Education system in Singapore

“The Ministry of Education aims to help our students to discover their own talents, to make the best of these talents and realise their full potential, and to develop a passion for learning that lasts through life.” From http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/

My views :

This is our notion. The Singapore education system definitely did its part by trying to cultivate every child. However is everything too systematic? Will the children really learn what is needed for them to survive in the outside world? Are we feeding them knowledge or rules? Do they know what is happening around them? Are we spoon-feeding them too much?.
Let me begin from the everyday classrooms. This is what usually happens in school when a teacher asked a question. Nobody answers, nobody speaks up, after waiting for a while, the teacher goes on saying, ‘alright, never mind, this is the correct answer …..’ . When I went to Beijing for exchange programs, the students there impressed me, they did not even wait for the teacher to question, they throw questions at the teacher. Look, the only reason behind this difference is the urge to learn. Singapore children rarely lack anything while children in China may be fighting for food. Singapore children may be served by maids while China children have to work as maids. We, tend to take things for granted, even learning. That’s why the urge to want to learn is small.
Everyone is studying the same subjects, at the same pace, in the same method as the rest of their age group in the same stream. Singapore children have to know that they have little choices, and only if they dare to speak up in school, they can get to learn more as an individual.
The system asked for students to keep fit, do at least 6 hours of community work, have national education, have a lesson in creativity and entrepreneurship, learn this, and know that. All these things are stress put upon a child since 6 years of age. Should we not think of reducing the ‘must-do’ items to relief their pressure?
However all in all I have to say we have a strong education system. We have good schools, with good teachers and good facilities and if the students make use of it well, we will have the smartest brains in the world.