing field trip and the Science Centre trip I went with my son’s school in Edmonton, Alberta. They are just normal kids, behave normally and look at things with “inner excitment” without showing an amplified outward enthusiasm.

In Hong Kong airport, I asked a porter where I can get a trolley, and she walked around the corner and push a trolley to me and walked around. In the Singapore Changi airport, I did the same. But this time the lady porter kept apologizing “sorry , sorry, sorry” and run around the corner to get a trolley for me. I pity the latter for I feel that only a person full of fear would act that manner. I notice that Singapore civil servants everywhere I went…libraries, custom agency ..they are overly courteous. It gave me the “too-good-to-be-true” feeling about their service. It can only derived from a feeling of fear rather than a natural reaction.

Is the Singapore education system teaching the people to be “overly” respectful of authority and fear of making mistakes. Their inward emotions are now displayed in their outward overly exaggerated enthusiam and submissive manner. Can this attitude nurture creativity or world-class conformists for the social good as defined by the government?

Is that the norm for Singaporeans.

I am pretty sure Wing Lee Cheong does not live in Ontario, which is one of the provinces in Canada.If he did,he would not have given such high praises so generously to the overall Canada educational system.
Ontario’s educational system is in fact,far from being perfect.What Mr. Ng Eng Hen said about Ontario is factually correct and right on the spot.Ontario is producing functional illiterates among those born from 1965 and up.Children of newly arrived immigrants failed miserably compared to other provinces.School drop
-outs rate is 30%+ among high school students..Actual school days in Ontario is only 167 days per year and the rest of the months are for holidays and days offs for teaching staffs.Not bad aye! but of course,at your children expense.High school students can opt out basic subjects like Maths and Sciences and
they were never taught simple thing like time-tables and English grammars.
If you knew of Singaporeans who were former U-students in any of the universities in Ontario,they would tell you how inapt and ill-prepared the local
students were in tertiary education.I personally knew of a couple of Singaporean
students who were part-time teaching Assistants in UofT and York University in toronto,during their school summer vacations.They told me most of their 1st yr
students could not functioned without calculators and could not write a page of
simple assay of about 300 words in class.Wonder why private high schools are
doing a rousing business in Ontario?By the way,do you know that about 35% of
local scholarship for foreign students in Ontario goes to Singapore students?
what ’s the use of students having a lot of self-esteemed and can’t face the working world.

Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are often sited as examples of people who made good without a college degree. These are really bad examples. Both grew up in upper middle income families. Bill Gates’ father owns a legal firm and junior dropped out of Harvard only because he wanted to carry on with his start-up. Gates is a strong case for pursuing a passion and postponing a college degree than the ability to leave a mark in this world without one.

Loon:

In Canada, most of the immigrant children from Singapore are with parents who have tertiary education. It would be a surprise that only “35%” of the ON scholarship goes to Singapore students. it should be more.

Even in Edmonton, many Singaore kids score high marks. But hold on a moment, so are the immigrant children from Indian, China, Hong Kong etc.

However, your friends would testify to you that among the bright Canadian kids (I mean white kids), they are extremely bright. In other words most of those immigrant smart children cannot touch them. You can see these white kids in school orchestras, law and medical schools.

Yes, we must agree that Singapore education system produces students who have the skill for the workforce. But you cannot say Canada is not doing likewise. I know the province of ON drives the Canadian economy and many bankers and medical specialists are educated in the province of Ontario.

The question is that is the education system producing a all-rounded human being with passion, creativity, not fearful like a dog-with-its-tail-between-its legs, dare to fight for social justice and expose the lies of the government for common good.

Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are bad examples of people who made good without a degree. Gates dropped out of Harvard to pursue his interest and start-up. His father owned a legal firm in the state of Washington. Jobs grew up in Palo Alto, a upper-middle income suburban town, now the heart of Silicon Valley. Both would have got a college degree if they not postponed their college education in pursuit of their start-ups.

Hi, Bernard Chan,

I don’t see why there is a need to flash one’s credentials in this forum. Just as you quote yourself as one of those who has earned reputable degree and chose to stay overseas, I could easily name friends who did well in their academic studies and chose to return back to SG. One of my friends has earned a 1st class honors in Economics from Oxford, and is now doing his PhD, but is planning to return back to SG; another who was among the top undergrads in UC Berkeley and a master degree in architecture from Harvard has recently returned back to SG permanently; another who is about to finish his PhD in chemistry from Harvard will be returning back to SG permanently as well; and all of them are not government scholars. Similarly, Adam Khoo did badly in his primary school just as you did. But he was worse as he was expelled from his primary school. He later excelled in his secondary school, and even topped his cohort in NUS Business school, and he is still in SG. So, Mr Chan, not everyone who had comparable horrible experience as yours or everyone who earned their degree overseas choose to settle overseas. The examples you quoted from Science Center and Changi Airport are what I called random sampling that has been used to represent the whole population, so I question whether your conclusion is valid. I do not doubt your ability to outshine others if that is what you intend to tell us. I also respect your decision to settle overseas, inspite of the fact that the tax rate in Canada is much higher than SG, and people are entitled to gun ownership in Canada.

SG has one of the best public transport systems in the world; one of the lowest corruption; one of the highest home ownership countries (and UK is trying to emulate SG system of home ownership); is a food mecca at a very economic price; and I don’t see all these various components coexisting together in US. I am not speaking on behalf of the government, neither am I a government scholar. I am in my 3rd year graduate program in Boston. I have observed the differences between North America and SG, and I have examined why. US, Canada, and SG are very unique, and each country has different historical background. I hope this forum does not give the readers the impression that people will leave SG if given a choice, as there are many wonderful things about SG, despite its flaws. I recognize the need to be committed to changes, and to rally people-power for changes to take place. For those who have chosen to live overseas, I admire your courage but I don’t see reason why I should envy you as everyone is unique and we all make choices based on different criteria all the time.

