Tag Archives: meritocracy

Parents who apply for their children to be admitted into a primary school based on their proximity to the school will now have to ensure that their children stay in the declared address until they finish Primary 2. This according to a new ruling by the Ministry of Education. But there were those who felt that such a temporary fix would not solve the deeper root problems in the primary school registration system. "It is a fact that certain primary schools are more popular than others because they have better teachers, better facilities and overall a better environment for children to learn in. The government is simply forcing parents from less privileged areas to register for the not so good schools in their areas, which means denying their children the opportunity to move up." said another parent.

I have quoted an old speech by LKY, the consummate political master of all time, about foreigners and citizens. Foreigners, the expatriates, the good and talented ones, are needed to help us to grow. But ultimately this country belongs to the Singaporeans and Singaporeans must be in charge, to learn all they could, to eventually replace the foreigners.

Actually this whole IDA fake degree saga shows how rampant instant degrees are. The worst thing is that the government actually endorses it. This case really makes my blood boil. What happened to the meritocracy in Singapore? Where is the integrity in our Public Service like our founding father LKY established?

It would seem apparent that the Malay community would celebrate having two full Ministers in the Cabinet for the first time, but I think this is also how Singapore runs on the basis of meritocracy. That you get the post, and are rewarded for your performance and contributions because of the impact you have made. Not because you are close to a particular person or that you are the son of somebody.

Lee's connection with the army began in 1971, when he was awarded the SAF scholarship to study mathematics at Cambridge University. However, his military career did not begin until 1974 when he was assigned to an artillery division on his return to Singapore. After that he was promoted with astonishing speed to assistant chief of the General Staff (Operations) in 1981; to chief of staff of the General Staff in 1982; and to director, Joint Operations Planning Directorate with the rank of brigadier general in 1983. He was publicly commended for his role in coordinating the Sentosa cable car rescue operations in 1982.

Singaporean loves to complain and gripes about the country. They complain about foreigners taking away jobs, lack of freedom, high cost of living, pressurizing education, overcrowded MRT system, overpaid ministers, CPF etc… Singaporean are really DAMN LUCKY and should be grateful to PAP that worships meritocracy, self-reliance, integrity, transparency, accountability, incorruptibility and efficiency in governance. This is one of the easiest places in the world to become a millionaire like becoming a Minister or follow the footsteps of multi-millionaires like Sim Wong Hoo, Ron Sim, Olivia Lum, Dr. Susan Ong etc....

What does this mean? That those lower down the ladder will stay there – and so will their children and even their children’s children. If you are a nobody who knows nobody, your kid will be a nobody too. It sounds scary but there is some truth in what he said – unless society can pitch in to level up the children whose parents are less privileged. There is another article on the same page which talks about the flip side – children who have a sense of “entitlement’’. They think that their parents or society at large should provide them with whatever they need or want – even without them having to work for it.

The article on Parentocracy today seemed to suggest that having more successful parents equals to having successful children because of the additional opportunities that these parents can provide. This equation is unfair. I can cite many examples of successful parents who provide plenty of opportunities for their children and yet their children do not succeed. Having additional opportunities do not equate to success. Success is earned and one must sweat for it.

Parents will play an increasingly vital role as the education system becomes more complex, but a side effect is that their varied backgrounds and means may widen social inequality, a National Institute of Education don said yesterday. "It seems to me that instead of having a meritocracy, increasingly what we have in Singapore is a parentocracy," Associate Professor Jason Tan said at an Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) seminar on education.

If the Europeans are having a rethink about the welfare state, why are we heading towards it? A European or Scandinavian welfare model involves more than just free health care; unemployment benefits and pensions are also given out. Having a European-style welfare state here would be a serious mistake.