I distinctly remember reading the ST forum about a parent complaining that his kiddy with a fantastic grade of A, B and E could not get into any local university, and Singapore government should have foreseen his situation and did properly planning to cater to weaker JC graduates.
I know how godly our government is, but isn’t this parent too much?
The first thought that struck me after I finished reading his highly logically and sensible (urgh, I am trying to be polite ok) letter was whether he or his kid had done any form of planning, or just blindly follow the crowd.
I mean, most people should know that while A level is the most direct way to get into Uni, it is a path with higher risk for weaker students. Those were unable to get into a local Uni with their A level grades will have to either retake the exam, go to a poly, or scamper of to some private of overseas Uni. Certainly the parent who wrote in to ST should have considered these scenarios before forcing/encouraging/recommending/allowing his kid to go into a JC?
What a bad role model that parent is. Blindly taking a risk and then complaining that the government did not do enough to remove that risk.
And then another parent came in.
From ST Forum 31st May 2007,
JOIN Mr See Chee Wee (ST, May 29) and share his sentiments.
My son, who excelled in sports at inter-school level (junior college colours award recipient) was similarly rejected by all three local universities with his B, B (General Paper), D and E grades.
I saw clearly the sheer disappointment in his face after he read the third and final letter of rejection when he returned home for the weekend, exhausted from his basic military training on Pulau Tekong. I could imagine what went through his mind - the apparent lack of consideration given to the effort and time he devoted to athletics. This is despite the liberalisation of the universities and the supposed importance the Government and universities place on a well-rounded education.
Hearing of similar experiences reasserts not only the lip service paid to co-curricular activities in Singapore but also the mercilessly meritocratic nature of the system.
Jayampath De Silva
While I think this kid had done well with his B for GP, I think that a D and E is no go. Using his passion in athletics as a convenient excuse for the kids lower than average academic score doesn’t make sense. I also have my doubts about the writer’s definition of a “well-rounded education”.
A student can be free to pursue whatever he wishes. I spend all my time, energy, attention and soul on only 2 things during my JC years. My girlfriend and programming. None of the above are A Level requirements. However, can I use these as an excuse if I get lousy grades? No. And I didn’t. If I want I would have said that Singapore has its Romancing Singapore programmes and should give more better grades to students who understands love. And Singapore should also give me higher grades because was appeared in Digital Life as a creative and IT-inclined Singaporean, exactly the kind of talent that Singapore wants. I don’t exactly know how much the the guy’s son spent on running around the tracks or fooling around with balls, but I can safely say that no one can beat me in the amount of time I spent on my girlfriend and my programming.
Hell, if your interest lies outside what mainstream education has for you, stay away from mainstream altogether unless you are totally confident and capable or doing so many things at the same time. Otherwise, you will be like the guy above, exhausted and rejected, unwanted by anyone, unable to pursue both mainstream education and his own interest.
On a personal level, I think that everyone should be free to pursue his or her interest, but the sad truth in Singapore is that if you want to stay in the mainstream in Singapore, something have to be given up unless you are really capable of concentrating on two things at once.
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My guide for my sister, when she was considering going to a JC was this: If you do not qualify for the first 5 JC in Singapore, or you did not get less than 10 points raw score for Olevel, please forget about going to a JC, because you may not be able to hold up against the tough competition and get into a local Uni through the JC route. Poly may be a better choice.
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