SLK: As a graduate student pursuing education in the US, and who has prior education in Singapore from primary school to uni level, I would like to say that S’pore education system has prepared me well to compete with the American students:
Question: I would like to ask SLK is , if sg education is as good as many other countries. Why on earth are you studying in US. Why sg student are send to UK, US with their scholarships.
SingaExpat: Singapore’s is 94.4 per cent and placed at 74th, according to UNESCO in its 2007 annual report. Obviously you have not read with your eyes opened.
Sg has in the pass uses ranking as a reference to claim this , claim that. Which ,as an sg and knowing media is one sided, there are alot of untruth as most politican cherry pick on what they want the people to know, when local media is biased. As far as most sg (ordinary sporean) are concerned, it is stressful and the sprint is too fast for them. I know for certain kids who have left for Australia was very happy to go to school.
Cheong has summarized it : We may not be high in world rankings but we are happy. That is what life is all about. All the millions of dollars a year would not necessarily bring you genuine joy and happiness.

Sad: …if sg education is as good as many other countries. Why on earth are you studying in US. Why sg student are send to UK, US with their scholarships.

No one has qualified “good education” in this forum. Most of us assumed that so long as SG uni are ranked among the top 100, i.e. NUS ranked 30th, NTU 73rd, according to Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings 2009, SG education system is good. Cheong has raised some aspects of Canadian education which he thinks are enormous pull factors evidently lacking in SG. There have been a number of case studies that attempt to compare SG education syst on internationally agreed benchmark (there are of course loopholes in every benchmark), and I believe most of us in SG are confident that our local grads are academically competent internationally. Why then do some of us pursue overseas education? For my case, I am passionate about philosophy, theology, science and ethics, and it happens that our local uni does not offer such program, that’s why I pursuing it overseas. When you are doing a research degree, you need supervisors who are recognized authority in your field, and most often than not, overseas professors held much more publication than our local professors. This explains why many SG students may have to explore research degree overseas. At the same time, it also depends on your field. If you were to be interested in ASEAN strategic planning, you might want to consider doing it locally. But I won’t be surprised if part of the local research program requires you to go overseas to places like J.F.Kennedy School of Government at Harvard to understudy how US formulates its policy when interacting with the ASEAN.

For those who are sent to overseas uni with govt scholarship, usu. for undergrad education, I think that will be a totally different story. I believe the foremost reason would be for exposure and network. These govt. scholars are future policymakers. Overseas exposure will be crucial in framing how they formulate future policies. This suggests why these scholars are usu. sent to country which has a strong global presence. So, Sad, you may have to add China and India to your list. The network established there will be important bridge for our future policymakers to work with other countries. Sending our government scholars overseas is a strategic move. The next reason I could think of is to showcase the credibility of SG future leaders. Yes, you could argue that top scholars are not necessary capable leaders, but we have followed British elite system since the 1st generation SG leaders. However, I do see sign where our local grads are running for MP and given multiple portfolio (one such e.g. is Mr Teo Ser Luck, MP of Pasir Ris-Punggol, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Ministry of Transport is a local grad from NTU Accountancy). I hope I have answered your qus.

Reply#80-Bernard Chan.
You are right.Had it not been Ontario government’s policy on scholar-
ship quotas given to different nationalities ,i am certain Singapore students could easily reached 90%rate.Also,i must acknowledge that Alberta and the east coast provinces have the best public school system in Canada.My fault is with the Ontario educational system and not with immigrant’s children.Children of new immigrants score better marks in Alberta than their peers in Ontario.If you had followed school competitions whether it is local or international,Ontario is not on the radar screen.In fact,Ont.school boards Association tries to sweep it under the carpet.
In Ontario,the education ministry is beholden to the powerful teachers’ union.That is why,you have seen so many teachers strikes in Ontario public school and universities.There is more politics involve than in looking after the interest of Ontario students.
I wish TOC be able to conduct an interview with LKY’s daughter who is a medical doctor.Do you know that she has her internship and training in a
Toronto hospital for a couple of years..She may be able to give us a more reliable
overview on Canada public school systems.

do we really need to study so hard like a nerd, do we really need to memorize so hard like a bookworm, with the handy accessible of modern tool like computer and internet?

If MOE made “enjoying life” part of the school curriculum, parents and students will ask if there is a 10-year series for that subject!!!

I honestly dont see how sg education sys r so good, given that, alot of us have to study overseas including PM Lee ’s son.

And we have this unfair system of O level, N level and EM1, EM2, then ITE, NEC, Dip, A level, U

How many of Sg ppl actually suffer becos of this education system? How many ppl are ITE and how many just have N level and not even a ITE? A lot , for those who are not with the grassroots or think too almighty. Pls search your conscious if you tell me the fairness of ITE, Dip and A, and why A have concessory cards? Cos they are superior? huh?

issnt pre ITE students humans too? or sub human?

Reply#88) Oh Holy
You have assumed that “good education syst” means that it is so self-sufficient that people do not have to go overseas. This is a flawed assumption. Even Harvard which is rank#1 in the world is not strong in engineering and math. However, MIT is sitting next to Harvard and complements its deficiency; hence, it is not economical for Harvard to develop its niche in engineering and math. In US, many American students have to seek out-of-state college education, i.e. they have to study in a different state. If a student from Massachusetts is deeply interested in comparative philosophy, he may find reap more benefits from program in Hawaii uni or Florida uni rather than Harvard or MIT even though both are in Massachusetts. For SG, our limited land mass and population size restricts the number of uni we could have. And there are also many reasons why people seek overseas education and this by no means mitigate the credibility of our local uni. I hope you will understand that.

