Is this the Singapore we want? |
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Firstly, Singapore is a country which places strong emphasis on education and since most jobs require at least a bachelor's degree, the government is constantly coaxing Singaporeans to 'study', encouraging them to do well in their 'O's , 'N's or 'A's and so on. However as a student, I sigh at the sight of my friends mugging all night just to study for one test trying their best to score a distinction for the subject. Yes, there is nothing wrong in mugging just to get good grades but if you ask yourself, are you actually really learning something through your years of education or are you just memorising all the information shoved down your throat? In Singapore, students are mostly memorising their work for just one or two tests and will soon forget what they had committed to memory. If students were surveyed on learning outcomes, how many would confidently say that they have learnt everything they needed and understood every single thing their teacher taught them ? And how many would actually say that they merely needed to memorise their notes/textbooks/model answers just so to score well in their examinations? Secondly, local students have to compete with foreigners in schools. It is true foreigners are able to provide Singapore with certain amount of benefits, however with additional competition comes a whole lot of additional mental stress to survive well in academics. I might be wrong in thinking this way but I find it utterly disgusting how Singapore has changed itself just to accommodate all the foreigners and yet they had the audacity to treat us locals rudely and disrespect other cultures, especially the Muslims and the Indians. Growing up, I have also seen for myself how greenery have continued disappearing at an alarming rate as more and more parcels of land are freed up for building roads, condominiums, HDBs and other infrastructures-all in the name of coping with the demands of a fast growing population. Growing population? I guess you mean growing number of immigrants? If the government was to genuinely consider the feelings of its (born and bred here) citizens and not just be so ever fixated on growing the country's economy, I believe that there would be fewer complaints, fewer 'kiasu' people. Thirdly, Singapore is just a young country. Living in Singapore as a teenager we have to live up to so many standards. 1. Score distinctions in school
2. Develop a good character
3. Be active in all areas of life
4. Able to balance family, school and social life. Adults too have many standards to live up to such as financial stability, paying the taxman on time etc. Singapore is only 49 years old and it is developing far too furiously that Singaporeans are finding it exhausting to keep pace with the changes. The government wants Singapore to be as developed as America or Australia , but bear in mind they are countries with a few centuries of history and had spent quite a while coming up; so why exactly do we have to modernize so quickly? Undeniably, the Singapore government is trying to make Singapore a better place to live in but why do they have to increase prices of rents and of pretty much everything else? Textbook cost quite a bit these days-don't they know it is a financial burden to many families with school-going children? It may seem like an insignificant amount of money to the policymakers at the top as they are much, much more well-off compared to the ordinary Singaporean. They say that the lower-class of society is suffers the most however, what about the sandwiched middle-class? Hey they do not receive much aid from the government in most instances and yet have to be responsible for a whole lot for taxes, bills and other financial liabilities. This is purely what I feel; you are most welcome to disagree with me. This was reproduced with permission from editors of The Real Singapore. |
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