RVR,
I have problems with the Singapore system of filtering students at grade 8 or age 12. let me tell you why.
Students mature and bloom at different stages. Someone who stands at the top of the class upto grade 8 does not necessarily perform well later or in life. Vice versa is also true.
With the s’pore system, students who do badly in earlier years are punished for life per s’pre rules. So what do they do? they go abroad and study. Only s’pore’s higher education system is denied to them.
Such patriarchical club rules may work for a small country like s’pore with an overwhelming Chinese value system (very complementary to our own incidentally) and we may agree with it. But it has been my experience in my own high school days, certain class mates of mine started blooming only in the college, and many of them have become specialists in their fields.
Even my own children were indifferent students till they graduated of high school. And per s’pore rules would have been destined for something far below what has been their potential eventually.
Also, when dealing with our complex society, this type of suggestion, we should take great care, does not smack of rajaji’s kula kalvi thittam, no matter how honourable and sincere our intentions may be.
When it comes to education, it is best to give parents the leeway and decision rights and not force something based on a preconception, that current performance is an indication of how the future lies.
Hope this is ok.
Thanks.
Sri Kunjuppu ji,
I am not suggesting that we should implement Singapore system blindly. But the systems works beautifully where no body is a failure at the end of the day.
In the Indian system of education, there is tremendous flaw in imparting knowledge to the students.
Our students in the school are mostly from fishermen community where the parents are totally illiterate without any basic knowledge to guide their children. It is our responsibility to guide the students with proper education.
The students are carried away by the `English Medium' euphoria which is totally unwarranted. Any well developed non-English speaking country imparts education only in their respective mother tongue and not in English. There are any number of examples like Germany, France, Japan, China etc. It is better to start education in their mother tongue rather than in a foreign language. There is a proverb in Tamil ` எண்ணும் எழுத்தும் கண்ணென தகும்'. If a student first learns to read and write in his own mother tongue along with simple arithmetics, it is a great asset to him for the rest of his life. But due to Missionary influence in the education, everybody including a fisherman community student is opting only for English Medium education.
If a student particularly hailing from an illiterate family studies in his own mother tongue up-to say 5th standard, he can fully learn to read and write in his mother tongue apart from learning simple arithmetics without much of a problem. By imposing a foreign language, he is unable to cope up with the subjects and ultimately fails.
May be from 6th standard onwards he can be put into more serious study in Science and Maths subjects apart from little bit of history and geography. Even here we can adopt single language forumulae, i.e. mother tongue alone. May be from 9th standard onwards, English could be introduced as additional language.
But missionary influence has spoiled the whole system by introducing English language from primary levels and every thing looks to the student as foreign.
Instead of giving more importance to Examinations, there could be more emphasis on knowledge, aptitude etc. so that no student fails at the end of the day.
Government of India through Central Board of Secondary Education is advocating three language formulae, i.e English, Hindi and mother tongue.
Tamilnadu Government is advocating two language formulae.
If a person masters his mother tongue, he can pick up any number of languages at a later stage. Unfortunately nobody advocates single language formula i.e Mother Tongue alone.
Missionaries have to be squarely blamed for influencing every body to learn English language first.
I am not suggesting `Kula Kalvi Thittam'. I am not advocating the school to teach `fishing' to all the fishermen community children. At the same time, if they cannot pick up formal education in a big way, they can start picking up some skills from ninth standard onwards. Final decision on their career could be done even after school final i.e. 12 th standards. This way, nobody will be a failure and every body will succeed in at least one skill.
Today a mason or carpenter or electrician within India itself commands better respect in the society as compared to olden days. There is a huge opportunity to migrate to Gulf or Singapore and make a big fortune in life.
Macaulay education system which is being advocated by the missionaries is preventing to impart skill based education and deny all these opportunities to potential students.
It is very difficult to change the system as it has polluted the minds of almost all Indians.
All the best