I would also like to respond to your perception about the unfair system of differentiating into O level, N level and EM1, EM2, then ITE, NEC, Dip, A level, U. First of all, do understand that Europe and America adopt different educational approach. Europe believes in specialization at an early age, while Americans believe in broad base learning so that their citizens could make more informed decision in choosing their leaders. As SG adopts British system, this explains why our education syst is so specialized at an early age. EM1/2/3 is developed to cater to the different academic needs. If you were to lump students of different acad ability into one class from P1 to Sec4/5, then the attrition rate will be higher. EM1/2/3 is supposed to streamline our students so that the system can be made more customizable according to their needs. At the end of NT level, students are supposed to proceed to ITE, which is a vocational institute for those who are non-academically inclined. Without ITEs and their Nitec and higher Nitec certificates, those students could fall out of the education system. Nitec certs gives the students a chance to work as technician and other supportive staff, while higher Nitec gives ITE students an avenue to proceed directly to 2nd year Diploma or to work as senior technician. Similarly, for those who at NA level, they could proceed on to Sec 5 where they will take the O level or proceed to ITE at the end of Sec 4. Polytechnic is tertiary institute that continues that generates most of our work force (according to the number of intake compared to ITE and uni). The increased education level has seen more alternatives for diploma students to pursue Bachelor and some even Master degree. Rather than seeing our system’s cruelties, I see instead a comprehensive level to equip our students so that they could contribute to the society. Some people choose to stigmatize ITE students, while looking higher upon the uni students. This is a mentality we have to overcome together. There are no such thing as lower/higher class, this is a social divide created by ourselves. Any job is noble so long as it is meaningful to the person and contributes to the well-being of the society. My only critique for our education system is that it is not diversified enough to develop those who are artistically inclined or those who are inclined in the social science and humanities.

Regarding your remark about the concessionary pass, please refer to http://www.spp.org.sg/tos/20090209-03.php, by Mr Chiam See Tong. I believe your information is outdated.

@SLK
So you are assuming the self-sufficient ppl like PM Lee’s son dont need to study engineering overseas then?

Even our Education Ministry knows our education system is flawed and they r looking for ways to improve it, because of the mistakes of the past. Are you then better than them, just because u r a graduate?

Oh pls, think of the underdogs, they r ur fellow citizens.

Do I need to prove that many of the so call underachievers are actually scorers overseas and that they are called talents now?

Reply to #89 Oh Holy

We are having an open-ended discussion based on reasoning, not by the fiat that I am a graduate student. I would appreciate it if you could juxtapose my argument with the minister’s concretized argument so that there is more common ground to compare and contrast. I have said previously that any education system that is to meet the dynamic needs of the society has to be fine-tuned frequently, please refer to my #63 post. I have also pointed out some strategic reasons why people prefer overseas education, please refer to my #83 post. Finally, I value my fellow citizens dearly, and I do look forward to ways where I could advocate for my fellow citizens’ benefits. I believe this forum provides a framework for us to do so together. Thanks for your honest feedback.

Interesting article! Interesting comments!

Below an example, though not related to eduation, but you would see what I am trying to highlight…

I had worked for 3 companies before my retirement last year….1 MNC and 2 SME manufacturing industries. In all 3 companies, I heard this same remarks repeatedly throughout my working years – “Our department is the most important as we generate profit so that all of you can enjoy bonus!”

I would often reply them – every department is as important. Without the material planner and purchaser, factory cannot produce. Without factory workers, there will be no products. Without warehouse and logistics personnel, the goods will not be delivered to customers on time. And, so on and on and on…

I am now living in States and am working with local kids from G1-8. Based on my observation, there are pros and cons in both US and SG education system.

With more citizens of higher academic qualification nowadays, I reckon SG education system isn’t that bad. In school, both teachers and students are facing extreme pressure and stress.

Parents should try to not put any further stress on their children. Try not to load them with piles and piles of assessment books, non-ending enrichment activities and so on. Take time to engage with your children in fun-filled and/or meaningful events….like zoo, science centre, Botanic Garden, picnic, play game, social work, etc. Also, it is very important as parents to imparting moral value and good manner to them. We have to set good example to our children.

I have friends who spend thousands sending their kids for “enrichment” classes with well known authors of PSLE prep books and at the Learning Lab. Another friend’s child in the GEP program had private tuition for science subjects which seemed ironic to me. But I guess that’s how important academic performance is in SG. Like Korea and Japan , Singapore’s education system has got more “demanding” over time. The result are students who are exam smart. I agree with the writer that aceing exams does not equate to being creative or becoming nobel prize winners. I emigrated to NZ where there have also been a no. of Olympic medal winners and creative people like Peter Jackson , weta studios etc. I have the privilege of working in early childhood and the curriculum emphasises learning dispositions , such as resilience, curiousity and playfulness, rather than content as the latter is so easily accessible over the internet. My son went to a primary school where there were no exams , although assessments were done which indicated their learning ability over a range (ie child at 9 could be anywhere from age 7 to 14 in his reading and /or maths ability) for example. Also he had sailing and swimming lessons. Skiing lessons were also options . Obviously a lot more enjoyable than rote learning , S’pore style…At the end of the day , I think NZ schools could do with a bit more content and SG schools could do with less ranking and grading which takes the joy out of learning…But between the 2, I’d opt for a system that does not take the joy out of learning. As the writer says, it is a marathon, not a sprint. Education should not be “assembly line” moulding of young lives to become “workers”. It should be about creating confident and competent communicators and life long learners, healthy in body, mind and spirit.

Some points I would like to make.

It is very difficult to argue against the fact that American and Canadian universities are far ahead of NUS and NTU. But this is in no way due to flaws in Singapore’s education system. In the first place, American universities are extremely well funded. They also have a long history in comparison to local universities, and most importantly, they have been at the forefront of research for a long time, and will continue to attract the best minds around the world.

Being an overseas student in the US, I feel the excitement and passion that people in my field have for the subject, because they really are at the forefront. You meet different people, learn much more about the world, and the entire approach to education is completely different. This is a valuable experience, and even if NUS and NTU one day become ranked as two of the top 10 universities, Singaporeans should not be discouraged from studying abroad.

