Those who put popular courses and got in because they felt it
will be good for their future. But they realized they are hard. In
this case, the education is at fault. Irresponsible? Don't think
so. But the fact that they do take up some space and denied others
of the chance of going to poly can make one angry.
On the other hand, look at the results of those who can't get in.
It could be they have poor results and can't get in. In Singapore
where meritocracy determines your life, you can't do much. It is
limiting in this area, but it also brings out the best. And the
education system has changed to cope with the changing world. For
example, JPSAE is offered this year. Those who are good at
particular areas but failed to enter poly can apply through JPSAE.
DAE is also a good idea. It's not like there isn't any
alternatives.
As for repeating students, don't judge them too fast. It's how the
different polys work. For my poly (RP), some of them stayed back
not because they fail modules related to their diploma, but they
did not meet the requirements of these 2 modules: Creative
Engagement (CE) and Professional Profiling (PP). For the CE module,
it requires them to attend talks and seminars both related and
unrelated to their diploma. They need to get a certain number of
points before they can graduate. Some concentrated on studies and
neglected this, resulting in them staying back. In fact, most of my
seniors are staying back because of this. Not that they fail in
their studies.
