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Only half think S'pore a good place for kids

88max

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Only half think S'pore a good place for kids

WE don't find Singapore a conducive place to raise children.

This was what a significant 30 per cent of 1,256 respondents said in an online survey.

The results, released on Tuesday, showed that 51 per cent considered Singapore a conducive place while the remaining 19 per cent did not have an opinion.

These findings are telling, considering Singapore's reputation as a safe place with a world-class education system.

The online survey was conducted by MyMailMoment.com, a lifestyle research portal of SingPost, to coincide with National Day.

It was part of a broader survey of 2,017 people, who were asked their opinion on nationalism, politics, job environment and cost of living.

The respondents were aged from 16 to 74 - with the bulk (66 per cent) being 21 to 40.

Men made up 59 per cent of the respondents

EDUCATION WOES

The education system here was cited as a major reason for Singapore being unconducive for raising kids.

The respondents said it was too tough and demanding.

Another reason was the difficulty in striking work-life balance.

Said Madam Judy Kho, 49, a mother of two boys aged 17 and 15: 'The education system is tough for the kids. There's so much homework and every one seems to be striving for good results all the time.

'It always seems to be about getting all As for the exams.'

She said that her children seemed to be missing out on their childhood.

Said Madam Kho: 'I see them spend most of their time studying. They bury their heads in their books and mug for exams.

'I'm not sure if this is the place for kids to have a good childhood anymore. I especially pity those who are not doing well academically. They seem to suffer the most.'

Another parent, Mr Mashor Silar, 49, who has two sons, 24 and 15, agreed.

He said: 'It's not the same as when we were growing up.'

Educators contacted by The New Paper had mixed feelings about the survey.

Said Ping Yi Secondary School principal Julia Woo: 'I had a fun time in school when I was growing up. It's different now for my children.'

She said her children, a second-year NTU student and a second-year JC student, work very hard to keep up with their peers.

GENERATION ISSUE

But she added that the challenges faced by kids today are different from those of her generation.

She said: 'We have to be able to innovate and be flexible. This is all part of progress. And we have to prepare our kids for these challenges.'

Parents can also help their children cope, she said, by stressing work-life balance.

But not all thought that Singapore was a tough place to bring up children.

Consultant psychiatrist Brian Yeo cited Singapore as one of the best places in the world to raise kids, because of its safety.

He felt that often, the problem was in dealing with one's own expectations,

He said: 'If you want your kids to have a tertiary education, then it becomes more challenging and stressful.

'But in comparison to kids from other countries like Korea - where the education system is even more stressful - students here have an advantage in terms of language. Once they go to university abroad, they can at least speak English.'

There were also those who questioned the survey itself.

Consultant clinical psychologist Danny Ng, 47, said he was cautious about such surveys as they are convenient avenues for people to express their unhappiness.

RESPONDENTS' BIAS?

He said: 'People sometimes tend to complain in such surveys. Happy people, in general, do not do surveys.'

Mr Ng agreed that Singapore is a good place to raise children.

He said: 'Look at other countries, where it's not safe for girls to travel in public transport at night.

'Singaporeans also tend to make quick judgments based on their holidaying abroad. You cannot compare Singapore to another country if you have just gone there on holiday.

'You must live in the foreign country for at least three to five years before comparing it to Singapore.'
 

jerry

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Pity the kids in Singapore. With all the tuition, study day in and out, the school kid in Singapore are not having as much fun as their overseas counterpart.
 

silverfox@

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There is no best of both worlds. The education system is too much for kids to handle, however its a safer place than most of the other countries.

Tuitions depends on how the parents want it for their kids. You give them too much, the kids become stress. You don't give them any, the kids slacks and wants to go and play. Depends really a lot on how the parents going to upbring the kid.

It is always easy to blame the system, the country, etc, but the real problem doesn't lie in these but how you want it to be.

These kind of surveys in terms of statistics are not true. Because its taken only out of 1256. And these 1256 don't represent the whole of the nation.

