The future is bright for Sinkies

Try reading the titles of the two articles below to get a grasp of the direction and the opportunities available for young Sinkies.
 
‘PM Lee assures young Singaporeans future is bright opportunities are plentiful – Singapolitics.sg’ and ‘Singapore government looking to encourage young Singaporeans to become carpenters with training and “rebranding”’. 

This is no joking matter, serious. It was reported from as far as China and by China.org.cn and I quote, ‘The NTUC, the Singapore Workforce Development Agency and the Singapore Furniture Industries Council also jointly launched a 3.5 million dollar program to train 180 carpenters in the next two years. The funding will cover their training and salary subsidies for employers. They are also considering efforts to rebrand carpenters as creative craftsmen to woo the young people.’
 
With the launch of this scheme they might bring in Chinese carpenters, oops I mean creative craftsmen masters, to train our young in creative carpentry. And this is not the first time ministers are talking about retraining our young. Some have been encouraged to become hawkers and crane drivers. Some have been encouraged not to pursue a tertiary education.
 
I wonder who Lucas Film are recruiting if young Sinkies are not encouraged to do tertiary education or IT related staff but to be hawkers and carpenters. I am too used to call a carpenter a carpenter and still have difficulties calling them creative craftsmen. There may be a rebranding of our hawkers to something like Tropical Alfesco Chef. Sounds great right? Hope it will be attractive enough to lure our young into making hawking a career.

Singapore Maths in Latin America

A few years back we heard that our Maths teaching syllabus for primary schools were so good that some American schools have started to adopt it into their systems and were very happy with the results. Today it is reported that Latin American schools are also happily adopting our Maths syllabus in their schools in Chile, Columbia and Panama.
 
Are these countries so out of touch with the real world? At the rate things are going, Singapore will be adopting Indian School syllabus to replace our syllabus. The Indians are producing many bright finance professionals to head big MNC banks and even Singapore banks. Their engineers and IT professionals are also in demand in the West and also in Singapore. This must have a lot to do with the way they are teaching their Maths.
 
Knowing that Singapore will always rush to whichever country that is producing good results, the way the Indians are teaching their Maths must soon be receiving serious attentions. Somehow our syllabi are not producing the kind of results that we want and many of our graduates are not good enough for anything except to drive taxis. The Sinkies are even discouraged to pursue tertiary education and to spend their energy in highly lucrative professions like hawkers and crane drivers. No university degrees needed.
 
As change and changing teaching methodology and syllabus are the new constants in Singapore, do not be alarmed if someone would suggest switching to Indian Maths. Some academic has already sang great praises on India’s low cost engineering. This may be introduced sooner in the university than Indian Maths to our schools.
 
Singapore is progressing rapidly from 1st World to Out of this World. Today India is in vogue and Indians are in great demand in Singapore. India used to mesmerize the Europeans with its mystics. Today is it mesmerizing Singapore in everything. Singapore is investing in very big ways in India and it will be no surprise if Singapore becomes the Number One foreign investor in India. And there is the CECA as testimony to the great admiration we have for the quality of India’s graduates and professionals.

MOE thinking frugal

Front page news in the ST, ‘Funding cuts of top independent schools in Spore’. The MOE is cutting funds to the top 6 independent schools and on top of that it is telling them to moderate fund raising activities for campus upgrading. The schools have been told to switch classroom ventilation from air conditioners to fans.
 
This is definitely a costing cutting measure. The question is why? Not enough funds or curbing on excessive expenditure on perks and luxuries? Many parents see this as a good move, to stop schools from going wild with money and what money can buy for comfort and the non essentials.
 
While the MOE is cutting such funding, presumably to curb waste, hopefully the savings would not be diverted to provide more scholarships and assistance to foreign students here. And hopefully there will also be substantive cuts on funding for foreign students and divert the money saved to assist the children of citizens. I said children of citizens, not children of locals. Must make this doubly clear.
 
So, what’s up MOE?
 
PS. I must acknowledge that we have the finest and most modern infrastructure for our schools. Not very sure about the software, which so far has proven to be quite shitty as we are producing duds that cannot compete with 3rd World talents who comfortably came here to replace our local talents from our education system in top jobs. What kind of shit is happening? Don’t ask me for answers.

Top Indian university students are brilliant

"Students in the top universities of India are brilliant. India is a world leader in many areas particularly in low-cost engineering. We have to learn a lot from India," said Peter YH Pang, assistant vice-president (university and global relations) NUS during his visit. Peter Pang was reciprocating the visit of the Indian academic team led by NIT-T director Sunderarajan in October last year to NUS, to explore the possibilities of academic collaboration.’…The Times of India

This kind of statement generally is applicable to all countries as their best students must be in their top universities, otherwise the country will not progress. The only exception is the USA where many rich families could buy places in top universities for their D grade scions.

Low cost engineering is definitely a niche in India. This has nothing to do with the low cost labour we have here that India is exporting. India is able to do a lot of engineering stuff cheaply, like cheap cars and equipment. This is the forte of India.

