Upgrading Education – levelling up society [ National Day Rally 2007 ] The Prime Minister put forth several ideas and plans regarding education in his National Day Rally. How realistic do you find these plans and to what extent are they important to the future of Singapore?
In his national rally for this year, our Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has put forth several ideas and plans regarding education in Singapore. Firstly, freedom to be given to principals and teachers to allow them to try out new ideas for teaching. Secondly, resources for schools with good ideas, so that they will succeed with the government’s help. Thirdly, provide opportunities for needy students through the Opportunity Funds. And lastly, adopt the “more learning, less teaching” scheme. Mr Lee also mentioned about the need to expand our intakes for universities to prevent the outflow of talents to other countries or if there’s a need to build a fourth publicly-funded university. I think that to teach less and learn more is one way to form a pool of critical thinkers. I welcome the idea of building a fourth publicly-funded university and think that it is the best solution to the growing demands for a degree - if only it is not to be done heedlessly and willy nilly in all aspects. However, the plan to introduce the “third language special programme” in secondary schools is not effective. This is reflected from the ineffectiveness of our bilingual policy here.
The main aim of the “learn more, teach less” scheme is to develop our students into critical thinking and innovative young leaders. In the past, students were confined to classrooms where they listened and absorbed whatever the teacher taught in classes. They were given very little time and opportunities to voice out their own opinions and let alone be there group discussions. In this modern society, the world is ever challenging, what could really make us shine from the norm is to acquire a critical mindset and be creative and innovative. The world where we reside in is ever changing; new technology is evolving every second. By staying inert and exam-smart will only let us see the world disappearing before our very own eyes. We will then have nothing to compete with all the talents out there. On the other hand, if schools were to teach less and students to learn more - not through books but critical problems – we would be able to lead the others from the world wide. This does not only help the individual to achieve what he or she is capable of but also help in boosting the economic growth of our country. Thus, the idea reinforced by Mr Lee is feasible and of a paramount importance to Singapore’s future.
Next, PM Lee also mentioned about the need to build a fourth publicly-funded university to accommodate the growing number of students entering universities. The high standard of living in Singapore has permitted many of us to receive a better education and continue to upgrade ourselves. It was prestigious achieving a degree in the past but not in the 21st century today. In the world today, degree holders are omnipresent. The students going to universities are on the increase via all routes. However, due to the limited vacancies here, many go abroad to further their studies. Like what Mr Lee said, Out of those who went, few returned to contribute to our society. This is bad for our own growth as it means there is actually a pool of talents being attracted to help foreign countries in their development. If this continues to take its way, our own economy would be crippled. Hence, to retain the group of professionals in Singapore, we should open the door of universities to them. For instance, the number of students going to universities from polytechnics is experiencing an exponential increase – 15 percent. Since the demand for a vacancy in the university is high, I do see an urgent need in building a fourth university to cater to the needs of our people. By building a fourth publicly-funded university here, each year 2400 more talents would be appreciated and their knowledge would be tackled for the benefit of the country. However, this should not be done heedlessly and willy nilly. Mr Lee said in his rally, that “some countries have produced large numbers of graduates without regard for either the quality or the employment opportunities. Lots of universities, some of them paper printing machines and so, they face big problems -- graduates unemployed or under-employed.” He added, “It’s better not to have graduated but to have a good job than to have graduated with a skill which is not useful and then you spend your time feeling unhappy.” Yes, it is true that in Taiwan, only as low as 6 out of 100 mark is qualified for entry into a university. This means that very few students will appreciate the place they have taken up and do not put in effort in their studies. This causes social problems listed above. However, in the context of Singapore, building another university is solely to cater to the real needs of our people. As such, lesser such problems would be encountered. Thus, for the sake of our students and the need to improve our economic growth, we should build a fourth university here.
Lastly, our sophisticated education system and our bilingual policy are well recognized in the world. However, many Singaporeans are apathy towards the bilingual policy and are still suffering with their Mother Tongue. Many students find it hard to learn two languages at one time. The result is either they suffer one at the expense of another or they do poorly in both, it is very sad to add on that, very few are strong in both. Since they cannot even juggle both languages, introducing a third language will only show a negative side of the idea. This plan, to a very great possibility, will not turn workable. Hence, I think that the government should not work on this plan though it may be helpful for the future of Singapore. However, if none is able to perform well in two languages, how are we going to expect them to be trilingual?
In conclusion, plan like the introducing of the “learn more teach less” scheme is welcoming since it has shown a remarkable feasibility in both Jurong Secondary School and Mayflower Primary. In both cases, students are able to think out of the box and are innovative in their way of learning. Also, the building of another university here should be encouraged since this helps to retain talents in Singapore and minimized the educational wastages. It also means more of the students’ knowledge and skills will be made use of to accelerate the development of our country. So, why not? However, the idea of introducing the special programme is not practical since we are sure that very few of us is to be benefited from the policy. It also won’t be much of a help for our future.
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