Also, I think condemnation for all things SIngaporean happens too easily sometimes. It is a knee-jerk reaction to claim that “we have this unfair system of O level, N level and EM1, EM2, then ITE, NEC, Dip, A level, U.” It may be unfair to stream so early, and it certainly is difficult to get yourself from one stream to another, but the key advantage to this system is that people won’t just simply drop out of school, which is precisely what happens in the US. If you can’t get past a certain grade in the US, then that’s it. There aren’t organised vocational training schools or alternative routes to higher qualification. Streaming, as with many other policies in Singapore, has its problems, sure. But these policies are not disastrous, nor are they unthinking or purposefully cruel.

When we were born, how were we? Are we born curious, having an intrinsic ability to learn, albeit haphazardly… Then we were shipped off to “school”. Like a child learning to ride a bicycle, you know how it is.

In school, not only do we learn the subjects, but we also learn how to learn. Now, i think the later may be the problem with the singapore school system. Subjects, be it science, maths, geography, etc are more or less similar wether you’re in SG or Canada or States, etc.

The question now is, what are the types of inherent abilities of humans to learn on their own? Some learn faster, some get it later but eventually you get it. Now what singapore system is trying to do is to “short cut” this natural learning process of human by introducing them to a very efficient and highly effective learning “padagogy” – Model answers.

Pls don’t get me wrong, model answers learning approach has its merit. Sadly, i am a beneficiary of such a system. You know how computer scientist train artificial neural network? By feeding the ANN algorithm with countless examples, reinforcing the “synapses” of the ANN “neurons”, train and train until such time, you input a query of similar types and the probability you will get a “correct” output. Congratulations, your ANN is learning! The model answer approach.

This approach is highly effective and efficient! When one discover this “secret recipe”, it can quickly become your one and only mode of learning, like an opium addict, the 1st thing you look for are the past year papers model answers from your seniors!

Sometimes i wonder, if i had not “discovered” this learning approach, would i have discovered my true gift from God? For i believe, everyone of us has a gift.

It is always a fine balance between teaching a person how to learn and in the process not destroying his/her innert ability to learn and naturally move towards the gift. i don’t know…

With regards to streaming.

Recently i met a student, she has just completed her N levels. So i asked what were her plans. She replied that she’s interested to do nursing at an ITE. But, she can’t, because there is no science subjects in her N level!

Our education system streams and streams and yet streams, till you squeeze every ounce of enthusiasm from their soul and their spirit. Then, you put them to work in the workforce.

Reply to #96 radlife66

Regarding the NT student who couldn’t get into ITE Nursing because she did not have Science at N level. This is what I gathered from http://www.moe.edu.sg/education/files/edu-booklet/edu-booklet-english.pdf.
Lower Sec NT: English, Mother Tongue, Social Sciences, Visual Arts, Music, Math, Sci, Computer Applications, Technical Studies, and Home Econ subjects are available.

For Upper Sec NT:
Compulsory subjects: English, MT, Math, Comp Appl.
Science Electives: Sci, Tech Stud, Food & Nutrition.
Humanities & Arts Electives: Art & Design, Elements of Office Admin.
NT students are required to take 5-7 subjects for N level exam.

So, student has the option to take science in her subject combination, not that it is not offered at N level. Should the student take the responsibility for choosing her subject combination or is it the system’s flaw to allow the student to choose so early at Sec 3? I guess we have to weigh the pros and cons and choose one that results in the greater good for the whole, rather than to throw out the whole basket because it does not benefit the few. As I look at the MOE booklet on the current education system, I think it is a big overhaul from what I used to have. We did not have CIP & Service Learning, or the option to take Mother Tongue B back then. The syllabus has also been trimmed to emphasize “Teach less, Learn more.” The current A level syllabus is also a move to include more holistic education. I also notice that our Pri/Sec students have more opportunities to travel overseas. These are no doubt improvements but our current education system is by no means a final product. Let’s hope we could continue to feedback constructively so that our descendants could reap more benefit from the system than us.

Well, I am one such person .

SLK: I do not support your argument. If there is a independent survey to prove that students are happy, not stress for the majority. If you are one of those elite students i will not support. Unless, student from the lower income group or those will who have learning ability except your argument. If not constructive feedback especially for sg education is nothing but all like you talk only

Reply #98 Bernard
Bernard, I feel sorry for the plight that you went through. If you are the same Bernard as Bernard Chan, I would feel proud for you that you have beaten against the odds. Assuming that there are insufficient empirical data and research to compel MOE to revamp the current system, your testimony on how you beat the odds will be very important to students who are not benefiting within the system. Adam Khoo is the other guy whom I can think of who overcame his learning obstacles and made it to a millionaire by age 26.

Reply to #99 Sad
I am not an elite but just an ordinary guy from lower income family who struggled through the system. My formula during the ‘O’ and ‘A’ was based more on rote learning, but discovered to my rude shock that this couldn’t work in NUS engineering. But the training I had in engineering school eventually grounded me in thorough thinking, to learn how to derive from first principle with different boundary conditions, and to do independent research work. I am grateful for that tough training as that discipline prepared me well for my current graduate school. Looking at the current education system, I am more inclined to believe that it is an improvement over the one that I had grew up in.

Reply to #82

To talk to the thick head PAP running dogs we need to flash our qualification if not they think we are just another Ah Bing. If you feel otherwise, then I respect you for not showing. I have nothing to hide. I give out my full name and even my address like what Mr Wing the write did in some of his writing. So I think I should not hide my qualification. And by the way Imperial College is now at par with Oxford U….3 best university in the world! 1st is Harvard and 2nd is Cambridge.

First and foremost we must accept Canada is a vast and blessed country. Singapore was created by a hardworking population and a committed and competent Govt.
If all things being equal, I am sure Singaporeans will be as relaxed as the Australians and Canadians. They are lucky and we are not so lucky.
Parents play a big part in the rat race. Parents knowingly or unkowingly encourage their children to go for academic excellence. Not a big problem except that the child misses his or her childhood.
Cheong Wing Lee can emigrate to Canada. A good choice but don’t look down on those who stayed and asked us to let our guards down because we don’t have wild salmons leaping up the river, pine forests, oil tar, etc etc
Frankly if we have too much time in Singapore without the natural wonders of Canada, our kids will end up in the shopping malls, game arcades etc
I think better study and earn enough money to travel the world.

