Tuesday, April 8, 2008
it's the 4th day of the new phase and things have been on the bright side thus far. communication networks are up and running, thanks to the betterment of information technology. i never thought skype allowed for such good voice quality. way to go!
for the past few days, there's a kind of tranquility when i am alone at work. sitting there in the room, i could read, sleep and eat undisturbed. work was ever-present but with calmness in mind you could work through them with significant ease. more importantly, nobody came around to spoil my day. solitude isn't that bad either, huh?
"Brain drain 'affects political renewal here'
In highlighting the issue of students with 4As, are you over-emphasising the importance of exam grades in the search for political talent?
A student who has topped his class or obtained recognition from his university for outstanding performance deserves our consideration.
But I would not judge any individual candidate on his examination grades alone.
I would decide based on the broader picture of the person. Not every good leader will have perfect school results, or have gone to a top university.
But we must not swing to the other extreme and discount those with excellent academic abilities. We already have a smaller pool to select from than most countries. Singaporeans with the right intellectual abilities, leadership skills, motivation and values for political leadership are even harder to come by.
Therefore, the outflow of 150 or more top students a year is a serious concern.
They come from good schools, which have worked hard to develop their leadership and character. Some are school leaders or sportsmen, or have volunteered for community work. They enter some of the best universities in the world, which are also selecting for academic excellence plus leadership, commitment, and that X-factor, and training them to be leaders of tomorrow.
So we should not be surprised that some among these outstanding young men and women will be suitable for politics. Indeed, they carry the hopes of all Singaporeans, who have invested much in them, and who hope that they will one day make great contributions to Singapore."
are we avoiding the real issue behind this here? instead making pleas for these people to come back, which inadvertently also casts the wrong light on them (the impression that they're 'quitters', as 'aptly' described by former PM Goh Chok Tong", are we doing enough to stop the outflow of bright young talents to other countries?
"we are small, we lack natural resources, but we pride ourselves in developing our human resources." it is not uncommon to hear this in Singapore. yet, ironically, isn't it a clear testimony that our efforts in developing our human resources is lacking when we're facing a brain drain of such scales?
take scholarship applications for example. yearly, we're seeing an increase in number of students achieving 4As, or as of last year, achieving excellent results in IB. Yet, are we seeing a similar net increase in the number of scholars? not that i know of thus far. it appears that as the number of excellent achievers increases, the criteria for scholarships are pushed higher (an attempt to sieve out the crème de la crème). this is good for the scholarship boards, for they get the best of the lot. but many equally bright students out there, who might have just fallen a grade short of that required, are left out in the process.
why are we casting a smaller net (or for the benefit of doubt, a net of a similar size) when the shoal of fish has increased in size significantly?
If leadership is not marked by results, as mentioned above, then i think more funds can be provided for more scholarships in the public service sector, in hope of retaining more of the top talents in Singapore and at the same time providing them with the exposure and experience that are trademarks of a future leader. private sectors can be encouraged to put in more funds as well, as i believe that excellent individuals in the private sector can also be tapped upon to be come future leaders of Singapore.
disturbed you at 5:09 PM