Written by my friend, Harry, to me. Reposted with permission.
I had talked to my parents pertaining further education but it seems that It is not a good move on my side and theirs. This is because my father has no insufficient ready cash on hand so he has to dig out his CPF to fund my studies. I cannot afford him to do that just for me because he needs it more than me. The second bug is that as a business course, I am expected to learn Maths, by which I am so not good at. Even the statistic section is enough to give me a mild fever over the weekend. I tried and completed only 4 chapters before overheating. I studied for more than 6 hours straight last week for 2 consecutive day. I did understand them but the effort is just way beyond my limits. I cannot be sick all the time in school. I need to have a good subjects like Chemistry to perk me up. It used far lesser energy than Geography but it gave me good returns.
As you had mentioned last 2 weeks, I agreed with you that we are not so fortunate to be blessed with a publicly funded education. Moreover low income family like me had a clear disadvantage. I had decided to end my dreams of becoming a graduate.
On Sunday I listened to the Singapore Prime Minister speech and I am not really happy about some point that he brought up. This is especially when it is about further education. I paid my attention to it. He added that two more uni will come in the future; SIM and SIT. Heck why can they just think and do it faster and people like me can stuff inside it. You could benefit too from the lower overall school fees. I felt that this is clearly unfair. Only 27% of the cohort currently get their degree done at the current unis. They hoped to increase the enrolment just to pacify us but some has already get too demoralised like me . Heck what is the real reason behind all this? The goverment tries to get the younger generations to support the goverment due to the dismal performance last GE.
Fine if they want to increase the uni enrolment but for the sake of it, not all people are good at business courses and engineering. Some people have diverse talents and are not suited to be in that courses. Just like me. The new uni are too focussed in getting their specialisation and not all round development. They have a lack of some courses by which I can enrol in. Even courses like Geography is restricted to NUS only. I think they have gotten the wrong signals. Increase the quality and quantity of courses all across the board. A good idea is to duplicate NUS and NTU. Recently, a forum article in Today was published on Tuesday. It made me fumed reading it. It was wtten by an undergraduate. The writer complained that if the goverment increased the intake of uni students, the value of the degree will be diluted and they have to strive harder in order to achieve good standing in the working world. I strongly disagree with the writer and I think it is selfish to say that to have a place in uni is a privilege and not a right. All along, they think that by going to the 3 unis they are the bunch of elites.
The writer thought that they have the lead all along. So by having more competing goverment Uni they feel that their golden throne is to be abdicated. The writer only want to be the best at the expense of others. To put it straight, with rapid industrialisation, many poeple aspire to be the best.
A lot of changes had happened in the last 100 years or so. The elites of Singapore society have the first motorcar in 1886 but now, even low income people are trying to get one till the COE bidding get really crazy. Usually middle income people struggle to maintain a car. The rich can afford it so they can bid for more and have multiple cars so the poor will just have to walk and use the train. More and more people aspire to have on. With rising disposable income they can manage it.
Another example is the revolution of internet and the handphone. In the 1990s, handphone were as big as water bottle and are the preserve for business men and the rich. Now almost everyone has a handphone. Internet was first used by scientist but now everybody can easily get connected to it. The subscription rate has gone done and one can get good services from $50 or so unlike last time when it cost hundreds. Even low income family racked in huge bills so does the rich fret when their premium item is not so rare? No they did not, they just have mutiple phones that are expensive and chenged them according to trend.
To really rebutt the writer, I have one strong piece of evidence. About 60 years ago, people are considered blessed to be educated in a school. If you have Cambridge certificate, you are considered like one big shot. Now what have happened to the O levels? It is as good as saying I studied for 10 years and I need a job. The current standard is already a degree. Soon Double or triple degree will be the norm. Masters will be helpful to add sparkles to your academic life. This will likely to take place in about 20 years. This is to ensure that the elites will remain to be the best. Why is the writer so scared that the value of the degree will drop? If she is smart then why would she bother unless she is just an average student.
