Week Four Blog Prompt

The letter written to the Education Minister, Mr Heng, was pretty impressive to me personally. First of all, the fact the teenager, Janelle Lee, had the courage to write to someone of such a high status impresses me already. She mentioned a couple of key subjects that many students in Singapore also have but do not have the guts to write a letter to the Minister himself. However, I do not totally agree with one of her points, that is the point that student these days do not ask, 'Why?' With the technology advancement today, students can simply go on the net and search for the answers on their own. So why bother someone else when the answers are already available on the worldwide web? However, maybe a handful may only go ask teachers or parents for more information that they could not find, or maybe just a better understanding of it or more in depth information in simple English. Whatever the case, I believe that students these days have not stop asking, 'Why?'

Her tone in the open letter was rather casual. I think that probably she told that no one would actually read it and furthermore, that it would not be made public. Maybe it was just her way of expressing her unsatisfactory of the education system, with some points she recommends to improve the whole system. However, she said that 'As a Secondary Four student, I experience first-hand the ugliness of the flaws the education system has'. This sounds as if she is saying that there are no good points about the education system. This is the system that made many Singaporeans top scholars, made them create companies that may be leading the industry in the world, this is the system that made students in Singapore who they are including Janelle herself and all she see are flaws in the Education system? I beg to differ.

If I were to write a letter to the Education Minister, I would mention that teachers should give us more practical than just notes and worksheet, as most students would remember better through first-hand account. I would also include the fact that tests and examinations pose a too big importance in the system as only when it comes to the tests and exams, the students will then rush to memorise and revise all that has been learnt just because they were told that these were going to determine where they would be going in future, what they would be doing and who they are.