A letter to Barack Obama on Singapore's education system
Singapore Democrats
14 Feb 08
Senator Barack Obama
Presidential Candidate
Democratic Party
United States of America
Dear Senator Obama,
I read in one of your campaign speeches that you wanted American students to match up academically to those in Taiwan and Singapore. While I cannot speak for Taiwan, allow me to relate to you a few brief facts about the reality of the schooling system in my country Singapore:
A survey showed that one in three children between the the ages of 9 to 12 say that life is not worth living because of the fear of academic failure.
Nearly 20,000 students consult psychiatrists because of their fear of classroom examinations. Two-thirds of them are in primary (elementary) and pre-school grades.
Another survey asked American, Japanese and Singaporean students what their greatest fear was. While a majority of the American and Japanese children said that losing a friend or the death of their parents was their number one fear, Singaporean students said that not achieving good grades was what they were most afraid of.
Is it any wonder then that 50 percent of young Singaporeans indicate that they want to emigrate and live somewhere else. More than a third say they are not patriotic to their country.
Of course there are the few that excel in test-taking and school competitions. These are the ones that make the headlines so that the country's rulers can claim the credit. If you squeeze an apple hard enough, you will extract some juice. Its the crushed pulp that we mourn over.
Many Singaporean parents have left the country because they refuse to subject their children to the torment that passes for education here. The precious joy of learning is utterly killed by the time one finishes school here.
In fact, the Singapore government recently bemoaned that more than 1,000 of the country's best and brightest were leaving the country every year. For a country with a population of only 3 million citizens, you can see how alarming the situation is.
So why can't the people of Singapore change the education policies, or the government for that matter? Because, unlike what you have been blessed with – the ability to campaign and speak freely, the opposition in Singapore is crushed by detention without trial, criminal prosecution, and crippling defamation lawsuits. Our media is completely in the hands of the ruling party, and public speaking and assemblies are banned.
While there maybe significant problems with schools in the US, the educational system in Singapore, as you can see, is no model. As for our political system, there is a dire need for democratic reform.
I take this opportunity to wish you all the very best in your bid for the presidency of the United States of America.
Sincerely,
Chee Soon Juan
Secretary-General
Singapore Democratic Party
My brother make it to NTU but not me as I keep failing exams through out my high school years.So for people like me with learning disabilty, the education system of tests and exams are a nightmare.
People are created differently and students worth should not be judged solely on grades alone.May heaven have mercy on the weak!
So for people like me with learning disabilty
I don't think it is learning disability.
I think it is distraction, disinterest and lack of motivation.
Originally posted by Catknight:My brother make it to NTU but not me as I keep failing exams through out my high school years.So for people like me with learning disabilty, the education system of tests and exams are a nightmare.
Do not let the disability handicap yourself for life. Disabilities/Handicap can sometimes be compensated in other ways. For example, Napoleon who is short leader feels inferior compensates with a loud commanding voice.
I had another friend who has a terrible memory to the extents that it can be called a learning disability, but she compensates it by developing another technique to memorize – she memorizes by weaving a story to link the words she has to remember and visualizing it. In the end, she memorizes better than the average guy in the street.
My last point is a handicap or disability can be an asset if you do not let it demoralizes you till you lose hope. If you know you are weak in a certain area, its means that from day 1 you have be more motivated than the usual guy, make better plans and always on the look out to go into environment where your strength shines. Always be on a look out to see how you can compensate your weakness.
Thanks guys for helping a street cat:)
Chee Soon Juan - was a major example of the result of the education system - one hell of a nut former ex-lecuter when nuts !!!
hey by look on the bright side - Obama is still right, we are still better then America side - at least nuts case are just writing stupid letters to obama - while if he in US, he would have buy a gun - shoot a lot of people and shoot himself also.
Get a life Chee Soon Juan !!! Stop embrassing yourself !!!
oh don't get so worked up about this letter ..... he's a clown and a nincampoop of course .... but I'll tell you exactly what will happen .... one of obama's aides will first screen the letter for anthrax ..... rip it open, laugh at it, and tossed it into the looney bin, and go back to strategizing about cleaning clinton's clocks ....... c'mon .... you think anyone's going to give a flying fark ? ....
having said that .... let it be known that I'll no longer vote for the men-in-white for the next elections, nor will I spoil my vote .... I'll vote even for chee soon juan, or a retarded chimpanzee (i'm really hopping for a chimpanzee though, he wouldn't do that much damage) ..... but the annuities scam is the last straw in a long line of previous grievances ... and I'll do my bid to throw a few monkeys into the parliament ... every parliament needs a few monkeys to piss on the high tiger's head to remind him of his place ....
that is ... of course .... if gerrymandering doesn't clean out my chances of even voting at all ....
