Do you think there is still a future for our kids...
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violin_lover:
And what if you can't excel academically because your parents had no money for enrichment/tuition plus necessary educational reference materials?Chenonceau:
[quote=\"Edureach\"]The location has got nothing to do with the success of your kids. If your kids are blessed, they will succeed wherever is their country of residence. Of couurse i would prefer my kids to spend some years overseas and eventually come back to contribute to as citizens of this nation.
Just hve to learn to embrace international competition starting from schools. If unable to excel academically, then must be able to compete at professional level in the areas of sports, arts or a trade vocation.
If still unable to do any of the above, too bad hve to be a slave to bankers for a life time!
And what if your trade vocation attracts foreign talent who can take your pay and make it go three to five times further because of the lower costs of living back home?
And what if your sport also attracts foreign talent who can take your pay and make it go three to five times further because of the lower costs of living back home?
And what if the emotional and psychological signalling to you throughout your entire life is - you're a loser and won't amount to much? Even our very bright children feel like losers. The bottom ranked in RI feel like losers. When they grow up, they know they're not as good as the FT to make CEO and top bankers.
This is the Singapore we all worked for?
:hi5: Yup, I spoke to some visitors from Taiwan couple of days ago, regarding the issue of foreign talents in Singapore. The first comment he made is \"they are spoiling the market\". This is because, the cost of living in these FT's home country is much lower and they can afford to demand lower wages.......whereas, we the Singaporeans, are unable to live with dignity based on the low wages as our living expenses here is high......[/quote]It's the same low living standards of some countries in the region that we can afford our maids, cleaners and construction workers. -
Edureach:
:goodpost:Chenonceau
Generally your posts hve always been thought provoking and i like it!
My view is don't go to a top school like RI if a kid needs tuition. What's the use of attending a top school if a kid cannot find a niche there. I hve always been consistent in thia respect. As long as academically a student is not able to secure a scholarship if he's a RI's student, he is no difference from someone from a lower ranked jc. To me he's better off attending another school. I just cannot understand why many here want nothing but RI/RGS or gep.
We must also teach our kids to be financially independent. Learn to start a small business from a passion or learn to trade and invest. No need to stay in private hse and incurr heavy debts. You can retire comfortably at 55 even setting aside CPF min sum. No problem!
All in all, ask for blessings, be wise and heck care to impress others.
Whether our kids have a future depends on our definition of 'future' which may also not be our kids' own definition. What does 'future' mean? Is it the Singaporean dream of a uni degree (and not just any uni degree must be professional degree) and allowing one to command a high salary to buy a private property and continental cars? Getting their kids to enter top schools in Bukit Timah to ensure their offspring can attain the same dream?
Sadly amongst my peers, I realise many are chasing after this dream and those who have yet to attain this, feel disillusioned. Those who have attained it, worked even harder and do all things possible to maintain this dream at the expense of many important things in life. But how many people are truly happy in this process?
I realise that our own values will also be translated and passed on to our kids. Soon, our kids know that the only definition of 'future' or success is what we have defined for them and that is why they feel like losers if they cannot attain that standard.
Not to belittle the difficulties which many face in daily life, it is contentment which makes the difference. We dont have it that bad in Spore really.
Regardless of the imperfections of our education system or our society, fundamentally it is us as parents who have to help our kids understand themselves and help them to define their own future on their own terms. -
lim72:
Yes, agree. While I rant all I want...when it comes to facing my kids...I always tell them to face their fears, be positive, know their strength...In tiny SG, the only way they can soar is really keeping their birth rights but spreading their wings.ebebel:
Just to share my personal mission and belief, 'cos I really want to stay positive and encourage my kids knowing how hard it would be for them in their generation:
I want to raise my kids up with the right values and character, that they will grow up to be resilient and to be problem-solvers. So that they will stand tall amongst the foreign talents amongst our midst. So that they will work hard for their future and not be afraid, to believe in themselves, to be thankful for whatever circumstances and what they have - not comparing, not complaining, and to trust God our Provider. To be happy! If they run away from this country their parents and grand parents have built up, they are giving away their inheritance. If they run, they will always be running away because in life, there will always be obstacles, no matter where we are. -
Chenonceau:
I am sure we do have our fair share of Singaporeans CEOs but maybe not in the banking industry? Besides, I didn't say our education system is world class or great though we have to concede it is not shabby either. But do we really want to leave everything to the education system? To count on them on a 'complete' product? I think no matter how, we still play a part in how the kid eventually turn out. In fact not only us, many other factors count too.
