What they teach in school?
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What they teach in school?
In case you're wondering what they're teaching our kids in school about Mr Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP, take a look at this.
One textbook for GCE O-level students and approved by the Ministry of Education started off thus:
"There was always a significant Chinese-educated faction within the party that held a different political view. From its founding, this faction was led by Lim Chin Siong, who adopted violent strategies through riots and street demonstrations. As this division developed, it split the party into two wings: the non-communist wing led by Lee Kuan Yew and the communist wing led by Lim Chin Siong."
Describing Lee as someone who "championed the causes of ordinary people and gained their trust and respect," the book goes on to enumerate some of Lee Kuan Yew's political activities that brought him to prominence.
One such activity was Lee's cooperation with the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) who wanted to work with the PAP "because Lee Kuan Yew was reliable and his name inspired confidence."
The textbook also teaches that the constitutional talks in 1955 happened because as "major leaders such as David Marshall and Lee Kuan Yew both demand[ed] self-government (and merger with the Federation of Malaysia), the British were forced to increase the speed of reforms."
But the British, apparently, found David Marshall to be a "weak and indecisive
leader" and were thus "reluctant to grant self-government to such a leader." This, the text says, was the reason why the London talks in 1955 were unsuccessful.
Then there was the crackdown on the PAP's leftwing in 1957 after Lim Chin Siong's faction won the leadership of the PAP. The book left us with no doubt that "The communist success in this party electionÂ…was achieved with some deception."
As a result Lee Kuan Yew and five of his closest supporters resigned from the executive offices of the PAP "in disgust" which meant that "the PAP, a legal party, was now captured by the illegal communists."
The text adds that this was "the classic strategy that the communists called the ‘united front'" and that "this incident explained why the PAP leadership regarded election as serious business even till today."
Following the resignation of David Marshall, negotiations with the British to grant self-government went much smoother because, with Lim Yew Hock as Chief Minister, prospects of reaching an agreement on how to "deal with the threats posed by the communists" were much better.
There was no mention of Operation Coldstore.
And the correct answer isÂ…
Another book, a self-study revision programme for Secondary 2 students "based on the New Syllabus by Ministry of Education", compiled a series of study notes and questions. Correct answers were provided at the back of the book.
Some of the multiple-choice questions went like this:
I. The ______________ in the PAP supported the Communists.
(1) radicals
(2) liberals
(3) proposers
(4) proponents.
Answer: (1) radicals
II. Which statement about the man in the picture is incorrect? [Picture of LKY]
(1) He was the one who wrote the Singapore's national Pledge.
(2) He was Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959-1990.
(3) He changed Singapore from a third world country into a first world state.
(4) In 1956, he stood as a PAP candidate in Tanjong Pagar Constituency.
Answer: (1) He was the one who wrote the Singapore's national Pledge.
III. The party symbol of the PAP is __________.
Answer: (c)
IV. The PAP had a _________ plan for Singapore and it was an honest party.
Answer: comprehensive
What is your opinion about Lee Kuan Yew?
Students were also asked to read extracts and then answer questions.
Extract A:
"And we needed somebody like Lee Kuan Yew, who can be strong and firm when needed to be, to get things done. I think Singapore was fortunate to have men like Kuan Yew and Goh Keng Swee at the helm in 1965 to do what was needed. It was Lee Kuan yew's' [sic] characteristic [sic] – when you accept to do a job, do it well – or else don't' [sic] accept the position if you are incapable of doing it."
Question 1:
In your opinion, to what extent is the above write up true of Lee Kuan Yew correct (sic)? (5 marks)
Answer:
I feel the above extract is very true. He was Singapore's first Prime Minister. He held that post from 1959-1990. He is widely acclaimed by Singaporeans and people world over as the architect of Singapore. He is responsible for transforming Singapore into a modern city. He made Singapore stable and secure. He saw Singapore through the years of merger and separation. He fully understood the challenges a small independent nation would face. Singapore had no natural resources. Singapore had limited land. The only asset Singapore had was its people.
To make an island with any constraints prosper must have been a challenge to him. His philosophy was if you take on the job, you have to do it well without any excuses or "ifs" and "but". If you feel you cannot handle a particular job, then don't take it.
The Singapore after the Japanese occupation, the Singapore after its separation from Malaysia was one full of problems, full of challenges. He, as Prime Minister, at the helm of the government, was worried but not negative in his thinking. He knew Singapore had to survive as an independent nation and he was determined to make Singapore succeed.
It is true that we needed someone of Lee Kuan Yew's calibre to steer Singapore at that time. It is also true that Singapore and the people of Singapore were fortunate to have him at the head. What we are enjoying today, all the comforts, high standards of public health, education, housing, transport and communications are all the results of the dedicated, untiring, unselfish work of Lee Kuan Yew and his team of leaders.
Question 2:
Enumerate some of the qualities of Lee Kuan Yew that you can infer from the passage. (3 marks)
Answer:
Strong character. Firm when one has to be firm. A man with a vision. An optimist. An untiring worker. Determined and dedicated. One who is not daunted by problems or challenges. One who executes whatever job he takes well (sic). One who sets a goal and works towards that goal.
Extract B:
"Indeed, the traits by which Singaporeans are known today are the very same ones that characterize Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Like the man, the country and its people are known for being pragmatic, law-abiding, hard-working and fond of a clean, clinical environment be it in business rules or physical landscape."
Question 1:
What traits of Mr Lee are mentioned in this extract?
Answer: He is pragmatic, law-abiding, hard-working, corruption-free (clean). He is a man of integrity.
Question 2:
What is your opinion of the above extract?
