Proposal to suggest improvements to the Singapore education
Introduction
On our trip to Taipei, Taiwan we were involved in an immersion program with two schools we visited, Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School for 2 days, and Wulai, a local school for half a day. Throughout this entire experience, we gained much knowledge about the many differences and similarities between school life in Taipei, and in Singapore. On top of that, we managed to catch a glimpse of the extra curricular activities they engaged in, and their school syllabus. Furthermore, we made many new friends, and it was truly an enjoyable and enriching program.
Comparison
Whilst there are a few similarities between both the schools, and schools in Singapore, there are significantly many more differences.
Firstly, taking Jianguo High School as an example, the atmosphere of the school was significantly more relaxed and less stressful as compared to what we were used to. The students there are given a lot more freedom as compared to the students in Singapore schools; for example, the students are allowed to go outside of school to purchase their lunch, and are even allowed to eat in the classroom whilst students in Singapore are required to consume all food in canteens. On top of that, they have a huge variety of up to 80 clubs which the students join or set up, out of willingness and not out of obligation; they take a lot of responsibility in setting up these clubs and it is very apparent that they enjoy every part of it, unlike in Singapore, where it is harder to gain approval in setting up CCA's and they are given very limited choices in picking their CCA's, in addition, a small group of people in Singapore schools do not enjoy their CCA's and dread going to it. Lastly, the students are trusted to take responsibility for their learning and to develop a good learning attitude. This is clearly displayed when we had a chance to be in their classes, I noticed that a few of the students came in late to the class, some were using their cellphones, and even a few were sleeping. The teacher, however, did not reprimand them and instead ignored such behavious and continued with the lesson, this showed that the students in Jianguo were expected to take charge of their learning as afterall, what they would have learnt would benefit them, and not the teacher. This style of teaching would hone a sense of responsibility in them. In contrast to schools in Singapore, where the teachers are very strict about the class rules, and the students would not have been allowed to behave this way in Singapore schools.
Next, we have the local school, Wulai. In Wulai, we were exposed to many different classes, ranging from educating the students on their local dialect, to arts and crafts lessons, and even physical education. There, I observed that the atmosphere of the classes were very lively, and the students were all full of zest and energy. Furthermore, they were all very hospitable and welcoming. The students had great rapport with the teachers, and i found that they were able to crack jokes with the teachers, something that would have been very less seen in Singapore schools, where students maintained their distance with the teacher. The sense of initiative and responsibility was also something not to be missed in Wulai. During lunchtime, the students were all expected to clear their cutlery and even wash them, very much unlike the students in Singapore schools, who only were expected to return their cutlery to the respective stalls. Not to mention seeing every single one of them finish all the food on their plates, before taking a second serving, whilst in Singapore, many of us choose to take more than what we can finish, and end up wasting food; this showed that the students were taught, from young, to treasure what they had and to take only what they can finish. Lastly, we took part in their physical education lessons, where we were challenged to a friendly relay race of basketball, of course, we lost but what awed us were the skills of the students there. It was also raining but the students continued playing till they finished the race, I admired their perseverance as a few of us gave up and went under the shelter as it started to rain.
Lastly, both the school had lessons in their curriculum which allowed them to learn different languages/dialect, for example, Jianguo had lessons on Japanese, German etc. while Wulai had lessons for the students to learn the dialect of the aborogines. Singapore schools, however, only allow certain students to be able to learn other languages.
Improvements
Extended Lunch Breaks: Schools in Taiwan give the students an hour to have their lunch, whilst Singapore schools only give students half an hour, or less. I feel that with more time for lunch, students not only have more time to eat, but they may also browse through books in the library, or do some sports, this would also allow them to prepare themselves for the next lesson, and to revise for previous lessons.
2. Opportunities to Learn Different Languages/Dialects: I feel that this would make lessons less dull and would also provide the students with more exposure to different languages. On top of that, the students may also be able to pick up a language that would benefit them in the future.
3. More Ownership in Our Choices: This would allow the students to take charge of our learning and to do what we feel is right, instead of the teacher constantly reminding us. We will understand the importance of learning, and take responsibility in our studies.
4. Balancing Studies and Non Academic Areas: School life in Singapore is often very stressful, and we are given less opportunities to take part in non academic areas such as music lessons, art lessons etc. and more focus is put on academically based subjects. A balance between both aspects would make school life a little less dull, less stressful, and more enjoyable. Afterall, we have to work hard and play hard. As the saying goes “all work and no play made Jack a dull boy”.
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