tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post926272386200143416..comments2024-03-19T15:15:10.092+08:00Comments on Little Stories: Education and The Great Pain of Rather Useless ThingsGilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-33677167641527443112009-06-13T23:53:08.710+08:002009-06-13T23:53:08.710+08:00A proposal on managing the stress in Singapore sch...A proposal on managing the stress in Singapore schools:<br /><br />http://greysteppenwolf.blogspot.com/2008/01/stress-testing-in-singapore-education.htmlAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15570613568417961113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-44340109928723058422008-09-13T22:25:00.000+08:002008-09-13T22:25:00.000+08:00It might be the reason why so many of us are in th...It might be the reason why so many of us are in the Science stream (other than its economic viability). Precisely because I hate memorizing huge chunks of information, I chose science, where most of the things I need to know are compressed in a few elegant equations and where I can derive things from simple fundamental principles.<BR/>I might have been more geared towards the liberal arts if not for having to cram&regurgitate for 'humanities' back in school. If only all lessons focus more on logical reasoning rather than dumping assortment of facts and figures on us (just for the embellishment).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-27621428772281185852008-09-03T15:24:00.000+08:002008-09-03T15:24:00.000+08:00You know what? After reading all the postings, I ...You know what? After reading all the postings, I realise we are all very smart people! Smart in putting forth our arguments in writing...I wonder how many of us are as impressive when engaging in an open verbal discourse. The hallmarks of a great education is one where one can think on one's feet, have a confident disposition when speaking, and generally aware of current affairs. I have a feeling we are mostly paper warriors, and when confronted by others (especially from Westerners), we tend to keep our heads down and shy away....and let others take the limelight. What we read on blogs is definitely not reflective of our real persona. Just look around the offices in CBD, and you'll realise our people have no match for westerners in terms of confidence and eloquence. We got the same problem in parliament too. Whilst our education is rigorous, I think parents should fill in the gap with confidence and language skills building - through short courses that are fun and engaging.<BR/><BR/>Otherwise, the education system can turn our kids into well-trained hermits or paper-tigers.<BR/><BR/>SparkAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-8032504059935468662008-08-22T12:29:00.000+08:002008-08-22T12:29:00.000+08:00It depends on the ambitions of those who are in th...It depends on the ambitions of those who are in the system, who run the system. If they have no educational philosophy of their own, or their idea of this is more of the same: "excellence", "take you to the top", it just perpetuates the vicious cycle. Let's face it. The easiest way for educators to climb is to show results, not to deliver real education. New teachers quickly learn this and decide which way they want to go. By the constant slew of new measures to sieve out students, to have ever more elitist measures in for example NUS (No U-turn Society) from Talent Development Programme in the 90s to bidding for modules now, it seems that our premier university does not know that achievement does not equate education. Read the speeches of the NUS President and this would be obvious. As graduates from the NUS system ,being leaders, will set the tone for the rest of society, this does not augur well. Singapore will remain a cut-throat, competitive animalistic society with little concern for the common man and the common good, unless something is done about it. There needs to be a change of heart from the top, to stop perpetuating this cycle of academic violence and the wastage of true potential of the second-tier, third-tier students that the system does not care for now.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15570613568417961113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-75759605204651979182008-08-22T11:15:00.000+08:002008-08-22T11:15:00.000+08:00Right, Kelvin. Now what I would like to see is an ...Right, Kelvin. <BR/><BR/>Now what I would like to see is an education system where the whole objective is not to "rank students", as you say.<BR/><BR/>I would like to see an education system where the whole objective is to educate students.