I've always been interested in the Education sector in Singapore, but I'm not going to be a teacher or anything! It's interesting to note the various changes the MOE has made to the education system over a period of these past 20 years, and now there's the Tharman doctrine in light. Over 30 years ago, the MOE pushed for the creation of JCs, when there were only Pre-Us. Naturally, the best schools like Raffles and Anglo-Chinese responsed to this project well, concluding with the establishment of RJC and ACJC, as the Pre-U classes closed down to form separate entities - Secondary School and JC. Then nearing to the 90s, the MOE decided to create "Independent Schools", and again naturally the best schools (as mentioned) responded again. Then 10 years later, in the 21st century, MOE raised the possibility of creating completely private schools, that do away with the O levels, and even the A levels now (TCHS/HCJC/NTU collaboration). Naturally, and again, the best schools responded.
So? It seems that the MOE policies over the decades has been targetting at the branded schools, who have ardent alumni and enthusiatic staff and principal to 'make the schools something more'. I can't see how MOE has done anything to help those stuck at the lower rungs. But back to the point, some people are born to study and others are born not to. But I hate it when they start introducing the stupid SATs, and all the stupid Project Work, when people are already so busy in JC!
About the "Brainiest Kids", I doubt they were testing them on their IQ, but more of their general knowledge, and the only way to increase your general knowledge is through reading and only reading like a geek over a long period of time to accrue that knowledge. But think of it that, even the contestants in "Who wants to be a Millionaire" are mugging their way through books days before the gameshow. But i think that being good at general knowledge would also mean that you have an amazing memory to be able to remember and recall. Why does anyone want to know the longest river, the deepest sea the highest mountain, the name of various mountains, volcanoes, lakes, seas,oceans? To think of it, general knowledge serves absolutely NO purpose, but I'm not saying I'm against general knowledge or whatsoever. So what's so great about general knowledge? I think it probably implies that you read a lot, and you're knowledgeable. However, the baseline is that those kids are intelligent. Most of them are in the Gifted Programme, and some are even in the Singapore Mensa Club.
Yesterday I watched 28 Days Later. 28 minutes later, I was disturbed, and 28 hours later I am still disturbed. The movie is terribly disturbing. The violence of Man. Aren't we like Beasts with feelings and emotions? But once we go berserk, we lose all sense and reasoning, that's whent the natural instinct to kill manifests. Hatred, a powerful emotion could turn into a killing-fest. It's just scary to think that if one day when you wake up, there is no living soul around you. Either people have died from a virus, or the remaning people infected with the virus have gone stark raving mad. You find a girl, around the same age as you, uninfected. Is there a sense to procreate? Do you feel the weight of humanity bearing down on you. All the knowledge, the technology we have mastered in 5000 thousands years is lost forever - the need to preserve this knowledge?
So? It seems that the MOE policies over the decades has been targetting at the branded schools, who have ardent alumni and enthusiatic staff and principal to 'make the schools something more'. I can't see how MOE has done anything to help those stuck at the lower rungs. But back to the point, some people are born to study and others are born not to. But I hate it when they start introducing the stupid SATs, and all the stupid Project Work, when people are already so busy in JC!
About the "Brainiest Kids", I doubt they were testing them on their IQ, but more of their general knowledge, and the only way to increase your general knowledge is through reading and only reading like a geek over a long period of time to accrue that knowledge. But think of it that, even the contestants in "Who wants to be a Millionaire" are mugging their way through books days before the gameshow. But i think that being good at general knowledge would also mean that you have an amazing memory to be able to remember and recall. Why does anyone want to know the longest river, the deepest sea the highest mountain, the name of various mountains, volcanoes, lakes, seas,oceans? To think of it, general knowledge serves absolutely NO purpose, but I'm not saying I'm against general knowledge or whatsoever. So what's so great about general knowledge? I think it probably implies that you read a lot, and you're knowledgeable. However, the baseline is that those kids are intelligent. Most of them are in the Gifted Programme, and some are even in the Singapore Mensa Club.
Yesterday I watched 28 Days Later. 28 minutes later, I was disturbed, and 28 hours later I am still disturbed. The movie is terribly disturbing. The violence of Man. Aren't we like Beasts with feelings and emotions? But once we go berserk, we lose all sense and reasoning, that's whent the natural instinct to kill manifests. Hatred, a powerful emotion could turn into a killing-fest. It's just scary to think that if one day when you wake up, there is no living soul around you. Either people have died from a virus, or the remaning people infected with the virus have gone stark raving mad. You find a girl, around the same age as you, uninfected. Is there a sense to procreate? Do you feel the weight of humanity bearing down on you. All the knowledge, the technology we have mastered in 5000 thousands years is lost forever - the need to preserve this knowledge?
posted by Christopher | 2:47 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home