Answer:
The extract gives a very true picture of Mr. Lee. His government is a clean one. The hand of the law come hard (sic) on those who commit offences or resort to corrupt practices. His hard work is evident in all sectors. We are enjoying a trouble free life because of his hard work. Singapore is clean and green city (sic). The honest leaders have succeeded in attracting foreign investors to invest their money in Singapore. What is more than all these is:- The leaders have set a good example and have passed on all their good qualities to the people of Singapore. Most Singaporeans are hard working, law abiding and honest in their dealings - be it business or personal commitments. I fully agree that all the peace, stability and security that the people of Singapore are enjoying today are the result of our hard working, honest and sincere Prime Minister and his team.
from http://www.singaporedemocrat.org/articlelimchinsionghistory_part4.html -
Lets try to keep add on to the list, not flood the thread with comments, some here and there is fine. Lets start a collection.
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Have the propaganda implanted to them at an earlier age, so that they will become obedient slaves to the regime.
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English
Chinese
History
Geography
Chemistry
Physic
Biology
Mathematics
Art
Music
tat is all I can think of now... -
Wow, so many subjects.
But did they teach the youngsters how to think for themselves or just blindly follow propaganda? -
The edu system is pretty screwed la...half the things we learn in school probably wont be of much use to us in the future, cept for the humanities
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Propoganda,every nations tries to brainwash the children of the next generation with.
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The edu system is pretty screwed la...half the things we learn in school probably wont be of much use to us in the future, cept for the humanities
Very true.
I despise the language policy that produces singaporeans who speak singlish. -
Haha.. s'pore education is about teaching the young how to jam pack their brain with as much fact as possible, so that there isn't any room left for analytical ability. Dun u know, we s'porean youth will be competing the world for the title of human version of the google search engine?
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in 1960 the IAC was set up ________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Then in 1961 ntuc was set up _____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Then in 1972 the WN was set up___________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
oops i left out a big chunk of info and the exam is 3 hours away.
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Memorise for exam, after exam forget and learn other stuff.Originally posted by EarlNeo:Haha.. s'pore education is about teaching the young how to jam pack their brain with as much fact as possible, so that there isn't any room left for analytical ability. Dun u know, we s'porean youth will be competing the world for the title of human version of the google search engine? -
Originally posted by maurizio13:Have the propaganda implanted to them at an earlier age, so that they will become obedient slaves to the regime.
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Haha.. s'pore education is about teaching the young how to jam pack their brain with as much fact as possible, so that there isn't any room left for analytical ability.
No analytical ability, the easier they can be fed with false propaganda.
No questions asked.
Just follow PAP's propaganda. -
Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education. - Bertrand RussellOriginally posted by EarlNeo:Haha.. s'pore education is about teaching the young how to jam pack their brain with as much fact as possible, so that there isn't any room left for analytical ability. Dun u know, we s'porean youth will be competing the world for the title of human version of the google search engine? -
An education system not focused on training analytical ability combined with a retarded mainstream media loaded with pro-PAP, pro-Singapore regime propaganda is sure to dumb down peope.
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How fortunate for leaders that men do not think. -Adolf HitlerOriginally posted by Poh Ah Pak:An education system not focused on training analytical ability combined with a retarded mainstream media loaded with pro-PAP, pro-Singapore regime propaganda is sure to dumb down peope.
What can Singaporeans do about the education system? Some people up there do not want many people to be so intelligent so that they can control more easily. -
MOE's education system gives children answers to remember rather than problems to analyze and solve.
Our teachers are being made slaves by giving them freedom from responsibility to separate facts from fiction.
And the teachers actually go along with MOE's stance, that's the scary part. -
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If people wanna find faults with the PAP or the systems they have set up, you'll find plenty - they are not perfect. I just wish to say that finding fault for the sake of finding fault is wholly unconstructive. True, the PAP has committed lots of boo-boos but so are they responsible for the even greater number of good......
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II. Which statement about the man in the picture is incorrect? [Picture of LKY]
(1) He was the one who wrote the Singapore's national Pledge.
(2) He was Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959-1990.
(3) He changed Singapore from a third world country into a first world state.
(4) In 1956, he stood as a PAP candidate in Tanjong Pagar Constituency.
Answer: (1) He was the one who wrote the Singapore's national Pledge
That's a glaring mistake. Ever since when is this correct? LKY has never said (I don't recall such things being taught to me) he wrote our national pledge. -
We teach people how to remember, we never teach them how to grow. - Oscar WildeOriginally posted by googoomuck:MOE's education system gives children answers to remember rather than problems to analyze and solve.
Our teachers are being made slaves by giving them freedom from responsibility to separate facts from fiction.
And the teachers actually go along with MOE's stance, that's the scary part. -
It is very difficult to teach critical thinking and given that they have no wish to do that since they prefer sheepish citizens to thinking citizens, to hope that they will teach critical thinking it is as good as impossible.
People that are sheepish can live life reasonably well but will never scale the heights of human activities that require good thinking skills, including real happiness.
All those that know what good thinking skills are, raise your hand. -
Children, Sinnathamby Rajaratnam wrote our National Pledge.
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It's not about faults minor or major; it's the fundamental fault, the constitution when it was first conceived and later amended to suit the purpose of the ruling party. Alot like the pigs in Animal Farm.Originally posted by :If people wanna find faults with the PAP or the systems they have set up, you'll find plenty - they are not perfect. I just wish to say that finding fault for the sake of finding fault is wholly unconstructive. True, the PAP has committed lots of boo-boos but so are they responsible for the even greater number of good...... -
i doubt our young are so gullible.
many of em are voting for the opposition.