Source:
Lee, S. K. (2010, March 12). Well done, MOE. Straits Times. Retrieved March 12, 2010, from: http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_500943.html
The Original Article:
Mar 12, 2010
Well done, MOE
THE Ministry of Education's (MOE) announcement last Wednesday ("Schools to develop 'soft skills'") that greater emphasis will be placed on physical education, art and music must have come as a breath of fresh air to all who believe in an integrated and holistic approach to education.
The inclusion of PE, in particular, as part of the soft skills to be developed is going to pay big dividends in the future. The fringe benefits, such as developing self-esteem and picking up values like teamwork, fair play and a can-do spirit, as mentioned by Education Minister Ng Eng Hen, will no doubt stand students in good stead as active citizens of this global city.
Under a competent PE teacher, children in their formative years could gradually internalise the values of physical activity and other healthy living habits.
Not only must we have more specialist PE teachers, but we must also ensure that they are fully qualified to teach the subject.
The MOE has raised the status of PE yet another notch. I join the PE fraternity in congratulating it for the splendid effort.
I refer to the ST Forum 'Well done, MOE' written by Lee Seck Kay. In this article, the author expressed his appreciation for MOE's decision that physical education, art and music will weigh more in education.
I agree with Mr. Lim that MOE did a good decision on improving students' integrated education. To improve other skills besides academic knowledge is always a difficult target not only for students, parents as well as schools in Singapore, but also that in China. It is not because students do not want to learn other useful stills, on the contrary, comparing with academic courses, they prefer to practice other skills like sports, painting and musical instrument; parents do not hope to let their children be all round people; or schools are not willing to give students the chance to keep an open mind on benefieial activities. It is because the college entrance exam does not allowed them to do so. The college entrance exam only tests students academic knowledge, which forces students must to spend most of their time in studing academic courses. However, still now we cannot find another suitable method to replace the college entrance exam based on the situation of China. But the education system of Singapore is different from China. If the MOE can reform Singapore's education system and change it into integrated education, it will really benefit students as well as the whole country a lot. In addition, I also agree with Mr. Lim that the PE can develop students' confidence, encourge cooperation and fair competition among students, and the enough good PE teachers are necessary.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Not a big deal-By Iris
---------------------
Original article:
Feb 10, 2010
Are these T-shirts offensive?
By Han Yushi
url: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_488895.html
RUDE and offensive T-shirts are making their way onto people's backs and onto our streets.
You can now easily find them in shops along Orchard Road and Bugis Street.
Many of them carry sexual messages, some even print the F-word explicitly.
'The thing is, people don't care. They don't really bother about the meaning of it. As long as they feel it looks good, it's funny, it's OK, they'll wear it,' said sales assistant Jun Sim, who works at street store X-craft in Tampines Mall.
Even with the trend becoming more socially accepted, some Singaporeans think that such T-shirts are sending the wrong messages.
STOMPer Sanjay thinks 'things like these should definitely not be displayed'.
Find out what other Singaporeans have to say on RazorTV.
My reflection:
As I am a shopping fan,I ever came accross some shops which sell the so-called "offensive T-shirts",there are many young people walk around the shops. And those shops attract me because those T-shirts are unusual, for there are some informal sentences in Singlish or some interesting designs printed on the T-shirts. It is obvious that they can not accepted by traditional people, but for me, I can accept it because I think they're just something that shows the free and fresh attitude of young people and they do not mean to offend others. Nowadays the trend among young people is that we should live in a natural and pleasant way.Hence, young people dare to do whatever they like and they enjoy taking adventures in life. Since those people don't care to wear it, why others can not bear seeing it? It is no need to angry at those people or see them as offensive guys because the social is developing and human are progressing and young people are the spearheads of the change.
Original article:
Feb 10, 2010
Are these T-shirts offensive?
By Han Yushi
url: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_488895.html
RUDE and offensive T-shirts are making their way onto people's backs and onto our streets.