Competition is the basic human instinct to survive and be the best. It had been present in all our life. Only the best will shine. That is why I am angry with that writer. She can even said that the grade of entering SIM and SIT are low. This will cause the current undergrads the need to secure a higher class honour to stand an advantage since the values of the degree is lowered. Everybody have a right to study to the best of their ability and not restricted to places. Some students in SIM and SIT may be even better than the current Universities. If she is scared start bucking up and ensure she burn the midnight oil all day.
When the goverment tries to close the inequality, some parties are always unhappy. Education is an investment and not for fun so it is not right to say some people have higher advantage than others. From as young as 12 P6 students get branded by their PSLE scores. The elites went on to top school while the rest went on with their life in neighbourhood school. Come 4 years later, we see that among the top O level scorers, some did came from Neighbourhood school. What if only the elites are given chances to pursue education? We shall never deprive someone of basic needs. Outstanding students are everywhere. For example in my JC, there are at least 50 or so student scoring 3As and above. Even the number is not much, at least they attained similar attainment of their peers in the top JCs. If there is only top JCs around this students may never get the chance to show their potential. What does the top JCs respond to this? They display their students getting straight As along with Scholarships. They will always try to differentiate themselves from the rest. With competition, come the drive to succeed or else everbody will be resting on their laurels and thinks they are good enough.
There will be such thing as brand name Uni and the normal uni soon. Yet again, the view of inequality will rise. It is very hard to stop it but narrowing it is possible.
What is happening in Europe and the US, the answer is the generalistion of degrees. Job=degree. The higher the better. No more high school certs. When something gets so homogenize, you just have to upgrade yourself. Globalisation has brought the change so we can just wait and see and get left out or we just ride along with it. If this happened in Singapore I am the one losing big time.
Note:
JCs - Preparatory Schools in Singapore
'A' Levels - the admission test for Singapore's universities
'O' Levels - the admission test for JCs
PSLE - Primary School Leaving Examinations, secondary school entrance examinations
CPF - Retirement Savings in Singapore, Central Providement Fund
NTU, NUS, SIM, SMU, SUTD and SIT - names of Singapore's current universities
I had talked to my parents pertaining further education but it seems that It is not a good move on my side and theirs. This is because my father has no insufficient ready cash on hand so he has to dig out his CPF to fund my studies. I cannot afford him to do that just for me because he needs it more than me. The second bug is that as a business course, I am expected to learn Maths, by which I am so not good at. Even the statistic section is enough to give me a mild fever over the weekend. I tried and completed only 4 chapters before overheating. I studied for more than 6 hours straight last week for 2 consecutive day. I did understand them but the effort is just way beyond my limits. I cannot be sick all the time in school. I need to have a good subjects like Chemistry to perk me up. It used far lesser energy than Geography but it gave me good returns.
As you had mentioned last 2 weeks, I agreed with you that we are not so fortunate to be blessed with a publicly funded education. Moreover low income family like me had a clear disadvantage. I had decided to end my dreams of becoming a graduate.
On Sunday I listened to the Singapore Prime Minister speech and I am not really happy about some point that he brought up. This is especially when it is about further education. I paid my attention to it. He added that two more uni will come in the future; SIM and SIT. Heck why can they just think and do it faster and people like me can stuff inside it. You could benefit too from the lower overall school fees. I felt that this is clearly unfair. Only 27% of the cohort currently get their degree done at the current unis. They hoped to increase the enrolment just to pacify us but some has already get too demoralised like me . Heck what is the real reason behind all this? The goverment tries to get the younger generations to support the goverment due to the dismal performance last GE.
Fine if they want to increase the uni enrolment but for the sake of it, not all people are good at business courses and engineering. Some people have diverse talents and are not suited to be in that courses. Just like me. The new uni are too focussed in getting their specialisation and not all round development. They have a lack of some courses by which I can enrol in. Even courses like Geography is restricted to NUS only. I think they have gotten the wrong signals. Increase the quality and quantity of courses all across the board. A good idea is to duplicate NUS and NTU. Recently, a forum article in Today was published on Tuesday. It made me fumed reading it. It was wtten by an undergraduate. The writer complained that if the goverment increased the intake of uni students, the value of the degree will be diluted and they have to strive harder in order to achieve good standing in the working world. I strongly disagree with the writer and I think it is selfish to say that to have a place in uni is a privilege and not a right. All along, they think that by going to the 3 unis they are the bunch of elites.