<BR/><BR/>I do not say that this will be easy ... but equally I do not see the point of continuing with a status quo that is so obviously flawed.Gilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-5204874448532196262008-08-22T10:55:00.000+08:002008-08-22T10:55:00.000+08:00Here is my own summary of the overall educational ...Here is my own summary of the overall educational system, from the economist's perspective. =)<BR/><BR/>The whole objective is to rank students.<BR/><BR/>The most highly ranked students will be the President scholars, SAF overseas scholars etc etc, all the way to the lowest ranked student who will have 4 Us for their A levels.<BR/><BR/>We give the top ranked students a "high return low risk" job as a government scholar.<BR/><BR/>Now, because ranking is relative, this entire system works like an "arms race". Everyone and their mother's son will try to move up the rankings at the expense of others.<BR/><BR/>During my time in early 1990s, even a single grade of B can still allow you to be a President scholar. <BR/><BR/>Now u need about 7 distinctions, hundreds of CIP hours and so on and so forth.<BR/><BR/>Until you revamp the extremely high payoff that comes from being the winners of this arms race, that is being the President scholar, our educational system will perpetuate the stress.Kelvin Tanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06551794644388934129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-26129173274975042272008-08-21T18:34:00.000+08:002008-08-21T18:34:00.000+08:00Mr Wong:Thank you for your attempt to summarise. I...Mr Wong:<BR/><BR/>Thank you for your attempt to summarise. I'll attempt to summarise too.<BR/><BR/>Some people seem to think that just because Singapore's education system has always been the way it is - in other words, very stressful - that's just the way it should continue to be.<BR/><BR/>And some people seem to think that Singapore's education system HAS to be that way, so that we can all have jobs, skills etc.<BR/><BR/>I don't agree. For example, Finland, Denmark and Sweden are some countries whose education systems are as highly ranked as ours. And yet stress, struggle and suffering are NOT the defining characteristics of their schools. <BR/><BR/>For example, you won't hear Finnish women say, "I don't want to give birth, because my child would have to go school, and that would be terrible suffering!." In their society, school is simply not regarded as a painful experience.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, school is widely regarded as a painful experience in our society. PM Lee said as much in his ND rally speech. He acknowledges that the overly-competitive system here is one reason why some Singaporean women have given up completely on the idea of having babies. <BR/><BR/>Now the main point of my own post really is that a lot of this suffering and pain in our system is ultimately pointless and unnecessary. <BR/><BR/>It is pointless and unnecessary in the sense that our students get little or nothing, out of it. They suffer to learn things to a degree which is very unnecessary for preparing them for real life.<BR/><BR/>Essentially they suffer for nothing. And yet the suffering is very real.<BR/><BR/>That is my summary. Thank you for reading.Gilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-17777219481808766362008-08-21T18:18:00.000+08:002008-08-21T18:18:00.000+08:00I just read all 70+ comments at one shot. Here are...I just read all 70+ comments at one shot. Here are my thoughts:<BR/><BR/>Firstly, ask yourself, what do we hope to get out of 10 to 16 years of formal education?<BR/><BR/>I think we agree good grades is not enough. But does that mean grades are not important? Maybe.<BR/><BR/>Some say what we study is not relevant to the working life. What do you mean by not "relevant"? <BR/><BR/>We all use words and numbers in our work. Doing literature and complex Mathematics might not seem to have a purpose, but surely it gives us the confidence in our abilities.<BR/><BR/>Would a student have been better off doing, say, dancing? Sure, she could have been a great dancer in Singapore but struggles financially. Would the education system have done her justice then?<BR/><BR/>Someone commented about Steve Jobs learning typography. That's selective sampling, the survivor bias. Did you hear about his classmates who took up low-paying jobs at printing companies?<BR/><BR/>The education system is here to give you a basic grounding so that you can get a job. Don't expect it to fully tap the potential of all students in all areas.<BR/><BR/>That is the responsibility of the parents and the child himself. Go take up classes in whatever interests you. Don't moan about the cost, there're always cheaper alternatives out there.