In the 80s of Singapore when I first stepped into the elementary school in Singapore, teachers are basically warm and friendly but can be stringent at times. Those were the days when mothers and fathers advised their kids to behave themselves well in school, and they, for some reasons, showed support to the school in the methods used to educate the kids. When there was still some fantasy of rulers being kept in the pockets of the teachers like swordsmen, most students do show respect on account of fear. In my opinion, which was one reasons why students ended up much better well-behaved during the past. Even then, it turned out that the truth is rather uncommon for teachers to perform actual physical punishment. Elderly informed me the problem has been a lot better than during their schooling times.

Singapore education displays a profound change twenty years later and I’m not sure if it is for that better or perhaps worse. Singapore students are somehow not afraid of doing wrong things in front of the lecturers. It can be more than the improvement of whole milk powder that has developed youngsters’ mind faster; in my opinion, the over-protectiveness of the mother and father provides an excessive amount of gut into their children. Mothers and fathers in this competitive society often raise just one child as a result of high living costs and so these people dote a lot on their only child and perhaps they are hesitant to see their own precious kid to get reprimanded literally. Singapore kids nowadays will be more quick-witted however arrogant. They tend to challenge their teachers a lot know that their teachers don’t dare to “touch” them. Students aren’t afraid that their teachers might complain to their mom and dad, and instead, the school teachers are in fear of complaints, which will cast a bad record to wipe off their performance bonus and slow down or halt their promotion. There are cases of parents writing emails directly to Ministry of Education to complain about school teachers. Academic results are too important in the eyes of Singapore parents that they have begun to ignore the true concept of education. What they anticipate are fantastic grades to enter better universities so that their children can get a fantastic career with high earnings in future. They are happy to pay extra costs for home tuition and also piano training. How about morale education?

During the past, there were contracts for teachers which could secure their livehoods even after retirement and that was why teaching was one of the most ideal jobs in the civil service field; pension as well as medical benefits gave them all they deserved. Nowadays when policy is changed, it is no longer a “golden rice bowl” although this job can still reward them with higher monthly income when compared with a number of other careers. Workload, on the other hand, has increased through the years like in the corporate world that all teachers are needed to become more productivity. Given the large volume of work along with stress from the higher level on the results of students, what’s the percentage of teachers who are able to go to the extra miles to aid every single student in character-building? In near future, education in Singapore can be a much greater challenge for all teachers and home tutors. Singapore students are actually exposed to more things at younger ages and a person’s attitude differs when a person has a greater knowledge – these people be a little more self-assured along and expect more. Education is often a holy mission so we have to admire to every teachers and home tutors who are taking up the challenging career.