I had a casual thought yesterday night on the relevance of the type of education we have nowadays. In the 60s, teachers are much respected as wise men by the vast majority of people who weren’t educated. Education was tied with virtues and a better future.

As more Singaporeans are well-educated in this day and age, this idea no longer exists. Teaching is none other than just another occupation, an “iron rice bowl”. Perhaps as the society is more affluent, going to school seems to have become a given, so the young ones take it for granted. Education is now tied with status/class and a better/richer future.

(You know the link between status and results still stands when most parents of Northlight School students refuse to be interviewed by the media. If they've managed to get into RJC or something, do you think they would have reacted this way?)

Of course, there are the distractions: a variety of entertainment options - film, LAN, PS - that come with a highly urbanized society. Come to think of it, the use of computers is actually a double-edged sword. While it provides a more dynamic teaching environment, people would take a cavalier approach to information, since it’s just one click away. Why prowl though a book, when you can get the summary off Wikipedia?

As the whole industry pays more emphasis on IT and creative thinking, will students remain genuinely interested in the long process of learning, or will they increasingly demand for immediate gratification in terms of the knowledge presented?

It’s going to be interesting to observe that in the next 5 months.

And no, I didn’t burst out laughing after they greeted me, contrary to what I thought.

I just muttered “good morning”.

Labels: mentoring