Was taking photographs at West Coast Park today. First photog club outing for me. Well, I ran to the coast and took a few pictures of the fading sunset. Juxtaposing the aging sampans and motorboats against the shiny PSA port in the background.
Singapore's over developed. Everywhere we go, development, modernization strikes us in the face. When was the last time you heard someone drop coins into the coin box on the bus, or saw people queueing up to use the coin phone at the neighbourhood coffee shop. When was the last time you could bargain with someone instead of accepting the 15% discount (over the Reccomended Retail Price), or tipped someone for good service?
I think Singapore's problem lies in it being too developed mechanically. I think more should be left to people - people interaction, less to people - machine interactions. In the past, when I wanted a drink or a tidbit, I went to the mamashop, now I go to a vending machine. Well, we were familiar with the uncle, and when we bought stuff from him he'd always throw in something extra. Maybe a sweet or a lollypop. Try getting a vending machine to do that. Or even basics like bargaining. Only the older generation does it now. The younger generation goes to shops that display NETT price. Where would the young people learn bargaining skills, persuasive skills and appraising skills that they'll need in the marketplace? People just accept that the value of the product they're buying is equivalent to the price they're paying, but this may not be the case all the time, or even most of the time.
Singaporeans are screwed because they are prepared for the future, a time that does not exist everywhere yet. And its a shock to them when they see the real world out there. There are places much worse than rural Malaysia.
Of course, one of the things I believe in is that the Singaporean education system is pretty good. Its actually quite ideal. What's hardest to change is the views of the society itself. I spoke to a MFA guy in Taiwan about that and he said, the Ministry of Education is always promoting change. They're always setting up new schools and posting idealistic young men and women in those schools to encourage change. But there's resistance to change in the system, driftwood that retards this change. I think thats true with respect to the entire society as well. My parents believe lifelong employment is something great, that doctors and lawyers make the most money, that the rest is not worth doing. That charity is good only if others do it, I'll just provide monetary support. That the arts is irrelevant because all you want in life is to Get an Education, Find a Job, and Stay Employed. Well, I believe that if your boss drops you one day, with the limited experience of being in only one company, you'll be begging to be let back in cos you ain't independent or networked enough to feel comfortable in another company. Why help others hold you hostage?
I digressed. Sorry.
But let me just state for the benefit of everybody why I believe our system is near perfect, and where it should and can be changed.
Our system is the perfect embodiment of Meritocracy. Each year, students are tested, and almost every 2 years, they are streamed. This gives them the right load for their abilities, and caters for them when their abilities increase or decrease. This is actually Mass Customization at work, where every student is stretched to his/her fullest, which is what we want.
However, some people believe that equality extends to the type of education received, and that people should be educated equally well. E.g No streaming, everyone just gets assigned to the nearest schools, no rankings etc. Well. To me it's as realistic as saying everyone should wear the same clothes and underwear, cos everyone is entitled to the same amount of cloth because they pay the same price.
Secondly, Singaporeans are never satisfied. They always want more. People in Normal wanna go Express, people in EM2 wanna go EM1. I suppose goals are good, but people should also be satisfied with where they are. Why put undue stress on yourself, consistently OVER-ACHIEVE and believe that you're UNDER-ACHIEVING. I think that's the saddest result of all.
I think our teachers deserve all the respect they can get. Teaching is like charity work. Teachers are expected to give their all, hearts minds and souls, yet behave like its all in a day's work, deal with parents screaming for more work for their child etc. I'm sure parents don't scream for their doctor to prescribe more medicine or scream for their bosses to give them more work. Yet when the subject is their child, they refuse to respect the professional opinion of the teacher. I hate them for that.
posted by Downhere. @ 12:25 am
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