THEME: Education - Building a Nation on Values

Every educational system must be grounded on a strong educational philosophy. What is our educational philosophy?

It may be important for schools to teach our students the job-skills and to train them to be ready for the workforce but without an early grounding in moral values that bind our families and community together, the knowledge and skill-sets that the students acquire will serve only to meet the demands of building an economy but not the building of a nation. Think of the difference between chemical farming and organic farming.

The early educational system that we had after independence was like organic farming. A great deal of emphasis was placed on teaching civics and students were inculcated with a love of learning for the sake of acquiring knowledge to become a useful person in society. They received instructions on important virtues such as filial piety, patriotism, parental obedience, respect for elders and teachers and consideration for others. Lessons on these values were drawn from historical persons and from literature. Until today, many older generation Singaporeans who have been through the early educational system continue to hold these values dearly and they have a strong community spirit.

However, with the passage of time and the short stints of subsequent education ministers, our school curriculum was repeatedly revised and some important subjects that contained elements of human values and relationships fell out of favour. Our educational system began to function like the rigours of chemical farming. There was strong emphasis on school rankings, high scores and competing for places in top schools. Principals termed themselves CEOs and parents were regarded as customers encouraging parents to behave without respect for teachers' authority over their students. Students were fed a heavy dosage of subject-based knowledge with little or negligible focus on strengthening their value systems. With the social problems that now threaten to weaken family and commune bonds, there is a pressing need for schools to reintroduce and re-focus on subjects that enable students to appreciate human values and relationships, such as history and literature.

Parents should also learn to appreciate that educating their children is for the sake of enabling them to become useful citizens and not for the selfish goal of attaining monetary rewards. This parenting education will impart good parenting skills that will reinforce the values that their children will be taught in school. Leaders should set examples by demonstrating the values that are being taught to our children. Wisdom, humility and benevolence are all the hallmarks a great leadership. Leaders should demonstrate that they are able to make self-sacrifices for the good of he people and nation. They lose moral authority and respect when they are perceived as over-paying themselves when serving the nation..

Communal education is just as important. A community that learns to accept that the most important aspect of receiving an education lies in the children learning self-discipline and self-sacrifice. Free talks and seminars by learned scholars in the field of morality and ethics should be promoted to become a regular feature in our community clubs so that people can constantly seek advice and clarifications on how to effectively communicate with each other and to amicably resolve interpersonal and communal issues.

In the heart of education are our teachers. We need to give them respect and authority to discipline students. We need teachers who are not only good at teaching subjects but are able to help our students construct a value system that will strengthen relationships within families and communities. Teachers should adopt a value-based educational philosophy and those who have demonstrated high moral values should be appointed to lead.

Let's move to become a nation of values by building a strong value-based educational system. Only by doing so can we hope to achieve greater progress as a people and a great nation.

Remembering Lee Kuan Yew (1923 - 2015)

History makes man and man makes history. Whether you like him or not, Lee Kuan Yew ("LKY") made a part of Singapore's history. In fact, Singapore's history of independence began with him.

Looking back at the period from 1965 to 1990, when LKY was prime minister, one feels great pride in Singapore's tremendous progress as a country and nation in that time. The economy grew substantially and a strong national identity emerged. Though he had his critics and was considered paternalistic and high-handed, especially in matters concerning national security and politics, he was the man who steered Singapore to become an international financial centre and the little red dot that everyone came to knw.

We do not have to love LKY but we must give him credit for the positive work that he did for Singapore. In Chinese, there is a saying ”没有功劳也有苦劳“ which means that even if he had not done any meritorious deed, he had performed his work with elbow grease.

And many will agree that during his tenure as prime minister, he had done well overall notwithstanding disagreements over some of his policies. There can be debate over the prudence of some of his unpopular policies but we cannot deny that he had many good policies too. The Chinese saying "功不可没" which means "we cannot bury the credit due to him" applies to LKY for his contributions to Singapore.

He deserves to be remembered and not forgotten.

Duck rice distribution at Potong Pasir on 4.08.2015

The duck rice stall at Blk 120 in Potong Pasir is relatively well known. The owner of the stall, Ah Seng, is actually a friendly man with a serious look. That evening, together with the volunteers from Project Awareness and Happy People, I visited a few blocks in Potong Pasir to distribute duck rice supplied by Ah Seng.

 

The rice was very well received and a few families told us of their problems. One resident needed a job and there are 9 people, including 4 young children, living in her 3 room flat. Another needed help to clear out their second-hand goods which were stocked up in their flat. They were dealing in second hand goods but their deteriorating health no longer permits them to do so. The husband has suffered a stroke and is semi-paralyzed whilst the wife has bent legs. Further, they could not sell their stocks at Sungei Road anymore. After the stocks are cleared out, they plan to rent out their rooms to receive some income.

One resident shared with us the plight of another resident who lives in a block that was not covered in our food distribution tonight. A father of 2 young children and a pregnant wife, this other resident recently landed himself in some trouble involving a foreign construction worker who had accosted his wife when she was alone in the flat. 

He had spent the day in court and I visited him in his flat. He told me what happened and looked deeply worried. I noticed that his house was in disarray and began to ask about his family situation. His two young boys, one in k2 and the other still in nursery, were bouncing on their rundown sofa as we spoke. He does not hold a steady job and works as a super-relief taxi-driver earning about $80 per day but he does not always get a taxi to drive. Previously he was working as a disaster relief cleaner with long irregular hours. These couple of days, he was not able to get a taxi to drive because many taxis are undergoing repairs. That means he has absolutely no income for the time being.

His pregnant wife was standing beside me as we talked and she brought their unpaid utility bills when I asked to see them. The flat belongs to his parents and his surviving aged mother was alone in a room. I enquired about her as I learned she suffered a stroke three years ago. He invited me to see her and I saw that her room was completely dark. He then switched on the room light and explained to me that his mother was born blind. Huddled in a blanket with a tube inserted into her nose, she was sitting at the edge of her bed and staring in one direction, constantly keeping her body in mild rocking motion. I greeted her and she responded.

He explains that he needed to bring his mother for physiotherapy everyday and she needs a certain medication and a special milk formula for her dyspepsia or a swallowing disorder due to her stroke. These items were costly. I could see that he was too embarrassed to ask for help and sensed his deep inner frustration. He seemed to me at the verge of breaking point, repeatedly trying to force back his tears. 

I arranged for some rations to be brought to his family immediately. A cash cheque for a sum of $150 was presented to him to help him tide over from the founder of Project Awareness Elson Soh. His smile on receiving the cash donation told me that a huge load has just been taken off his shoulders and that he has been pulled back from the brink of a nervous breakdown.

The volunteers will be back on another day to help him clean up his flat which was in a total mess. It was a distress signal that has gone unnoticed for some time and I was glad that we were there in the nick of time. Giving him more assurance that help is always at hand, I arranged for him to see me in my office so that I could help to look into to his legal trouble.

Everyone needs someone. There are people who are suffering quietly and dare not ask for help. Your timely gesture may just bring a ray of hope to someone in desperation.