Alyssa Marie Loo is sole recipient of President’s Scholarship 2020

school, alyssa, marie, loo, li-ann, president's, scholarship, 2020

Recently, the online community has focused heavily on the ruler by which our government measures recipients. A major complaint is the effectiveness of this system for grooming leaders.

Elitism

An elitist culture is one of the concerns raised in this outcry. The success of our education system has long been lauded.

A handful of schools achieved a litany of achievements in the 1990s and early 2000s. As a nation and as individuals, Generation X experienced dramatic increases in wealth. Singapore thrived in every aspect, especially education.

Estates, businesses, and policies benefit from brand-name schools. The emphasis on the rote-learning syllabus of the 1980s and early 1990s paid off.

Math and science pave the way for lucrative careers. As a result, we have come to associate success with enrolment in top schools, placement in top streams, and study of top subjects.

Math and science pave the way for lucrative careers. As a result, we have come to associate success with enrolment in top schools, placement in top streams, and study of top subjects.

When we realized we were all part of the same cookie-cutter, soft rebellion gradually grew into a cacophony of protests. A deafening disapproval diverted attention from the changes that are steadily taking root in our educational system.

Changes

Direct School Admissions (“DSA”) was introduced in 2004. ACS International School opened its doors in 2005, offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma.

This was the first of its kind. In 2005 and 2006, Hwa Chong International and SJI International followed. 2008 marked the beginning of the School of the Arts (“SOTA”).

In all schools, cross-disciplinary and stream curriculums are now mandatory. It is mandatory to complete CCAs. The current Normal and Express streams of secondary schools will be replaced by subject-based banding by 2024.

The number of scholars who chose to study linguistics or the liberal arts was extremely low. At present, our only President’s Scholar is pursuing linguistics with a strong interest in philosophy and religion.

Egalitarianism is slowly taking root. It is becoming more common for unconventional definitions of success to be accepted and cheered on.

Evolving practices

As society and the world continue to change, our Ministry of Education has long recognized the need to adapt. In order to ensure our future generations’ place in the world, professionals have been working tirelessly and quietly behind the scenes.

A detail we often overlook is the fact that governmental policies take time to develop and implement. Furthermore, our government applies exacting measurements to ensure viability and effectiveness, uncompromising in delivering the optimal outcome based on extensive research and credible expertise.

In Singapore today, elitism is still prevalent, particularly in education.

We should not blame our government for this societal phenomenon, as this is not only erroneous but also deflects our responsibility. We are clearly being nudged towards egalitarianism by the measures implemented by MOE. In resolving this matter, they are doing their part.

Now it’s up to us to be a part of this positive change.

Our best wishes go out to Ms Alyssa Marie Loo Li-Ann on her journey, and we look forward to more scholars following their own paths.

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