If our education system is so great, how come we cannot produce CEOs? What happened to all our Rafflesians... cohort after cohort... so many out of RI... how many CEOs of our banks?HVR:
I would imagine in a profit driven organisation, the CEOs have to answer to shareholders and I don't think any incompetence CEOs can last long if they are not performing. We all hope our own people can head all the big companies and corporations but I don't think it's possible. We also cannot set rules to say if you want to invest here, your CEO must be Singaporeans. They will go elsewhere.
How to have a system to ensure all our kids are successful when they grow up? Not everyone is the same and no 2 kids can be the same. We all have different potentials and abilities. Some can be CEOs, top bankers, pilots, etc but more will be managers, insurance advisers and some ended up working in factories.
What we should be concerned with is that every kid must be given all the opportunities to realise his or her potentials. If we are not doing that, then we are wasting the only resources we have, plus it is not fair to the kids. But what if the maximum a kid can do is manager, a taxi driver or a sale person but not a CEO? Do we then say there is no future for our kids despite that he had reached his potentials? -
Musings
A good piece of contribution from you! -
HVR:
No... we should not count on them for a complete product. But increasingly, they're counting on us (our time and our money) for the portion of the product that they should ensure.Chenonceau:
I am sure we do have our fair share of Singaporeans CEOs but maybe not in the banking industry? Besides, I didn't say our education system is world class or great though we have to concede it is not shabby either. But do we really want to leave everything to the education system? To count on them on a 'complete' product? I think no matter how, we still play a part in how the kid eventually turn out. In fact not only us, many other factors count too. -
HVR:
Fact: (1) Not everbody can afford a maid.
It's the same low living standards of some countries in the region that we can afford our maids, cleaners and construction workers.
(2) Old folks work as cleaner are being exploited due to low wages.
(3) Due to the supply of cheap construction workers, companies are not willing to invest in technology to improve productivity. For example, it is well known that for the same construction job, you need ten people to do it in Singapore but you only need one Australian to do it in Australia. So, what does that tell you? -
Chenonceau:
No... we should not count on them for a complete product. But increasingly, they're counting on us (our time and our money) for the portion of the product that they should ensure.[/quote]Tend to agree but I have to bite the bullet for kido's sake. But I wouldnt count on the system totally too if they ask me to wash my hands off. Not saying you wash your hands off hor, I know how much you have done for your boy.HVR:
[quote=\"Chenonceau\"]
I am sure we do have our fair share of Singaporeans CEOs but maybe not in the banking industry? Besides, I didn't say our education system is world class or great though we have to concede it is not shabby either. But do we really want to leave everything to the education system? To count on them on a 'complete' product? I think no matter how, we still play a part in how the kid eventually turn out. In fact not only us, many other factors count too. -
violin_lover:
It's ok. Just trying to illustrate a point. I agree with you on point 3. Always see one worker working and 5 to 6 watching.
Fact: (1) Not everbody can afford a maid.HVR:
It's the same low living standards of some countries in the region that we can afford our maids, cleaners and construction workers.
(2) Old folks work as cleaner are being exploited due to low wages.
(3) Due to the supply of cheap construction workers, companies are not willing to invest in technology to improve productivity. For example, it is well known that for the same construction job, you need ten people to do it in Singapore but you only need one Australian to do it in Australia. So, what does that tell you? -
is there a future ?
it is as much as you make it out to be
attitude, mind set, willingness, can do spirit, never say die.....it is the same every where on planet earth, not just singapore
:siam: :siam:
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