Singapore No.1 ... Again!!!

[maneo]

Go India! We aren't even on that list of science and math toppers!

Not sure that this means anything.
China is also not on the list.
Otherwise, would think that the top 6-7 places would be Asian countries.

This is not a uniquely Singaporean thing - HK, S. Korea, Japan & Taiwan are high on the list, too.
What this indicates is the continuing importance of education in Asian families.
Teachers are still respected as is the education process.
Notice that Vietnam has forged way ahead of the US.

Ironically, some universities in the US now subtract points from standardised test scores of Asian students for admission criteria in order to maintain a more diversified student body.

The US would do well to start making "rock stars" out of its teachers to make them acceptable role models. Unfortunately, recognition occurs only among their peers.
Now if Neil deGrasse-Tyson could just learn to dance ....

It would appear that a lot of the education systems around the world are heading towards exam results as the be all and end all.

If that is the case , where are the critical thinkers going to come from?

The rebels.

Unfortunately, being a rebel is frowned upon here.

While these scores give some indication of education effectiveness, there needs to be a general recognition that the young need more than just good test scores for society's future.
In the language of math logic, good academics may be necessary, but are definitely not sufficient.

If diversity and other skills can be incorporated into education, then there might be more that become prepared to lead, rather than just the die-hard, natural rebels, who normally must leave SG to succeed.

Street smart, thinking outside the box ... see how easily folks get scammed when words like strongly recommended, govt says so and all reel in the gullible and all ..

The funny part is, a friend, a well property agent earning 5 figure pay monthly, got scammed overseas by a extremely simple con in the Ph..

When he was describing the setup i am like ....no way you could fall for such elementary scams .. but ...

Even smart people fall for scams.
Suspect that those from countries low on the list (e.g. US) have many scam victims, too.

Gullibility tends to be higher when growing up is safer.
In the absence of real challenges during childhood, kids need to be educated in the ways of the world before going out into it. There may be a business opportunity here.

Minor edit to correct grammar.

[x9200]

Street smart, thinking outside the box ... see how easily folks get scammed when words like strongly recommended, govt says so and all reel in the gullible and all ..

The funny part is, a friend, a well property agent earning 5 figure pay monthly, got scammed overseas by a extremely simple con in the Ph..

When he was describing the setup i am like ....no way you could fall for such elementary scams .. but ...

Providing earning good money = street smart, what I think in Singapore is often not the case.

[earthfriendly]

https://www.facebook.com/bbcearth/video ... =2&theater


“I’ve never met a child who is not interested in natural history”

[calugaruvaxile]

it's not about being a rebel or whatever. it's about understanding basic things about life and work. i can see texan kids earning their money by doing baby-sitting, working in fastfoods etc. to get a job they get training and certification (like CPR). they understand the basic relation life->earning->work->training (and workplace etiquette). most of the teenagers in my neighborhood work (and cinco ranch is not exactly a poor place)
sg kids grow up with a broken line of sight. they are led to believe that accumulating knowledge like a disk will get them success (how? they are not told, but they don't care - they are told they don't need to care). work? it's for the others. they are born to be managers. none of the kids in cinco expect the gov't to provide them with manager positions over graduation

[the lynx]

it's not about being a rebel or whatever. it's about understanding basic things about life and work. i can see texan kids earning their money by doing baby-sitting, working in fastfoods etc. to get a job they get training and certification (like CPR). they understand the basic relation life->earning->work->training (and workplace etiquette). most of the teenagers in my neighborhood work (and cinco ranch is not exactly a poor place)
sg kids grow up with a broken line of sight. they are led to believe that accumulating knowledge like a disk will get them success (how? they are not told, but they don't care - they are told they don't need to care). work? it's for the others. they are born to be managers. none of the kids in cinco expect the gov't to provide them with manager positions over graduation

^+1

[earthfriendly]

Chilling to read. The impact of "modern" school system. And also, I noticed, the more developed the society (and school system), the more goal-oriented the people are. And human relationships become transaction-based. Slowly and surely the erosion of "humanity" itself.

May you be granted the patience to read thru this loooooooooong article, or else do what I do. Just skim thru it to get the main points.

When Thomas Paine wrote the pamphlet that helped ignite a revolution, he didn’t title it, “Expert Assessment by a Certified Professional,” he titled it “Common Sense.” In other words, the very root, the very essence, of any theory of democratic liberty is a basic trust in the fundamental intelligence of the ordinary person.

http://www.filmsforaction.org/news/occu ... mon_sense/

[Barnsley]

No.1 place in Asia to hold meetings ....

8th year in a row...

Just heard on the radio!!

Should this news be allowed on cooling off day?

[calugaruvaxile]

No.1 place in Asia to hold meetings ....

8th year in a row...

Just heard on the radio!!

Should this news be allowed on cooling off day?

hmmm ... good question! let's have a meeting to discuss this!

yeah, the truth is, in sg "the meeting" should be included in the gdp