Term 3 Assignment 3

Nowadays, as the population of Singapore continue on its steady increase, the MOE is trying to come up with newer and better education systems. Some people think that the current educational system is good, while others beg to differ. I myself, as a student, I think that the educational system is partly good, but partly bad.

Just like Janelle had said in her letter to the Minister of Education, learning cannot be a one-sided affair. Teachers are only giving answer sheets, assignments and teaching what they are supposed to teach. However, this way of teaching curbs all curiosity of the student. Students are not taught to ask "Why?" Albert Einstein once said: “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.” By not teaching students how to ask questions, the student cannot truly maximize his time at school, and cannot learn at his maximum potential. This will surely affect the students greatly, and Singapore might lose talented people through this big mistake.

In Janelle's letter, she said that "The problem is that Singaporean youths are often not taught as individuals with separate talents, but as a collective who are all the same. " It might be true in the past before the education system changed in the late 1990s. However, i beg to differ. For example,in my school, there are several programmes to help students nature their talents, be it in language, art or music. In my school, there are additional programmes like the AEP, LEP and MEP, which stands for Art Elective Programme, Language Elective Programme and Music Elective Programme. All these programmes help to develop individual talents among students. Thus, i disagree with Janelle's point.

In my opinion, I feel that the education system in Singapore can be improved by reducing the stress faced by the students. Take schools in america for example. The american education system is very much relaxed and easy-going for students. Their lessons include many group work, and fun while learning. This way, students will enjoy school and instead of disliking school, which is the case in most students in singapore, start to like and enjoy going to school and learn. This way, the education of the students will improve and their attitude towards study will change.

In Conclusion, I feel that the ideal education system should be a mix of play and work, with work being priority. This way, students will learn and have fun at the same time, causing them to like studying and changing the mindset of the students.