WHEN WILL PAP UNDERSTAND THE HARM IT’S INFLICTING ON OUR CHILDREN?

SINGAPORE STUDENTS SUFFER FROM HIGH LEVELS OF ANXIETY: STUDY – “It emerged that their anxiety levels were significantly higher than the OECD average for all five questions. For example, 66 per cent of students across all OECD countries said they were worried about poor grades at school, but among Singapore students, it was 86 per cent. In Singapore, 76 per cent reported feeling very anxious for a test even if they were well prepared, compared with the OECD average of 55 per cent.”

What will it take for the PAP to understand the harm they are inflicting on our children and the future of this country?

– One in three students say they sometimes think that life is not worth living because of fear of exams.
– 13% of primary schoolchildren show signs of anxiety and depression.
– The no. of children warded at IMH jumped 35% from 2005-2010.
– Many students kill themselves because of exam pressure.
– “What kind of life are we putting our kids through if they’re so frightened of exams?” – Psychiatrist Brian Yeo.

None of this prepares us for a rapidly changing future where critical thinking and innovation is prized over rote-learning.

The danger is that our ministers, themselves brought through a system that stifles independent thinking and financially engorged with their salaries, possess neither the vision nor the courage to effect change even when they see the problems.

Never has an alternative voice been more urgent.