The writer thought that they have the lead all along. So by having more competing goverment Uni they feel that their golden throne is to be abdicated. The writer only want to be the best at the expense of others. To put it straight, with rapid industrialisation, many poeple aspire to be the best.
A lot of changes had happened in the last 100 years or so. The elites of Singapore society have the first motorcar in 1886 but now, even low income people are trying to get one till the COE bidding get really crazy. Usually middle income people struggle to maintain a car. The rich can afford it so they can bid for more and have multiple cars so the poor will just have to walk and use the train. More and more people aspire to have on. With rising disposable income they can manage it.
Another example is the revolution of internet and the handphone. In the 1990s, handphone were as big as water bottle and are the preserve for business men and the rich. Now almost everyone has a handphone. Internet was first used by scientist but now everybody can easily get connected to it. The subscription rate has gone done and one can get good services from $50 or so unlike last time when it cost hundreds. Even low income family racked in huge bills so does the rich fret when their premium item is not so rare? No they did not, they just have mutiple phones that are expensive and chenged them according to trend.
To really rebutt the writer, I have one strong piece of evidence. About 60 years ago, people are considered blessed to be educated in a school. If you have Cambridge certificate, you are considered like one big shot. Now what have happened to the O levels? It is as good as saying I studied for 10 years and I need a job. The current standard is already a degree. Soon Double or triple degree will be the norm. Masters will be helpful to add sparkles to your academic life. This will likely to take place in about 20 years. This is to ensure that the elites will remain to be the best. Why is the writer so scared that the value of the degree will drop? If she is smart then why would she bother unless she is just an average student.
Competition is the basic human instinct to survive and be the best. It had been present in all our life. Only the best will shine. That is why I am angry with that writer. She can even said that the grade of entering SIM and SIT are low. This will cause the current undergrads the need to secure a higher class honour to stand an advantage since the values of the degree is lowered. Everybody have a right to study to the best of their ability and not restricted to places. Some students in SIM and SIT may be even better than the current Universities. If she is scared start bucking up and ensure she burn the midnight oil all day.
When the goverment tries to close the inequality, some parties are always unhappy. Education is an investment and not for fun so it is not right to say some people have higher advantage than others. From as young as 12 P6 students get branded by their PSLE scores. The elites went on to top school while the rest went on with their life in neighbourhood school. Come 4 years later, we see that among the top O level scorers, some did came from Neighbourhood school. What if only the elites are given chances to pursue education? We shall never deprive someone of basic needs. Outstanding students are everywhere. For example in my JC, there are at least 50 or so student scoring 3As and above. Even the number is not much, at least they attained similar attainment of their peers in the top JCs. If there is only top JCs around this students may never get the chance to show their potential. What does the top JCs respond to this? They display their students getting straight As along with Scholarships. They will always try to differentiate themselves from the rest. With competition, come the drive to succeed or else everbody will be resting on their laurels and thinks they are good enough.
There will be such thing as brand name Uni and the normal uni soon. Yet again, the view of inequality will rise. It is very hard to stop it but narrowing it is possible.
What is happening in Europe and the US, the answer is the generalistion of degrees. Job=degree. The higher the better. No more high school certs. When something gets so homogenize, you just have to upgrade yourself. Globalisation has brought the change so we can just wait and see and get left out or we just ride along with it. If this happened in Singapore I am the one losing big time.
Note:
JCs - Preparatory Schools in Singapore
'A' Levels - the admission test for Singapore's universities
'O' Levels - the admission test for JCs
PSLE - Primary School Leaving Examinations, secondary school entrance examinations
CPF - Retirement Savings in Singapore, Central Providement Fund
NTU, NUS, SIM, SMU, SUTD and SIT - names of Singapore's current universities