For me Singapore is my base and the world is my playground.

But must study hard first.

Ultimately what matters is whether you get an education in spite of the educational system or because of it.

Singaporeans are lambs. From young they are trained to follow, even after they graduated they are paid to follow. Rebels are punished & condemned. Maybe one thing which the government needs to know is that this is no Matrix movie where humans are used cultivated for economical production. This is disrespect of Human Rights from childhood even till the adult years.

As a Singaporean who’s been in “elite” schools for ten and a half years of her life, I’d say that even though I had to mug really hard for good grades, it wasn’t all THAT bad. I’m currently studying in an international school in Canada, so all this talk has been quite interesting and relevant to my life at the moment.

Coming from Singapore where so much emphasis was placed on studies and being thrown into such a chilled out environment was quite unsettling initially. But soon enough I realised that I was quite ahead of most of my peers academically, though socially I could learn quite a lot from them as well. And now, while my peers at home are all stressing out over their A Levels, I just completed an Underwater Photography Specialty course in SCUBA diving. I guess the problem then doesn’t lie in the education system, but rather the whole environment of Singapore in general, as we as students and children are quite sheltered from the “harsh realities of the real world”.

I’m a true Singaporean kid, brought up with a maid and not knowing how to operate a washing machine or a coffee maker. I’m now living in a boarding school with my parents and family halfway across the globe and have been here for over a year. My parents wanted me to do well in school, but weren’t as kiasu as some other parents that I’m hearing of. Primary school was when the external discipline was more necessary, though I did manage to have a good childhood while juggling piano lessons, swimming trainings and schoolwork. After that, my siblings and I slowly gained more independence from my parents and I think we still turned out ok and not SO academically-oriented. The point of this is actually just to say that parents do play a large role in the whole social skills/academic orientation jazz, so it’s not entirely the fault of the Singaporean education system that we’re producing SOME socially inept kids or uncreative un-brilliant kids.

I think the problem of the education system lies in the fact that we’re still quite a young nation, and still quite a conservative one. The mindset of the older generation, in my opinion, is this: This education system has worked well in the past, so why change it? And this goes for many things outside of just the education system. Singapore was born out of hard work, and let’s not forget that it was these “iliterate elders” that we so eagerly dismiss who built up this nation. However, I do think that we need to evolve in order to survive in this ever-changing world. I’m not quite sure that we should adopt the Canadian school system, though, because, as mentioned before, we are in very different environments with a lot of varying factors. Also, I’d rather have to deal with kids stressed from school rather than kids out getting high on drugs or alcohol [not to make generalisations, but those are just some of the problems faced by some schools here]. I’m not quite sure how we can change the whole system without first changing the mindsets of the people involved within it, which include parents, students, teachers and the government.

Also I don’t think we should measure a country’s achievements by just the number of Olympic medalists or Nobel Prize winners or whatnot. How, then, would this be different from the education system rankings claimed by Dr Ng? I think the most important thing isn’t how high Singapore is ranked among the world [though yes I do understand that we are a small country wanting to make a name for ourselves], but rather how happy its people are. If the education system is producing stressed children that want to move out of town as soon as possible or whose only goal in life is to get As for everything, then that’s the biggest problem that needs to be tackled. Not how to change the education system so that we can produce more Nobel laureates or Olympic medalists, but how to change the system so that we can produce empathetic humans with values who live a happy life in a country that they love [I think that was actually more or less the point of the whole article above?].

My apologies if I may seem incoherent throughout this response. It’s 2.40am and I still have homework due later today [see, wherever you are, this still happens].

Cheers, all.

This is form Temasekreview forum: for all those who think sg education is still OK. for SLK as well.
Please go to this website video and see if you see any parallel and connective spins with The Truth About Dubai’s Shiek’s EXCESS in his Kingdom!!!… Especially by his HIGHLY Paid minister od development in answer to Western INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST!!!…

And know WHY Liesky is so so afraid of investigative journalism!!!… Because he always have something to hide from us. Do True to Goodness and Honesty people… EVEN National leaders… need to hide… with GARBAGE VERBAGE???…

Please SEE and Hear for yourselves people of Singapore…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUW9MWLIQYw

Saw my young nephew tear up the shitty times a few days ago after seeing yet another foreigner girl getting PSLE top, stepping over locals.

Have locals no shame? How can anyone stomach this?

#107 TanAhTeck

i think we are also part of the problem. We are so obsessed with the top “winners” we forget the rest of the 99.9% of the ordinary, average singaporeans. We par-take in the meritocratic ideology. Sure, they are good and we must not begrudge them.

But no matter how good they are, when the sh*t hits the fan, we ordinary, average singaporeans have no where to go, but to stand our ground and defend this land and our people. We original, true blue, singaporeans.

It is tiring to see our gov “feeding” meritocracy to the detriment of ordinary, average singaporeans. We count nutz to the singapore gov.

my heartfelt congratulations to the young student who ace this year’s PSLE :-)). You have worked hard and deserved this honour. Jia You!

We are not against foreigners per se.

As a Singaporean who have gone through the education system in Singapore from a boy till now, a soon-to-graduate undergraduate student, I certainly agree with many aspects of the articles that in Singapore, many of us are just environmentally forced to study.

As young as kindergarten, we were often asked what we wanted to be when we grow up. Our answers were always naively answered as a doctor, policeman, fireman etc. But not knowing much about the future and being a child who only have the word “play” in their mind, how often do we become what we “wanted” to be when we grow up?

I know that my grades were not very good and my parents would never force me to study. But for some strange reasons, my parents wanted to send me for tuitions as early as primary 1. I was happy to be able to go tuition like my elder sister, but was really scared to go for fear of meeting new people, hence I resisted going in the end. I know then, that I have to work hard myself, to make my parents happy. Then I asked myself what was so hard about studying. I soon become a self-motivated student who studies and studies, having the ambition to enter JC at the age of only 10. Maybe for my generation, parents then were not as “kiasu” as now, but I remember the education system turning more difficult 1 or 2 years after my batch.