You can now easily find them in shops along Orchard Road and Bugis Street.
Many of them carry sexual messages, some even print the F-word explicitly.
'The thing is, people don't care. They don't really bother about the meaning of it. As long as they feel it looks good, it's funny, it's OK, they'll wear it,' said sales assistant Jun Sim, who works at street store X-craft in Tampines Mall.
Even with the trend becoming more socially accepted, some Singaporeans think that such T-shirts are sending the wrong messages.
STOMPer Sanjay thinks 'things like these should definitely not be displayed'.
Find out what other Singaporeans have to say on RazorTV.
My reflection:
As I am a shopping fan,I ever came accross some shops which sell the so-called "offensive T-shirts",there are many young people walk around the shops. And those shops attract me because those T-shirts are unusual, for there are some informal sentences in Singlish or some interesting designs printed on the T-shirts. It is obvious that they can not accepted by traditional people, but for me, I can accept it because I think they're just something that shows the free and fresh attitude of young people and they do not mean to offend others. Nowadays the trend among young people is that we should live in a natural and pleasant way.Hence, young people dare to do whatever they like and they enjoy taking adventures in life. Since those people don't care to wear it, why others can not bear seeing it? It is no need to angry at those people or see them as offensive guys because the social is developing and human are progressing and young people are the spearheads of the change.
To be a younger university student or not?
Name: Irene
Article title: 13 and ready for university
source: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_486723.html#
Name of the author: Amelia Tan
Date of the article: Feb 5, 2010
13 and ready for university
A SINGAPOREAN boy sat for the British equivalent of the GCE A-level examinations last year and aced all his papers - and he was not even 13 yet.
Muhammad Haikal Abdullah Zain, a former student of Rosyth School, scored straight As in Biology, Physics and Chemistry, which he took last November.
He turned 13 a month later and plans to apply to study medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
The A-level exams Haikal sat last year carry the same weight as the GCE A levels taken by junior college students here, said the British Council, which administers the exam.
NUS confirmed it would accept students with those qualifications.
Said its office of admissions director R. Rajaram: 'We recently learnt of his interest in applying to NUS. We will be pleased to assess his application when we receive it.'
My Reflection:
This article is mainly talking about a 13-year-old talent student, Muhammad Haikal Abdullah Zain, in Singapore. He once was a student of Rosyth School and got As of Biology, Physics and Chemistry in A-level examinations last year. Now, he is going to applying for Medicine Course in NUS and NUS also welcomes him.
I do not know how the Singaporeans think about Muhammad Haikal Abdullah Zain, but students like him, who are extreme talent and go to the university at a very young age, really caused lots of discussion in China in the past ten years. As we all know that such students are do well in their major subjects, it does not mean that they are all-round students. They lack enough integrated education such as PE, Art, Social Studies and Communicating Skill as well as a solid foundation of their major subjects. The more important is that university is more complicated. After being a university students, these talents are difficult to adapt to the new environment and may not get along well with others. In addition, they are Children after all. They are not easy to have a good self-control and be alert to the temptation from wild out-doors. But on the other hand, being a younger university students can save much time. Students may spend this time on what they are interested in. Though they lack experience, if they try, they can figure it out and gain experience from university life. After graduated, they are more competive than others due to their youth and definitely will have more risk. To be a younger university students or not is a really controversial issue. In the past ten years, there were so much pity as well as success. It must be considered on a case-by-case basis. However, I strongly against that parents force their children to study day and night to be such students and require them to receive higher education when they are not prepared. If it is the children's own choice, I think it better to respect them. Anyway, it is their confidence and pride to choose facing the new challenge. If they fail, it is their responsibility to pay the price.
Article title: 13 and ready for university
source: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_486723.html#
Name of the author: Amelia Tan
Date of the article: Feb 5, 2010
13 and ready for university
A SINGAPOREAN boy sat for the British equivalent of the GCE A-level examinations last year and aced all his papers - and he was not even 13 yet.
