December

Singapore: The Charade Of Meritocracy?
Friday, December 07, 2007

I feel this pervasive sense of monotony even as I type this entry. Life after A levels has not all been that exciting; at least not the hardcore gaming and arcade escapades I have otherwise fantasised it to be. Maybe it is the effect of the medicine, or maybe it is just me. This languorous stew of tedium is driving me crazy. Somehow it rhymes. Lol.

Anyway, this entry is not about me whining, but more on an article published by Michael D. Barr in the Far Eastern Economic Review on October 2006.

http://www.feer.com/articles1/2006/0610/free/p018.html.

The article’s arguments seem rather invalid to me. I have a bone to pick with the premises.

The damned statistics - so what if the Chinese make up a disproportionate percentage of the scholarship holders. It does not mean, hence, that the process is biased. The make up of the scholarship holders tells me nothing more than superficialities. I have yet to see evidence of shady selection processes for scholarships. Preliminary selections are done by teacher recommendations, CCA and examination records, which are all done in black and white. Furthermore, there are aptitude, psychometric tests and interviews. Yes, the integrity of these processes here may still be skewed to favour certain people. The point here though, is that the author has not considered other reasons why the proportions of the races of the scholarship holders are as such, and instead adamantly alleged that bias are prevalent. Other reasons like: the Chinese doing better under the MOE system of education for one reason or another, or that lesser non-Chinese comparatively are interested in a civil service career. Assumptions of homogeneity and proportionality are not quite well argued for here though.

The point about SAP schools - Multi-nationalities are hard to manage (please) in infant nations. SAP schools were not only funded by the government in the early days, but by many rich Chinese entrepreneurs like Tan Kah Kee. Such philanthropists contributed ideas, effort and money to ensure the well being of their respective communities. I am sure the government did not forget the composition of its electorate. The purpose of setting up SAP schools is not to solely propagate the Chinese’s interests at the expense of the non-Chinese. Check out what gives across the Causeway, save for the fact that I hardly think they claim to be meritocratic. The bias over there is overt.

However, I feel that the author has a valid point here though - the only one which I would care to admit, at any rate. However, it is not really about SAP schools privileging Chinese education. Hello, the majority of Singaporeans are Chinese, and SAP schools certainly were not and are not exclusive to the Chinese alone. What the author should have argued for should not be covert discrimination against the non-Chinese, but rather that against the “lesser-elites” who are not able to get into the higher echelons of the society due to the plain lack of opportunities from young. (Wee Shu-Min’s elitist anti-whiner remarks seem particularly poignant to me now.) In other words, the issue here seems to be more of class than that of race. It is more about perpetuating a regenerating class of “persistent elites”. This is because the elites can get into their children into better schools, and their children will thus have a higher chance of receiving better education, and so on and so forth. The difference between class and race here is particularly insidious. It just so happens that a lot of non-Chinese fall under this category of the unfortunate, unfortunately.

The rhetoric of meritocracy is not so well argued for in this article, I feel. The so-called "tremendous biases" may be true. I am not a pro-PAP speaker though. It is just that I should apply what I have learnt in my KI lessons – critical thinking.

Biases and prejudices against the non-Chinese may be prevalent and more covert than I think it is. I just feel that the author’s arguments are relegated to mere allegations once you debunk a few key premises. Apologies for digging out an old article to bomb. Lol. Correct me if I am wrong.

--Mary HAD a little lamb--

12/07/2007 09:13:00 PM

Prom - Your Dream Your Money
Thursday, December 06, 2007

How true. It was after all a whopping 90 bucks. I have yet to factor in the cost of the clothes and stuff. Since when in our parents' times they had such events. It is like learning to spend before you even learn how to earn. Admittedly, getting prepared was fun. I was somewhat fascinated by the miraculous ability of make up to totally obscure a girl's face, for the less technically gifted. Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha. Anyway, the food was not all that sumptuous and I thought that the programme was kind of monotonous. The cam-whoring was slightly more purposeful though, I have to admit. Photos speak a lot more than words, sometimes. To digress a little, I realise to my chagrin (only yesterday), that I set my n95 camera to a pathetic low resolution.

06S70. The people you see (saw) at the defunct class bench gossiping, mugging, lazing around and sleeping. Check out the red eye effect - zx's cam vampirised us. It was refreshing, for once, to see all my classmates in formal attire, instead of the drab brown uniform. From the kiddy gina/zabor faces I saw in Orientation, we have all changed somewhat, in looks and in mentality. I wish you guys all the best in your future endeavours.