Hard work got me streamed to a class of students all with good grades. My hardwork did not change, but what has changed was that, when I was streamed into the good class that year, I no longer feel that my hardwork was enough. Everyone seemed much better than me, and it only pushes my to work harder and harder (implicitly self-motivated?).

I entered good secondary school (the one in the picture above… haha) and that environment of tests and exams almost every fortnight kept me busy day and night. I lost myself. I found myself a slave studying and studying and studying. It was really stressful. Really really stressful. And I hated myself when I failed to keep to my self-created studying schedule. That was really bad. Nevertheless, it does train me up in terms of my stamina. I become a person that could manage stress better, someone who is not afraid to be given lots of work. Overall, there was a sense of achievement. Great. But imagine if you are forced into that situation for all your life? You will just get sick of the stress one day.

I wanted to learn piano ever since I was young. But my parents were against it initially until I proved my true interests in it. But in the end, I still had to give up learning it when I was taking my O levels, simply because the amount of time I have to spend on studying. I cannot cope. I had to give up my passions, for my grades. Perhaps this is what has shaped us, to become slaves for grades, forced or voluntarily.

I desired for an overseas education then, as I was really bored with living in Singapore. I worked hard, really hard, for what? For good grades in A level. Why? To get scholarships because my parents simply could not afford. In the end, after 2 years of studying almost 12 hours daily, I got AAAA for my A levels. But I still did not secure a scholarship. I was forced to study locally, in local uni.

Since then, I let myself go easy. I lost my will to work that hard already. I dont see anything I will gain working so hard for grades. Maybe still, I worked hard for my uni, but this time, it was for fighting a chance to go for exchange overseas! I spent 1 year of my studies in Germany through exchange, and I must say I truly experience a different lifestyle and seen a different perspective. I have seen how people continue to study till 30 and not even worry about finding a job. I have seen people studying a second degree, I have seen people studying without stress. I have seen my europe friends failing exams several times but yet they took it absolutely easy. They have a different education system! They can simply fail exam over and over again, and repeat as many times as they like. They dont force you to study a semester, or force you to come to class, you get your grades so long as you pass the exam. Isnt that far less stressful? Getting the same recognition for spending more time studying at a leisurely pace? We dont have such a luxury in Singapore. A failed exam unless is an F is not allowed to be repeated in NUS. And this F grade cannot be erased! It stays with you for the rest of your life! So now, who doesnt want to study hard?

We were often criticized to be apathetic about politics. With grades issues in our mind, who will ever have the time to bother about issues such as politics that are unrelated to our grades?

I have thought it through, thinking about life and looking how other people lead their lives. I tell myself, grades isnt important in life. So I went ahead to study whatever I want. I studied Japanese, German and Indonesian in University, even though my major is Computing. Cos I am interested in it. And I dont really care if it affects my grades. I dont believe that good grades means better job or future, unless you work for the government.

Sometimes, I just want to shake my head, learning that some of my friends are giving up the opportunity to spend a sem or 2 doing exchange overseas or picking up some new languages for the sake of their grades. There is so much that there missed in life due to this pragmatic and grade-oriented education system…

I may not have grades as good as them, but didnt I learn much more than them by mastering 3 new languages at the expense of lousier grades?

Now, I have graduated 1 semester later than others, but I think it is all worth it. I have learnt so much more through the year spent overseas. Just let go, pursue your passions… I have even plans to study cooking and baking after graduations.
That is the way I think it should go… and Singaporeans need to see just that…

Reply to#109-kuch

Wow!,you must have been fed with a silver spoon in your mouth.So much time and money spent on your overseas experiences and pursuing your studies,
passions,ambitions and what else.You have much to be thankful for, that your parents who live in Singapore and have succeeded in making a lifestyle so comfortable for
you.Unfortunately,for most of us Singaporeans, we do not have that kind of luxuries
like yours.We are so thankful to the government for giving us an education which is
as good as any developed nations and to be able to have a decent jobs to support our families.Those cooking,baking,piano lessons and overseas experiences things you did are secondary to us and has nothing to do with whether my parents have a kaisu and kaisi mentality or not.
Please do not wish that “Just letting go” should be the way to go for
Singapore cos we might end up as a jack of all trades and master of none.I wish
you all the best in your near future.I really do.

Reply to #110

Sorry, but you are wrong. I worked hard for everything. All those lessons? I worked hard to pay for it myself. And my overseas experience are paid for by the overseas government scholarship. The main point is to just let go of GRADES. Are GRADES really that important? I think you are comparing it to wrong items.

And yes. Worked hard. Like all sucessful and kiasu singaporeans. Work hard! VERY HARD. To get fight for every of my passions and ambitions! When others who lost in the competition only complain! I have to fight, even though I say let go! This is SINGAPORE! And are you not sick of this constant competitions? I AM! So everyone just need to let go, for the goodness and betterness of everyone else….

I screwed up my A level’s, got into the “last resort school” after being rejected by the 3 universities, and graduated with second class honours in a major that doesn’t particularly interest me.

I am jobless. I am young, I am inexperienced, and I am gay. Who wants to employ me?

Lesson learnt: Do not screw up your A level’s. And it helps to stay in the closet.

why so worry why chase here and there

as the author said

“We were born with nothing and we will leave with nothing.”

relax one corner lah friend…work to live not live to work

don’t compete,co-operate lah…

if the malay community can accept you chinese and indian to our tanah melayu [malay land]

why not accepting the malay culture of lepak one corner instead of following your culture of kiasuism

aren’t you guys tired?

I am…

Singapore is officially uncapable to become the world’s super power so why bother?
be humble,can survive surely…

Reply to#113-Anonymous.
How foolish you are,telling the whole world that you are gay.Don’t you
know that when you go public about your gayness, there is a price to be paid for your alternative sexual lifestyle in Singapore?No wonder you are still jobless as most employers here will discriminate you. I believe you still have lessons to be learnt.Next time,when you go for your job interviews,be wise and keep your
gayism to yourself or put it ‘in the closet’.