NUS is looking like embarking on an academic collaboration with Indian universities to introduce low cost engineering into our university syllabus and soon we will be opening up a new industry for low cost engineering stuff. Singapore could then have two Science Parks, one for leading edge science and engineering and another for low cost engineering. We can dove tail our economic growth strategy with two engines of growth.

This is like having the best of both worlds. And our industries that are relying on low cost labour will become even more competitive with low cost engineering products.

What a way to go. Come to think of it, it is like a first world city with a third world vitality. The future of Singapore is getting brighter.

Fake certificates widespread in India

TRE reported an article from AFP that job applicants in India are so desperate that they have resorted to all kinds of sophisticated scams to get a job. This is the first 3 para of the article in TRE,
 
‘AFP published a news report [Link] on 12 Jan highlighting widespread use of fake CVs flooding the Indian job market.
 
In fact, the scam is so sophisticated that even when companies attempt to call the previous companies listed by the errant job applicant who said he had worked there before, there will be people answering calls and giving illustrious testimony about the person.
 
The scam was uncovered when an IT company in New Delhi was puzzled that 30 of the job applicants had listed the same employer which they said they had worked in….’
 
Singapore is so lucky that all the Indian job applicants coming here used genuine certificates and CVs. I am confident, 101%, that all those in employed here are worth every cent they are paid. I have not heard of a single case of false CVs from India been discovered here. I swear.
 
With our first world talents and the sophisticated technology and smart people in charge, if there are any cheats, they would have been caught. The fact that practically none is caught is testimony to the good credit of our regulators and the authenticity of all the India graduates working here.
 
We shall celebrate this clean record and bring in more talents from India that used only genuine certificates and CVs. Maybe the Indians know that we are an honest and clean society, so only the honest and qualified Indians would want to come here.
 
Well done Sinkies, for having the top and genuine talents from India working here. Only the frauds and cheats remained in India or elsewhere. We have an excellent and dependable system and talents to fall back on. I really feel very good, very safe that we are in good hands. It is a good feeling to know that we are not cheated by 3rd World cheats.
 
The MOM must be credited for the clean record.

Another achievement or empty glory?

‘Singapore tops IB exam in region for fourth year’, screams a headline in the Today paper and maybe other papers as well. The first para, ‘For the fourth consecutive year, Singapore has topped the Asia Pacific region in the International Baccalaureate(IB) diploma examination. Of the 1,747 students here who took the IB diploma exam last year, there were 43 who scored a perfect 45 points – two more compared to a year ago.’ The report went on to show how well the rest of the students have done with an average of 36.53%, higher than the global average of 29.95%.
 
With such an achievement, not only in IB but in O level, A level as well, Singapore must be teeming with very clever and talented people. The achievements of the young citizens must translate to a pool of very intelligent adults and talented workforce.
 
Unfortunately the truth is far from it. Singapore has been proven to be lack of local talents and had to import feverishly from the regional countries for talents to help the dull and untalented locals. And many of these students who have perfect scores in IB, O and A level, will eventually work under the supervision of talents from 3rd World countries with average academic scores or even fake certificates.
 
What went wrong with the education system and the scintillating academic achievements? Don’t ask me. All I can see is crap. Either the exam results are craps or the students are craps or the employment scene is crap. Something must be crazily wrong.
 
I would want to believe that the students genuinely did very well academically and it is the silly system that allowed foreign craps to rule over local talents that is at fault. And you have silly people creating such a system to disadvantage the local talents and driving many to joblessness, unemployment or to depression.
 
What to do?

Appealing to the wisdom of the masses

What is the best education model for our children? This seems to be the hottest topic since the parents showed their displeasure on the PSLE. Some of the concerns are genuine and logical, some emotional and hazy. With the amount of research done in the field of education, with the great number of our teaching professionals being educated in the best universities, with a string of degrees to prove, we must have plentiful of them to tell the MOE what is the best system to adopt. If that is not enough, scouring the information available around the world should not be that difficult.
 
Why is there a sudden realization that things are not doing well and things must be changed? The obvious answer is that among all the experts in education, there is no agreement as to what is the best model for educating the young. There are so many schools with different values and assumptions of what is considered good for each country, the truth is that no one is wiser.
 
Now this perennial problem that is driving the parents and children crazy is given a new platform for airing, a kind of natcon. And the MOE is seriously looking into this issue and is also sounding out the parents for their wish lists. How many super talented Education Ministers have gone through the mills in their terms of office and how many changes have been made throughout the years? And strangely, the answer seems to be so elusive. Maybe every minister stepping into the MOE shoe deserves to tour the world to scout for the best education system.
 
There is the utilitarian school that advocates competitive education and making high demands from the children, to draw out the best from them, leading to hot housing. There are the advocates for a less stressful school system to allow the children to enjoy and be happy while in schools. There are many other variations in between. The bottom line is that parents want their children to be happy, less stressful and came out excellent in their education. Of course this combination is the best but unrealistic. The problem facing everyone, the MOE, teachers and parents, is how to find the right mix, less stressful, more fun, to give the children a good time in school and without compromising on the quality of education. A daunting and impossible task to think that this is achievable.
 
