Education then and now
04:45 AM Jul 24, 2012
From Stephan Yang
Over two decades ago, at age 15, I started giving tuition to supplement my family's income. This continued till I graduated from university.
My pupils mostly shared a modest family background, and tuition was purely to revise concepts that were grasped well in class and to improve school grades. They were borderline pupils scoring barely 50 out of 100 and aiming for a commendable 75-80 score.
As one who moved up societal layers, from neighbourhood schools (primary and secondary) to a top-tier college, I shared with my pupils my circumstances and life values, and how thankful I was that my hopes were kept alive through perseverance.
I worked hard, which was all I needed for a fair shot at success in life.
Sadly, the profile of pupils needing tuition now is more varied. The possibility of finding a repeat story of my success is becoming remote, as growing affluence has skewed the playing field towards the rich.
It is even harder to find teachers and tutors who aspire to pass on both academic and valuable life lessons to the young.
I observe how teachers are under pressure to uphold school standards vis-a-vis other schools, and are assessed from the sidelines, rather than through active, healthy governance, to meet statistical key performance indicators.
When put on the line, the dilemma of "what's in it for me" versus "what's good for the children" boils down to a balance of reality, pragmatism and conscience in each educator.
In a totally unregulated market now, with no obligation to abide by a set of ethos, the enrichment and tuition centres fare worse.
Many are unabashed to flaunt stellar Primary School Leaving Examination results; some even impose barriers of entry to the less well-off through a stringent selection process of pre-entrance tests and high fees.
Overall, education has become a survival game, where the fittest, with the ability to buy access to better educational materials, better teachers and better enrichment exposure, wins. It is a perpetual cycle.
When I look back, I recall with pride and gratitude how civic education and Confucianism played a huge part in my student life. I attribute a huge part of my positive experience and outcome to the good governance and moral ethics observed in education then.
What would the children of today recall when they look back on their education years? Are we subjecting them to a backlash from a system managed by only broad guidelines and corporate-centric KPIs?
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