Equality of Opportunity

The current ‘debate’ over the changes in MOE’s funding to top schools in Singapore is laughable. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for a national discussion on the merits of our considerable education budget and how it can best be utilised – which the current ‘debate’ is anything but.

In the first place, MOE has clarified that there was no reduction in its commitment to the schools in question. The changes in funding were due to a review of the way MOE allocates funds. Some of the top schools saw a drop in overall funding while others saw an increase as a result. Whence does this public discontent over a perceived disadvantage to students at top schools come from?

Nevertheless I’d say the parental concern over the quality of facilities for the students at affected schools is still understandable. In fact it is a good sign that parents take an interest in their children’s education.

What I find downright ridiculous is how the oft lauded alternative media has jumped on this opportunity with glee to forward their socialist agenda. They play on the emotions of ostensibly ‘disadvantaged’ masses (who attend schools other than the top 18) by distorting the truth and insinuating that the government is perpetuating elitist policies (and not every article was subtle about it).

The Independent Singapore wrote that funding to premier schools would be better utilised if allocated to “students from disadvantaged backgrounds or who need more dedicated support” rather than “gifted students who, being what they are, will do well in a competitive learning environment anyway”.

On 5 Feb, The Heart Truths went further, reporting that “this government continues to believe in segregating Singapore into a playground for the rich, while creating a pool of stagnating underclass”.

This is blatantly irresponsible citizen journalism that seeks to poison the minds of its readers with anti-elitist sentiments.

How did the issue morph into that of a class divide? What a remarkable manipulation of words! Students enrol in top schools on the basis of merit, not wealth. This is the equality of opportunity we espouse. The son of the wealthiest man in Singapore would have to resign himself to the ‘inferior’ facilities of his school if he wasn’t able to secure enrolment into top schools on his own merit.

Critics point out that children from well to do families tend to do better in school. While this is statistically true, it says nothing about the failings of our meritocracy. Equality of opportunity entails a fair chance to enter top schools, not a level playing field. If well to do families can afford expensive tuition to give their children a head start, then we should applaud their efforts.

Of course the wealthy have it easier in life. If we were to insist on absolute equality, we might as well issue a nationwide ban on private transport. Force everyone to suffer the inconvenience of public transport.

If that sounded absolutely ridiculous to you, that’s because it is.

Singapore’s philosophy has always been to enlarge the economic pie, not engender a scramble for the largest slice. It’s not about pulling down the rich from their perch; it’s about uplifting the less well to do to reduce, NOT eliminate, the disparity in living standards. As in the case of transport where public transport is constantly upgraded to convenience the public, so should we invest in our schools to improve the facilities and teaching standards.

That being said, the situation is hardly as dire as those critics would have you believe. Tuition is not a prerequisite for good grades. Sure, making appointments with school teachers can be inconvenient, but we have dedicated teachers who are more than willing to help. In fact, education has been responsible for lifting the majority of Singaporeans out of poverty ever since our independence!

I do not deny that there are responsible citizen journalists out there who have written objectively and responsibly. But these voices of reason have been drowned out by the rowdy extremists who have hijacked this incident to further their own agendas.

To those who truly believe that equality has to be achieved at the expense of the privileged, I ask that you think less selfishly (the irony of that!). As much as we try to level up the rest of the 180 odd schools in Singapore, the top few will undeniably continue to pioneer new technologies and facilities. In time, the other schools will pick up those ideas that have proven effective, just as the adoption of Information Technology has spread to almost every school in Singapore now.

Had we stopped the pioneering few from adopting IT in the name of equality a decade ago, perhaps we will not have embraced IT in education as we have today, without the precedents from which other schools studied before deciding to adopt IT.

After all, we are rewarding the brightest minds with a conducive and stimulating learning environment. Those MOE grants go towards funding not just air-conditioning, but also Performing Arts Centres, Sports Halls, Swimming Pools and Overseas Immersion Programmes, all of which undeniably enrich the learning experience of our students. If anything constructive needs to be done, it should be finding ways to fund similar facilities and programmes to benefit the wider community of students.

If funding to top schools has been excessive at the expense of the other needy students, then I’ll be the first to lobby for a more efficient allocation of funds. Wastage of public funds on lavish facilities that serve no practical purpose should indeed be condemned. But as long as these funds can be justified by enrichment programmes for our students, let’s not begrudge them the learning experience.