Stayed home today as I was feeling under the weather.Probably due to the recent hazy conditions. Went to the doctor and came home with plenty of meds. Feeling much better now. No workout today so I ended up catching up on my assignments. Below is my assignment.. i think its good to think about such stuff so that we are more aware of the changing times and its demands.
The current education system in Singapore is one that is filled with challenging conondrums. It has come a long way from its Nationalistic Socialistic predecessors where the outcome of education is cynosural to the development of the country. It has in fact moulded the country's future from a developing state back then to the developed nation that we live in today. However, being first world comes with a hefty price; first world pains. Standards of living, inflation rates, healthcare costs, are just the tip of the iceberg of life here in Singapore. It also leads us to think and rethink how are we able to better prepare our young for the world beyond the walls of the classroom.
A constant ardous task for the education system would be to ensure that our students are global citizens yet local patriots. The phrase "Think global, Act local" comes into play more often than not for our younger generation. They are given more opportunities to venture beyond our shores and most of them find life out of Singapore more appealing; the irony. How can we as educators overcome the challenge of the braindrain? This is getting increasingly challenging with the arrival of foreign talents into our midst especially so, now, with more job positions given to foreigners instead of our locally born and bred fellow citizens. All this is happening due to results of cost-benefit analyses by companies and businesses. The almighty dollar and the opportunity for a better life garner victories everywhere they go. On the flipside of the coin, we are also able to tap on the rich experiences of the "outsider'. This issue could also in fact direct the new generation of parents to migration so that their children can contribute to the pool of "foreign talent" in demand by Singapore.Let us look at the ways we can ensure a meaningful approach towards the teaching of National Education or Character and Citizenship Education for both students as well as educators.
Firstly, a strong emphasis on the country's culture and history. Gone are the days when our young are exposed to strong cultural influences like tradition, commitment and loyalty to family which usually exists in extended families controlled by a patriarch or matriarch. Our HDB flats' concept have caused this to approach extinction as more space is required for an extended family to be under one roof. Our culture and traditions of the different races provides us with meaning towards what makes us Singaporean. The task of passing it down to subsequent generations will not rest solely on the narrow shoulders of educators. In a nutshell, someone who loves their family will find the thought of staying in the country despite its challenges more fulfilling.
Secondly, it would be useful for students to be able spend at least a term in a third world country. The whole idea would be to experience life being in a third world country where they will face some slight discomfort. This will make them appreciate life in Singapore more as well teach them the value of some basic amenities like clean water and a good bed to sleep on. Another quality that could be instilled in them through the term would be mental toughness as well as the zest for life without 1st world distractions like the internet or smartphones. Quoting our then PM Lee, in his speech to School Principals on 29th August 1966, " The ideal product is the student, the university graduate, who is strong, robust,rugged with tremendous qualities of stamina, endurance and at the same time, with great intellectual discipline and, most important of all, humility and love of his community."
Thirdly, increase the value of education by reducing the need for performance. As much as we would like to say that our education system produce some of the best scholars, our students are in fact exam and test driven rather than creative problem solvers. Despite the fact that we are utilising slogans like "Thinking schools, Learning Nation." and "Teach less, Learn More.", at the end of the rainbow, students will still be assessed by the bloodcurdling National Examinations. This is what, in the end, will define a student's capability. What right does it have to tell a student that he or she is only capable of doing this due to the result of their performance or actions within 2 to 3 hours of their life? A justified solution would be continual assessment of the student instead of a one-off battle with hundreds of thousands of other children in a similar ordeal where some have better examination skills whereas some do not. Sadly but true, in most cases, students who are better off financially tend to perform better than their counterparts from less fortunate backgrounds.
Lastly, improvement on the current National Service system where males 18 years old of age are mandatorily conscripted into the armed forces, police force or civil defence force. There is no reason to say that it is not an honourable opportunity to serve the country. Thus, the term National Service can be rendered totally apt. However, for most young men, it has become more of a pause in their life than a passion for serving their country. How this insider "pause" concept can be removed would be by providing an avenue or an option for our 'NSFs' to upgrade themselves academically while in service. This will aid them by providing them with "work" experience as well as recognised qualifications to back them up once they attain 'Operationally Ready' status at the end of 2 years. This will also give parents a sense of slight relief as at least their child is receiving some form of education while serving the nation.
To conclude, life as a Singaporean will continue to be challenging in the years to come and our education system has to undertake the sometimes thankless duty of preparing our future generation simply because, "When you teach your son, you are in fact, teaching your son's son." Our Singaporean culture will ultimately be the basis for the degree of rootedness of our young in Singapore. Overseas experiences will make our students understand their country's journey to the successful state it currently is.The value of education should be increased by reducing the emphasis on performance. Improvements on the National Service policy may help increase the sense of patriotism to our Motherland. In all fairness, through creative problem-solving, there are no right or wrong solutions; only the best solution that is feasible and realistic.
The above is just a personal opinion on my part and in no way harbours any ill-intent towards any person or organization. Subjective alright. =)
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