4H. I still remember the classroom days and how we used to complain about tests (i love exemptions, lol), slack around in class rooms and fervently wait for the clock to tick faster so that we can go home. Life on the granite hill has been great. Thanks cyc, xp, zl, erik, lionel, kayiu, josh, … and so on, for being such nice friends. Apologies for not mentioning everyone.

SSEF and Biotech. I remember how Erik roped me in for our Secondary Three project regarding alcoholic fermentation by yeast (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, muahaha). I remember the putrid and pukish ferment cultures. In Secondary Four, Lionel came in and the microorganism of interest became Lactic acid bacteria. Ah, how we crapped and wayang-ed on the reports. The time we spent in the holidays and the after-school hours we invested. Mrs. Sow, Mrs. Goh and Madam Lim too. In retrospect, the monotony I felt had metamorphosed into fond memories. Lol. I also remember how we prepared for Projects Day, Biotech Fair and SSEF, and how we walked up the stage to collect the prizes. SSEF was a tad disappointing though. I really learnt from you guys and applied them in SRP. My SSEF silver goes to you guys too. Thanks. I have no idea what is up with that flash. Maybe a sprite flew past. Or maybe it is the victory glow.

PW. The great, charismatic, wonderful teammates (Tongyuan, cyc and yee chien). PW brought about some nice (i guess, undeniably so) and fucked memories I do not want to be reminded of. Nice working with you guys. =)

Erik, xp and zl, prolly the only shot I have with all of you inside. Good luck for your Indonesia / army days. You guys are the first to go. Good luck!

Despite the Prom euphoria, I was struck with the sombre realisation that we are all going to pursue different paths. This feeling was exactly what I felt in Primary 6. I felt slightly bewildered back then when my primary school classmates left me for different schools. Six years of education on this granite hill has taught me quite a bit, and now it is time to move on with the next phase in life. I would not say I am unprepared for this transition phase, but still I feel a little befuddled. Whilst my peers prepare themselves for their future endeavours, it is with this dose of realism that I must do the same. No one stays with you forever.

In Secondary 4, there was not a Prom or anything to that effect to mark the end of our secondary school life. Integrated Programme meant that there should not be a characteristic staccato shift from high school to college. It also helped then that half the guys in my college class were from my former high school class. The change then, was at its worst, a subtle one. After the end-of-year examinations in Secondary 4, I busied myself with the SSEF project and NCC Camp. I knew that College would not be much different and I would meet my friends in school again. Now, a new phase beckons, and never would you see a lot of your friends again, at least in the context of a school. The girls are going to pursue tertiary education and the guys are well, going for national slavery.

Still, it is said that e- and mobile technologies close the physical distances between people. This is true, albeit to a certain extent. They require the users to be physically there, to say the least. Bah. I guess when the guys go for BMT (first), my msn list would be cut to a pathetic fraction. This is reminiscent of the Friends Forever song.

"Graduation (Friends Forever)"

And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives

Where we're gonna be when we turn 25

I keep thinking times will never change

Keep on thinking things will always be the same

But when we leave this year we won't be coming back

No more hanging out cause we're on a different track

And if you got something that you need to say

You better say it right now cause you don't have another day

Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down

These memories are playing like a film without sound

And I keep thinking of that night in June

I didn't know much of love

But it came too soon

And there was me and you

And then we got real blue

Stay at home talking on the telephone

We would get so excited and we'd get so scared

Laughing at ourselves thinking life's not fair

And this is how it feels

[1] - As we go on

We remember

All the times we

Had together

And as our lives change

Come Whatever

We will still be

Friends Forever

So if we get the big jobs

And we make the big money

When we look back now

Will our jokes still be funny?

Will we still remember everything we learned in school?

Still be trying to break every single rule

Will little brainy Bobby be the stockbroker man?

Can Heather find a job that won't interfere with her tan?

I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye

Keep on thinking it's a time to fly

And this is how it feels

[Repeat 1]

La, la, la, la:

Yeah, yeah, yeah

La, la, la, la:

We will still be friends forever

Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?

Can we survive it out there?

Can we make it somehow?

I guess I thought that this would never end

And suddenly it's like we're women and men

Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?

Will these memories fade when I leave this town

I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye

Keep on thinking it's a time to fly

[Repeat 1 (3x)]

To close upon this redolent nostalgia, what await us are new opportunities, social webs and lessons. I guess I am thankful for my experiences in the last 6 years.

--Mary HAD a little lamb--

12/06/2007 07:33:00 PM