TR EMERITUS

By Teo Cheng Wee from The Straits Times Malaysia's decision to scrap the controversial policy of teaching maths and science in English was greeted with both delight and despair here yesterday, a day after the announcement was made by the government. The strong opinions from opposing sides suggest that the policy - a deeply divisive issue since it was implemented six years ago - will continue to give the authorities a headache. Malay and Chinese interest groups cheered its abolition, which will take place in stages from 2012. They had been campaigning against PPSMI, the policy's initials in Bahasa Malaysia, even before it was introduced in 2003. Learning maths and science in English, said Malay linguists and Chinese educationists, reduces students' proficiency in their mother tongue, which they associate closely with culture and racial identity. Dr Yap Sin Tian, president of the influential United Chinese School Committees Association (Dong Zong), even suggested that the switch be made immediately, rather than wait till 2012. Maths and science were previously taught in Bahasa in national schools, and in Mandarin or Tamil in vernacular schools. The decision to switch to English was made by former premier Mahathir Mohamad, in a bid to arrest declining English standards. As such, a reversal after just six years also triggered a rash of unhappy reactions from many parents, who saw it as a sign that the education system was going backwards. The Star daily reported yesterday that some parents were now 'seriously considering' sending their children to international schools or Singapore schools. One parent called Sin Chew Daily, saying his child broke down in tears when he heard the news because he will have studied maths and science in English for nine years by 2012. Then he has to switch to Malay for two years before the crucial SPM exams - Malaysia's equivalent of the O levels. 'They have turned my child into a guinea pig,' he said. Tun Dr Mahathir added his voice again yesterday to those against abolition of the policy. In a move to pile pressure on the government, he set up a poll on his popular blog. He wrote: 'Seems to me like the government is not listening to the voice of the people. Perhaps a blog poll might enlighten the government as to the opinions of the people.' The poll drew thousands of respondents in mere hours. About three-quarters of them were against the government's decision. But the strong views from opposing camps mean that whatever the government decides, it is unlikely to please everyone. The fact is that some will benefit from it while others won't, one English school teacher told The Straits Times. 'If the government wanted PPSMI to bear fruit, they would have had to stick to it for another five years at least,' said Madam Aishah Abdullah, who teaches English in a secondary school in Kedah. It is unlikely that the authorities will bow to any pressure to change the policy again. Prime Minister Najib Razak defended the government's decision yesterday. 'We think that increasing the teaching hours for (English language) and introducing English literature is a better way than teaching science and mathematics in English,' he told reporters. Source: Straits Times  Read More →

From The Newsroom Team According to the World Economic Forum, Singapore is the most trade-conducive economy in the world. (read full article here) Its Global Enabling Trade Report cited the open market, highly efficient and transparent border administration, well-developed transport and communications infrastructure, and an open business environment. The WEF highlighted that the Singapore Government is highly transparent and efficient, while exporters face relatively low tariffs in target markets. As usual, the state media has been quick to attribute Singapore's "achievement" to the efforts of the PAP government. However, it has conveniently chosen to leave out the key question: who benefits the most from Singapore's economy? In summary, the three main groups of people who have reaped tremendous benefits from Singapore's economic growth are: 1. The PAP ministers and senior civil servants whose bonuses are linked to the country's GDP growth. 2. Employers, businessmen and bosses of MNCs and local companies whose profits are maximized by the low tariffs. 3. Foreign talents who flocked to Singapore to seek job opportunities. Of course, it is undeniable that ordinary Singaporeans have benefitted greatly from the nation's robust growth especially in the 1980s and 1990s. In recent years, the wages of Singapore workers, in particular the lower-income group have remained stagnated while rampant inflation depreciates the value of their savings. With their CPFs tied up mostly in mortage loans for their 99 year public housing flats, many Singaporeans are ill prepared for their twilight years. Singaporeans are at the bottom of a ranking of retirement income from pensions in the Asia-Pacific region, says the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). (read article here) The Pensions at a Glance study, which also involved the World Bank, found that Singapore’s average gross replacement rate - the value of the pension as a percentage of earnings when working - is just 13.1 per cent. Singapore also has one of the highest income disparity, as measured by the Gini Coefficient, amongst developed countries (read report here). It is closer to Kenya, Senegal and Ivory Coast than to Japan, Australia and Korea. This can only mean that over the years, the richer have become richer and richer with the poor becoming poorer. The economic pie is not divided equally amongst all citizens of the country. Only a select group of elites with better qualifications and connections are really benefitting from Singapore's status as the world's most 'trade friendly' nation. WEF's report is of interest primarily to academicians and economics. It has little relevance for the ordinary Singaporean struggling daily at work to bring the bread home. Is it little wonder that Singapore is ranked 49th in the Happy Planet Index 2.0 survey conducted by the New Economics Foundation even though it was ranked fourth highest per capita income in the world by the International Monetary Fund last year? (read article here) The economy, GDP growth, per capita income, conduciveness of trade and other economic indicators count for little if citizens are unhappy and do no not have a sense of belonging to the nation. We need to move from being overly obsessed with material growth to caring and nurturing our people in our governance to ensure that no Singaporean is left behind.  Read More →