Maybe a buffet spread with all the variations and allowing the parents to make their choice and knowing very well the consequences of the different models. What I think the likely choice would still be the current system of high pressure hothousing model. What the parents would like is no choice, just an easy going, less stressful model for all children to enjoy schooling, with lesser competition. When they are faced with a buffet spread, many would have no choice but to want the best for their children, and sacrificing the more forgiving model when the children will grow up a happier child.
 
If there is a perfect model in the first place, the super talented ministers of the past would have found and delivered it to the happy parents and children. Maybe at primary level the schools should be more loving, more forgiving given the fact that nature would make most children to be children. Let the children have an easier time in primary level. The competition should come in at secondary level when the children are more mature and able, and a little better to know what they are in for.
 
I don’t think any education expert has the right answer. Ok I am not kpkb so I am not supposed to provide a solution. Neither am I paid to provide a solution.
This is Christmas. Relac.

Singapore students top PISA test

Is this another joke? Did they misspelt Pizza as PISA? There is still scintillating report in the media about how smart our students were, coming in second in mathematics and third in reading and science among 65 cities around the world.
 
Singapore is also reported to have one of the top education system. And we have students that scored straight As like no body’s business. And our universities are ranked among the best in the world.
 
Here is the truth. We don’t have good locals to be lecturers and professors and must import them wholesale from the rest of the world, including Third World countries. We don’t have the talents for middle and top management jobs and the island is importing millions of foreigners from the Third World countries to help the daft Sinkies.
 
And the govt just realize that they have to train the locals for middle and top management jobs and are hoping that the MNCs can help to train them. The foreigners are recruited to shore up both the private and public companies and increasingly into govt linked companies and statutory boards. Maybe it is only a matter of time before they take over the govt too.
 
Now, what was being reported in the media? Our students are among the best in the world? What is the joke? What happens when these Sinkie children grow up? Become duds and dafts? Which is the truth?
 
Many graduates and professionals are no longer fit to be employed and can only find solace in becoming taxi drivers. And the good talents from neighbouring countries are taking over the PME’s jobs from the top to the bottom. Presumably their students must be better than our students and their schools and universities must also be better as well. The only reason that they did not fare well in those tests and rankings is that they did not waste time participating. They rather spend their time and effort doing the real stuff, teaching them to be good, to be better than the Sinkies and take over their jobs and country.

Murdoch, Monash, Curtin, RMIT …not recognized

I was shock to hear this little piece of news. I have had colleagues from these reputable universities and they are not recognized today. And that is not all, only 8 Australian universities are recognized here, ANU, Melbourne, WA, Adelaide, NSW etc. Parents spending hundreds of thousands to send their children to Australia better go and reconfirm this news and not to waste their precious savings on a piece of crap. I am still not convinced that this is true. Can someone please confirm that this is not true.
 
The news becomes even more ridiculous and nauseating when thousands of universities are recognized under CECA. Holy cow, who are those people that made these decisions? Did they sign the agreement under the influence of toddy or poppy flowers or kamasutra?
 
No, it cannot be. Out super talents cannot be as silly as this. If this is true, stupidity will take on a different meaning.

PSLE Results

The Primary School Leaving Examination results were released last week and 96% of the cohort passed. 67% made it to the Express Stream while the rest will continue their education in the Normal or Technical Stream.

The intensity and stress arising from this examination have taken a toll on both the parents and the 12 year olds. It is the first major examination of their young lives as the result would more or less chart the routes they will take into adulthood. Those who qualified for the Express Stream will proceed to the academic course in the secondary schools. Those who ended in the Normal Stream (Academic or Technical) will continue to do likewise but in a slower pace, taking 5 years (for Normal Academic) instead of 4 years in the Express Stream before they sit for their O level Examination. The brighter students would embark on an Integrated Programme that would take them all the way to A level, skipping the O level examination.

The fierce competition to get into the IP stream means that the students would have to do exceptionally well, and one way to ensure that is for private tuitions. For those parents who can afford it, it is money well spent to give their children a leg up in the education system.The IP stream is more or less a guarantee to get into the universities. Many of the IP students would end up receiving govt scholarship and followed by a career in the govt service or in the private sector. They are the cream of their cohorts.

Private tuition has thus been challenged as an unfair advantage given to the rich. There have been calls to moderate this unfairness but no better alternative is available to change the course.

The stress on the students and parents has led to the Ministry's decision not to announce the grades of the top students both nationally and within each respective schools. It ended with no one knowing who are the top students. This is a great departure from the elitist culture of the country, recognising top talents and rewarding top talents. It has come to this stage that for the good of the general cohort and well being, the emphasis on academic excellence at this tender age is best to be sidelined.

The students would thus proceed with their lives minus this little info of who are the brightest and hopefully they need not feel so bad, and their parents as well. A little ignorance is good for everyone. This little game of deception will only last for the next 4 years when the next big exam, the O level, will come into the picture. And subsequently the A level two years later. By then the children would have grown into young adults and probably more able to cope with the disappointment if they did not do that well academically.

At the same time the govt has also made effort to direct the fears of parents into other non academic areas to assure them that academic performance is not the end all of a person's life and to be successful in life. There are many other alternatives where a person can do exceptionally well, be exceptionally successful without having a string of straight As from the education system.