Just like how we think the education system is too stressful but yet there are more and more overseas students wanting to come over Singapore to study. Maybe those who think it is too stressful should send their kids over to those exchange students' countries like China, Vietnam.
 

panama

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Why would parents who send their kids for tution unless the school really does a bad job of teaching?
 

peterlth

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Why would parents who send their kids for tution unless the school really does a bad job of teaching?

The quality of Singapore quite OK lah. I think among Asia countries, we are doing reasonably well. Of course maybe can get better education in other very developed cities, but can you afford it? It may be quite expensive to give SIngapore children a good education but what other choices do you have if you are not a millionaire?
 

ahbengsong

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I am even surprise half still believe sgp is good for kids..... look at the myopic rate in sgp and that is a good indicator of "life" for kids there....

beng
 

tonychat

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There is no best of both worlds. The education system is too much for kids to handle, however its a safer place than most of the other countries.

Tuitions depends on how the parents want it for their kids. You give them too much, the kids become stress. You don't give them any, the kids slacks and wants to go and play. Depends really a lot on how the parents going to upbring the kid.

It is always easy to blame the system, the country, etc, but the real problem doesn't lie in these but how you want it to be.

These kind of surveys in terms of statistics are not true. Because its taken only out of 1256. And these 1256 don't represent the whole of the nation.

Just like how we think the education system is too stressful but yet there are more and more overseas students wanting to come over Singapore to study. Maybe those who think it is too stressful should send their kids over to those exchange students' countries like China, Vietnam.

what do you think should be the sample amount? 100k? to make it more representable?

Maybe exchange student to USA, Aus, canada and UK would be more comparable since Sg is first world and the people are first world as well.
 

silverfox@

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what do you think should be the sample amount? 100k? to make it more representable?

Maybe exchange student to USA, Aus, canada and UK would be more comparable since Sg is first world and the people are first world as well.

If you have left singapore, its good for you. To have left the land you so-called sinkapore. And since you have left, I really think it is not so much of your concern anymore about your so-called sinkapore. It would have been true to what you said, if singapore really sinks. And your predictions came true.

I can only say, don't make your life so miserable by being over concerned with singapore. If you hate this person so much, why do you still want to be so concerned with that person. Move on with life lah, it will make your life better than keep regurgitating on issues like this to diss your displeasure.
 

tonychat

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If you have left singapore, its good for you. To have left the land you so-called sinkapore. And since you have left, I really think it is not so much of your concern anymore about your so-called sinkapore. It would have been true to what you said, if singapore really sinks. And your predictions came true.

I can only say, don't make your life so miserable by being over concerned with singapore. If you hate this person so much, why do you still want to be so concerned with that person. Move on with life lah, it will make your life better than keep regurgitating on issues like this to diss your displeasure.

?????..... Your post isn't really replying to the question i posted. Well, all i can say that i can post whatever i want. it is my freedom and everyone's freedom. If you think that i am still miserable and need to move on, that is your opinion and not mine.

You claim that sg should compare to schools in china and vietnam, so i feel that is not not really a fair comparison as Sg is first world, so i think should compare to real first world english speaking countries since sg are first world enough to speak good english. Nothing wrong right?

YOur sg govt is so wonderful and top notch that they are so much better than the rest of the world, so why compare to 3rd world countries.
 

madmansg

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as a kid , I was trained for 2.5 years to shove my SAF byonet into stomachs of invading FT.
Now as an adult , when I take dinner in restarents , to restraints myself I only order soup with spoon and without knifes as I am surrounded by FT.
 

silverfox@

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?????..... Your post isn't really replying to the question i posted. Well, all i can say that i can post whatever i want. it is my freedom and everyone's freedom. If you think that i am still miserable and need to move on, that is your opinion and not mine.

You claim that sg should compare to schools in china and vietnam, so i feel that is not not really a fair comparison as Sg is first world, so i think should compare to real first world english speaking countries since sg are first world enough to speak good english. Nothing wrong right?

YOur sg govt is so wonderful and top notch that they are so much better than the rest of the world, so why compare to 3rd world countries.

Read the one above in bold which I quoted. If you said you can post whatever you want, and its your freedom, everyone's freedom, why do you have to ask me the point on not replying to the question you posted.

