School quiz reveals elitist mindset

[makapaaa]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>April 26, 2009
YOUR LETTERS
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>School quiz reveals elitist mindset
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>




<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I refer to last Sunday's article, 'What's your type?'.
The article may have taken a light-hearted approach to the topic of school stereotypes, but this banter may have ignored a deeper malaise in the Singapore school system.
The quiz revealed a mindset which Singaporeans hold dear: Attending a top school in Singapore immediately propels you to a higher social standing, and becoming part of the 'elite' is something to strive for.
As a nation, if we truly believe that meritocracy is the bedrock of our education system, we should not hold on to these elitist ideas.
The purpose of meritocracy is to increase fairness to the masses through promotion by talent and ability, and to overthrow the concept of an elite.
Being a student of a top secondary school or junior college only entitles one to the satisfaction that he or she are in the top percentile of his or her cohort academically, and should not be seen as an indicator of status.
Many Singaporeans build their sense of worth around the elite schools they have attended, and feel that they should be accorded better treatment in the workplace or in society as a right.
This should not be the case, as true meritocracy exhorts the individual to perform well through continued show of competence for the rest of one's life.
It would be a tragedy if all former students of Singapore's elite schools are stereotyped as arrogant and ungrateful for the opportunities accorded to them.
Jean Tan (Ms)
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[SneeringTree]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>April 26, 2009
YOUR LETTERS
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>School quiz reveals elitist mindset
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>




<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I refer to last Sunday's article, 'What's your type?'.
The article may have taken a light-hearted approach to the topic of school stereotypes, but this banter may have ignored a deeper malaise in the Singapore school system.
The quiz revealed a mindset which Singaporeans hold dear: Attending a top school in Singapore immediately propels you to a higher social standing, and becoming part of the 'elite' is something to strive for.
As a nation, if we truly believe that meritocracy is the bedrock of our education system, we should not hold on to these elitist ideas.
The purpose of meritocracy is to increase fairness to the masses through promotion by talent and ability, and to overthrow the concept of an elite.
Being a student of a top secondary school or junior college only entitles one to the satisfaction that he or she are in the top percentile of his or her cohort academically, and should not be seen as an indicator of status.
Many Singaporeans build their sense of worth around the elite schools they have attended, and feel that they should be accorded better treatment in the workplace or in society as a right.
This should not be the case, as true meritocracy exhorts the individual to perform well through continued show of competence for the rest of one's life.
It would be a tragedy if all former students of Singapore's elite schools are stereotyped as arrogant and ungrateful for the opportunities accorded to them.
Jean Tan (Ms)
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The epitome of the meritocractic society is precisely to attend such schools and attain some social status.

 

[SamuelStalin]

This woman is stupid really. Anyway, what does a woman know outside of housework and childcare?

People are always competing against each other, to be better in some aspects if not everything as well. And there is the ego thing too. But all of you are stupid.

Also take for example Mr. Li Ka-shing. He is an entirely self-taught businessman who started out from scratch to become Hong Kong's richest and most powerful (and the joke is that he's not even Cantonese too!), and he even donated a large library in this land. He's a person who made it, he's a winner.

So, would any of you peasants and Sporn fucks of any social strata DARE go up to the man and tell him to his face that he's not elite material because he didn't study in a good school or graduate from a top college, that he's underbelly crap?

PS Jean can go lick herself up.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>April 26, 2009
YOUR LETTERS
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>School quiz reveals elitist mindset
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>




<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I refer to last Sunday's article, 'What's your type?'.
The article may have taken a light-hearted approach to the topic of school stereotypes, but this banter may have ignored a deeper malaise in the Singapore school system.
The quiz revealed a mindset which Singaporeans hold dear: Attending a top school in Singapore immediately propels you to a higher social standing, and becoming part of the 'elite' is something to strive for.
As a nation, if we truly believe that meritocracy is the bedrock of our education system, we should not hold on to these elitist ideas.
The purpose of meritocracy is to increase fairness to the masses through promotion by talent and ability, and to overthrow the concept of an elite.
Being a student of a top secondary school or junior college only entitles one to the satisfaction that he or she are in the top percentile of his or her cohort academically, and should not be seen as an indicator of status.
Many Singaporeans build their sense of worth around the elite schools they have attended, and feel that they should be accorded better treatment in the workplace or in society as a right.
This should not be the case, as true meritocracy exhorts the individual to perform well through continued show of competence for the rest of one's life.
It would be a tragedy if all former students of Singapore's elite schools are stereotyped as arrogant and ungrateful for the opportunities accorded to them.
Jean Tan (Ms)
<!-- end of for each --><!-- Current Ratings : start --><!-- Current Ratings : end --><!-- vbbintegration : start -->