Wednesday, October 31, 2007

No pop bands for schools!!!

Have you ever wondered why peasants sometimes can be so politically apathetic? I think I have found the reason.

Recently there is a big hoo ha over at PLMGSS as students are unhappy that the principal has rejected a surprise visit by a pop band that the students have won in a contest for the school. Looking at the reply from PLMGSS, I had a sense of deja vu

Accusation 1: Are schools in Singapore so inflexible that students are not allowed to join contests using the school name?

"It is not a question of flexibility or inflexibility, but of choice. There are all kinds of contests and a choice has to be made to decide which ones to take part in and which to decline”

Not a question of flexibility or not, it is about choice, of which you have none.

"This is not true. Pupils have a lot of say in the school. There are various platforms to hear the pupils. Pupils can request to speak to the school leaders and have often done so.

"There is also the pupil suggestion box, focus group discussions, climate survey and pupil needs survey carried out throughout the year.

Having pupil suggestion box, focus group discussions, climate survey and pupil needs survey shows the pupils have a lot of say in the school plus they also have various platforms to hear the pupils, it’s just that no one is listening to what they have to say.

"Pupils are constantly taught that there is always a right place, right time and right way to say what they want to say. This is part of educating a generation of people who will have the right social and emotional competencies to contribute positively to the stability and progress of our
community and country. "

“Pupils are constantly taught that there is always a right place, right time and right way to say what they want to say.” And the time is not now.

So having a pop band visit your school is going to erode the right social values and emotional competencies and will lead students to contribute negatively to the stability and progress of our community and country.

Hmm… This is getting all too familiar.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, for a moment, I thought that you are talking some national issues. It is so similar to something we know. Alas, it is all about pop bands in schools...

peasantsgetowned said...

This incident just goes to show how students are inculcated not to offer resistance to people in power. Just like how NSF are warned how they can be charged under various sections of the SAF Act and the reason why they should obey all instructions regardless of how stupid it sounds.

Anonymous said...

I agree.Our "first class" education system brainwashes pupils with fables and stories in which the protagonist has a happy ending all because he/she followed the rules.Sometimes the students are not affected by this brainwashing and "rebel" against these tyrants,like what some of the girls from the school did.What did they get?A stupid and lame excuse from their school principal who said that she was afraid that the pop band's visit might affect the O level students in their studies!

Chloe Likes The Sims said...

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