Muhammad Haikal Abdullah Zain, a former student of Rosyth School, scored straight As in Biology, Physics and Chemistry, which he took last November.
He turned 13 a month later and plans to apply to study medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
The A-level exams Haikal sat last year carry the same weight as the GCE A levels taken by junior college students here, said the British Council, which administers the exam.
NUS confirmed it would accept students with those qualifications.
Said its office of admissions director R. Rajaram: 'We recently learnt of his interest in applying to NUS. We will be pleased to assess his application when we receive it.'
My Reflection:
This article is mainly talking about a 13-year-old talent student, Muhammad Haikal Abdullah Zain, in Singapore. He once was a student of Rosyth School and got As of Biology, Physics and Chemistry in A-level examinations last year. Now, he is going to applying for Medicine Course in NUS and NUS also welcomes him.
I do not know how the Singaporeans think about Muhammad Haikal Abdullah Zain, but students like him, who are extreme talent and go to the university at a very young age, really caused lots of discussion in China in the past ten years. As we all know that such students are do well in their major subjects, it does not mean that they are all-round students. They lack enough integrated education such as PE, Art, Social Studies and Communicating Skill as well as a solid foundation of their major subjects. The more important is that university is more complicated. After being a university students, these talents are difficult to adapt to the new environment and may not get along well with others. In addition, they are Children after all. They are not easy to have a good self-control and be alert to the temptation from wild out-doors. But on the other hand, being a younger university students can save much time. Students may spend this time on what they are interested in. Though they lack experience, if they try, they can figure it out and gain experience from university life. After graduated, they are more competive than others due to their youth and definitely will have more risk. To be a younger university students or not is a really controversial issue. In the past ten years, there were so much pity as well as success. It must be considered on a case-by-case basis. However, I strongly against that parents force their children to study day and night to be such students and require them to receive higher education when they are not prepared. If it is the children's own choice, I think it better to respect them. Anyway, it is their confidence and pride to choose facing the new challenge. If they fail, it is their responsibility to pay the price.
Queues for tickets start by Corbin
Source:
Lim, W. C. (2010, February 12). Queues for tickets start. Retrieved February 12, 2010, from Strait imes: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_489797.html
THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Feb 12, 2010
Queues for tickets start
By Lim Wei Chean
SOME 50 early birds, eager to be among the first to get tickets for the sneak preview to the Universal Studios theme park on Sentosa, started queuing up on Friday morning.
By 9am, lines have started forming behind six counters.
Even though the 20 rides and show will not be running, many said they don't mind paying $10 to take a 'look see' since they will get meal vouchers worth at least the same value.
Tickets are limited for the sneak preview of the park, which opens for an eight-day stretch from this Sunday to Feb 21 from 5pm to 9pm. The park is slated to re-open early next month.
Among the first in the queue is Mr Law Yu Fat, 50, a homemaker. He said he will take his sister and husband who are visiting on the first day of Chinese New Year on Sunday. 'I don't mind paying $10 to take a look at the park as I find the rides too thrilling to take,' he told The Straits Times.
Also on Sunday, the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) casino will open its door at 12.18pm.
MY RELECTION:
This article is mainly about the debut of the Universal Studios theme park in Singapore. This morning, it started to open to public. Although all the 20 rides were still not accessible, there are many people who want to take a sneak preview waiting outside the park. All of them thought it was worth having a look at this theme park.
In my opinion, the debut of the Universal Studio theme park will undoubtedly benefit the economy of Singapore a lot. This is because those large theme parks can not only attract a lot of tourists to this island but also give local people an amazing place to enjoy their weekends or holidays. Since the casino is also going to open its door, Singapore will soon become a place which is suitable for family travel. Parents can let their children play in the Universal Studio Park while they enjoying in the Casino. Moreover, this is also a reflection that Singapore is increasingly more important in the world for the reason that only those “big” countries can get access to those international well-known theme parks.
