What is wrong with the local society? It is too paper-bound. Ever since young, students were drilled to achieve good results to have a good future. Parents did whatever they could to get their children into choice schools. I know my parents specially shifted from one end of the island to the other end just to get me into my primary school. And my brothers' primary school, one of the premier ones, just happened to be opposite my school.
One wonders why people do this? Parents hope for the best in their children, so do whatever they can to groom their children to be highly successful beings. I did not like the way my parents turned their noses down at normal neighbourhood government schools and always insisted on the top schools. Even when I was choosing secondary schools, my mum filled in all her choices for me. I refused to go along with her choices and changed some of the choices, thus ended up at my affiliated secondary school.
My parents can never understand why I chose to go to just an above average school when I could go to a top school. But for me, as long as the kid is willing to achieve, any school is fine. Although I would like my children to go to mission schools, as I still like the all-rounded and encouraging culture of mission schools.
But I guess parents do this because of the way society is being structured. People have been drilled that without a degree, nothing is possible, and once you have a degree, anything is possible. What rubbish! Even with a degree, a lot of things are impossible, and some people have no degrees, yet are able to achieve so many more things.
Everywhere there is discrimination amongst degree-holders and non-degree-holders, honours degree and pass degree, first-class honours and Masters degrees. Having better and higher qualifications do not necessarily mean someone is well-equipped in the things they do. Some may be exam smart, but absolutely incompetent when it comes to actually doing work. I find it so unfair sometimes that people see qualifications over ability.
Just like in the legal sector, first-class honours graduates can immediately be offered an associate professorship, or a post as a magistrate judge, or a deputy public prosecutor (which was what I was aiming for). Second-class upper honours graduates will be snatched up by the big five law firms. Second-class lower honours graduates will then have to distribute themselves to the other medium and smaller law firms around. Anyone who scored lower than second-class honours will not even be allowed to practise law.
Foreign law graduates are worse. Only law graduates from the top fifteen UK universities and the top five Australian universities are allowed to practise law here, provided they score second-class upper (for UK) and first-class (for Australia). Why is there such a discrimination? Anyone who is able to survive through law studies is pretty amazing already. Law is one course (besides Medicine) that is the hardest to understand and pass well.
Even graduates from the local universities are being discriminated against. There is always a difference between NUS graduates and NTU graduates. NUS graduates will always be thought to be better whilst NTU graduates will always be thought to lose out to NUS graduates (unless you happen to be a foreign scholar or a foreigner who managed to enter NTU, then that is a different case).
But I daresay NTU is better than NUS. At least I know I really enjoyed my time there better than anywhere else. And the people there are more humble and down-to-earth, nicer to talk to and get along with, although I do have a few NUS friends who are also very nice people.
But the discrimination in the education sector seems more pronounced. Mere graduates normally end up teaching primary schools, and only those with honours will get posted to secondary schools, and only those with top honours and top results will get posted to junior colleges. It is as if the mentality is that once you do not have honours, you are not good enough to teach secondary level.
Even worse are those graduates who took part-time degrees from the various institutions. Their degrees end up not being recognised at all, and they have wasted their time and money for nothing. A degree is a degree; does it make such a difference where one graduates from?
If the government is so into people upgrading, then why restrict the recognition of courses and universities? Why is it a degree can be recognised if one goes overseas, but the same degree from the same university is not recognised just because one does it part-time or via distance learning?
But when I look around me, I see many non-graduates making it big in life. Many good graduates are still struggling with jobs they hate, being overworked and underpaid, yet a lot of non-graduates are becoming entrepreneurs and making more moolah than anyone else.
No doubt not everyone can be an entrepreneur, but this shows that one does not need extra education or an extra piece of paper to prove their worth. In this case, sometimes I wonder why I spent so many sleepless nights being so stressed up and driving myself crazy just to earn an extra piece of paper?
Having said this, I still prefer to be with a graduate, unless I can find a non-graduate whom I can really get along with and is intellectually and knowledgeable enough to talk about almost anything under the sun. Selamat Tinggal!
One wonders why people do this? Parents hope for the best in their children, so do whatever they can to groom their children to be highly successful beings. I did not like the way my parents turned their noses down at normal neighbourhood government schools and always insisted on the top schools. Even when I was choosing secondary schools, my mum filled in all her choices for me. I refused to go along with her choices and changed some of the choices, thus ended up at my affiliated secondary school.
My parents can never understand why I chose to go to just an above average school when I could go to a top school. But for me, as long as the kid is willing to achieve, any school is fine. Although I would like my children to go to mission schools, as I still like the all-rounded and encouraging culture of mission schools.
But I guess parents do this because of the way society is being structured. People have been drilled that without a degree, nothing is possible, and once you have a degree, anything is possible. What rubbish! Even with a degree, a lot of things are impossible, and some people have no degrees, yet are able to achieve so many more things.
