The Paper Chase

Read about the story of a Primary Six boy who committed suicide @ AsiaOne today. In recent years, we have heard of many stories of children committing suicides in highly-stressed societies that sometimes, we become a little jaded about what's happening?

But imagine, if it were to happen to somebody you know, it can be really very heart-wrenching.

Many would put the blame on the education system, parents who pressurized their kids etc. and many would say that we should give children back their childhood. Yet, it seems to me that this is all easier said than done, coz amongst people, there's always this thing about comparison with each other in every way. And sometimes, the kid may have the most understanding parents, he/she may actually be doing well in his/her studies, and yet, the kid may still think that he/she is still not good enough, compared to his/her friends.

But I do agree that the education system and the mindset of educators play a big part too. In fact, there are times when I dread going back to Singapore because Singapore is just such a society whereby everybody wants to compare with everybody about everything!

First and foremost, I really do not see what's the point of having rankings for schools, especially at Elementary or even Secondary levels. A school is a school right?!! Schools should not be run like corporations where performance is rated. The primary goal for any school is to educate, not to become the top school in Singapore. Perhaps, if there are no rankings, it will take some pressure off principals and teachers and even students who are expected to perform well academically so that the school can move up the ranks. Why is it that everything is about academics? Why isn't there a ranking for schools who are good in sports, music or arts?

Secondly, the fact that MOE makes the primary school syllabus harder just to perhaps accommodate the rise of advanced kids or distinguish outstanding students does not help either. I feel that this just results in a vicious cycle. I have heard so much about how difficult the Math problems in PSLE are these days. You really can't blame the parents for being Kiasu and try to send their kids to numerous enrichment classes so that they can just keep up. Then, as the kids get 'brighter', MOE have to make it even harder to distinguish students who excel. This vicious cycle will just go on and on, and the only party that benefits are the enrichment centers who claim they can help your kid be the top scorer in PSLE.

Lastly, as difficult as it may seem, I feel that the government can do a part in changing the mindsets of Singaporeans. In Hilary's recent campaign, she advocates that we should teach kids to love learning, not just to take tests (can't remember the exact phrase but it's to this effect). This goes to show that there's the paper chase everywhere, in every society, not just in Singapore. So why is it that American kids seem to have a more balanced childhood? This, I wonder...