Actually, I am very fond of those kinds of theme parks. However, I may not choose to go, if I need to pay $10 without any chance to take those interesting and exiting rides. Even though, I will definitely go there after the park operating normally.
-- Corbin
Lim, W. C. (2010, February 12). Queues for tickets start. Retrieved February 12, 2010, from Strait imes: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_489797.html
THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Feb 12, 2010
Queues for tickets start
By Lim Wei Chean
SOME 50 early birds, eager to be among the first to get tickets for the sneak preview to the Universal Studios theme park on Sentosa, started queuing up on Friday morning.
By 9am, lines have started forming behind six counters.
Even though the 20 rides and show will not be running, many said they don't mind paying $10 to take a 'look see' since they will get meal vouchers worth at least the same value.
Tickets are limited for the sneak preview of the park, which opens for an eight-day stretch from this Sunday to Feb 21 from 5pm to 9pm. The park is slated to re-open early next month.
Among the first in the queue is Mr Law Yu Fat, 50, a homemaker. He said he will take his sister and husband who are visiting on the first day of Chinese New Year on Sunday. 'I don't mind paying $10 to take a look at the park as I find the rides too thrilling to take,' he told The Straits Times.
Also on Sunday, the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) casino will open its door at 12.18pm.
MY RELECTION:
This article is mainly about the debut of the Universal Studios theme park in Singapore. This morning, it started to open to public. Although all the 20 rides were still not accessible, there are many people who want to take a sneak preview waiting outside the park. All of them thought it was worth having a look at this theme park.
In my opinion, the debut of the Universal Studio theme park will undoubtedly benefit the economy of Singapore a lot. This is because those large theme parks can not only attract a lot of tourists to this island but also give local people an amazing place to enjoy their weekends or holidays. Since the casino is also going to open its door, Singapore will soon become a place which is suitable for family travel. Parents can let their children play in the Universal Studio Park while they enjoying in the Casino. Moreover, this is also a reflection that Singapore is increasingly more important in the world for the reason that only those “big” countries can get access to those international well-known theme parks.
Actually, I am very fond of those kinds of theme parks. However, I may not choose to go, if I need to pay $10 without any chance to take those interesting and exiting rides. Even though, I will definitely go there after the park operating normally.
-- Corbin
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Snail mails withdraw from our life, possible? By Vicky
Source:
Weizhen, T. (2010, February 11). Postmen to rest Saturdays. Retrieved February 11, 2010, from Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_489168.html
Original article:
Singapore
Home > Breaking News > Singapore > Story
Feb 11, 2010
Postmen to rest Saturdays
Move is to give postman a break as popularity of snail mail is declining
By Tan Weizhen
SingPost will be extending the collection timings on Fridays. -- PHOTO: SINGPOST
HOW many letters or cards do you post a year? About six, by Singapore Post's calculations. With the popularity of snail mail slowing, SingPost wants the postman to take a break on Saturdays starting from May 15.
It added that e-mail, SMSes and other new communication tools have contributed to a decline in the amount of snail mail sent out, a trend experienced the world over. Singapore's postman collected and delivered more than 181 million items in financial year 2002-2003. But just 139 million items were handled in FY2008-2009.
Also, companies no longer send out mail on Saturdays as most are on five-day work weeks. SingPost said that on Saturdays, the volume of mail is 40 per cent less than on a usual weekday.
To make up for the shortfall, SingPost will be extending the collection timings on Fridays.
SingPost deputy group chief executive Ng Hin Lee promised that there will be no drop in service standards - 99 per cent of mail posted within the Central Business District (CBD) and more than 98 per cent posted outside the CBD will be delivered by the next working day.
Singapore joins about 70 countries, such as Australia, Brunei, Canada, South Korea, Sweden, the Philippines and most recently, the United States, which have adopted a five-day week for their mail delivery service.