<BR/><BR/>I do think that every one has something they can be good at. Whether it's a skill that's financially lucrative, now that's a different matter.<BR/><BR/>Now, I hope schools will teach life skills. By that, I mean Stephen Covey's 7 habits of personal and inter-personal skills. These are skills that everyone can use and should practise.<BR/><BR/>A teacher here commented on the important role of parents: I fully agree. <BR/><BR/>Broken or dysfunctional families are too big a problem for teachers to solve, but I hope they continue to try their best. Otherwise the child will have little chance to break away from a downward spiral.<BR/><BR/>I believe readers here are mature adults. So if you ever have kids, please be understanding about the pressures they face.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-39540472416825841492008-08-21T17:13:00.000+08:002008-08-21T17:13:00.000+08:00Hi Kevinsou desu ka. Btw, if u need to improve ur ...Hi Kevin<BR/><BR/>sou desu ka. Btw, if u need to improve ur grades, u can check out Mr Wang's latest post on old Mr Buzan. (who has been ard for ages)<BR/><BR/>My IQ is average (maybe below). mildly dylexic. attention span of a mayfly. but I scraped thru NUS with Mr Buzan's help. Twice. Which tells u the quality of NUS and Singaporean education in general.<BR/><BR/>PS: Median income and purchasing power more important than per capita income.<BR/><BR/>NoNameAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-84751586837232227142008-08-21T15:30:00.000+08:002008-08-21T15:30:00.000+08:00Mr. Wang,While we're on the issue of babies:I am s...Mr. Wang,<BR/><BR/>While we're on the issue of babies:<BR/><BR/>I am sure someone have thought this before but could anyone tell me what's so bad about the idea of starting government subsidised creches in the larger MRT stations, centralised locations near work places like manufacturing plants, etc. It would create employment, keep parents close to their children, improve the rental situation in the stations etc.<BR/>The idea is extremely popular here in Tokyo. Even the driving school I went to had a free creche (from 1 - 8 years old) for mommies. In my opinion, it's vastly superior to cash handouts and packages to parents, although those are pretty welcomed too.<BR/>There's also the power of suggestion as well - seeing kids around would inspire would be parents to have some of their own.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-6057671009243789182008-08-21T15:29:00.000+08:002008-08-21T15:29:00.000+08:00We're all wasting our energies writing.Look for ou...We're all wasting our energies writing.<BR/><BR/>Look for outcomes i.e. KPIs.<BR/><BR/>The basics - food, shelter and <BR/>clothing.<BR/><BR/>In short, the GNP and per capita income!<BR/><BR/>Whatever - education, healthcare must lead to the above universal measurement.<BR/><BR/>How do we Singapore measure up relative to others?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-85892280267288727422008-08-21T13:37:00.000+08:002008-08-21T13:37:00.000+08:00dear Anon,I'm sorry if I sound brash and arrogant,...dear Anon,<BR/><BR/>I'm sorry if I sound brash and arrogant, although I'm still working on the 'rich' part. That's not my intent. I'm a consistent C grade student, even now. I don't have a formula for success, nor the experience to answer problems. I don't think my observations are by any means unique, nor is it the final say on things. My views are my own. I don't have much value to add. If we were having a face-to-face discussion, it'd probably take less than 10 min. I also value my privacy.<BR/>As for starting my own blog, I really don't think I have the mental horsepower or eloquence for that.<BR/>Thanks for the regards.<BR/>kAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-6520541774102729632008-08-21T13:18:00.000+08:002008-08-21T13:18:00.000+08:00Mr. Wang,I beg to differ. I tend to subscribe to e...Mr. Wang,<BR/><BR/>I beg to differ. I tend to subscribe to evolutionary psychology. For women, having children is a base instinct, especially as they approach 30. For men, having sex on the cheap is a base instinct (many women = good). Women naturally tend to prefer men who hangs around after the act (1 resourceful guy = good).<BR/><BR/>Our higher decision making process (which may be very complex in itself) are in the final analysis, deeply rooted in our primal instincts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-57935201990839741962008-08-21T13:02:00.000+08:002008-08-21T13:02:00.000+08:00Hey KevinYou sound like you have very strong views...Hey Kevin<BR/><BR/>You sound like you have very strong views with plenty to say. <BR/>How about putting it up as a coherent article like Mr Wang?