facebookDo you feel that the income inequality is the biggest reason for division in Singapore? - Seedly

Anonymous

18 Apr 2019

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Do you feel that the income inequality is the biggest reason for division in Singapore?

Saw an article and video about it, and wondering if it's true.
Does anyone have any of these experiences when they were studying?

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider...

Discussion (4)

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HC Tang

03 Oct 2018

Financial Enthusiast, Budgeting at The Society

Yes. Agree with what Jiahui and Jules shared too.

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I think, school education system need to change, we focus too much on results and seems like what was being shared below too, for one to have results requires a lot of investment, grooming and the less able will have less resources to be groom and achive and with less confidence and thus be just, normal.

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In the busy light and directions of focusing on persuing results, we've totally forgotten about the importance of Value. We can be in express stream, be rich kids and all its about results but having no good values that respect each other, did not treat others fairly and some even look down on others. Where has the Value gone ?

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A person with results will on focus on getting results and forgotten about the Values ? Why do we study in the first place ? why does school teacher said if you donno later ask tuition teacher ? If we don't have tuition teacher to ask ? then who can we turn to if we cannot depends on school teacher ? If everyone go to P1 and were expected to know everything or most thing already, then why do we still have to go to school for ?

I might as well home school self learning or just have full day tutiion better or just home schooled ?

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There is something very wrong about the focus on Results rather than Values in our society. If we have forgot about our Values, what will be becomes ?

Buildings keep tear down and build up new, school kept merging in the name of consolidating resources and the less performing one get close down and being merged and integrated to bigger better performed school? Doesn't this create a kiasu mentality with super fierce competiton where nobody wants to be normal or not in the top anymore ? Isn't that we created our very own monster ?

There's no more nostalic memories of where we used to hang out with our class mate, the school corner that we use to hang out, where we use to play footballs or basket balls and chit chatting away in the school where we spend many years of our life there.
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I sincerely hope that our minister can really hear about the pain of people and the cry of those with less resources and really do something bold to change the system to not just focus on Results but also place importance on Values. After all, without Values, we're no different from plant or animal or a walking zombie.

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This reminds me of our National Pledge:
β€œWe, the citizens of Singapore,
pledge ourselves as one united people,
regardless of race, language or religion,
to build a democratic society
based on justice and equality
so as to achieve happiness, prosperity
and progress for our nation.”

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"regardless of race, language or religion" and " based on justice and equality" can only be achive if we have the right Values, to be really fair with no self defined social class. Why the rich cannot help the poor. Why the rich cannot be friends with the poor ? Isn't the real values lies in the strong help the weak, the rich help the poor ? If it's always about results, the rat race that the rich takes all and the poor suffer, then what the true meaning of life ? is that kind of value on results based focus only worth living for ? Is that really how we want to live our life or want our kids to live in such shallow society ?

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Hope that change is ASAP so that our next generations don't need to go thru the same suffering and misery anymore. Let everyone has a true equal chances. At least let the willing be with more help and resources to achieve more and let true good values be planted and rooted in the heart of our kids and later people in the society.

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To me, the main reason is the meritocracy-brainwashing in singapore's education system. Kids are brought up to believe that whatever they become is a result of the work they put in. The privileged kids with more resource get by thinking that they worked hard, without being taught that their parents' resources helped them, and they believe in their capabilities so much. The less-privileged kids feel that they are less intelligent, become inferior, teachers don't explain or teach them how to cope with this inferiority, their parents probably are not educated enough to coach, then these kids end up growing up as adults with low confidence, which limits their job options when they go for interviews, which also further reinforces their belief that they are inferior.

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The people who are discussing the topic online are all privileged. I admit I am privileged too. The less privileged probably don't even know that there is an online discussion going on. I think the least we can all do is to each do our part, be sensitive to people around us if we don't have kids, if we have kids, raise kids who understand privilege, and not take this privilege for granted, kids who can discern what's real versus fake and what's propaganda. As for meritocracy, it's real if balanced views are given, else it's just propaganda.

It's not income inequality, it's social status & better-than-thou attitudes that cause division....

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