Reflection:
I refer to the article "Postmen to rest Saturday" written by Tan Weizhen and published on 11 Feb, 2010. In this article, due to the decline in the amount of snail mails recent years, SingPost decide to give postmen a Saturday rest starting from May 15. Though there would be no work on Saturday, the chief executive Ng Hin Lee of SingPost deputy group guaranteed that the standard of their service would not be affected and the collection timings on Friday would be extended.
As the article has mentioned, Singapore follows about 70 countries which have Saturday rest, and the USA has already adopted the 5-day week for their mail delivery service. The trend of working days is obviously decreasing, which makes me wonder if it is possible that the snail mails will withdraw from our daily completely one day. There are several reasons for people not to use snail mails. First and foremost, with the popularity of computers, e-mails and MSN are widely used among people, which are more convenient than the snail mails. We can send our messages without a pen or a piece of paper at anytime and anywhere and we do not need to worry about if the receiver has moved to another city. In addition, if the information we want to send is not that much, we can just make a phone call or SMS. Secondly, snail emails are quite time-consuming. In such a fierce competitive society that time is money, especially related to the information. The faster we can exchange our information the more likely we will succeed quickly. Last but not least, the functions of e-mails are much more than snail mails. Besides the word context, e-mail can also include pictures, sounds and videos. Furthermore, e-mail can add attachment such as e-books which may occupy very large space when sending the books.
Though the majority can use computers now, it is still not everyone, so snail mails are still necessary. Also the snail mails are needed in some specific fields. However, I think one day in the future, the computer will dominate the information market and the postmen do not work anymore.
——Vicky
Weizhen, T. (2010, February 11). Postmen to rest Saturdays. Retrieved February 11, 2010, from Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_489168.html
Original article:
Singapore
Home > Breaking News > Singapore > Story
Feb 11, 2010
Postmen to rest Saturdays
Move is to give postman a break as popularity of snail mail is declining
By Tan Weizhen
SingPost will be extending the collection timings on Fridays. -- PHOTO: SINGPOST
HOW many letters or cards do you post a year? About six, by Singapore Post's calculations. With the popularity of snail mail slowing, SingPost wants the postman to take a break on Saturdays starting from May 15.
It added that e-mail, SMSes and other new communication tools have contributed to a decline in the amount of snail mail sent out, a trend experienced the world over. Singapore's postman collected and delivered more than 181 million items in financial year 2002-2003. But just 139 million items were handled in FY2008-2009.
Also, companies no longer send out mail on Saturdays as most are on five-day work weeks. SingPost said that on Saturdays, the volume of mail is 40 per cent less than on a usual weekday.
To make up for the shortfall, SingPost will be extending the collection timings on Fridays.
SingPost deputy group chief executive Ng Hin Lee promised that there will be no drop in service standards - 99 per cent of mail posted within the Central Business District (CBD) and more than 98 per cent posted outside the CBD will be delivered by the next working day.
Singapore joins about 70 countries, such as Australia, Brunei, Canada, South Korea, Sweden, the Philippines and most recently, the United States, which have adopted a five-day week for their mail delivery service.
Reflection:
I refer to the article "Postmen to rest Saturday" written by Tan Weizhen and published on 11 Feb, 2010. In this article, due to the decline in the amount of snail mails recent years, SingPost decide to give postmen a Saturday rest starting from May 15. Though there would be no work on Saturday, the chief executive Ng Hin Lee of SingPost deputy group guaranteed that the standard of their service would not be affected and the collection timings on Friday would be extended.