<BR/><BR/>I am sure u are plenty smart, worldly and all. Unfortunately, you , given the constraints, u now sound like a brash, arrogant rich kid out of school. You know. Like a summary of everything that is "wrong" about our education system.<BR/><BR/>(note: "wrong" is relative)<BR/><BR/>Similar to knowing the price of everything but the value of nothing.<BR/><BR/>Before u go ballistic, please note that I have been telling Mr Wang that your type is template for success. Forget monte-sorry(or whatever)! Aggression(and being totally amoral and thick skin) is the way to go.<BR/><BR/>Really, Singapore needs more people like you to beat the competitors from the sub-continent and USA. <BR/><BR/>Keep it up. :-)<BR/><BR/>NoNameAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-83560916260660732012008-08-21T11:27:00.000+08:002008-08-21T11:27:00.000+08:00"Perhaps you give too much credit to human beings....<I> "Perhaps you give too much credit to human beings. People are driven by very base instincts." </I>.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps you give too little credit. Or perhaps you forgot that people can have sex with contraceptives.<BR/><BR/>Sex is a base instinct, but the decision not to have children is not.Gilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-41490670448912926912008-08-21T10:36:00.000+08:002008-08-21T10:36:00.000+08:00Dear Anon,"I am impressed! I only get young Japane...Dear Anon,<BR/><BR/>"I am impressed! I only get young Japanese ladies walking up to me calling "Kami-sama" "Kami-sama""<BR/><BR/>Is this before or after you've picked up the cans?<BR/><BR/>If you refer a religious link to a discussion, the discussion has pretty much ended.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-88815308898902752762008-08-21T10:15:00.000+08:002008-08-21T10:15:00.000+08:00Mr. Wang,"Our education system must be wrong."Perh...Mr. Wang,<BR/><BR/>"Our education system must be wrong."<BR/><BR/>Perhaps you give too much credit to human beings. People are driven by very base instincts. To over-ride one base instinct (to procreate), it would take another stronger and more selfish base instinct (do I have enough to get by, would I prefer to go out drinking with my mates).<BR/><BR/>To say I don't want babies because of the education system sounds frivolous to me. Koreans seem to be getting it on quite well. Japan has the same issues and the education system has always been tough)<BR/><BR/>One could easily argue "I won't have babies because its hard to get around with kids without a car."<BR/><BR/>Whatever system we adopt, people will always try game it in their favour.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-52541282111645953752008-08-21T09:55:00.000+08:002008-08-21T09:55:00.000+08:00Hello Anon,Thanks for responding."what i mean...Hello Anon,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for responding.<BR/><BR/>"what i mean is that students are not studying what they truly have interest in. if the kids were studying something that they had interest in, will parents need to force them to study?"<BR/><BR/>It sounds to me that this is an issue with parents' expectations, rather than with the system. What can anyone do about it? It's nothing new really. Parents have been for the longest time dictating what they think is best for their kids. I don't think any tweaking of the system will change that.<BR/><BR/>'"Fun comes as a consequence of a job well done." really?'<BR/>In order for this line of argument to work, we have to make several big assumptions, namely the individual does well despite having no interest, the individual obeys the parents, parents always have their way, the individual regrets the career choice at a later date, and that the individual has only 1 career in his/her life. I think realistically, only a small percentage of people can satisfy most of these assumptions. For instance, parents may wring their hands for their son becoming a ballet dancer but they may still support him financially. etc.<BR/><BR/>"Americans are more interested in entertainment. eh, that's because they are interested in gossip etc. what has got to do with arts as an academic discipline?"<BR/><BR/>Yes - exactly that. Read on. There are many writings on this subject by people more informed than I so no point repeating it. I recommend http://suddendebt.blogspot.com/<BR/>This is one of Mr. Wang's favourite as well, if I'm not mistaken. Hellasious' analysis & predictions so far has been spot on. Once Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae goes under, the proverbial shit will finally hit the global fan and perhaps you could get a drift of things to come.