By Rachel Lau from Malaysiakini I refer to Vijay Kumar's letter 'The hidden side of Singapore' and wish to add my own experiences of the so called beautiful Garden City. For several years I did a part-time course at the Singapore Bible College, commuting to and fro between Johor Bahu and Singapore via the Woodlands Causeway. Had it not been because of God's calling, I would have never stepped into Singapore despite living and working in Johor Baru for more than a decade. For one, Singapore may be a first world country but the mentality of its people is anything but first world. Many Singaporeans are still very much in the third world. One does not have to go very far to find an example for this. The Singapore Bible College itself is run as if they are still in the 1940s. They are so old fashioned in so many ways. A Mat Salleh lecturer once made a joke in class: "the dress code for the students in this college is Victorian" and he broke out laughing. Management of the college is very much influenced by the Lee Kuan Yew's style authoritarian - I talk you listen. There are no grievances procedures for the students. Thus students are expected not to dispute the decisions of the management and being a bible college, they of course do not think it is biblical to sue the college. Out of college, younger generations of Singaporeans not only do not have a proper understanding of the history between Malaysia and Singapore, they also do not have any great interest in it. For those who can afford it, they are only interested in migrating overseas. What happens to those who cannot afford it? Rev Dr Joseph Ogawa, a psychologist missionary from America, often shares his testimony of how when he was first called by God to move to Singapore from America. His first reaction upon reaching Singapore was "are you sure there are any poor people here?" Yes, there are many poor Singaporeans. A classmate from Singapore Bible College said his family was so poor, they could not afford to send him to school and he had to work as a carpet boy when he was 13 to supplement his family's income. Later when he had kidney failure, he couldn't get aid from dialysis centre like NKF because in Singapore if you have more than one terminal illness (he had two), you will be classified as a "no hope" case. In other words, "wait to die". As such, you will not get aid from government hospitals. Like many people who visit Singapore, we only see the skyscrapers, the immaculately kept public places, efficiency of the public transport system, the cars, the condos and the affluence of the Singapore lifestyle. But have you seen a one room flat (not a one bedroom flat) with a whole family living in it? Besides, the normal HDB flats, the poorest of all can be found in abundance around Redhill. As part of my course practicum, I was sent as a volunteer to counsel the students in one of the secondary schools in Redhill. It turned out to be a cultural shock for me. Have you seen Singaporeans who are so poor, they have to steal their neighbour's water? Collecting cardboard boxes for a living? Have you heard of Singaporeans who can't pay their monthly bills? Have you heard of Henderson Secondary School or do we only know Raffles Junior College? Seen the juvenile delinquents? Do you know what is the "in" thing for school girls these days in Singapore? It's self mutilation by using razors and committing suicide. If you have not done it, you are not considered normal. The school counsellor admits, this is the other side of Singapore the government do not want to brag about, neither do they want to highlight it. Singapore being a Confucius-led society is very concerned about the "face" and will never let you see anything but only "success". That is why Singapore cannot afford to fail. Source: Malaysiakini  Read More →