12/12/2005
education: tharman said money is no issue
tharman reiterated that money should not be an issue for good students to study in expensive independent schools. hamizah nordin, the top female malay student has applied to join rgs. good for her.
tharman said that there are generous financing schemes to ensure that no student is deprived of the opportunity to study in independent schools. but if they are poor and cannot afford the fees, just beg and they will be given. oops, sorry he never used the word beg. it is my dramatisation. sensationalisation. he just said apply for financial assistance scheme. just spicing it up a bit. to me, applying for assistance is just like begging.
i see it as a matter of approach. the current approach is that it is very nice to see people come forward and beg. what's wrong with begging when you are poor? nothing wrong right? when you are poor you are poor and you are expected to beg. and the rich will be most happy and generous to give. you get your money, we get our share of feeling generous by giving, and feeling very kind and compassionate.
why can't we adopt a different approach. since there are generous funds available, why don't these funds be given to some schools and let them provide quality education at the current govt school fees. and poor students who are good need not have to beg. can we be kinder to people and allow them to hide their poverty without having to wear them on their faces, and beg for everything?
can we leave a little pride in the poor bugger and let him quietly move along in life in his little world of not enough? or does the rich and powerful think it is a very nice thing to see poor people coming forward to beg?
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2 comments:
Oh dear Redbean, you must be getting cynical in your old age, oops!! I do not know your age. You could be in your teen, so sorry lah, if that is the case.
Going back to the rich and about them feeling good when they give to the needy. I have noticed that when the rich Singaporeans give to the needy or charity, they like to be seen doing so and I am sure they get to feel charitable and they want to world to notice. I hasten to add that not all givers are like that, but I must say that a large majority belong to this group. Afterall, why give your hard earned money and get nothing in return???
speedwing, i think i am as young as you are. don't worry about that.
humans are humans, and ego, recognition are all important to a successful man. that is why you don't get a jesus or a buddha every other day.
the normal people can feel and act this way. but the leaders must not. i expect our leaders to be more enlightened and be more compassionate. this can be seen in their policies and decision making. how they treat the poor will reflecton their value system and the goodness in them.
if our leaders cannot empathise with the unfortunate, then the people suffers. if our leaders are genuinely men of compassion, who truly care and want to alleviate the plight of the people, it will show.
if the examples of how unfortunate people were made to plead in tv shows to raise money, and accepted as ethical and a good thing, then we are in trouble.
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