Reply to#112-KUCH
You sound a little bit agitated in last comment.I do not mean to offend you with my
words pertaining you and your lifestyle.My apology.
You and i and our parents would not be what we are today,if there was no
competitions.Studies,business,sports,nation building,even dating someone you
like need to compete with others,CONSTANTLY.Until i win a big big lottery,i will have
no choice but to compete with others to have a good life.If i were fed by a silver spoon,i would be packing my bag to some far a away land maybe in Gobi desert and
live like a nomad with no worrier and no constant competitions.Have a nice and
bright future.I really do mean it.

Reply to #116 Preston Loon

Thanks for your reply and your apology. I was not agitated. I merely want to emphasize that I was not born with a silver spoon. What appears to you is that I got so much more opportunities than you. But well, that is another classic example of how a person losing in a competition will feel. They feel that they cannot do anything but to fight until they win lottery.

But if you are willing to look beyond competitions, opportunities are everywhere. My overseas trip of 1 year for instance is totally free! Why? First of all, German education is totally free, even for foreigners. Second, I did well enough to receive a schlorship from German government to pay for my living expenses. Not that I did exceptionally well, but simply because there was literally NO COMPETITION for the scholarship (How many people are willing to go beyond their comfort zone to learn German? And study in German?)

It may seems that you need to compete to get a good living, but how true does it apply to the real world? You have limited yourself to only Singapore. Any yes, what I can forsee is Singapore will just become another Tokyo in many years to come, where stress level, suicide rate and competitions are high, and no students go for no tuitions!

But if we look beyond that, looking at Europe and Australia, why are they able to achieve a good balance of quality life and work without much competition while we cant? One might argue that they have natural resources and we dont. But since we dont have natural resources, isnt more important for us to cooperate to share the remaining resources instead of competing for the already limited resources?

Let’s imagine that everyone of us are farmers. We grow fruits for a living. With limited resources (fertilizer, and water and seeds and land) if we contantly compete for these resources to ensure that we grow the BEST fruits for ourselves, how would others who lost in the competitions survive on? Wouldnt it be better for us to share these limited resources and not compete with each other, so that everyone will at least get to bear their own fruits? Why do we need to get the best grades? Wouldn’t t be better that we dont compete but share knowledge so that everyone have the most basic knowledge to grow their fruits?

Singapore education is lacking in this. We are forced to compete and compete and be selfish to one another. But even if you win in the competition, how long in the long run (marathon) can you continue to get the BEST FRUITS with limited resources and constant competition for resources? In the end, everyone, whether the winner or the loser, is injured in the competition. Is this what you want to see? Is this worth it?

Think beyond your greed. I used to think like you until I see more in life about how people in other countries are able to lead a relax and stresfree life, yet able to compete equally well in this competitive world. Even in poor countries like Poland, they care more about living a quality life than to earn more money. Like my polish friends always say, they rather earn less than not having holidays. Why not us?

If we just remain status quo and not reflect about the flaws of our systems, we will not make any progress in this world.

hey guys, read this! in canada there are no maids! What the heck should then be better in Canada than in Singapore….

Having maids is the best for education as they can clean and wash, while parents can enjoy more leisure time with children and help them better with their studies.

I am against rote learning, and agree that this should change here. But saying Canada is better is a rather wild assumption. And even if so, Singapore is still better than any other country in Asia.

Thanks to the PAP! Onwards Singapore!!!

I am a PR n I have studied in the local school but after reading this article, I believed that more locals will want to migrate to Canada esp the quality of the lifestyle is better. This is one of the main reason I still kept being a PR instead of becoming citizen.

I am a Vietnamese but have got a Singapore PR, after graduation from a Singapore university on a scholarship given by the Singapore government.

I have been working here in Singapore for the last two years and am thinking of doing my masters in Canada. After that I may decide to get a Canadian PR because I believe not only the education system there is better than in Singapore but the social welfare aspects are also better.

The Canadian government takes good care of her people’s welfare, especially the young and the very old. They do not simply brush their old folks aside like what is happening in Singapore over the last few years that I have observed. Therefore, after knowing what the Singapore government is doing with its own people, I am afraid I would not like to be treated as such. That is why I have not applied to become a New Singapore Citizenship when I was offered.

To many of us, we know what the Singapore government’s interest is in offering us the scholarship so freely but we also have our own mind to think for ourselves, to take care of our own individual interests in the long run.

We, of course, appreciate the kindness shown to us but we have to think deeper in the interest of our future and our children’s future.

Singapore is great, but just a stepping stone to assist us in our pursuit of a better future somewhere else!

i wonder if our schools will ever teach critical thinking as a subject? or when we will ever have a proper journalism degree course in S’pore.

Of course that would preclude having a free press.

Reply to #121 nocolour

our school does teach a bit of critical thinking. In General Paper of JC, we learn to think critically to issues and comment on them.

But with students mainly concern with their grades, most people will definitely invest more time in their main subjects like maths and sciences instead of GP. Because to think critically takes time, but to score well in those subjects is an easier task! Just bury yourself in books and you can do well. Not so for critical thinking. Hence mostly simply cant be bothered with GP, unless it is so much more important to them… like those who already mastered other subjects, or those who want to be lawyers where GP grade is important.

reply to#120-SGPR
I have doubt about your nationality.If you are truly from Vietnam,would you
kindly please rewrite your last comment in French.Thank you kindly.