Originally posted by Catknight:My brother make it to NTU but not me as I keep failing exams through out my high school years.So for people like me with learning disabilty, the education system of tests and exams are a nightmare.
People are created differently and students worth should not be judged solely on grades alone.May heaven have mercy on the weak!
Its already obvious there's PAP propanganda in Singapore's education syllabus.If you look at today's paper,there's an article which says that the govt wants to take action against several parents who refuse to send their childrens to Singapore schools.Why?,its because the govenment wants all citizens to listen to it's propanganda(i.e Social Studies)
Much like North Korea,where listening to Propanganda is compulsory and broadcasted everywhere
Originally posted by ceecookie:Its already obvious there's PAP propanganda in Singapore's education syllabus.If you look at today's paper,there's an article which says that the govt wants to take action against several parents who refuse to send their childrens to Singapore schools.Why?,its because the govenment wants all citizens to listen to it's propanganda(i.e Social Studies)
Much like North Korea,where listening to Propanganda is compulsory and broadcasted everywhere
no matter what, ppl will still wake up from the Matrix eventually..
When reality starts to bite them, they wake up...
How did NEO wake up? He woke up thru the internet..thru a chat msg he received...
I HATE Chee Soon Juan coz he keeps writing these letters thinking he represents the position of most Singpareans. HE DOES NOT. If he does, he would have been elected and sitting in the parliament. So stop airing our dirty laundry in public. Singaporeans know what is wrong, but these are household matters, not something you use to whine about to foreign leaders in order to further you own political agenda. Have some sense of shame!
Sometimes I think he is a PAP mole...
im a little afraid of failing classes too and im not in sg.......im in u.s
Originally posted by HyperFocal:A letter to Barack Obama on Singapore's education system
Singapore Democrats
14 Feb 08
Senator Barack Obama
Presidential Candidate
Democratic Party
United States of AmericaDear Senator Obama,
I read in one of your campaign speeches that you wanted American students to match up academically to those in Taiwan and Singapore. While I cannot speak for Taiwan, allow me to relate to you a few brief facts about the reality of the schooling system in my country Singapore:
A survey showed that one in three children between the the ages of 9 to 12 say that life is not worth living because of the fear of academic failure.
Nearly 20,000 students consult psychiatrists because of their fear of classroom examinations. Two-thirds of them are in primary (elementary) and pre-school grades.
Another survey asked American, Japanese and Singaporean students what their greatest fear was. While a majority of the American and Japanese children said that losing a friend or the death of their parents was their number one fear, Singaporean students said that not achieving good grades was what they were most afraid of.
Is it any wonder then that 50 percent of young Singaporeans indicate that they want to emigrate and live somewhere else. More than a third say they are not patriotic to their country.
Of course there are the few that excel in test-taking and school competitions. These are the ones that make the headlines so that the country's rulers can claim the credit. If you squeeze an apple hard enough, you will extract some juice. Its the crushed pulp that we mourn over.
Many Singaporean parents have left the country because they refuse to subject their children to the torment that passes for education here. The precious joy of learning is utterly killed by the time one finishes school here.
In fact, the Singapore government recently bemoaned that more than 1,000 of the country's best and brightest were leaving the country every year. For a country with a population of only 3 million citizens, you can see how alarming the situation is.
So why can't the people of Singapore change the education policies, or the government for that matter? Because, unlike what you have been blessed with – the ability to campaign and speak freely, the opposition in Singapore is crushed by detention without trial, criminal prosecution, and crippling defamation lawsuits. Our media is completely in the hands of the ruling party, and public speaking and assemblies are banned.
While there maybe significant problems with schools in the US, the educational system in Singapore, as you can see, is no model. As for our political system, there is a dire need for democratic reform.
I take this opportunity to wish you all the very best in your bid for the presidency of the United States of America.
Sincerely,
Chee Soon Juan
Secretary-General
Singapore Democratic Party
You must be the biggest CLONE ever of CSJ. Hmm, are you for real?
i think those who fear not getting good grades are losers.....
i've always think that if you are prepared then you are......if you aren't prepared then its your fault for not using that time to understand wot you have to rather then slacking.......
if you fail you fail.....wot is there to be scared of? if you fail then stand up lah.....there is always another chance....
exams are supposed to give questions accordingly to wot you have learned theoretically......so you should be able to do it.......not being able to do it means you came unprepared.....and crying like hell from that will get you nowhere.....
Originally posted by New Creation:You must be the biggest CLONE ever of CSJ. Hmm, are you for real?
... and you must be the latest DRONE of the FAP...
Just another sunny day in the life of CSJ to dry out the dirty laundry.