Education-Jieyao-10s403

The author states that "Many jobs that never before required college now call for at least some post-secondary course work.". The world now has become more competitive and educated due to the education becoming widely available in most countries. As people become more educated, they would be able to learn new skills faster and master them. This has created competition amongst people to be able to receive higher education as they would need to gain an advantage over others in order for them to get employment. In Singapore's society, more students are encouraged to or rather, forced to go for higher education like enrolling in universities. This can be seen by the amount of career talks available from secondary school onwards where these talks are mainly conducted by universities who would tell students more about for their courses available. With these talks, more and more students would be encouraged to enter universities and thus, creating an abundance of workers who have at least a university degree, hence, the need for post secondary course work for jobs.


The author also states that "They are not ready for high school, some of them, much less for college." because they may be ignorant of the pressure and work present in higher education or they may not know how to apply what they have learnt. When these people attempt to pursue higher education, they may instead fail to complete the education as they may not yet be ready for it. Also, they may be pursuing higher education just for the sake of getting a job instead of choosing what thy really wants. In SIngapore, we have several alternatives for students to choose if they feel that they are not yet ready for higher education. There is the ITE where students learn skills that can be applied in the real world so that they would be able to earn a living, and also polytechnics which offers students a chance to learn a particular set of skills which may be their passion. This would enable them to go out to work immediately after the completion. Also, there is even an arts school where students learn about music, art and others. All these would provide students with a chance to learn valuable skills that can be used in the real world and they would not need to pursue any higher education.

Education/GPZ/10S403

The author thinks that higher level of education is not for everyone as society's view as certain jobs do not require those skills learnt. Indeed, such expectations may be unecessary as the skills learnt are not putting on good use but are took up just to secure a position in the society. For example, in Singapore, students have to study selected compulsory subjects that might not be useful for their career in future in order to reach university. Thus, this means that higher level of education might not necessary for everyone. However, in Singapore society, whereby there are influx of talents resulting in an competition for jobs. Thus, the level of education serves as a crucial measure for employers to select their employees. Hence, high level of education is remains important for everyone.

The author also states that people try to take up higher level of education although they are not apt for it and other people would find it harsh to bring this message across to them. Due to this, people may take up skills that may not be suitable and thus, be unhappy with what they are doing. I agree to this stand as in Singapore's society, the government has already set up various institutes, such as Institute of Technical studies(ITE), to accomodate different kinds of learner who are suitable for different types of job. Thus, this cushions the author's stand that high level of education is not for everyone. However, different jobs would bring in different income for various individuals. In Singapore, those people who have higher level of studies such as lawyer and doctors are earning much more than those who are holding on to jobs that does not involve high level of education. Thus, in the pursuit of having more income, it is imperative to pursue a higher level of education so that the income earned is more than sufficient to cope with the rising standards of living in Singapore. Hence, this limits the author's point that high level of education is not for everyone.

Education AQ/Chin Wang/10S403

From the passage, the author states that in society it should only be natural and fair for all to receive an education. It is only appropriate for people to make their own decisions as they have the rights and freedom to do so and nobody should be able to decide for them. Education has only been highly regarded in recent years as a factor that promotes growth within a country. As a result, many countries have started placing emphasis on its education system to provide an education for every individual that is suitable for it. In addition, some countries have made primary education compulsory for all. Therefore, many government have implemented policies which aids excellent students who experience financial difficulties with scholarships to pay for their tuition costs. For example, in my society, the government has made primary education compulsory for all children and those parents who fail to adhere to the regulations will be punished according to the law. This promotes the future growth of the economy as all future generations would be literate and can effectively contribute to society. However, this point is limited as although education is provided for all, some might not take education seriously and waste their years away. Most of these people are those who are not interested in academics but may be more interested towards the practical side. Therefore, many of these students drop out during their teenage years and begin working at a very young age without much skills. Hence, this is applicable towards my society.

The author had stated another point that not all are suitable for college as there are those who lack the skills and knowledge required for higher education. With an education system, every individual are ranked based on the ideal of meritocracy whereby students higher better academic results would be much more regarded as compared to those who did worse. This would cause intense competition amongst students to compete for admission into universities. For example, in my society, courses only take in a certain number of students during the annual student intakes. This causes students to compete for the more popular courses where they are promised a better future if they do get admitted in to the course. As a result, many youths who are not admitted are often disregarded by most members of society. However, this point is limited as people who are not suitable for college does not mean that they are stupid. It might only be due to the reason that they have interest in other topics. Therefore, most of these students prefer experiencing to studying. As a result, most countries have establish other sorts of institution which caters to the needs of these students and also to enhance their learning experience and prepare them for the working society. For example, in Singapore, the government have encourage the establishment of other institutions such as the Institute of Technical Education and Polytechnics to cater to the needs of students who are more hands-on and interested in topics related to the working society. This has helped many to develop themselves and also to excel in studies although they might not have done well academically before. As a result, I feel that this point is applicable to my society.