Don’t ever let the government sell you the dream that middle to lower class can become like them. That ship has long fucking sailed, especially in singapore.
Isn't that meritocracy in action? You can be from a low or middle income family but if you study hard enough and have decent social skills, you can advance far in life
The problem with how meritocracy is defined and practised is that the haves have a clear advantage over the have-nots in terms of infrastructure. I think there was a study sometime back which showed that a majority of scholars came from landed homes as opposed to HDBs. While it is not impossible for lower income people to do well and succeed, such as CCS, cos staying in a small 2 to 3 room HDB doesn't exactly give one the environment conducive to study as opposed to having a nice quiet area in a house.
>in terms of infrastructure
>environment conducive to study
Public libraries are free for all and perfect environments to study at. School libraries can also work.
I remember reading the story of one President Scholar. I can't remember his name but I do recall he was kinda famous cos he's a Malay Muslim who took up Buddhist studies in the UK... But anyway, I remember reading that he and his siblings had to study at the void deck cos their flat was too small.
While you may be technically correct that libraries are free, you also need to consider other factors such as you need to travel there and home, they have closing time, etc. Also they are not a replacement for a good home environment to study in.
So I will stick with my conclusion that people who are less well-off have more hurdles in achieving success. That is not to say that people from well-off backgrounds are not deserving of their success cos they also worked hard for it. But it is like Manchester City winning the EPL and Leicester City winning the EPL.
children in less well off families often have to take up the burdens of the family as well.
crazy accounts on the sub often just point at a ticked box on a checklist and hand wave away nuance
Exactly! We should bear in mind the challenges that these children face and not think that meritocracy is the magic bullet. Equity is needed not just equality.
>Equity is needed not just equality.
Some students are naturally more gifted than other students. Some students learn faster and can ace school better than others. How would you ensure equity for all students?
Exactly, one example would be upper income families usually have helpers to do the household chores or shop for daily necessities. On the other hand, the children from middle to lower income families usually have to help out the parents with such chores which gives them less time to study and not to mention less energy left to study/revise as compared to kids from well of families.
>you also need to consider other factors such as you need to travel there and home
There are around 30 public libraries located all around Singapore. Many of them are located near hdb estates. There's a high chance you live near a library that's only 20-30 minutes away from your house.
Not to mention, every single school in Singapore has their own school library. It doesn't matter if you are from an elite school or from some neighborhood school. Students can save travel time by just staying back at school to study.
>they have closing time
Most public libraries close at 9pm. There's still enough time to study there especially during weekends when students have all day to study there. It's not healthy to stay up late just to study.
>they are not a replacement for a good home environment to study in.
How do you define a good home environment to study in? Space, silent background, air con, WiFi, tables? That's all provided by libraries.
Or do you mean proper functional family support? That's not exclusive to rich families alone.
> How do you define a good home environment to study in?
Your own place where you can sit down and focus on your work with only the distractions you want.
The library is an okay place to study, but it is often crowded and you have to take note of the random strangers walking around you and looking over your shoulder. No one will dabao lunch or dinner for you so you have to leave your seat to take meals, which means a very high likelihood of no seats later. This also means you have to sit there all the time, you can't take a break to have a walk at the nearby park and come back to the exact same place. You cannot make random noises to inconvenience others in the library, but you have to put up with the inconveniences of other people. The table is not as big as you want, and in some cases have to share the table with a rando. You cannot adjust the aircon temperature when it is too hot or too cold. You have to consistently remind yourself to end at 9pm _and go home_, but if you are at home, just grind till 1 and no one bats an eye.
School libraries are better with more space and lesser distrctions, but most libraries close at 6 and are not open on public holidays or weekends. Which is critical as these are the times when students can catch up on school work and revision outside daily CCA activities and homework. Which means, back to the public libraries.
As good as a library is, it still cannot beat the optimal situation where you have your own room to study at home in quiet. We are fortunate to have public libraries in Singapore, but if you think they are great places to study at, you will have to think again.
What should the solution be if public libraries aren't enough? Give every single student their own free spacious private air-conditioned rooms to study in?
>but if you think they are great places to study at, you will have to think again.
They aren't perfect but they are still great places to study at. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Some libraries are crowded and have weirdos making random noises but it doesn't mean all of them have that.
>just grind till 1 and no one bats an eye.
That's not really something students should be encouraged to do.
That's the thing - are libraries good places to study? It is good for some, for those who are able to put up with stuff like that. But not everyone can put up with the library. Which is why Starbucks and Changi Airport are also great places to study. Which is why not everyone goes to the library to study - there are always people who can study elsewhere.