Reply to #117-KUCH.
If Singapore were to pattern after Germany,CANADA or any angmoh spheres,in no time,Singapore will become a land of FREE-LOADERS.It would be a
piped-dream to say that somewhere there is a stress free environment to live in.
This is what we called UTOPIA.Socialism and communism are dead entities.If you
looked back in histories of industrial revolutions in Europe,their people were working
hard and had a lot of competitions, many instances they competed with each other
in economies.That was how they created multi-national companies from within.Can
you imagine if Singapore has a Government who does not believe in orthodox works
values.You and i and our parents may still be living in a fishing village and have the
identical way of life like our neighbor north of us before 1980.I rather compete to have a good life for myself and my family than to live in utopia and rely totally on
government hand-outs.COMPETITION=PROGRESS.I hope that you still have a
Singapore passport in hand as you might need it in the near future in case
Germany economy crumbles.I still have mine and i hope you do too.

Reply #124

Thank you for your concerns. Time will tell. =)

And you are quite out of point. Our topic is Education. Which means, competing for grades….

So you believe that competing for grades = better grasp of knowledge?
Think again

If living in a fishing village could buy back the time…. the quality time I lost to be able to spend with my families instead of mugging 12 hours a day for the past 10 years. I would……… would you not?

Time and tide wait for no man. We live in this world for such a short period of time. How much time do we have for our loved ones? Spend it on your family, instead of competing excessively and unnecessarily. If you have kids, spend more quality times with them and not push them unnecessarily by forcing them to go for tuitions or do assessment books or whatever. For there is no true gain in the knowledge anyway.

Fortunately, for me, I realize this much earlier than you, and my parents are still around. Time will tell you, how true is what you have said….

Good luck!

@67 SLK, @81 SLK

Critics should confine comments to context of the article. History of gun ownership and racial atrocities towards natives and other races are irrelevant in this forum.

Likewise, the blatant sex trade in Geylang and other HDB neighbourhood cannot be blamed on the Singapore education system. Please do not digress and confuse the readers.

SLK’s self-righteous and authoritative lecture on my ignorance of Canadian history based on his tabloid knowledge of Canadian history is naive and presumptuous on his part. My grandfather paid a $500 head tax to immigrate to Canada more than 80 years ago. He lived through turbulent times of injustice done to Chinese Canadians – the racial riots, burning of Chinatown, job discrimination, the Chinese Exclusion Act, no property ownership bylaw, etc., etc. There were exclusive districts where Chinese were not permitted except if you were servants. The Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1947 and July 1st was named Canada Humiliation Day to remind younger generations of the injustice done and never to be repeated. It is later proclaimed the National Day of Canada.

Most of the issues of injustice mentioned have been addressed and resolved amicably. The Prime Minister of Canada had personally apologized to all Chinese Canadians about the unjust Head Tax directed towards the Chinese Canadians in the past and made financial compensations to all those who suffered. The First Nations (natives) issues were also settled but I would not go into detail due to limited time and space.

Canada has evolved over the past fifty years to be a model for racial harmony. The country has people from practically all parts of the world as citizens living together harmoniously.

My article was written without malice. It was to show the differences between the two education systems and the effects on our children and society. There are pros and cons. In the end, it is to each his own.

I was expelled from school at sec.two in Singapore. Had I not immigrated to Canada, I would never been able to work my way up to be the CEO of a USA medical equipment manufacturing company and put my three children through universities and am now comfortably retired. Everyone is entitled to his opinion and where he wants to live. There is no necessity to use gutter politics to prove your case.

Yours truly,
Cheong Wing Lee

Hi Weng Lee, well said! To each his own. Perception of thoughts and realities are two different things altogether. Life’s choice is for us to make. You did well to make the right choice. When my friend migrated to Mississuaga in 1992, I was toying with the idea. I stayed in his home for 3 weeks but the winter cold was severe at over -10 degree. I backed out and the rest was history.

Thanks for sharing a good life in Canada. For one iota, Singaporeans will suffer under the prolonged rule of PAP if change is not courageous made by the very people under such authoritarian, despotic and neopotic rule of a one party failure system.

[...] education – TOC: Why I prefer Canada’s education system – world-ranking or not – Singapore Alternatives: Education Hub of Degree [...]

Reply #129 leesjuanpat

Hi, your first part is credible, but there is no need for you to point any fingers or criticise anyone…. People who reads it may take offence. =)

Crude = weakness
Refine = power, strength

If you point fingers, or has any unproven accusations, like many others above who resort to using insults and sarcasms to prove their points, it will just make your credible ideas sound weak. =)

Hi Wing Lee and all,
Indeed, I am also considering whether to emigrate out of Singapore. I also had problems in Singapore’s education system. Previously, I did not want to mention my harrowing past but now come to terms with it. The environment changed me to be a extremely competitive oriented militaristic man. When I went over to the States for tertiary studies, I was struck by the relative laissez faire attitude shown by some Americans. The gap is so much bigger between the best American students and the worst Americans students, as compared to Singapore. I was able to perform much better against the lower and middle range Americans but cannot hold out against the best American students who are better in thinking out of the box. So I am a upper above average guy thanks to my firm foundations received in Singapore education system.
Indeed, I noticed that the Canadians also tend to be more friendlier and less racist than the Americans as a whole. I wonder and thinking of going to toronto if fate permits, to experience on a long term basis .

@131-kuch
Thank you for your enlightenment.

If Singapore education is so great, where are the thinkers, the personalities in Society?

Singapore does not have them. We have on PM under the armpits of papa. And an old man who seems to be unable to die.

#20 Sheikh Ridingcherokee on November 29th, 2009 7.38 pm -

“I live in Malaysia and Singaporean to us is a race of mechanical or computerized Robots with gross attitute problems and its politicians having a phobia of being attacked by either Malaysia or Indonesia or both together.”

http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2183&Itemid=178

Check out above. You’re darn right we have the phobia. So what do you suggest we do?

#20 Sheikh Ridingcherokee on November 29th, 2009 7.38 pm -

Singapre’s “politicians having a phobia of being attacked by either Malaysia or Indonesia . . . ”

Jakarta invaded the tiny East Timor in 1975.

Mr Sheikh Ridingcherokee do you do comtemporary history?

[...] @misterlamb Exactly! “Not knowing how to apply the knowledge is no knowledge at all.” http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/11/why-i-prefer-canadas-education-system-world-ranking-or-not/ #edchat [...]