<BR/><BR/>As for the arts, I'm not trying to diminish it but its been proven beyond any doubt that for the arts to thrive, we need specialists - lots of them. Science and industry provides these specialists. As for Singapore, we have the luxury to speak of the arts now is because we've managed to build a base industry that is more sympathatic to artistic specialists. So it's not a which came first question.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-33884776962182909262008-08-21T08:21:00.000+08:002008-08-21T08:21:00.000+08:00I am no scholar. I have a son studying now.I notic...I am no scholar. I have a son studying now.<BR/><BR/>I noticed one thing. If he likes the teacher or the subject, he learns beyond what the curriculum requires. He would borrow library books and such to learn more.<BR/><BR/>But if there is an exam or when he is forced to learn, he will do very badly.<BR/><BR/>At 9, he was learning to do animation from the internet sites. He had no help from old foggy me nor the school. <BR/><BR/>Sad thing is, his spirit of learning does not spill over to his school subjects because he tells me the subjects are boring and the teacher, lame.<BR/><BR/>I think education need not always mean exams, tests and assessments. Acquaint them to the subjects, leave a good impression in their mind. This will serve them better later in life.<BR/><BR/>After all, most of us also forget those things that we studied if we don't use them after graduation. <BR/><BR/>Education shud be about inculcating interest. We don't need to have exams in all subjects. For teachers who think that students will muck around if there are no tests, think again.<BR/><BR/>What is the definition of having learnt something? passed a test? and then forget afterwards? <BR/><BR/>My wish for the system would be to do away with most of the unnecessary tests. Let the child more time to explore what he likes, having met the basic core curriculum. Passion needs to be encouraged. Right now, our curriculum is too ambitious. Teachers I spoke to agreed with me. The average kid cannot handle the depth and stays even more mediocre. The stigma from streaming makes it worse.<BR/><BR/>Having straight As in 13 subjects does not indicate a passion in anything to me. Rather a person who spends more time studying and maybe a higher IQ.<BR/><BR/>But briliance requires passion, sorely missing in our new generations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-14731634904164988742008-08-21T08:07:00.000+08:002008-08-21T08:07:00.000+08:00Another coincidence found in the Independent (UK) ...Another coincidence found in the Independent (UK) today:<BR/><BR/>http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-the-obsession-with-results-harms-childrens-education-903999.html<BR/><BR/>An excerpt:<BR/><BR/>The publication today of this summer's GCSE results for England, Wales and Northern Ireland is expected to show another increase in the number of children who have achieved decent grades. Those who have done well deserve warm congratulations. But there is another, less encouraging, side to the story. The weight of evidence suggesting that the public exam system, as a whole, has become corrupted is now impossible to ignore. A report by the think-tank Civitas is the latest study to suggest a growing number of schools are "gaming" the exam system in order to flatter their performance in Government-published statistics.<BR/><BR/>This is done in a number of ways. The simplest is for a school to omit to enter a student for an exam if they are unlikely to get an A-C grade (which has become the benchmark of a "good" GCSE). Another is "teaching to the test", where teachers relentlessly drill students on how to spot exam questions and improve their scores (even if this impedes their wider understanding of a subject).<BR/><BR/><BR/>Hmm, that sounds like some country I know...CKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317501061794562008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-57122444183644883202008-08-21T01:52:00.000+08:002008-08-21T01:52:00.000+08:00dear kevin, perhaps you have misunderstood my post...dear kevin, perhaps you have misunderstood my post.<BR/><BR/>i definately didnt mention anything about children should just do what they like and eat ice cream and watch tv the whole day. yes children should study and need to study because they have to equip themselves with knowledge. but the whole debate here is how should the system work to make knowledge sharing effective isnt it?<BR/><BR/>what i mean is that students are not <B>studying what they truly have interest in.