RECENTLY my husband and I attended a sharing session for parents at Republic Polytechnic (RP).
Like many of the parents there, we were eager to know how our child was doing, having enrolled at RP for a three-year course.
It was an enlightening session as many parents were shocked initially when they discovered that no homework was given, no lectures and tutorials were conducted and students were not required to buy any textbooks.
The most outrageous news was that students do not have to take any three-hour examination at the end of the year to assess whether they have acquired the required knowledge.
In fact, one parent was arguing passionately that RP should bring back the examination, give homework to the students and provide a textbook list.
He argued that he was from the old school and would feel more reassured if students are educated and assessed in the old manner.
While listening to that parent, a thought came to my mind. Many parents provide advice on education to their children based on the ideas, prejudices and opinions they have acquired or formed when they were students. As such, when they encounter new and more progressive ways, they find it hard to accept it although these may benefit their children.
For example, many parents still view the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) as a successor of the Vocational and Industrial Training Board (VITB), without realising that the ITE has been upgraded and restructured to become a post-secondary institution.
They still feel that ITE is a dumping ground, not realising that ITE graduates are much sought after by employers.
(In fact, 88 per cent of ITE graduates found employment within three months last year when Singapore was in a recession. And the average monthly salary for fresh ITE graduate ranged from $1,100 to $1,400 a month.)
While the ITE has worked hard to brand itself as a world class institution, many parents do not seem to celebrate when their children are streamed into the ITE.
As an educator in a secondary school, I have to take my Secondary 4 students to various post-secondary institutions to help them make an informed choice for their post-secondary education. The institutions I have visited range from ITEs to polytechnics and junior colleges.
As a parent, I am glad my child has the opportunity to study in RP. I like the Problem Based Learning (PBL) system where students are given one problem a day to solve, with five other students.
It allows the students to research a topic in-depth. It promotes critical and creative thinking as they have to sieve through information from various sources.
Moreover, in this knowledge-based economy, PBL trains students to use the knowledge instead of regurgitating it in an examination. My son has to do a reflective journey every night, thinking back on what he has learnt in the day and examining additional issues that he might have missed.
Most important of all, he is assessed every day and a series of tests is given regularly to keep him on his toes.
I believe that PBL will train my son to be a lifelong learner and the skills he acquires will help him do well in the knowledge-based economy.
Instead of having lectures where students dream, SMS or sleep, he has to work with his team-mates to source for answers to problems posed. The process of discovery ensures the knowledge gained will stay with him.
As a parent, I often advise my son based on my own experience when young. While this has its merits, I am also aware that society has changed so much that there is a pressing need for me to keep up with these changes. If not, I may well end up giving him obsolete advice, and this would be a great disservice to him.
This article first appeared in TODAY on 1st January 2006.
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JAMES CHIH
THE commentary “Obsolete advice and
today’s children” (June 1) by Frances Ong brings back memories.
I have no doubt parents have the best intentions when they give their children advice on education and career choices, but many feel compelled to counsel even when they are not well informed. Such
poor advice is based on hearsay and preconceived
notions.
I am a victim of such parents’ advice. No point crying over spilt milk, I have myself to blame in part. It is in my personality to please others before myself, so like a good son, I listened to my parents.
In secondary school, I liked the humanities, excelled in those subjects and did fairly well in others.
At the end of Secondary 2, I was in the top 10 per cent of my cohort. I wanted to go into the Arts stream, but was advised against it as my parents thought it was for students who did not do well enough to get into the
Science stream.
And so I ended up in the Science
stream. By the end of my O levels, I had done well in all humanities subjects — and badly in all my science subjects.
Again, a crossroads appeared: Should I go to the polytechnic or the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts to study something I truly enjoyed, or should I go to junior college and hopefully proceed to get a business degree?
When I talked to my parents, they
consulted friends and relatives before giving me this advice: “Artists die poor, they
only become famous when they die.”
For most people, if their child tells them they want to be a doctor or a lawyer, they will do their best to ensure that he
or she achieves that dream. What of artists and musicians? The usual response is:
These are pursuits of the rich.
But as the population gets more affluent and with such shows as American Idol, Singapore Idol and Project SuperStar, parents may see musicians differently.
With local singers such Kit Chan,
Tanya, Stephanie Sun, Ah Do and JJ making it big overseas, the dream of being a singer suddenly seems not so impossible.
Sad to say, we still don’t have many of such ambassadors for the arts. Photographers like Russell Wong, or designers like Song & Kelly, should perhaps talk some sense into parents. There is
more to an art career then being a poor and struggling artist.
Recently, a friend went back to school at the age of 30, and he inspired me by graduating as one of the top students in the polytechnic he had enrolled in as a
part-time student. He will be attending the Singapore Management University on a scholarship this coming school term. It’s not easy to make a u-turn at this
age, when most 30-somethings are
swamped with commitments.
The opportunity cost of going back to school knocks most out. Also, the thought of classmates half your age poses some anxieties.
When I asked my friend what
spurred him on, he said simply: “It’s now or never, so just do it.” So, to the parents reading this article, your advice may be born of the best intentions,
but it could impact the future of
your child more significantly than you can imagine.
To the child reading this, while trying to be the “good” boy or girl that our parents
want us to be, it is also important to stand up for what you want. Your life is your own and you have to live with your
decisions.
As for me? I had a conversation with my parents about my intention to make a u-turn and the adjustments I would need to make. This time, I got their blessings. Whether I go back to school or not is something I am still sorting out, but at least, my parents finally understand and
accept that you don’t have to be the “artist that dies poor” should you choose to take the road less travelled in Singapore.
The writer is planning to undertake a diploma in mass communication, visual communication or advertising design.
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