Random thoughts
In Saturday's Straits Times there was a special feature on the specialized schools for talented students in Singapore. The Singapore Sports School for promising young athletes, NUS High for the science and maths inclined and the upcoming Singapore Arts School catered for those talented in Arts were the schools in spotlight. The secondary and pre-u education system nowadays is really very different from what we went through only a few years.
There are so much alternatives now other than the mainstream 'O' levels exams followed by either JC or Poly. Students now can choose to go to one of those specialized schools if they have the talents. Many top schools offer integrated programs which enable students to have more time to explore into different subjects in depth instead of wasting time preparing for exams. Not interested in 'A' levels? There's IB too.
I believe that setting up Singapore Sports School is the right decision as sports is one of the few things that can bring the whole country together. However our international success is few and far between and many of these medals are actually brought back by the imported talents. There are many countries with considerably less financial power which consistently outperform us in the sporting arena. While talent pool may be limited, countries such as Trinidad and Tobago (pop. 1.3 million) have proved it to us that it is still possible for small nations to compete with the rest.
There is always an element of risk for all the students at Singapore Sports School. Despite all the professional preparation and training, there's no guarantee that everyone will end up being good enough to represent Singapore. The students must be mentally strong enough to take on any obstacles that stand in their quests for sporting glory. Hopefully by having the sports school we can produce the next generation of athletes who can compete with the best of the world and bring back our first Olympics medal since 1962.
I read the report on NUS High with intrigue. The students are really motivated and have a high capacity of learning. I will never fit in such a competitive environment. Many of the students there have high IQ and some are already aceing their A levels maths exams at 14. While new challenges in NUS High allow them to continue their passion for learning, I wonder how well will they adapt to the society later. There are so much more to life beside all the figures and numbers.
Schools with integrated programmes and specialized schools are fighting over the best brains and sporting talents in Singapore. Being independent these schools are able to provide better facilities and study environment for its students. The other schools are seen to be less attractive and thus less able to attract the better students. Unfortunately VS now belongs to this group of schools.
The situation seemed to be so bad that the ex-principal Mr Ang even suggested making the school co-ed. The idea, despite its good intent, was obviously not well-received and both students and alumnus reacted strongly. The issue was hotly debated and many came up with constructive suggestions. While I understand the need to improve the school's fortunes, there's no need to compromise the traditions. Fortunately the idea was dropped and hopefully it won't be mentioned again.
My VS days was the most fun and memorable time of my life so far. I haven't met any VS boys who don't feel anything for the school. The school spirit is immense and can't be experienced elsewhere. I didn't go to VJC so I have no idea what is it like being there but none of my friends who studied there said anything positive about its school spirit. VS helps shaped my character and if I were to choose again I would have no regrets going back there.
I admit that my batch had a hand in bringing about the decline in academic standards. The reputation that the previous batches had built up is hardly maintained by us. When we were just sec 1, we were all in awe with our seniors who played hard and worked hard at the same time. Somehow we took the playing part too seriously and neglected the working part. The school culture of last minute work will never bring us good academic results.
However we did continue the Victorian spirit. Most of us still care about the school and continue to identify with it. It's really satisfying to see VS boys going down to support their schoolmates and the school during competitions. Let's hope that the subsequent batches of students can help maintain the school spirit and get the school to where it belongs - among the elites.
There are so much alternatives now other than the mainstream 'O' levels exams followed by either JC or Poly. Students now can choose to go to one of those specialized schools if they have the talents. Many top schools offer integrated programs which enable students to have more time to explore into different subjects in depth instead of wasting time preparing for exams. Not interested in 'A' levels? There's IB too.
I believe that setting up Singapore Sports School is the right decision as sports is one of the few things that can bring the whole country together. However our international success is few and far between and many of these medals are actually brought back by the imported talents. There are many countries with considerably less financial power which consistently outperform us in the sporting arena. While talent pool may be limited, countries such as Trinidad and Tobago (pop. 1.3 million) have proved it to us that it is still possible for small nations to compete with the rest.
There is always an element of risk for all the students at Singapore Sports School. Despite all the professional preparation and training, there's no guarantee that everyone will end up being good enough to represent Singapore. The students must be mentally strong enough to take on any obstacles that stand in their quests for sporting glory. Hopefully by having the sports school we can produce the next generation of athletes who can compete with the best of the world and bring back our first Olympics medal since 1962.
I read the report on NUS High with intrigue. The students are really motivated and have a high capacity of learning. I will never fit in such a competitive environment. Many of the students there have high IQ and some are already aceing their A levels maths exams at 14. While new challenges in NUS High allow them to continue their passion for learning, I wonder how well will they adapt to the society later. There are so much more to life beside all the figures and numbers.
Schools with integrated programmes and specialized schools are fighting over the best brains and sporting talents in Singapore. Being independent these schools are able to provide better facilities and study environment for its students. The other schools are seen to be less attractive and thus less able to attract the better students. Unfortunately VS now belongs to this group of schools.
The situation seemed to be so bad that the ex-principal Mr Ang even suggested making the school co-ed. The idea, despite its good intent, was obviously not well-received and both students and alumnus reacted strongly. The issue was hotly debated and many came up with constructive suggestions. While I understand the need to improve the school's fortunes, there's no need to compromise the traditions. Fortunately the idea was dropped and hopefully it won't be mentioned again.
My VS days was the most fun and memorable time of my life so far. I haven't met any VS boys who don't feel anything for the school. The school spirit is immense and can't be experienced elsewhere. I didn't go to VJC so I have no idea what is it like being there but none of my friends who studied there said anything positive about its school spirit. VS helps shaped my character and if I were to choose again I would have no regrets going back there.
I admit that my batch had a hand in bringing about the decline in academic standards. The reputation that the previous batches had built up is hardly maintained by us. When we were just sec 1, we were all in awe with our seniors who played hard and worked hard at the same time. Somehow we took the playing part too seriously and neglected the working part. The school culture of last minute work will never bring us good academic results.
However we did continue the Victorian spirit. Most of us still care about the school and continue to identify with it. It's really satisfying to see VS boys going down to support their schoolmates and the school during competitions. Let's hope that the subsequent batches of students can help maintain the school spirit and get the school to where it belongs - among the elites.
Victoria in SingaporeOnce a Victorian, Always a Victorian.
There are other schools we know
Victoria is something more
The school that watched us grow
For here we've learnt and striven too
And played the sportsman's game
Victoria we give to you
The honour that you claim
Victoria thy sons are we
And we will not forget
Victoria thy triumph sees
And victories we share yet
For others came before and went
And carried to the world
Victoria's fame and our intent to
Keep her flag unfurled
posted by shyh jie at 2:24 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home