I think Singapore's Educational System is strong and powerful. It enables Singapore to work well. If you are a Singaporean, then your future will rely on your studies. Singapore's educational system actually indirectly provide a living for our citizens. Indirectly as in if you don't study well, you won't have a proper job. Thus, they job's salary will not be very high.
The weakness are, I think, the exams and teaching format actually stress out pupils. Primary school pupils when they reach P6, they get stressed out because of PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examinations) as they think these exams set their future, which is quite true. But the teaching format as I think, is not very strong because P6 pupils actually do lots of work but not alot of hands-on activities(as in experiments). Thus, when it comes to doing written paper, as Mr Tan had said, Singapore will win. But when it actually come to hands-on activities, Singapore actually lose out. Because Singapore students are too busy doing papers, homeworks, assessments (blah...blah...) that they neglected hands-on activities and the importance of it. In my opinion, hands-on activities are actually also quite important as it helps to develop a person's creativity. But as I must admit, I actually also quite neglected hands-on activities. =P
As I said, I think Singapore students are doing well in written papers because they have a strong foundation of a certain subject (thanks to all the teachers =P). Like me, my foundation in Math is not very strong, thus. my Math is very weak. (But I will work harder!)
I don't really dislike Singapore's Educational System except only one thing. The system stress out Pupils. (like me) Especially when I hear hear the word PSLE. And plus, my mum's nagging everyday, "Aiyo! PSLE is coming and you're still lazing around?!" in Chinese. *Sigh* I'm can almost recite that dialouge with her...
Beside examinations, I think the ministry should encouraged more hands-on activities like experiments to be conducted. Like this, I believe the Educational System would be stronger.
When foreign students come to study in Singapore, they face alot of problems and more stress than Singaporean students. Firstly, some of them don't really understand how Singapore's Educational System works. Secondly, they don't have any friends, which causes critisizm to start. I think they should go for a course before coming to Singapore to study.
Signing off,
Jolyn YPJ - *The Twilighter*