Blog Assignment 3

I refer to the article “Keep quality of education consistent for all”. This article is actually a response to another article in the ‘Forum’ section of The Straits Times. It talks about meritocracy in the education system of Singapore, and that equality is more or less absent in the system, while elitism is promoted through the use of the Gifted Education and Integrated Programmes. The debate has sparked a substantial amount of controversy with the Ministry of Education arguing against critics to defend their stand that equality is present in the education system.

The author of this article feels that at the moment, the government is facing a difficult challenge of balancing their focus of equality in education among students of varying abilities. In response to the government’s stand on quality with regards to education, which the government claims to spend an equal amount of money across the various institutions across Singapore, he feels that such is not justifiable. But it is instead, the homogeneity of the quality of teaching methods and the depth of courses that are offered across schools that would define equality in our education system. I agree with this point as money distributed to schools might not all go solely into education. There’re also issues that come into play that prevent an equal education, such as the diversity of teachers. Their teaching methods and attitudes might be different. Through the course of their educating students this discrepancy might result in students with different teachers receiving different depths of education.

Also, the author feels that elitism in the education system is promoted, as can be seen from the large amounts of both funds and effort channeled into elite courses such as the Gifted Education Programme or the recently included Integrated Programme. This is due to the fact that many of Singapore’s future leaders will be sieved out from the group of students undergoing this education that differs from the mainstream. I feel that it is surely unavoidable that the future leaders of Singapore must be ready with the necessary skills and knowledge when the leadership of Singapore is thrust into their hands.

Being both a student under the Gifted Education Programme and the Integrated Programme, I guess I do feel privileged to have received a well-rounded education since primary school. But like the author of the article, I do feel that the government might be placing too much focus on the ‘elite’ student groups, and thus, they might possibly neglect the average and less able students in the process. This is what the author is trying to bring across in his article. That even if the government should assist the groups of students with better competency further their educations, the government should at the same time, strive to create a proper balance of opportunities between the students with different capabilities, to try and close up the already-widened socio-economic gap between the upper class and the middle and lower classes through equal education.


495 words

Author of article: Jonathan Tan

Article reviewed: Keep quality of education consistent for all – The Straits Times (29/08/2008), Page A38 ‘Forum’

http://newslink.asiaone.com/user/OrderArticleRequest.action?order=&_sourcePage=%2FWEB-INF%2Fjsp%2Fuser%2Fsearch_type_result.jsp&month=08&year=2008&date=29&docLanguage=en&documentId=nica_ST_2008_9825224