You applied the so-called freedom to your own postings, and not to others? :o Irony.

As for comparing to the so-called tags of 2nd world, 1st world or whaatever world categories, do you mean to say China and Vietnam are 3rd world? I am appalled.
 

myfoot123

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Please note that Singapore reporters have the tendency to inflate or deflate the survey results to look in favour of this country or pap. When they said 51% love bringing up children here, you have to discount it by 20%. The figure could be lower and frightening.
 

tonychat

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Read the one above in bold which I quoted. If you said you can post whatever you want, and its your freedom, everyone's freedom, why do you have to ask me the point on not replying to the question you posted.

You applied the so-called freedom to your own postings, and not to others? :o Irony.

As for comparing to the so-called tags of 2nd world, 1st world or whaatever world categories, do you mean to say China and Vietnam are 3rd world? I am appalled.

I didnt say you can't post, i am just stating that you are not replying according to my question but i didnt state that you cannot post whatever you want.

YOu can post nonsense on ur reply to me but i didnt say u cannot do that. i just point out that you didnt reply and not cannot reply according to the question i posted and MUST reply to what i point out. There isn't a MUST.

Yup, they are 3rd world and working hard to get out of that stage but Sg is at the tip of the world's development as what ur sg govt claimed. Or is it not? or just empty claiming?
 

tonychat

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Please note that Singapore reporters have the tendency to inflate or deflate the survey results to look in favour of this country or pap. When they said 51% love bringing up children here, you have to discount it by 20%. The figure could be lower and frightening.

Ahhhh... someone who truly understand Sg media..
 

silverfox@

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Singapore generally is a stressful place, can't blame those half that think Spore is bad :(

It's not half. It's only that 600+ respondents out of a 1200+ respondent survey.
You don't use that amount as real means testing.

I ever done product launches and before that I requested my staff to do a marketing survey. The survey was done out of 10000 respondents. More than 70% when surveyed welcome the product. Before the launch was done, I was apprehensive of results. Results were only 38% in real life. So these type of survey results sometimes is a 'feel good' or 'feel bad' factor kinda thing. Do not need to read too much into it. :wink:
 

silverfox@

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I didnt say you can't post, i am just stating that you are not replying according to my question but i didnt state that you cannot post whatever you want.

YOu can post nonsense on ur reply to me but i didnt say u cannot do that. i just point out that you didnt reply and not cannot reply according to the question i posted and MUST reply to what i point out. There isn't a MUST.

Yup, they are 3rd world and working hard to get out of that stage but Sg is at the tip of the world's development as what ur sg govt claimed. Or is it not? or just empty claiming?

Honestly
Every single claim of yours, I can give another reason. But I see no point in me playing ping pong with you or some others. I just state what I think and for me I am a person who choose to move on from such topics rather than harping on such issues, hoping to win in an internet discussion.

The reason I don't reply to what you asked, is if I do, you come back with another reasoning of yours, you shoot, i return, you shoot i return.
I choose selectively to who, what I reply. Letting someone win in an online internet discussion if can bring that 'ecstasy feeling' to them, why not? For me, its not my style to keep regurgitating such issues, showing all my displeasure in the govt or country in the form of all kinds of small issues trying to dish them all out at a time.

There are many things can say.
Example, old woman get robbed in lift (There you see, so much for low singapore crime.) ERP increase 10 cents (There you see, govt want money again.) Cigarettes go up by 50 cents (There you see, nb govt want more tax duties again.) The list is endless...

I prefer to move on. Not because I cannot be bothered. But harping on all these doesn't help.

3rd world 2nd world 1st world all are humans. Indians, Chinese, Malays, English, whoever, Love for everyone. Don't keep thinking of all the "injustice" you have suffered and life will be merrier.
 

makapaaa

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>>>'It always seems to be about getting all As for the exams.'<<<

There's nothing wrong with this except that if you're born with a pink IC, you're condemned to first world cost of living and dirt world pay while still having to serve antass. While the Old Fart share the riches with his FTrash pets with fake degrees.
 
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