Is Education Really That Important?
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In the times of our forefathers in Singapore, they managed to have a living through their own ways and survive.... Some can even get rich by biding their time and opportunity.
In these times, people always say that you can't get a good living if you are not in the paper chase, is that true and is it really that important to get a education so that you can get a better living for your next generations and a better life for yourself?
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yes, education is important today because of the evolution of professions or ways to carve out a living.
in the past, the reason our forefathers were able to do without much education and still attain wealth was because of mercantilism. trade and business did not require a specific education per se. observation, apprentiship and a reasonable amount of intelligence sufficed. even today, the engagement of mercantilism on a small scale does not require formal education. (think hawkers, retail traders etc.)
the advancement in various fields, i.e. finance, social sciences, medicine, science etc. require specific education in order to participate in them. even business or multi-national companies - a more advance version of mercantilism - requires formal education because of the complexities that global trading involves. being exposed to these fields means developing the competence to contribute to them. as raw mercantilism fades, intelligence alone will not account for much without specialised knowledge.
also life-enhancing knowledge like computer skills, advanced literacy and knowledge of global trends - all of which were not THAT important during our forefathers' time - require education.
cheers -
Education is impt but not that impt. But bcos of how the education system works and the craze of a piece of paper, education is made much more impt than it really is.
If u are in knowledge based jobs, education will be more impt than in other fields.
Anyway whether a person will carve out a career depends not only on education, many other qualities are needed. Certificates are going to very impt if u intended to work in the civil sector cos somehow the govt places more emphasis on the paper rather than the ability of the person. My tutors have been advising me to take scholarships cos my future will be safeguarded as i will be guaranteed a job on return and even if i turn to be a flop, at least i still got a job. But i still decided not to take a scholarship.
If u are confident of ur own ability, try to start ur own business urself
dun place so much emphasis on education aspect alone, there are many other factors. Far sighteness is something which formal education cannot nurture in ppl.
[This message has been edited by Mind (edited 21 January 2000).] -
yes, education is very important. for a under-developed countries to get out of the cycle of poverty, giving them aid is only short term, education can help the country to grow and prosper.
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Education?
Of course its important.
I think the more important question is... is the education system we have here in Singapore effective?
I personally think the system here sucks. It stifles you. (just like NS)
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Chiefy:
How effective is effective? As you know, different people have different ways of getting infected.
If effective is effective, where does all the school drop-outs come from?
Anyway, I wonder how many percent of the multi-millionaires in these times now have a certificate or degree or something like that?
Haiz.... -
Education is not soooo important in a sense tt u dun really need that to be able to survive on land.Reason as to why it will become so important is becos of society needs,it is the society tt makes it so important that now most jobs go for tt and tt's why people gotta strive 4 tt...sianz
if education could be make more hyper and more enjoyable,think it will serve a more worthwhile purpose rather than we study 4 the sake of studying.
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Dreamz FM -- Meng Fei Chuan -
Hm...
Even if we have the right systems, do you think that the level of people succeeding in life will be the ones with good education?
Or the ones who don't really have any education but strive harder to compensate for their lack?
I rest my case, since no one wants to reply.
P.S. Chief: Close this thread
:p
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*(^_^)* -
No comment.
[This message has been edited by adrian xtc (edited 15 March 2000).] -
Eh,
Surprise surprise~!
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*(^_^)* -
All in all, I think that as time goes on, we see the automation of all the more common and repetitive tasks. The value of humans in such areas is lowered drastically as inventions (including computers and processes) can do the work more efficiently. Human resources become necessary only for the "frontlines", where the changes are occuring.
I would like to raise an issue at this point. As we know, higher education is still a luxury in many societies, and what happens most of the time is the need to provide the uneducated masses with a job keeps wages low, and stunts technological improvment in the progress. There has been no move to make educators rich, specifically, but I have the feeling that societies can jumpstart themselves out of the cycle if academics and economics can somehow be welded more tightly. It is somehow related to the "copy problem", how information is the root cause of progress because it does not obey conservation laws, but yet stunting progress by putting restrictions on duplication is the only way to make people innovate. -
Education is important, but in sg, ppl wif high level of education may not make it big. All they r, is juz being some kinda snob, and thinks that they shld be provided.
u noe.........