As the article has mentioned, Singapore follows about 70 countries which have Saturday rest, and the USA has already adopted the 5-day week for their mail delivery service. The trend of working days is obviously decreasing, which makes me wonder if it is possible that the snail mails will withdraw from our daily completely one day. There are several reasons for people not to use snail mails. First and foremost, with the popularity of computers, e-mails and MSN are widely used among people, which are more convenient than the snail mails. We can send our messages without a pen or a piece of paper at anytime and anywhere and we do not need to worry about if the receiver has moved to another city. In addition, if the information we want to send is not that much, we can just make a phone call or SMS. Secondly, snail emails are quite time-consuming. In such a fierce competitive society that time is money, especially related to the information. The faster we can exchange our information the more likely we will succeed quickly. Last but not least, the functions of e-mails are much more than snail mails. Besides the word context, e-mail can also include pictures, sounds and videos. Furthermore, e-mail can add attachment such as e-books which may occupy very large space when sending the books.
Though the majority can use computers now, it is still not everyone, so snail mails are still necessary. Also the snail mails are needed in some specific fields. However, I think one day in the future, the computer will dominate the information market and the postmen do not work anymore.
——Vicky
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The topic of our debate
Whether we should stay with our family members or our lovers on the coming NEW YEAR as well as Valentine's Day?
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Reflection on Forum Letter -- Irene
Article Tittle: Govt's done enough, it's up to couples
Sourse of Artile: http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_484044.html
Author: Huang Meifang (Ms)
Date of the Article: Jan 30, 2010
Govt's done enough, it's up to couples
UNLIKE Mr Wong Yeow Chong in his letter on Wednesday ('Be single-minded about having more babies'), I think there must be a limit to blaming the Government for individual lifestyle choices in postponing procreation or giving it a miss.
Blaming the Government is almost like saying one will not procreate because of insufficient incentives.
If the economic incentives have not been effective in arresting falling birth rates, the key reason is that many people simply do not see procreation as a priority.
One must take ownership of one's choices. If I, like the Singaporeans Mr Wong describes, work long hours and attend night classes, it is not because anyone forced me to. The choice is mine and I should face the consequences. I can also choose how I want to deal with matters beyond my control, like the high cost of living and national service requirements; instead of using these as excuses for not procreating and blaming the Government for lacking clarity about priorities, as Mr Wong described it.
Finances are important when planning a family, but many couples choose to postpone parenthood to fulfil personal desires, like not wanting to be tied down, enjoying a longer exclusive spousal relationship or building their careers.
Money, or the lack of it, is not entirely the reason, if at all. If it is, how do we explain the fact that many less well-off couples across our multiracial spectrum have two or three children and yet manage financially? They face the same challenges as those who decide not to have children, ranging from managing their work-life balance to the rising cost of living and staying fit and healthy.
They choose to have more children not because they see themselves as supermums and superdads or even super-rich, but because they love children and think it wise not to postpone parenthood.
Mr Wong's call for the Government to be single-minded about prioritising population growth should be directed at the citizens instead.
Frankly, the Government has done enough to encourage procreation.
Summary: I refer to the ST Forum 'Govt's done enough, it's up to couples'. The author express her disagreement with Mr Wong Yeow Chong as Mr Wong Yeow Chong blamed the government not doing enough in encouraging procreation in his letter.
Reflection: After looking through the whole article. I agree with the author, Ms Huang Meifang, on her opinions about what influence couples to have child or not. As a foreigner student, I do not really know how much the parents need to raise a child in Singapore, but just as what the author says, there are still many poor families to choose have more than one child. So whether to have child or not, it absolutely doesn't only depends on money. However, we can't ignore the huge impact from finances. That is also the reason why I disagree with Ms Huang that the government has done enough on improving birth rate. What is "enough"? From the definition, 'enough' means 'to the necessary degree'. I know that the government of Singapore has released many policies to encourge procreation, such as five working days a week, giving special holidays for couples, providing extra bonus on children's medical care and education fees, etc. But whether it is enough or not I think depends on the results. The birth rate is still declining in 2009 in Singapore. So there are still a lot efforts needing to be done. From my point of view, the government of Singapore is better to try it from two sides. Firstly, it is to give more allowance to families having children especially on education fees. Moreover, with the divorce rate rising, I think the government needs pay more attention on improving those children's life. This is for the couples who are not willing to have child because of fear of divorce. Secondly, it is from thought. As the article metioned, people postpone parenthood may be caused by personal desire. The government should make more efforts on convince couples that children are not burden. They are happiness. In addition, I notice that in the past, the government of Singapore asked citizens to stop at '2'. I think it necessary for government to explain it to public in detail and give the period of validity for the policies of encouraging procreation to resolve doubts and worries.