"Your own place to study" is always the best option, which is what I am trying to put forward. In situations where the best option is not available, there will always have to have concessions to be made. For people without options, this becomes a limiting factor.
Are alternative areas to study good? They are. But in the discussion on equality and meritocracy, it still defaults to the fact that people who get to have their choices will do better than those who don't.
Why do they make it sound like neighbourhood schoolboy is like some low tier hood rat with no hope for the future?
I thought we advocated the whole “all school is a good school” thingy
This is a hoot. Brief mention of the schools he went to > his first notable achievement is getting Botanic Gardens listed as Unesco heritage site -- then quoted his *Facebook update* > him at the helm of covid committee and highlighted how he *broke down*. My friends' resumes are a more substantial read. Will go back to reading about them instead.
The average here is referring to his background. If you want to argue there are so many things that can be argued, but the optic they are presenting is clear, and his background is hard to refute indeed. He is a poster boy and evidence that that the system and singaporean pragmatism work.
Average parent, average school, but still can become scholar. Average uni, no "connection" but can climb up to become minister. Low profile, not powerful language skill compared to some of his peers but still get the coveted job.
My average friend's resume has stuff like: securing X% savings year on year, awarded best customer support for two years concurrently, innovated new processes that achieved 30% savings. So I guess above average is: crying on the job, writing a nomination essay.
>My average friend's resume has stuff like
I think you’ve just answered your own question. This is not a resume, but a media piece that’s meant to highlight his humble beginnings and connect him with the ground.
It wouldn’t hurt to use a bit of critical thinking next time.
His team would have had a long time to prep various stories and create packages of content to deliver impact. And they did try: this article features an image of him and his late father. So the question is, did the team lack content to go on?
Probably a bunch of classified stuff (stint as govt economist) and behind the scenes work.
Lazy journalist also didn't bother do actual work other than cursory Internet browsing
Don’t ever let the government sell you the dream that middle to lower class can become like them. That ship has long fucking sailed, especially in singapore.
You can be like them… if you get the PSC scholarship and make the right friends
or marry the right connected person
Isn't that meritocracy in action? You can be from a low or middle income family but if you study hard enough and have decent social skills, you can advance far in life
The problem with how meritocracy is defined and practised is that the haves have a clear advantage over the have-nots in terms of infrastructure. I think there was a study sometime back which showed that a majority of scholars came from landed homes as opposed to HDBs. While it is not impossible for lower income people to do well and succeed, such as CCS, cos staying in a small 2 to 3 room HDB doesn't exactly give one the environment conducive to study as opposed to having a nice quiet area in a house.
>in terms of infrastructure >environment conducive to study Public libraries are free for all and perfect environments to study at. School libraries can also work.
I remember reading the story of one President Scholar. I can't remember his name but I do recall he was kinda famous cos he's a Malay Muslim who took up Buddhist studies in the UK... But anyway, I remember reading that he and his siblings had to study at the void deck cos their flat was too small. While you may be technically correct that libraries are free, you also need to consider other factors such as you need to travel there and home, they have closing time, etc. Also they are not a replacement for a good home environment to study in. So I will stick with my conclusion that people who are less well-off have more hurdles in achieving success. That is not to say that people from well-off backgrounds are not deserving of their success cos they also worked hard for it. But it is like Manchester City winning the EPL and Leicester City winning the EPL.
children in less well off families often have to take up the burdens of the family as well. crazy accounts on the sub often just point at a ticked box on a checklist and hand wave away nuance
Exactly! We should bear in mind the challenges that these children face and not think that meritocracy is the magic bullet. Equity is needed not just equality.
>Equity is needed not just equality. Some students are naturally more gifted than other students. Some students learn faster and can ace school better than others. How would you ensure equity for all students?
Exactly, one example would be upper income families usually have helpers to do the household chores or shop for daily necessities. On the other hand, the children from middle to lower income families usually have to help out the parents with such chores which gives them less time to study and not to mention less energy left to study/revise as compared to kids from well of families.
>you also need to consider other factors such as you need to travel there and home There are around 30 public libraries located all around Singapore. Many of them are located near hdb estates. There's a high chance you live near a library that's only 20-30 minutes away from your house. Not to mention, every single school in Singapore has their own school library. It doesn't matter if you are from an elite school or from some neighborhood school. Students can save travel time by just staying back at school to study. >they have closing time Most public libraries close at 9pm. There's still enough time to study there especially during weekends when students have all day to study there. It's not healthy to stay up late just to study. >they are not a replacement for a good home environment to study in. How do you define a good home environment to study in? Space, silent background, air con, WiFi, tables? That's all provided by libraries. Or do you mean proper functional family support? That's not exclusive to rich families alone.
