http://www.tremeritus.com/2015/08/07/principal-agrees-ri-is-elitist/
[h=2]Principal agrees RI is elitist[/h]
August 7th, 2015 |
Author: Editorial
The
Chinese press reported (4 Aug) that Chan Poh Meng, principal of Raffles
Institution (RI), said RI is now a “middle-class” school that caters largely to
students from wealthy families, unlike in the past where the students were from
diverse socio-economic backgrounds.
Mr Chan is an alumnus of RI, and took over as principal of the esteemed
school in 2013.
In his speech on the occasion of the school’s 192nd Founder’s Day last week,
Mr Chan told about 1,400 current and former RI staff, students and parents that
the school “can no longer afford the comfortable illusion that RI is truly
representative of Singapore”.
Mr Chan said, “For a long time, we have measured our success by how high our
PSLE cut-off and how low our L1R5 are. By how many Olympiads and competitions
and tournaments we won… By the number of ‘top’ scholarships and places in the
Oxbridge and Ivy League universities (the students) secure.”
He wondered whether this phenomenon has had a negative result. Despite its
students’ glowing achievements in the academic and sports arenas year after
year, the school runs the risk of being insular, and becoming disconnected with
society.
He said that many alumni remember RI as a school that catered to students
from a diversity of familial and socio-economic backgrounds. But that is no
longer the case.
“Our system of meritocracy is working less well than it used to, two
generations in,” he said.
He felt that children from wealthy families have an advantage as their
parents can afford to send them for tuition and “enrichment programs”. As a
result, exams such as the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) are no
longer “the level playing field that they once were”.
Mr Chan said, “A long period of conditioning means that we often fail to see
elitism even when it is staring at us in the face. RI has become a middle-class
school – that is the current reality. More importantly, after we know, what must
be done?”
Mr Chan urged his teachers and staff to lend a hand to people who need help,
such as foreign workers, the elderly and the poor. “I put it to you that this is
our wider duty to Singapore in 2015 and beyond – to serve as a social glue
between parts of the community that have little or no contact with each other,”
he said.
Many alumni who were interviewed by the media agreed with the principal’s
view that the students no longer come from a wide range of familial and
socio-economic background.
Our past and present Cabinet ministers who once attended RI:
With many of our PAP ministers, MPs and top civil servants coming from
similar familial and socio-economic backgrounds, does not our country run the
risk of our leaders becoming insular and disconnected from society? Indeed, the
PAP government’s many failings and pro-business policies may suggest Singapore
has already become insular. The rich are getting richer while the poor getting
poorer, as evidenced by Singapore’s increasingly large Gini index.
Will Singaporeans elect an elitist team from the PAP to govern Singapore at
the upcoming elections, bringing about an even greater rich-poor divide?
=> 60%: OK lah!
What do you think?
[h=2]Principal agrees RI is elitist[/h]
August 7th, 2015 |
Author: Editorial
Chinese press reported (4 Aug) that Chan Poh Meng, principal of Raffles
Institution (RI), said RI is now a “middle-class” school that caters largely to
students from wealthy families, unlike in the past where the students were from
diverse socio-economic backgrounds.
Mr Chan is an alumnus of RI, and took over as principal of the esteemed
school in 2013.
In his speech on the occasion of the school’s 192nd Founder’s Day last week,
Mr Chan told about 1,400 current and former RI staff, students and parents that
the school “can no longer afford the comfortable illusion that RI is truly
representative of Singapore”.
Mr Chan said, “For a long time, we have measured our success by how high our
PSLE cut-off and how low our L1R5 are. By how many Olympiads and competitions
and tournaments we won… By the number of ‘top’ scholarships and places in the
Oxbridge and Ivy League universities (the students) secure.”
He wondered whether this phenomenon has had a negative result. Despite its
students’ glowing achievements in the academic and sports arenas year after
year, the school runs the risk of being insular, and becoming disconnected with
society.
He said that many alumni remember RI as a school that catered to students
from a diversity of familial and socio-economic backgrounds. But that is no
longer the case.
“Our system of meritocracy is working less well than it used to, two
generations in,” he said.
He felt that children from wealthy families have an advantage as their
parents can afford to send them for tuition and “enrichment programs”. As a
result, exams such as the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) are no
longer “the level playing field that they once were”.
Mr Chan said, “A long period of conditioning means that we often fail to see
elitism even when it is staring at us in the face. RI has become a middle-class
school – that is the current reality. More importantly, after we know, what must
be done?”
Mr Chan urged his teachers and staff to lend a hand to people who need help,
such as foreign workers, the elderly and the poor. “I put it to you that this is
our wider duty to Singapore in 2015 and beyond – to serve as a social glue
between parts of the community that have little or no contact with each other,”
he said.
Many alumni who were interviewed by the media agreed with the principal’s
view that the students no longer come from a wide range of familial and
socio-economic background.
Our past and present Cabinet ministers who once attended RI:
- Lee Kuan Yew
- Goh Chok Tong
- S Rajaratnam
- S Jayakumar
- K Shanmugam
- Lim Hng Kiang
- Raymond Lim
- Heng Swee Keat
- Chan Chun Sing
- Abdullah Tarmugi
- Othman Wok
- Dr Ahmad Mattar
- E W Barker
- Lee Yock Suan
- Desmond Lee
With many of our PAP ministers, MPs and top civil servants coming from
similar familial and socio-economic backgrounds, does not our country run the
risk of our leaders becoming insular and disconnected from society? Indeed, the
PAP government’s many failings and pro-business policies may suggest Singapore
has already become insular. The rich are getting richer while the poor getting
poorer, as evidenced by Singapore’s increasingly large Gini index.
Will Singaporeans elect an elitist team from the PAP to govern Singapore at
the upcoming elections, bringing about an even greater rich-poor divide?
=> 60%: OK lah!
What do you think?