I really think the education sys here is screwed up, making it so competetive for the kids at such an early age.......
is that what we really want?
a competetive nation ( no e.q.)
or a thinking nation ( no i.q.)
or juz a studying nation ( no e.q., and i.q.) -
Knowledge is power. Our government has stressed to us on many occasions that our economy is knowledge-based. But how do you learn and gather knowledge except through education? I agree with Chief that the important thing is whether our education system is effective. An education system that only emphasise on academic results will only produce a bunch of nerds. In fact, our government has been studying (again?!) other countries' education system and try to incorporate the nurturing of creative and independent thinking into our education system. However, I have left school for too long to notice the changes.
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I didn't know that Chief is the Sex God
[This message has been edited by Ivan (edited 24 April 2000).] -
Yes,knowledge and education is important,but how does the person utilise his education and the knowledge he is accumulated is more important,some people may be very knowledgable,but dunno how to use it effectively thus stifling what could have succeeced while someone who utilises his limited knowledge to the maximum will will have suceeded,so it will seem that education is not important if a person knows how to use his education wisely while a person who is smart and educated and does not use his knowledge wisely will not succeed,whether the person uses it wisely or not is up to individual and cannot be taught or forced.After all,you can bring a horse to the water,but you cannot force a horse to drink,))
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I thought it's "if the cow don't want to drink water there's no way to press its head down" hehehe
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Yes it is important, i believe our eductaional system is effective to provide the foundations for us to proceed further in live. Up till Sec school, our system stress on eng, sci and maths is to help us understand the simple stuff and provie a base for us to launch into other topics like computers, medicine and other stuff. Imagine ur doctor and lawyers than cant read? as for the higher studies like polys & uni have many engineering cos bcos our nation needed lots of such talent but goverment is opening up to more relax learning but the parents are the one forcing their kids...... sad
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I understand the need to teach basics in sec and pri school,but i dun understand is there a need to teach advance subjects like calculus to all the students in sec school as i am sure that not all are going to apply it when they go JC or poly))
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Well if u can apply it then it give u an added advatage in ur further studies but u have more than enuff subject to let u pass Os rite
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Hm...
Interesting... thanks for the comments...
*ponders*
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Yes¿ No¿ Maybe¿ -
If we do not have education in sg,what do we 'survive' on in future??? 'Bread & water, Har???!!??
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But problem is some of our present day students already find having more than enuff subjects to let you pass O levels too much to handle liaozOriginally posted by maestro:Well if u can apply it then it give u an added advatage in ur further studies but u have more than enuff subject to let u pass Os rite)) -
yes.... its important....
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i am a hardcore Metallic! No pain no Glory!!!!! -
Well, that is only one criteria... in certain 3rd world countries, they have the problem of over-education - the economy is so undeveloped as to be unable to absorb the over-qualified people. Also, education only encourages braindrain, so it may hurt the country more because its money invested is wasted! Over-education also causes job certification problems where jobs are taken up by people with better and better qualifications, not because it is required by the job, but because so many educated are unemployed and they settle for lower and lower jobs... Talk about spoiling the market - you have to study like hell just to take a menial job...Originally posted by alex:yes, education is very important. for a under-developed countries to get out of the cycle of poverty, giving them aid is only short term, education can help the country to grow and prosper.
And with regards to the main question in this topic, I agree that education is important because our economy has changed. And with typical Singaporean kiasu-ness, even becoming an artist or drama actor, u need paper qualifications!! (well, looks like everybody else has stated that - no-brainer ~ ) -
Yups, education is impt but wat sort of education and how we acquire it is another qn! Education in Singapore is IMPT bcos our society is based on "paper-qualification" here! Yes, thru education, we acquire knowledge but is it only thru education that we can acquire knowledge? How about experience?
I rem that back in Perth, I learn Science by going out to the fields and forest to seek for the little insects or plants but here in Singapore, my friends learn Science thru books! Both ways can acquire knowledge but has the Singapore education system failed us? Such that we only wanna gain education thru books? Is that IMPT? How about the FUN of learning and also the experience of going thru it? *PONDERS*
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Do Pixies like a rainy day?
A-piping through the dell?
The Pixies must enjoy the rain;
Thats when they weave their spell.
Rain drops, rain drops
Play a Pixie-tune
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The Singapore education system in my days only interested in making us learn thru books and not thru practicals,practicals are just to test theories and not to challenge ideas
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7 dwarves got into a tub,then they felt Happy,when Happy left,they felt Grumpy