Sourse of Artile: http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_484044.html
Author: Huang Meifang (Ms)
Date of the Article: Jan 30, 2010
Govt's done enough, it's up to couples
UNLIKE Mr Wong Yeow Chong in his letter on Wednesday ('Be single-minded about having more babies'), I think there must be a limit to blaming the Government for individual lifestyle choices in postponing procreation or giving it a miss.
Blaming the Government is almost like saying one will not procreate because of insufficient incentives.
If the economic incentives have not been effective in arresting falling birth rates, the key reason is that many people simply do not see procreation as a priority.
One must take ownership of one's choices. If I, like the Singaporeans Mr Wong describes, work long hours and attend night classes, it is not because anyone forced me to. The choice is mine and I should face the consequences. I can also choose how I want to deal with matters beyond my control, like the high cost of living and national service requirements; instead of using these as excuses for not procreating and blaming the Government for lacking clarity about priorities, as Mr Wong described it.
Finances are important when planning a family, but many couples choose to postpone parenthood to fulfil personal desires, like not wanting to be tied down, enjoying a longer exclusive spousal relationship or building their careers.
Money, or the lack of it, is not entirely the reason, if at all. If it is, how do we explain the fact that many less well-off couples across our multiracial spectrum have two or three children and yet manage financially? They face the same challenges as those who decide not to have children, ranging from managing their work-life balance to the rising cost of living and staying fit and healthy.
They choose to have more children not because they see themselves as supermums and superdads or even super-rich, but because they love children and think it wise not to postpone parenthood.
Mr Wong's call for the Government to be single-minded about prioritising population growth should be directed at the citizens instead.
Frankly, the Government has done enough to encourage procreation.
Summary: I refer to the ST Forum 'Govt's done enough, it's up to couples'. The author express her disagreement with Mr Wong Yeow Chong as Mr Wong Yeow Chong blamed the government not doing enough in encouraging procreation in his letter.
Reflection: After looking through the whole article. I agree with the author, Ms Huang Meifang, on her opinions about what influence couples to have child or not. As a foreigner student, I do not really know how much the parents need to raise a child in Singapore, but just as what the author says, there are still many poor families to choose have more than one child. So whether to have child or not, it absolutely doesn't only depends on money. However, we can't ignore the huge impact from finances. That is also the reason why I disagree with Ms Huang that the government has done enough on improving birth rate. What is "enough"? From the definition, 'enough' means 'to the necessary degree'. I know that the government of Singapore has released many policies to encourge procreation, such as five working days a week, giving special holidays for couples, providing extra bonus on children's medical care and education fees, etc. But whether it is enough or not I think depends on the results. The birth rate is still declining in 2009 in Singapore. So there are still a lot efforts needing to be done. From my point of view, the government of Singapore is better to try it from two sides. Firstly, it is to give more allowance to families having children especially on education fees. Moreover, with the divorce rate rising, I think the government needs pay more attention on improving those children's life. This is for the couples who are not willing to have child because of fear of divorce. Secondly, it is from thought. As the article metioned, people postpone parenthood may be caused by personal desire. The government should make more efforts on convince couples that children are not burden. They are happiness. In addition, I notice that in the past, the government of Singapore asked citizens to stop at '2'. I think it necessary for government to explain it to public in detail and give the period of validity for the policies of encouraging procreation to resolve doubts and worries.
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