Is it fair for talented pupils get a bigger chance at direct entry to sec 1?


Under this year’s Direct School Admission (DSA) scheme, 9 more schools have been added to the existing 47 schools that are part of the scheme. About 3500 places, 7 per cent of the total sec 1 cohort can be admitted through DSA. This is 500 more places than last year. The idea is to promote holistic education and give schools more flexibility.

This could be seen as an incentive to the talented pupils, to be recognised for their talents. This gave students talented in fields like sports or the arts an advantage over ordinary students. They have what it takes to be in the school, be it academically or in any other ways. Hence, they deserve to be allowed to enter the school with a lower cut off point as they have taken effort of their studies to concentrate on the niche sports or arts.

It would then be a win-win situation for the pupil and the school. Schools can recruit pupils who are talented in its niche areas to maintain the school’s standard. The school is tapping on the student to keep up the school’s good work in a certain area. At the same time, the student is benefiting from the school’s good teachers, improving academically.

However, others may find it an unfair system. Students who are admitted through DSA are usually weaker academically. They deprive the better students of a place in the school. Is it fair? I would counter argue that it is the freedom of the school to choose whom it wants to admit. It is also not only a measure of how academically capable are you. As the government emphasizes, it should be a holistic development and obviously average pupils who are talented would be preferred to pupils with plain good results.

It can also be argued that this will only benefit the school, not the student, as he struggles to cope. His academic ability may be a problem in his four years stay in the school. Is this environment going to be healthy for the children? I would say this is going to be considering factor for the student and his parents even before applying for the programme. If the student is confident of coping with his studies and is prepared to work hard, it is not going to be a big problem. I am sure the school will also try its best to help the pupils.

Hence, I would say that it is fair for talented pupils to be admitted to better schools through DSA. It is a big step taken by the government towards encouraging a more holistic education system.

Having woman remain in or return to the workforce is something that has come under the spotlight recently. Discuss the considerations and challenges they face.

Only around 54 per cent of all females of working age were in the workforce, compared to 76 per cent for men. Women are now targeted in the current drive to beef up the Singapore workforce, now that the job market is tightening and unemployment rate is low. More jobs will also be created over the next five years.

Many women would sacrifice their careers for the family and their children. This could be quite a waste as young mothers usually find it hard to get back to the profession after a few years of break to take care of their children. True enough, it may be difficult to juggle between family and work.

It seems impossible to keep a balance, to give enough care and concern to the children and at the same time, remain high performance at work.To solve this problem, we need to first change the mindset that parenting and having a job cannot mix. All women have to do is to learn to prioritize. In both areas, commitment must be there. Women should plan her time for family and work, not confusing the two as one. Employers should also try to understand and see that for mums who want a short break to care for their children and return to work is a norm.

Middle aged women make up the majority of the untapped labour. They are women who have stopped working for several years to care for their children who are now grown ups. They have to upgrade their skills consistently and keep up with the developing industry to remain employable.

There are also various benefits on why women should work. First of all, having two salaries in a family means more income and hence, can boost the family finances. Especially to lower-income family, they will become more financially abled. And will be able to close the widening income gap. Secondly, due to the advancement in medical technologies, human have got a longer lifespan. More money is then needed to support ourselves in old age. So, by working, women can build up their CPF funds for retirement.

Singapore requires labour to sustain its development and women are the targeted group. Family and career should come hand in hand in the future years to come, as more jobs vacancies will have to be filled up.

“People need to learn how to respect IP.” Discuss.


I refer to an article on 26 April 2007. It is the World IP day and day 1 of Ipos’ new advertising campaign in the Straits Times to drive the message of the importance of respecting IP.

IP is intellectual property, and it is necessary for people to acknowledge it, as it credits the producers of the creative works. Especially, in a country’s growth as a knowledge-based economy, it is important to make sure people are rewarded for their production. If no regard was given to IP, people will not be motivated to create, since their work will be ripped off.

However, the problem with most people is that, they find it more “worthwhile” to get the same products free or at a lower cost, through many methods. These are easily available to people, through the internet, pirated copies, etc. When it is easier to steal it, people are reluctant to pay for the content. Particularly, the prices differ significantly. Few are willing to pay the difference.

It is the people’s wrong attitude. On a survey conducted on 650 people aged between 14 and 35, it has shown that only 22 percent were “bothered” by copyright infringement, 28 percent felt guilty when buying and using the pirated products; and 19 percent cited high prices. Education and the media power could be used to instill fear and a sense of responsibility in the citizens to protect the rights and benefits of the creator. This is a dangerous mindset of the mass public that has to be changed.

Nevertheless, we all know that piracy can never be eliminated completely. And, more and more people are agreeing that piracy is wrong and people who created intellectual property deserve to be rewarded. As the world gets more developed, the quality of life improves, and people will hence have more spare cash to purchase the originals. Also, as time passes, people will learn the importance of respecting IP via the various ways to educate the public.