THEME: Thinking about Education

Singapore has repeatedly won wide acclaim in international maths and science competitions but yet in the last 50 years, we have not produced a single Nobel prize winner or a great mathematical formula or scientific invention. Is there something amiss in our educational system?

Education is the key that helps us unlock the intellectual resources that reside in our people and it seems that our key has not been able to adequately unlock the minds of our industrious students to help us achieve the makings of a great nation. Although creativity and innovation have been the declared goals of every education minister appointed in the last 20 years, they remain elusive. There is an urgent need to look deeper not only into our pedagogy but the values that are being imbued in our students who spend most of their time in school.

Our teachers are trained to help our students learn but unfortunately our students learn that their utmost priority is to do well in examinations is all that matters. We cannot put all the blame on their teachers because they are themselves the product of the same educational system. Such an attitude in learning is reinforced by the schools' teaching curricula which emphasises being exam-smart. This has nurtured a whole generation of parents who base their parenting success on producing exam-smart children, learning them to cramp their children's timetables with tuition classes before and after school. Consequently, a tuition industry has blossomed with good subject teachers preferring to be run tuition classes than teaching in schools. An academic rat-race to obtain degrees and higher qualifications has been around for a long time now, encouraged by a government that is made up of scholars. Hence, a recent change of tone by the government suggesting that a university degree is "not vital for success", did not go down well with the people.

For most students, studying is not about acquiring knowledge to become a better person and to add value to society. it is about passing examinations with flying colours and getting into top schools and landing a job in their choice professions. As for most teachers, teaching is not about imparting knowledge, values and discipline. It is about getting recognition for producing top students in every national examination and meeting their key performance indexes for promotion and salary increments which are based on their students' academic performances. 

When learning is exam-driven and when not everyone is gifted to excel in examinations but could be talented in non-academic ways, juvenile delinquency becomes an issue in schools, at home and in the community at large. Discriminatory educational practices, like class streaming which puts all the "bright" students on one side and the "not-so-bright" students on the other side, have stigmatised students with poor academic results, leading to the development of inferiority complexes and disciplinary problems . Stories of how teachers are abused by rebellious students emerge day after day. And parents run to seek help from the courts when their children are beyond parental control. Even principals, teachers and tutors get into trouble with the law for their indiscretions. Students who successfully sail through our educational system, especially those from the gifted stream, are often said to have high IQ but low EQ. And many of them have ascended high positions in government service because of their academic excellence and devising national policies.

What can we do about our education system? I will share some of my thoughts in my next blog.