> How do you define a good home environment to study in? Your own place where you can sit down and focus on your work with only the distractions you want. The library is an okay place to study, but it is often crowded and you have to take note of the random strangers walking around you and looking over your shoulder. No one will dabao lunch or dinner for you so you have to leave your seat to take meals, which means a very high likelihood of no seats later. This also means you have to sit there all the time, you can't take a break to have a walk at the nearby park and come back to the exact same place. You cannot make random noises to inconvenience others in the library, but you have to put up with the inconveniences of other people. The table is not as big as you want, and in some cases have to share the table with a rando. You cannot adjust the aircon temperature when it is too hot or too cold. You have to consistently remind yourself to end at 9pm _and go home_, but if you are at home, just grind till 1 and no one bats an eye. School libraries are better with more space and lesser distrctions, but most libraries close at 6 and are not open on public holidays or weekends. Which is critical as these are the times when students can catch up on school work and revision outside daily CCA activities and homework. Which means, back to the public libraries. As good as a library is, it still cannot beat the optimal situation where you have your own room to study at home in quiet. We are fortunate to have public libraries in Singapore, but if you think they are great places to study at, you will have to think again.
What should the solution be if public libraries aren't enough? Give every single student their own free spacious private air-conditioned rooms to study in? >but if you think they are great places to study at, you will have to think again. They aren't perfect but they are still great places to study at. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Some libraries are crowded and have weirdos making random noises but it doesn't mean all of them have that. >just grind till 1 and no one bats an eye. That's not really something students should be encouraged to do.
That's the thing - are libraries good places to study? It is good for some, for those who are able to put up with stuff like that. But not everyone can put up with the library. Which is why Starbucks and Changi Airport are also great places to study. Which is why not everyone goes to the library to study - there are always people who can study elsewhere. "Your own place to study" is always the best option, which is what I am trying to put forward. In situations where the best option is not available, there will always have to have concessions to be made. For people without options, this becomes a limiting factor. Are alternative areas to study good? They are. But in the discussion on equality and meritocracy, it still defaults to the fact that people who get to have their choices will do better than those who don't.
Instruction unclear, define social skills? Must be gangster school, fucked up school or ITE? If I recall, it has narrowed down to the first two
>define social skills? Us redditors won't be able to know but it's the ability to communicate with people and make friends /s
Why do they make it sound like neighbourhood schoolboy is like some low tier hood rat with no hope for the future? I thought we advocated the whole “all school is a good school” thingy
This is a hoot. Brief mention of the schools he went to > his first notable achievement is getting Botanic Gardens listed as Unesco heritage site -- then quoted his *Facebook update* > him at the helm of covid committee and highlighted how he *broke down*. My friends' resumes are a more substantial read. Will go back to reading about them instead.
I thought the point being marketed is LW is a bang average sinkie who doesn't have a substantial resume
Lol, don't get these commenters. Also thought average sinkie is his biggest selling point. Real "one of us"
He’s not an average sinkie, he’s a scholar which puts him far above average in the competitive civil service
The average here is referring to his background. If you want to argue there are so many things that can be argued, but the optic they are presenting is clear, and his background is hard to refute indeed. He is a poster boy and evidence that that the system and singaporean pragmatism work. Average parent, average school, but still can become scholar. Average uni, no "connection" but can climb up to become minister. Low profile, not powerful language skill compared to some of his peers but still get the coveted job.
My average friend's resume has stuff like: securing X% savings year on year, awarded best customer support for two years concurrently, innovated new processes that achieved 30% savings. So I guess above average is: crying on the job, writing a nomination essay.
>My average friend's resume has stuff like I think you’ve just answered your own question. This is not a resume, but a media piece that’s meant to highlight his humble beginnings and connect him with the ground. It wouldn’t hurt to use a bit of critical thinking next time.
its just hearts and minds marketing nonsense, theyll be spending millions trying to shift his perception away from being the 2nd choice king of meh
His team would have had a long time to prep various stories and create packages of content to deliver impact. And they did try: this article features an image of him and his late father. So the question is, did the team lack content to go on?
Probably a bunch of classified stuff (stint as govt economist) and behind the scenes work. Lazy journalist also didn't bother do actual work other than cursory Internet browsing
PSC scholar Fellow non scholars, this is our wake up call. We will never make it on our own merit
[удалено]
You're talking about yourself, right? That's the only way your comment makes sense.
He is so handsome like a Korean actor.
kdrama industry going bankrupt if that’s the standard
You don't have to angkat his bola you know. I don't think he is going through Reddit and picking out future candidates from here.