No matter how hard the Education Ministry tries to transform the primary school curriculum, the almost sole reliance on academic results for progression and placement in good schools has put paid to any attempts to promote more creativity in schools. And that is why the billion-dollar tuition industry is booming.
When I tried to teach my primary school-going child how to appreciate composition writing and expression, I was told by a tutor "not to confuse the child".
I was told to stick to a tried-and-tested formula for getting As rather than teach something that "might not fit into the methodology of how the PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) is marked".
What is the point of sending children to tuition centres that force them to memorise text and formulas and regurgitate them in exams? How does this prepare a child to learn?
The education needed for tomorrow's society is not based on standardised teaching where everyone is forced to learn the same thing at the same pace. It should be based on guiding the child to learn at his own pace, identifying and enhancing the child's strengths, and encouraging him to succeed.
Not everyone who fails is a failure. There is a belief that A students end up working for C students, because those who do well in tests are usually not the creative thinkers and visionaries who later become entrepreneurs.
In a world demanding innovators, isn't it time we developed a programme that nurtures our children to become creators of new ideas, applications and products, and not A-grade administrators to these creators?
Boon Chin Aun
*Letter first appeared on ST Forums (8 Jan)