another nail in the coffin

Another nail has been slammed into the coffin that threatens to bury Singapore's ambition as a regional education hub of excellence. Ritz Everton Academy closed its business in the pattern of another fly by night operator. How much damage will this done to the already battered and shaky image of Singapore as an education hub when students keep being cheated of their money and aspiration to attain a reputable academic degree or qualification? While the Tourism Board is trying so hard, and investing so much funds and resources to build the education hub status, the education and private school scene is like the wild wild west. Anything goes. All and sundries are in the pot, with many rotten and stale meat, to make a world class stew. The issue is how could this happen and keep repeating as if it is a normal state of affair. And how could Singapore build a reputation as a reliable and dependable centre for quality education? Can't believe it, that this is happening and everyone is taking a hands off attitude. Not my problem.

resurrecting Li Ao

I am trying to resurrect Li Ao's statement that Singaporeans are stupid today. I have heard many rumours that large local organisations, some govt linked, are in the process of pushing their oldies for retirements. And these oldies are in their 50s and 60s. And the people or management who are initiating this move to move these past their prime employees out of the way are in their 40s or late 40s. And they spoke about these oldies with so much contempt without knowing that the writing is on the walls. That they, in less than 10 years, or even 5, will themselves in the same cesspool of oldies. And the next batch of 40s will be telling them that it is time to go. And the country is finding problem to keep these oldies economically active! And these young assholes are pushing them out of the job market. Ok, there will all be retrained and become specialists. Either the govt comes out emphatically to tell the people, especially those decision makers, that people are now expected to work to their 70s and 80s, this message will never sink in. Maybe the govt needs to hang a few of the 40s for treating the 50s and 60s as have beens and needed to be put away quickly...in retirement villages.

myth 24

'The Ministry worked under the misguided belief that native languages and mother tongues are determined by descent, and that languages are monolithic rather than variable in nature.' by Yvonne Lim of Today Paper. Now let me try to grasp the meaning and implications of this statement, or myth. The Ministry, must be the Ministry of Education, the authority in pedagogy, in the education of the nation's future, could not understand the difference or meaning of 'native speakers' and believes that native speakers are by descent? If this is true, indeed we have a serious problem. And now every man and woman in the street is saying so, that the definition adopted by the Ministry is questionable and nobody agrees to it. And the teachers and would be teachers are very sore. No lah, I don't think the Ministry really misinterpreted the meaning of native speakers lah. Shall we call this a misplaced myth? And for trainee teacher Meenakshi Narayanan, don't feel slighted just because she does not come from England or North America or white by birth. Incidentally, the bumiputras of those countries speak English and not Malay. Language is a living instrument and should not be used in a rigid way. And words like bumiputra, son of the soil, means different native of the soil in different land.

myth 23

'The govt is harrassing and threatening bloggers' This myth is inspired by an anonymous blogger here who threatens me that because I am posting myths, my existence will become a myth. And I believe our govt will not stoop so low to do such things. So my guess is that this guy must be paid by some party or organisation out to discredit the govt and go around blogs planting the seed of fear, threatening bloggers with severe actions. Now this is a nice myth. I will have a few more myths inspired and in a way contributed by this blogger.

a nation of specialists and foreign talents

Soon Singapore will become a nation with the most specialists after the restructuring and retraining excercises bear their fruits. All our mature citizens will be specialists in their own right. Toilet specialists, crockery distillation specialists, environment specialists, roadside specialists, voiddeck specialists etc etc. And soon we will have more professional bodies registering with the Registry of Societies to accommodate all these maturing specialists. We have, as a nation, upgrade ourselves in the skills of our workforce. We can then boast of having foreign talents and local specialists. Foreign investors will be spoilt for choices with the talents and specialists we are offering to them. And rightly, all these talents and specialists will see a higher income to commensurate with their specialist and professional skills. We no longer have to compete with China and India in trying to pay lower. Our workers will now command a higher pay.