</B> if the kids were studying something that they had interest in, will parents need to force them to study? and more often than not, parents influence children over what they should study in order to survive the rat race or "in the real world". <BR/><BR/>what if the child has interest in the arts (eg dancing, theatre works)? yes, we have SOTA coming up, but how many parents are willing to let their children pursue their education there? IMO, most likely singaporean parents will say something like "it's too risky, it's more important that you pursue something that helps you make money and lets you survive outside."<BR/><BR/><I>"Sure we can make school fun, but fun should not be the main priority."</I><BR/>yes i agree that fun is not the main priority in school. you go to school to learn. but i thought kids can learn better under a more relaxed environment. <BR/><BR/>"Fun comes as a consequence of a job well done." really? if lets say a child had interest in english literature, but later due to influence from her parents that literature has no future in singapore and instead, pursues a Degree in Accounting and Finance and scores in it. She enters the real world and does her job well, makes enough to make a comfortable living, will she really feel that "i've done my job well, and hence im having fun". well, perhaps in the short term she will. but i believe in the long term she'll only recall that she missed a chance to pursue something that she had interest in. pursuing something that you have interest in is an experience that no amount of money can buy.<BR/><BR/>Whether science is the foundation or arts is the foundation is like the chicken and egg problem. arts and science in society complement each other. *reminds me of a GP essay*<BR/><BR/>From what you say, <I>"Look at the US and the current economic mess they are in. It comes down to the fact that Americans are more interested in entertainment, while foreign students are leading the way in science and engineering." </I>Americans are more interested in entertainment. eh, that's because they are interested in gossip etc. what has got to do with arts as an academic discipline?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-30692035277428076442008-08-20T21:30:00.000+08:002008-08-20T21:30:00.000+08:00"I am sure the next time you have an open heart su..."I am sure the next time you have an open heart surgery, the surgeon will give his colleague a call to ask about the funny blue valve and where it goes. He can't patch you up, but he could buy a vowel.<BR/><BR/>Let's not mix up TV shows with real life."<BR/><BR/>Kevin,<BR/><BR/>I happen to be a nurse. You have no idea how right or wrong you are with that example. I shall not elaborate in case I get sued. :)CKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317501061794562008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-74089413263162913832008-08-20T21:25:00.000+08:002008-08-20T21:25:00.000+08:00i disagree with xiao s. It is precisely because we...i disagree with xiao s. It is precisely because we are small that we must aim to maximise education opportunities for as many youths as possible. People are our national resource. Seeking to eliminate them is stupid.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-12048586622016005082008-08-20T21:08:00.000+08:002008-08-20T21:08:00.000+08:00Dear Mr WangYour kids should be able sleepwalk int...Dear Mr Wang<BR/><BR/>Your kids should be able sleepwalk into the top primary schools via the GEP route. No need to volunteer la. The kids at Singapore Children Society needs your help much more than the kids at the top primary schools. <BR/><BR/><BR/>Dear Anon Teacher(s)<BR/><BR/>Dunno if u are a parent but the days where parents take the teacher's word as gospel is over. For better or worse .. history. Oh, Parents dun have much time to parent either. cut some slack.<BR/><BR/>Tell us .. if LKY promise u one wish... that you can make to change the education system. what would that be?<BR/><BR/>1. Parents must obey teachers?<BR/>2. Teachers have flexibility and can devote 100% of their time to teaching?<BR/>3. ???<BR/><BR/>What would that be?<BR/><BR/>(pardon the grammar\logic ... in between pointless conference calls)<BR/><BR/>NoNameAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-42362296624073241432008-08-20T21:07:00.000+08:002008-08-20T21:07:00.000+08:00Being small, no resources, nothing at all!!! What ...Being small, no resources, nothing at all!!! What would you have expect to ensure the prosperity we got to enjoy today? The role of education system as a filtration system (and LESS as a value-added system) is a way to sift out the elites, which Singapore desperately needed. Going through all these may be useless to you and me, but a small country really needs it just for survival means.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com