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Sunday, August 31, 2008 @ 10:16 PM♥

Posted by : Wei Chin

It is important to foster social cohesion because Singapore will be leaded by us the younger generation.
There are 4 board areas that have the most impact in transmitting societal and community values to the young which are Streaming, the Social Studies Syllabus, the National Education Programme, and the Community Involvement Programme.

STREAMING

The Acting Minister for Education, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, announced recently at the Committee of Supply Debate 2004 that the Ministry of Education has decided to remove the distinction between the EM1 and EM2 streams for next year. This move will give schools the autonomy to decide on how best to band their pupils to achieve the most educational value.

However the results of the year-end Primary 4 examinations will still be used as a benchmark to separate pupils. Those who are capable of studying Higher Mother Tongue (HMTL) will be put into one stream and the rest into another - as such EM3 will remain a distinct (inferior) course in essence regardless of whatever new name it may assume.

This still creates a "they" versus "us" situation and potentially streaming will erode cohesion among the different academic classes. Such distinct academic banding has two divisive effects:

a) Divisiveness in Perception:

Given different subject combinations and classes, there is an immediate distinction among these groups of students in their social circles in schools, hence limiting interaction between the different groups. This is further enchanced by the societal perceptions of these groups of students and the psychological barrier even among the students themselves. Many would remember this was portrayed in Jack Neo's movie 'I Not Stupid'. Students from better classes are likely to view their less academically-inclined peers as 2nd class. All these simply create cracks in our young student society from a tender age, which is eventually divisive rather than cohesive.

b) Divisiveness in Academic and Economic Determination:

Banding students into EM (1/2) and EM3 in Primary Schools, then the Normal and Express Streams in Secondary Schools, in reality means that the education system is laying an accelerated learning track for academically-inclined students and cutting off the EM3 students from certain avenues. It's quite likely that EM1 students will eventually move on to better secondary schools and then to JC and University while the EM3 students will almost certainly be trapped in the normal academic or normal technical stream, where few students make the grade.

Such an education system in turn leads to a larger socio-economic division upon graduation. In our society where generally, qualification is a major determinant of our earning power, students from the Normal streams are likely to graduate into a social class where they occupy the lower rungs of society. They are more likely to be beset with problems specific to this social class, thereby increasing the divide with the other classes.

In this sense, social cohesion amongst the different classes of the society appears to be compromised from an early age in terms of perception and socialization, and eventually the economic opportunities provided for our young.

From this information, i can learn that streaming can have a great impact on fostering social cohesion with the other racial friends.If the students are not properly streamed it may affect their learning as their learning are at the different pace thus affecting the whole class in the end.The teachers should teach the students to make friend of the different race to prevent the occurring of "Divisiveness in Academic and Economic Determination"

NATIONAL EDUCATION (NE) PROGRAMME AND RACIAL HARMONY DAY

Under a National Education Programme (NE), the government has introduced a number of initiatives into schools in a bid to foster stronger inter-racial bonds. In particular, the introduction of a Racial Harmony Day is a plausible idea to get our youths acquainted with national history as well as to understand and appreciate differences
between the races.

On this day, a typical school celebration takes the form of a concert whereby different ethnic costumes are paraded by the students and the performance is interspersed with quizzes on Singapore's history and the 1964 riots. At this point I would like to introduce my perception of social cohesion:

Social cohesion is a complex process that if broken down can be seen on two levels:

1. Awareness and understanding of differences for the inculcation of the values of tolerance and respect

2. Sustained genuine interaction that deepens this understanding and bonding. This level actually puts the awareness and understanding to practice.

Such celebrations occur at the first level. Though commendable, it will not lead to a more cohesive society directly. Our Secondary students certainly know of the different ethnic practices and costumes but until there is sustained interaction between our races, social cohesion is elusive. Awareness is a prerequisite but not a guarantee towards it.

Perhaps instead of industrial attachments, schools should include inter-racial home stay attachments permanently into their NE programme. In fact, some schools have already initiated sporadic home stay programmes. Here, students are attached to a family of another racial community for a couple of weeks during their holidays. This way, they build genuine bonds through constant interaction which they might hopefully sustain after the attachment period is over.

From the information, i can conclude that national education and racial harmony certainly is important to foster social cohesion because in primary schools student tend to make friends of their own race and make fun of the other race.(skin colour, language, etc)Celebrating racial harmony is really a good way to foster social cohesion, it would be good if the students from the school could wear other race traditional costumes.

SOCIAL STUDIES SYLLABUS

The Social Studies syllabus was also initiated to familiarise students to Singapore's constraints and needs. It is compulsory for secondary school students at the various levels (with different provisions for Normal and Express students). One of the messages in the syllabus is the importance of racial harmony by using Switzerland as the model, and Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland as anti-examples.

However, to inculcate such values, they must be internalised and this can only be done through sustained interaction when students are actually exposed to differences and even culture shocks and have their values modified or moulded. It is certainly ironical that these values have become formalised compulsory material for exams. It's little wonder that students, teachers and parents view the syllabus with cynicism!

Students are reduced to regurgitating the points as to why racial harmony is important: creating prosperity, helping tourists and banking industries to thrive, and achieving high incomes and international respect.

It certainly makes one sit up when you realise that the lessons behind racial harmony are mostly economic! Here social cohesion is emphasised not so much because we want to inculcate citizenship values by building a more gracious and sensitive population which feels for the community, but rather, because it's necessary for our economic existence!

Perhaps economic functionality is one way of rationalizing the need for racial harmony. But the deeper repercussion is that it handicaps the way our young think and feel for the community and hence the country. Surely it has a bearing on the way our young 'quitters' view citizenship.

I think that social studies should focus more on social cohesion and not about Singapore's constraints and needs.It is difficult to breed social cohesion when the young are brought up in a school environment that unwittingly transmits values that conflict with social cohesion.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PROGRAMME

The aim of this programme was to heighten students' involvement and empathy with other classes in society, such as the less advantaged low-income families through tuition programmes and student mentorships. While the intention is good, the implementation carries with it a body of values that run contrary to inculcating social bonding and cohesion.

At the school level, students are awarded CIP points for the hours of service they put in. There is also a minimum number of points they have to achieve. Such individualism ultimately causes our young generation to devote themselves to the pursuit of inflated expectations and to be disengaged from the community at large.

More significantly, the initial aim of establishing bonds across the various social groups could potentially be lost in the process.

I think Community Involvement Programme is good thing because in the programme student can interact with the other race by doing CIP. Awarding CIP points to student can be a good thing as it is the fastest way to secure youth involvement in the community but it reinforces the motivation of self-reward and individualism in the young.