The cocked up Singapore Ed
In less than a month, I would be leaving this tiny island, in pursuit of a much better education system. Over the past year, I have been locked in constant arguments with my younger brother over which is a better education system. Over a dinner few weeks ago, my mom's friend was commenting that Mathematics and Sciences is the only subject that you would be able to score a perfect score as they are all based on facts. For lingual subjects like English and Chinese, even a PhD holder would not be able to score a perfect score as they are based on subjective opinions.
Asians are selfish creatures. They would not want to see someone else surpass them, especially when they are in a mentoring position. Even if the essay has no mistakes, has great content, great structure, the markers would try to fault on the score by taking a few points off. There's no logic in that. Even the perfectionist would not be able to satisfy them. I'm not saying they are all off logic idiots. There's probably a small percentage who hold a different mentality. I had a Chinese teacher in Secondary school who was so impressed with some "O" level papers he marked which came from other schools that he gave them full marks straight as he knew that the second marker would try to fault them.
Americans are different. I can't say they aren't selfish. However, they definitely work smart. They don't waste their time finding faults in other people. Which means there are chances for perfect score everywhere. They do not waste time pinning people down, restricting them on their paths to success.
And come on. If you think that the Singapore system is the way to produce smart people, think again. Where do the world's richest people come from? A majority from the US. The Singapore system could only build a foundation for the academically stronger people. Not for those who aspire to be successful in life. Being persistent in believing in this system would only produce more work horses, which is probably what this government wants. People who could not express themselves freely, but just work and work.
July 20th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
Best wishes to you on your pursuit of education n happiness. Education here is crap but i am held hostage because we hv to go thru the system> can i possibly let my children do what i think is ideal for them but facing the prospect of them being misfits of S’pore’s mindset n culture. We may be looking good on paper, but trust me, this place will crumble in 50 - 60 yrs time.
July 21st, 2007 at 12:59 am
Totally agree. The system here is so rigid that whatever people study is most probably useless when they reach working life. “A” level produces nerds who have no idea where they are heading in life, except to learn whatever they are taught.
July 21st, 2007 at 9:35 am
Your obeservations are succint and accurate. I teach at a university in the US though I am from Singapore and there is no comparison. Thye ducation system in Singapore is rigid, self-destructive and is specifically meant to create a compliant nation.
July 21st, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Well said. The other reason besides knowledge is the complete indoctrination of PAP values to create a subservient society. Saved for the industrious and innovative Japanese, we are quite backward and far from world-class.
July 22nd, 2007 at 3:49 pm
So true indeed…
Singapore education are meant to create robots and workers who will take orders and be supervised.
Not many can or want to think out of the box after the rigid education system.
As much as I want to disregard you because I am a Singaporean, I admit what you had written is true. I am in Melbourne now and I can see the difference in her verbal communication speech and creativeness as compared when she was in Singapore.
Such is encouraged in AU, and I believe the US too.
Cheers,
Kaffein
July 22nd, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Yes. We are extremely backward in this society where everything is indirectly controlled by the government although they claimed they have privatized everything. People believe in whatever they say and follow blindly just like robots. It is time that people wake up!