Has anyone heard of this tuition centre call The Learning Lab at United Square? See the links posted below. I have seen their advertisements on Straits Times. Apparently half of the top 20 PSLE scorers come from this tuition centre! I am absolutely shocked! Only the rich can afford such tuition centres. :yikes:
https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=188032394643125
http://unbrandedbreadnbutter.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/singapore-sons-and-daughters-moe-budget-debate-and-social-mobility/
[quote]But all is not pink and good...
Social mobility is not dead in Singapore, at least not yet. But if we do not actively safeguard against the robustness of our social systems and to continue to level the playing field, to encourage fair competition, then perhaps the Singapore story would be less successful in the long run. It would be dreadful if small groups of elites entrench themselves in the upper echelons of the society resulting in a disincentive to creatively destroy existing structures for greater productivity and sustainable extraction of resources (no matter how limited they are in Singapore).
Recent surveys on social mobility in Singapore have shown that youths continue to have the opportunity to do better than their parents in terms of education. But this does not ensure better salaries and livelihood as it is now harder to break into the upper echelons of income levels. Wealth (esp multi-generational wealth) have created high barriers of entries, whether in certain industries or even in education as richer parents are able to employ and utilise resources not commonly available to middle and lower classes. In fact, local law schools have recently wondered (published in ST) if they should change their admission criteria as they see many socio-economic similarities in recent cohorts.
Indeed we see anecdoctal evidence that the cream of the cream of this society is being less varied. For eg, the economic background of our scholars. Is there at work, a slow process of homogenising the highest pinnacle in various economic stratas? One only need to think of Darwin's Origin of Spieces and lessons on biodiversity to remind ourselves that groupthink would be to the detriment of our own future. [/quote]