Everywhere there is discrimination amongst degree-holders and non-degree-holders, honours degree and pass degree, first-class honours and Masters degrees. Having better and higher qualifications do not necessarily mean someone is well-equipped in the things they do. Some may be exam smart, but absolutely incompetent when it comes to actually doing work. I find it so unfair sometimes that people see qualifications over ability.
Just like in the legal sector, first-class honours graduates can immediately be offered an associate professorship, or a post as a magistrate judge, or a deputy public prosecutor (which was what I was aiming for). Second-class upper honours graduates will be snatched up by the big five law firms. Second-class lower honours graduates will then have to distribute themselves to the other medium and smaller law firms around. Anyone who scored lower than second-class honours will not even be allowed to practise law.
Foreign law graduates are worse. Only law graduates from the top fifteen UK universities and the top five Australian universities are allowed to practise law here, provided they score second-class upper (for UK) and first-class (for Australia). Why is there such a discrimination? Anyone who is able to survive through law studies is pretty amazing already. Law is one course (besides Medicine) that is the hardest to understand and pass well.
Even graduates from the local universities are being discriminated against. There is always a difference between NUS graduates and NTU graduates. NUS graduates will always be thought to be better whilst NTU graduates will always be thought to lose out to NUS graduates (unless you happen to be a foreign scholar or a foreigner who managed to enter NTU, then that is a different case).
But I daresay NTU is better than NUS. At least I know I really enjoyed my time there better than anywhere else. And the people there are more humble and down-to-earth, nicer to talk to and get along with, although I do have a few NUS friends who are also very nice people.
But the discrimination in the education sector seems more pronounced. Mere graduates normally end up teaching primary schools, and only those with honours will get posted to secondary schools, and only those with top honours and top results will get posted to junior colleges. It is as if the mentality is that once you do not have honours, you are not good enough to teach secondary level.
Even worse are those graduates who took part-time degrees from the various institutions. Their degrees end up not being recognised at all, and they have wasted their time and money for nothing. A degree is a degree; does it make such a difference where one graduates from?
If the government is so into people upgrading, then why restrict the recognition of courses and universities? Why is it a degree can be recognised if one goes overseas, but the same degree from the same university is not recognised just because one does it part-time or via distance learning?
But when I look around me, I see many non-graduates making it big in life. Many good graduates are still struggling with jobs they hate, being overworked and underpaid, yet a lot of non-graduates are becoming entrepreneurs and making more moolah than anyone else.
No doubt not everyone can be an entrepreneur, but this shows that one does not need extra education or an extra piece of paper to prove their worth. In this case, sometimes I wonder why I spent so many sleepless nights being so stressed up and driving myself crazy just to earn an extra piece of paper?
Having said this, I still prefer to be with a graduate, unless I can find a non-graduate whom I can really get along with and is intellectually and knowledgeable enough to talk about almost anything under the sun. Selamat Tinggal!
4 comments:
I think that's just how society in Singapore works. We can't really change the way that things work.
But, there's always a way to be against the odds and I believe that, once we believe in ourselves, we don't need to care about the discrimination about paper qualification. I think that is still better than race discrimination in my country.
Anyway, as I say, there's always a way to beat against the odds. My mother managed to become a doctor in a public hospital where this occurence in Indonesia is very rare (chinese doctor in public hospital). Normally, chinese physician will practise their doctorship in private hospital.
Sim Wong Hoo is also not bringing himself down eventhough he has no degree. He proved himself otherwise. That's also another example of against the odds =).
"Selamat tinggal" is for when you're going away for a long journey.
Use "Sampai jumpa lagi" - "Till we meet again". (There might be even better phrases.. can't think of any.)
I have experienced first hand discrimination against a part-time degree holder (myself!)..all i have to say is..if someone is able to juggle a job and taking night classes and getting over that ordeal, doesn't that make him/ her much stronger in character than those (mostly) "spoilt" brats doing full-time - everything paid for..and yet they have so much to complain?? but i guess it's society's fault more than the government's..some people look down on part-time degree holders because a certain few are regarded as "bought" and there's no way a normal person can tell between the real one and a fake..thus companies stick to the Singapore Unis..where at least, even if they encounter a fraud, they can have it checked out more conveniently..
As for myself, even if there is discrimination..i find that there is no point being stagnant at one point..if there is injustice, do something about it..if you feel wronged against, prove the rest wrong..no point whining about it until i'm old then realising that i've gotten nowhere in life..and that, on account of other people as well..so totally not worth it!
Sen : Yup, agree with you. That's why I really admire those who can go against the odds and be successful. Guess one just have to be happy with oneself.
Ole Wolvie : Ah thanks for the correction.
Addy : Actually I think someone who can struggle with a full-time job and part-time education should be more recognised since they prove their worth as being perseverance and committed. What a pity these are the ones that are always thought to be "lousier" than normal graduates, which is so sad and unfair.
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