So I just came across this tweet just now
When I read it, I really couldn't believe it. A lot of articles on twitter are fake or are actually meant as sarcasm such as satirical articles and it's crazy how people blindly believe in them (check out this article on rape festival in india: http://nationalreport.net/assam-rape-festival-india-begins-week/ . I shit you not, many people on twitter legit believed in this and condemned India even more -.- )
So I always check the reliability of these articles with other articles on Google and I was so shocked to find out that this one was actually true. (Read the full article here: http://www.singapore-window.org/sw01/010830sc.htm)
Apparently a few cases of other primary school students committing suicide over school stress and bad grades have also happened before.
At that point I was just like "ARE YOU FOR REAL?!"
Now I haven't received my primary school education in Singapore (I studied from primary 1-6 in India) and I don't even remember studying but yet I got A's. My homework was like what, reading my english texts that was 2 pages long, fill in the blank questions for science and like 5 questions for maths. I mean yeah as I reached primary 4,5 and 6, the workload increased and subjects became more complexed but nothing drastic that I couldn't take it. I used to go down and play in the park in the evenings, go cycling, watch my disney shows and still have time to finish all my work. Stress was not even the least bit in my mind. I mean the only thing a 10 year old should be stressing about is...well I don't even know.
But yes it's not fair to view every students through my perspective. Especially when I haven't received my primary education here and I have no idea about the kind of education provided to them.
I suppose the vigour required for studies here is probably higher than other countries because of this thing called PSLE. I didn't know such a thing even existed until I came here in secondary 1 and when I found out about what it really is, I have always been against it. Really? At the age of 12 you want to decipher the mental ability and capacity of a child? Just because the child messed up one of his exams that happened to be in primary 6, you want to put them in the not so good schools and then further divide them into express, normal academic and normal technical?? And then the child will always have this certain stigma attached to himself throughout his life thinking he isn't smart enough like those kids in Raffles.
You want to put the really smart kids in one group and apparently "not so smart kids" in another group and then you claim to give a fair education to every child here.
And because of this, obviously, every child probably goes through the phase in his primary school life whereby he desires to be in one of these "elite" "smarty" schools or have some sort of aim for themselves and they will try to achieve it.
But luck wasn't on their side, or they just happened to be really playful and not very studious, or just didn't see the importance of PSLE and then they screwed it up. Then BAM, they get thrown in to something they never wanted and the rest of their secondary and tertiary education will be dependent on that.
It's no wonder why these kids are so stressed out. They go through the stress that 16 and 18 year olds go through for O's or As at the age of 12 or younger. They are probably piled up with homework and revision packages just so they can clear their PSLE well and not "mess up their future". And apparently, it's getting so bad, that kids, who are suppose to play and have fun are driven into suicidal thoughts and actions. I mean this is really crazy and I'm just speechless.
I understand the government aims to give quality education to those who really deserve it and some kids have the ability to self discipline and understand the importance of academics from a really young age and then they make it out alive. But I can confidently say that majority of them are not like that. I remember in India, in my class, we had the top scorers who would get all As and were really academically inclined (definitely would've been in one of the top schools if they had to give PSLE) and then we had students struggling to even pass, sitting next to one another. Yes. And you know what, I have seen the way the better students would help them and I had seniors who eventually became better academically as years went. Not just because they saw students who worked hard in their own class but also because the brain matures when they grow up, and maybe they didn't understand the importance of studies when they were young but they eventually did.
What these kids (some of them who have sadly ended their life over primary school stress) fail to realize is that grades does not equate to a better, successful life. They fail to realize that just because they screw up one exam, does not mean their life is over. Well, we can't erase the PSLE system now (although I hope this system is stopped in the future) and they will still be classified based on their PSLE results, but even then, even if they don't end up in the best of the schools or group, it isn't the end of the world. They fail to see that their self worth isn't defined by grades and that in the future, they will eventually find their way. Nothing is worth ending their life, ESPECIALLY GRADES.
We cannot simply blame the education system for their thinking as well. After all they are just kids. To them, Grades are probably the most important things. Unless they don't have parents who are able to tell them that they are not, unless they don't have teachers who tell them that although PSLE is important and they should work hard, they don't have to feel stupid and useless just because they cannot make it, unless they don't have someone to tell them that their happiness is more important than grades, we might just keep having cases like these. PSLE will be there, the stress will be there, the least teachers and parents can do is to ease the stress for them. In fact, even now in JC, teachers are always telling us that we have to do well for A levels. We cannot afford to screw it up because we will get thrown in to all the bad courses in uni, or even worse, no get into a uni at all. But they don't tell us the "even if" part. They don't tell us "even if you don't make it, don't worry, there are alternatives. But the most important thing is the effort you'll put in for your exams, not your grades. It is not the end of life if you are not able to make it". I was only told these things by my parents. I'm really grateful for them for this. Maybe teachers don't tell us this because they feel students will get lazy, but it will actually help. I mean seriousness towards studies come from within. Saying things like that will only drive their stress level beyond the skies especially if they are constantly not doing well. Students need to be prepared to reap whatever they sow
Anyway, if you actually bothered to read this post all the way till here, THANK YOU FOR THE TIME YOU TOOK TO READ MY OPINION *blows flying kisses to all of you*
I should get started with my homework now that I have been putting it off all the way. Will probably blog again soon.
Cyaaa :)
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