MRS Sylvia Lee lamented that our students needed to develop
skills and qualities beyond just academic excellence ("Packed
syllabuses won't make thinkers"; Monday).
Our current generation of students are all IT-savvy and know all
the latest technology but, sad to say, most of them read only what
is necessary to pass exams. The school culture does not seem to
inculcate in them the need to socialise widely and learn skills
beyond the textbooks, classrooms and lecture hall.
We need students who can think out of the box and not merely
take the line of least resistance. The best advice comes from the
1938 Nobel Prize winner in Physics, Enrico Fermi, who said, "There
are two possible outcomes: If the result confirms the hypothesis,
then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the
hypothesis, then you've made a discovery."
Our students should not imbibe knowledge passively from their
teachers and books but should question the validity of what they
have learnt in schools and colleges.
Heng Cho Choon
