Singapore Sling The segregation of Singaporean education By Rennie Loh	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
映画が描くシンガーポールの教育問題 シンガポール映画"I Not Stupid"は旧正月の休み中に公開され、現地で大ヒットしています。落ちこぼれの小学生3人が親や先生からのプレッシャーにめげず頑張るという内容で、競争が激しくストレスの多いシンガポールの学校教育を風刺しているのが話題を呼んでいます。

Scrawny and meek, Kok Pin is being caned by his mother for not doing as well in his examinations as she may like. "Why can't you study hard and concentrate," she screams, lashing away. "Please ma," he cries. "Don't beat me anymore. I promise to get 90 marks for you next time."

This beat-the-grades-out-of-underperforming-child scene is played out in a recent sell-out local film "I Not Stupid," directed by popular comedian Jack Neo. The movie tugs the heartstrings of Singaporeans with its social commentary on our educational and examination system.

Singapore's education system has been a hot topic lately. Is Singapore's system as trite and stifling as its government? Are Singaporeans, produced under such strict and inflexible educational conditions, victims of their circumstances or crusaders of their own fate? These are but some of the questions that people are asking after they have watched "I Not Stupid."

Debra Teo, 47, a working mother of two, points out that parents also feel pressured by society. "Being a graduate myself, I know that Singapore values qualifications. I may have pressured my kids, but it's because I worry about their future and want them to do well. I feel the movie is very truthful in the way it shows how everyone, parents and kids, gets trapped in the system."

Many moviegoers have enjoyed, but are equally perturbed by the movie's satirical humor and social commentary. After watching the film, my friend Ruth commented, "It tackles a lot of truths which Singaporeans want to say but have chosen not to. The whole movie reflects the typical passive Singaporeans who have issues in their minds and in their hearts but have nowhere to voice them. The film seems to grab this psyche and say it all for them."

Every child in Singapore undergoes at least 10 years of general education. This comprises six years of primary education and four years of secondary education. Children at the primary level go through a four-year foundation stage, from Primary One to Four (at ages 7 to 10), and a two-year orientation stage from Primary Five to Six (at ages 11 to 12). To maximize their potential, students are formally streamed according to their learning ability at the end of Primary Four.

The film centers on three primary school students who battle against the stigma associated with being EM3 students. EM3 stream is the slow lane for about one in five students who are deemed unable to cope with the regular curriculum. Unlike their peers in EM2 and EM1, students in EM3 take simplified mathematics, English and mother tongue. They do not need to read science.

The EM3 students in the film face immense social pressures as they are discriminated by academic segregation. Lamentably, there are parents who do not want their children to mix with EM3 students, and there are some teachers who whisper that students in that stream are not worth bothering over, as they are not going to make it to university.

My friend Grace, a 26-year-old career diplomat who has a set of glorious academic achievements, disagrees with criticism of segregated learning. She said, "I am all for the streaming of students in accordance to their learning capabilities. The interaction among people of similar learning speed will make learning more enjoyable and less frustrating."

Grade snobbery is prevalent among students, parents and teachers throughout the education system. Given the relentless pressure to produce excellent grades, students, parents and teachers are themselves — as well as the system — culpable for the stresses and strains in the education system, as Neo makes clear in his film.

There are no lack of troubling anecdotes about schools where principals are driven by the need to produce impressive results to boost the rankings of their schools. Some students get hot-housed with extra coaching while others are forced to forgo subjects they like, such as science or literature, to focus on subjects like mathematics, which may be easier for them to get better grades in.

In this day and age, the education system should be changed to emphasize creative thinking, independent minds and an entrepreneurial spirit to ensure our youth will thrive in the new global knowledge economy. Doggedly pursuing better grades is definitely not the best way for students to prepare themselves for the jobs of the future. They should be given more time to think, explore, experiment and even be forgiven when they fail.

Shukan ST: April 5, 2002

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