here are exerpts of a speech by a politician:
"I think this obssession with getting outstanding results in the Cambridge examinations is a very bad thing. After all, much of what a boy or girl learns in school - history, geography, mathematics or chemistry - will be forgotten in 10 years' time. What is the point, therefore, of all this effort? The real purpose is to distinguish the bright and clever boys and girls from the less bright and clever. A classification of this kind is necessary ... If this is the purpose of examinations, then obvioiusly you can discriminate between excellent, good, fair and mediocre on the bassis of, say, three or four subjects as you can on a larger number. Further, you can take into account other activities of the students, such as sports, participatoin in extra-curricular activities, leadership potential and so on... The preoccupation in Singapore with examination results is unnatural and unhealthy, and we should bring it to an end as early as possible. After all, good performance only proves one thing - ability to answer examination questions. This ability is, presumably, related in some way to intelligence. It is also related to the possession of good examination techniques. And it does no tell us a lot of other things about a person, for instance, his integrity, his charater and so on, which are just as important as intelligence and more important than the mastering of examination technique.
... I think there are 3 matters or aspects of education which have been neglected in Singapore, possibly as a result of overemphasis on examinations. These three aspects are (1) creative imaginations, (2) character, (3) moral values. I do not say that the present system does not try to instil moral values or develop character or cultivate creative imagination. What I am saying is that the effort is not sufficient and must be greatly improved upon. At any rate, this is my impression, judging by the products of schools.
... By creative imagination, I mean the ability to think independently and find solutions to problems without reference to the textbooks and without instructions from others. Imaginative thinking is... inhibited by parrot-like teaching of textbooks, and I hope that abominations of this kind will cease in all our schools.
It is only when a person can think creatively that he is capable of initiative, that he can form his own judgements on matters and that he can be entrusted with great responsibility. Tehse are the qualities which we want to inculcate in the young.
The second point is character... character and intelligence are independent attributes. An intelligent person can have no character; that is, he may be weak and irresolute. Conversely, persons of lesser intelligence can show a high degree of courage and tenacity when placed in trying or adverse conditions. I think I am right in saying that the development of character in this sense has not received teh importance it deserves.
... Now I come to moral values. Imagination and character are necessary but not sufficient in themselves to produce a desirable type of citizen. For instance, the most successful leaders of pirates, brigands and gangsters have imagination and character in ample proportions but they, of course, are sadly lacking in moral stature. ... The importance of moral values to good citizenship is obvious. We want people who have a sense of social responsibility, who are able to overcome their innate instincts of greed, personal vanity and other human weaknesses in the interest of the common good. Without a widely accepted code of moral values, Singapore will remain what it is now - a community which is basically self-centred and selfish. Such a community may be all right if it is governed by others, but will not survive for long as an independent democratic national state if the more successful citizens continue to place their self-interest before the interest of the community.
Now why do we want to turn out citizens... with creative imagination, stout character and a sound sense of moral values? I believe that without this kind of citizen, there is no guarantee that we can maintain a continuing basis for our survival and prosperity. As an island-republic in the centre of a turbulent region, our society needs to be resourceful and adaptive. We should be able to seize every advantage which the current situation offers us. We must be prepared to innovate, to strike out into new lines of activity whenever these are necessary for our well-being. Without creative imagination there can be no innovation, and without innovation, we will not succeed in adapting ourselves to circumstances as they change.
As for character and resolution, these are always necessary in adversity. At present, we have a community which tends to be complacent and arrogant when successful. At the first signs of coming troubles, our people are liable to panic. There is no guarantee that in future decades, all will be smooth sailing all the time. So, without some iron in the soul, without a strong backbone, a debacle can be brought about should we be confronted with a sustained series of misfortunes. Once people lose their confidence and decide to pack up, Singapore can quickly revert to the jungle swamp that Stamford Raffles first saw in 1819, for we have no natural wealth to fall back on.
These, then, are the qualities which i see as necessary in the future citizen, and indeed, in oursleves. The present thinking of the Government on the reforms in our school system will, I hope, stimulate public debate and public thinking on the subject..."
guess who made this speech and when it was made.
i shall have my opinions on this speech in a later post.
