2007-02-08T05:58:00.000-08:00

singapore as an elitist society Singapore is well-known in the world for having one of the best educational systems. while many foreigners are actually sending their children here to supposedly "receive a better education", many local students are struggling to keep their heads above the water (if you get what i mean).i do not deny that going through such a challenging education system will no doubt provide us with better opportunities in the future. however, everybody knows that this only applies to the "brighter" students who manage to make it through and complete their education. is putting students through such stress really able to bring out the best in them? aren't we something more than just the labels of "special", "express" or "normal"? is it correct that the "special" cohort are perceived as the future doctors and engineers while the "normal" cohort will just be blue collar workers? in my opinion, i cannot deny the importance of education, however, i feel that there is much more than to life than just collecting certificates. as a student in anglican high school, a SAP school, we are constantly reminded that we are "the top 15% of the cohort" and therefore there is this expectation for us to do better than other students in singapore. it is reasonable to be expected of this but i wonder if students of neighbourhood schools get encouraged like this? do their principals tell them how valuable they are to the school? do they praise them as well? if yes, then good for you, but if no, then why the difference? in anglican high, why i am surrounded by people of a supposed high level of intelligence, i have seen many cases whereby, in a bid to academically excel, the ugly side of human nature prevails. the refusal to share notes, the occasional cheating to ace an un-studied test, etc. also, the unspeakable stress caused from the high expectations of the school as well as the students' parents have caused many tell-tale scars on the wrists of many students. what has education done to us? what was supposed to be a beneficial thing has caused such suffering. what happened to all the pleasures of childhood? the lost innocence? honestly, i would rather be slower but happier, rather than smarter but sadder.

social studies