Education: Prepare Children for Test of Life, Not Life of Test

Education: Prepare Children for Test of Life, Not Life of Test
The Education Minister Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam is a wise man.
Not just a wise man. But a VERY wise man.

Previously he was the Acting Education Minister. A student innocently asked him why is he the ACTING Minister. Teachers used to tell students to stop acting like one and be the real one.

In an interview, he said, "We have to broaden our definitions of merit, because that's what the real world looks for. We have to prepared our kids for the test of life, not a life of test."

Bravo. Well said. Because all our student lives, our usefulness as a person is defined by how well we scored in our exams. It don't mean a thing if you can dance like a swan, or kick a ball like Fandi. It does not matter if you can sing like an angel or run like a horse. Because it has no merit.

I have returned all the knowledge to the school. I need a calculator to add the sums. The calculus - there are long buried in the school grounds.

What I want my children to learn from school are values. What's right and what's wrong. What's the consequence of every action. How to solve their problems creatively. How to see the bigger picture. How to make choices in life. How to make a life. How to making a living. And finding the meaning in life.

It's about not memorising the fact. It's about knowing where to find the information when you need it.