IN HIS letter last Thursday, 'Elitist danger in Singapore
education', Mr Muhammad Faruoq Osman is wrong that only the elite
minority from wealthier households is more likely to 'receive
value-added education at the expense of vast amounts of public
funds' in our education system.
The Ministry of Education provides adequate resources to all
schools and institutions of higher learning to enable every
Singaporean child to achieve his full potential. For each level, we
spend what is needed to achieve a high-quality education for all.
For example, we spend annually about $11,300 for each student in
junior college and about $10,300 for each student in the Institute
of Technical Education (ITE). All students can develop themselves
in music, sports or the arts through school-based co-curricular
programmes.
Students, regardless of their family background, have done well
in this system. The top 5 per cent of students in the 2007 Primary
School Leaving Examination did not come only from a few schools
with rich parents. In fact, they came from 98 per cent of primary
schools - from all socio-economic groups.
Mr Osman noted that about half of Public Service Commission
(PSC) scholarship recipients lived in private property. But to
conclude from this narrow and single observation that our education
system is therefore less meritocratic is neither sensible nor fair.
It is true that in all societies, successful parents tend to
produce successful children and Singapore is not unique here.
However, thousands of students who graduate from ITE, polytechnics
and our universities every year do not feel less of themselves or
their achievements because they have not received a PSC
scholarship. All of them have succeeded by their own efforts and no
eligible student is deprived from entering our top schools,
institutions or gifted programmes just because his family is poor.
Admission is strictly based on merit and we have a wide range of
bursaries and financial assistance schemes to assist students in
need./;=
Our education system should motivate and provide opportunities
for all students to go as far as each can. We have targeted
programmes to assist those from poorer families and many are moving
up. One of every eight undergraduates in our public universities
comes from households who live in one- to three-room flats. We
should celebrate when any student excels, regardless of his
background. When that student comes from a lower-income household,
we applaud his efforts because he has succeeded despite difficult
circumstances. But we should not cavil or be envious when students
from higher income households do well in our education system. Both
have earned rewards based on personal effort and merit. And we hope
both will feel a duty to contribute back to society to maintain our
system that provides opportunities for all.
Jennifer Chan (Ms)
Director, Corporate Communications Division
Ministry of Education
While Singapore has better
infrastrature and system than most countries, i disagree this
translate to equal chances for all students. Singapore's highly comptitive education system
today is heavily reliant on private tuition.Today, the number of
students getting As have increased. Consequently the grades to get
into schools or university have also been raised. As such,
any advantage in the education system is magnified in a highly
competitive education system.
For example,If instruction in the
school is poor due to trainee teachers, incompetent teachers or
disruptive classes, parents with financial resources have the
option of private coaching or even switching to a private school.
In some of these top schools dominated by richer families, the
student from the poorer family may be disadavantaged by the lack
resources for private tuition.
