Primary school student protest against school.

[Ash007]

I hope to one day say the same thing happen in Singapore. But I doubt that would happen. In Singapore, children from a young age are told to follow this, do that. Don't question this and that. This might be considered "asian values" but it doesn't promote innovative, creative thinking. It also has the prolonged effect that when the children grows up they would be more a follower a sheep, then a rebel that would challenge and change society. If you guys want an opposition voice for the future, look at what the school kids are being taught and how they behave.

PS: classic quote from the video in the link. "Girls should be allowed to touch each other."

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/touch-too-much-pupils-protest-at-school-ban-on-contact-20120614-20bnb.html

Touch too much: pupils protest at school ban on contact
June 14, 2012 - 2:09PM
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'Talk to us': Parents outraged at touching ban
Relatives of students at Mount Martha Primary School respond to new rules at the school that ban students from having any physical contact.
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Pupils at a Mornington Peninsula primary school have staged a protest on their school oval after they were banned from hugging or giving each other high-fives in a move blasted as "outrageous" and "unbelievable" by parents.

The Year 6 students at Mount Martha Primary School were so disgusted by the new rule that they staged a sit-down protest on the school oval at lunch yesterday before they were moved to the school gym and given a dressing down, parents say.

Parents claim they were not told directly of the new rule, which extended a ban on contact sports to a ban on any physical contact at all, such as playing "tiggy", hugging or giving each other high-fives.

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Once more with feeling ... Students at Mount Martha Primary School flout the hugging ban today. Photo: Penny Stephens
They claim the new rule was explained to pupils over the public address system, and students were left to tell their parents.

One parent, Tracey, said her son was winded on the playground yesterday and, when his friend tried to console him by putting his arm around his shoulder, the friend was told his actions were against the rules.

The friend then had to walk around with the teacher on playground duty for the rest of lunch as punishment, Tracey told radio 3AW.

"I’m just a bit outraged that it has come to this. There must be other ways," Tracey said.

Another parent, John, said his children were told they could not high-five each other.

"I have a couple of children, and they have been told that if they high-five one another that’s instant detention, and if they do it three times they will be expelled," John said.

"I mean, what are they actually trying to teach?"

One child was reportedly told that if students wanted to high-five, it would have to be an "air high-five".

Principal Judy Beckworth said it was "not actually a policy, it’s a practice that we’ve adopted in the short-term as a no-contact games week".

She said the new practice was introduced yesterday after students suffered a number of injuries on the playground in recent weeks, and the new no-touching rule was only due to last for one week.

However one parent, Nicole, claimed that the school was backpedalling because some parents were told by the school that the new rule would be in place for a minimum of three weeks, which would be extended if the children did not behave themselves.

"In response to an increased number of recent student injuries, including a broken collarbone, wrists and concussion, we decided to have a ‘no contact games week’ at our school," Ms Beckworth said.

"Parents, teachers and I were concerned about the increasing number of students injuring themselves recently by playing roughly in the playground during games like chasey, tiggy, football and basketball.

"We are very serious about student safety and that’s why we decided to do this."

She did not believe the school’s response was an overreaction.

"When you have students badly injuring themselves, it would be unacceptable for me not to take action," she said.

Ms Beckworth said when the children were told of the new rule, some of them asked about high-fiving to clarify the rule.

"We spoke about it being contact, but of course that’s something that children really would find that would be acceptable, and I will be talking to my staff about that, chatting with them about trying to get the message across," Ms Beckworth said.

"Of course sport and games are an important part of school life and it will be business as usual next week. I’ll chat to my staff about trying to get the message across about rough games and sports, high-fives acceptable."

Ms Beckworth said the protesting Year 6 students were removed from the oval yesterday because they had overstayed their allotted time.

When they demanded to speak to someone, the assistant principal addressed them in the school gym.

"I understand what he spoke to them about was that ... there are appropriate ways of expressing their opinion," Ms Beckworth said.

"We have a lot of respect for our students and he spoke to them about the way to go about that."

She said parents would be told of the new rule in this week’s school newsletter.

"My door is open to parents and students," Ms Beckworth said.

"Lots of parents are pleased with the action as they value safety."



Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/t...-on-contact-20120614-20bnb.html#ixzz1xjqV4fBp

 

[Ash007]

School kids have to be taught to challenge orthodoxy.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/students-get-a-science-lesson-on-how-to-tie-up-the-loose-ends-of-dna-20120614-20d5u.html

Students get a science lesson on how to tie up the loose ends of DNA
June 15, 2012
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''I was pretty much a rebellious kid'' ... Elizabeth Blackburn speaks to students at the Garvan Institute about her work as a scientist. Photo: Nick Moir
EVEN as a five-year-old, Elizabeth Blackburn questioned authority.

The Nobel laureate recalls being affronted when her kindergarten teacher told her not to use so much black chalk when drawing a picture of a train.

''I was pretty much a rebellious kid,'' Professor Blackburn told an audience of high school students at the Garvan Institute in Sydney yesterday. ''Inside, I was thinking, 'This is my train',''

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Challenging orthodoxy and being ''fearless'' about embracing new ideas are characteristics she believes helped her achieve the highest accolade in science.

The idea that led to her 2009 Nobel Prize was ''heretical'' at the time - that an enzyme might exist that could add DNA to the ends of chromosomes, and prevent them fraying away.

Professor Blackburn, Australia's first female laureate, not only found the enzyme, which is important in cancer and ageing, she gave it a name, telomerase. ''I made the dictionary one word longer. I'm very proud of it,'' she told the amused students.

She had to work hard too, of course, but she also enjoyed herself a lot.

''Sometimes we forget that doing science is actually fun,'' she said, showing pictures of young members of her team in funny T-shirts, at messy laboratory benches and making a spoof video based on The Matrix about their results.

The Tasmanian-born researcher, who works at the University of California, is in Australia for a Hooked on Science national tour, encouraging young people into science.

She said her quality science education in Australia gave her a sense of what it was possible to achieve and the confidence to try.

But the humanity subjects like poetry and history also stood her in good stead, now her research had widened beyond understanding the intricate workings of a cell, to how social factors like chronic stress can affect health.

She encouraged the students to be both narrow and broad thinkers, immersed in detail, but able to stand back and consider the beauty and social implications of research.

''You should use science to benefit as many people as you can,'' she exhorted them.

Felicity Brown, a year 10 student at Wenona School in North Sydney, said Professor Blackburn was inspirational. ''I admire her intelligence and passion.''

Her school mates said the talk made them feel they could help answer some big questions in science.



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/students-...ends-of-dna-20120614-20d5u.html#ixzz1xolyVC75

 

[streetsmart73]

hi there


1. aiyoh!
2. never expect anything from a herd of brainwashed sheep mah.
3. in sheepishland, it is scores & ranking that matter most!

 

[Ash007]

Hence why Singapore will never get a nobel laureate.

hi there


1. aiyoh!
2. never expect anything from a herd of brainwashed sheep mah.
3. in sheepishland, it is scores & ranking that matter most!

 

[erection2015]

can always try to import ...as usual. Cannot produce then purchase lor.

Hence why Singapore will never get a nobel laureate.

 

[Ash007]

So the question becomes import from where? People that of that caliber would have options then coming to Singapore.

can always try to import ...as usual. Cannot produce then purchase lor.