hi there. i would like to ask of you guys for your opinions in meritocratic education system.
is it a hindrance to some and catalyst to others?
eg. the kids from rich families have better access to academic education via tuition or self identity courses even though a state may promote egalitarian education system. But how true is it that all the the kids poor or rich are on an even playing ground?
an egalitarian system is the root cause of academic biases and greater social inequalities and hypocrisies...the egalitarian becomes lifted off from the ground and eventually becoming an overpowered academic that loses ground with the social mass..and wisdom...
so their policies become biased and one sided towards what they academically think is right and best
ok thks for your views my friend.
are you seeing that there's a better system than meritocracy in the state. or rather there can be measures to alleviate the problem of inequality beneath a meritocratic idealogy?
eg. giving more resources to the needy families, hence providing more life chances to their kids compared to those who come from well to do families.
such egalitarian heralds exclusivity to sustain their political powers through academic prowess than walking the social understanding
there is a middle path in everything....we cannot ignore the importance of the academics, and neither could we afford to lose ground to what is truly happening at mass level...
there is no sure successful formula...but i think the country is in urgent need to open up for more genuine oppositions who have really kept in touch with the social mass, so as to forward better solutions for the needy and any real grassroots issues that many of us may not even know...
many scholars and top scorers their parents hua taxi or sell fishball noodles one leh
eventually we need to address a greater and feasible welfare system which is your key question...but Sg could not and should not be a sluggish welfare system like that of UK or European countries...we still need to work our way out of limited resources...
hi pertaining to pap's comments, i agree with you on the urgent need for the state to pay more attention to the masses esp. those at the lower rung of the society. given open education to all in the country doesnt mean that they have EQUAL assets to start with on an uneven ground.
and to fireice, there's actually a correlation of graduate parents having graduate kids in life. sociologists have found that up to 70% of graduates in the States have either one parent whom is a graduate.
yes meritocracy can forward one's social mobility. but just how many can do it?
how many Bill Gates are there in this world who can achieve upward mobility via intelligence and hardwork without a college education to boast of.
and how many Mark Lee are there in the society who can be an entrepreneur who has no qualifications yet drive a luxury car and owning a few FnB outlets?
my question here is not whether it is possible to achieve upward mobility but rather are the chances unequal? is there something the state can do about as we reflect on?
and this is no mean a political post so pls dun change the nature of this thread ok guys. thks much!
but another sensitive key issue is transparency and accountabilities....that could persuade and motivate the greater good ...which is not very convincing at this current stage of our political development...unless we open up with more genuine oppositions
upward mobility or any form of social mobility should not be linked to genetic heritage as there have been poor parents with bright kids...
there is also the element of chance and luck we should not forget though there is no scientifically approved explanation..but it does happens esp. in the business world...Bill Gates is brilliant but his success was also at the right time and right place with the right vision...
i think the issue is also linked to the political system we are in....i m sure there were thousands of unknown poor geniuses undiscovered if we do not have a socially sensitive government to uncover and save them
you are very right my friend. thank you for your insightful views. :)
but if you were from a poor family, are you on an uneven ground against those well to do kids?
yes and no..
it all depends on how much i give up myself...the more intense i am towards what i am after...the chances are greater towards the goal...logically speaking...but real life is not linear....there is also a greater need for will power to motivate the passion to move for the better and against competition with others like me and would make one feels to be unfair having to work much harder than one with a gold spoon...
an analogy would be a prime minister's son chances of success to become a prime minister or his chosen field through relationships compared to a poor kid who may have dreams to become a president but would have to face the millions of humiliations and look downs and may even need to kneel down to beg the principal for entry into a good primary school..
Success, though increases with a prepared mind, but most importantly it favours the will made of steel against all odds.