Education is very necessary. Do you agree?

Education is very necessary. Do you agree?

Whether or not education serves the right purpose in our society is a difficult question to decide. Very often people do not take up professions for which they are trained; at other times they do not get the opportunity to use their training. When most education at the school level is either free or subsidized, it becomes essential to examine the question in great detail.

Is education really necessary? Did we not live before this quantitative expansion took place, before education began to be imparted to members of all classes? In Britain till mid-nineteenth century education was class privilege. Britain could expand the area of its education on the basis of the industrial relation. Can the developing and the under-developed countries afford to take similar measures?

For generations our people have depended only on life to educate them and they have all learned through experience. Even at a higher stage of education mere theoretical knowledge is not enough; it has to be related to actual experience. Many young engineers and technicians find that what they have learned in their schools and colleges is not of much use to them and they have to learn everything anew once they take to practical work.

However solid these arguments may appear to be, I firmly believe that education alone can save us. It alone can help us build a better future. Ignorance never was bliss and to believe in it would be a folly. It is not gold that makes good people or good countries. It is knowledge. Knowledge is the only thing which can come to the help of mankind. Education is one we cannot neglect. If we want young minds to grow and be aware of the world around them, if we want our country to be in the forefront or at least on par with other countries, we must educate our people for all advanced knowledge and for peace and war education is necessary. We can never be free if we depend on other countries for the technical know-how. Even if practical knowledge is acquired in the fields and the factories, we have to have some one who knows about the soils and the fertilizers and can build our factories.

Today war is not a mere matter of bravery of courage. Wars are won or lost on the basis of literacy. Modern weapons are so sophisticated that an illiterate soldier cannot use them. Education is not a mere ability to sign one’s name. It is the basis of something much more important. Even basic hygiene and cleanliness are connected with the level of education. To some extent they are also connected with the economic situation. Education helps to solve both the problems at one go. With better education better jobs will be available.

There is no time to dilly-dally about matters related to education. If we want progress, we must ensure minimum education for all.

Student Study Just To Pass Examinations. Do You Agree?

Student Study Just To Pass Examinations. Do You Agree?

I agree fully with the above statement. I am a student and I study just to pass the examinations. It seems the same with my schoolmates. We are all only concerned with the examinations. We do not study other things that do not require us to sit for examinations.

The reason that we do not study other things is because we have no time for them. School subjects take up all our time in school and much of our time in school and much of our time of school. Everyday we have to learn so many things whether we like it or not. Lesson continues one after the other with hardly a break. Our brains switch from history to geography to mathematics to science with a speed of light. We manage most of the time, but sometimes it get so tiring to study, and many of us think to put off our study. For me, any initial interest I have in any subject is quickly killed off by the sheer amount of information I have to absorb. No one is allowed to learn his or her own pace. Everyone is force-fed a diet of information regardless whether he or she can cope with it or not (haiz…so pity the one’s who study…).

Then there is always the next examination around the corner. Since very young we have been taught this: passing with flying colors an examination is the best, just passing it is just a normal statement, but failing is very bad indeed. We are expected to pass. Our parents, teachers and all grown-ups applaud us when we pass with flying colors. If we pass they say nothing, but when we failed we are made to fell worthless. I myself have been caned by my mother because I got red marks in my report card (but in secondary I have improved better!).

No one wants to be considered worthless or be punished for failure, but that is what the world is. So we become obsessed with examinations. We study because we do not want to fail. I have heard some teachers’ say that we should study to acquire in my years in school is that if I fail I am finished. I have to pass with flying colors to prove that I am not worthless.

That is how I feel. For some of my classmates who cannot cope well with the workload, they simply give up studying in some subjects. They are already marked as failures by the teachers so they see no point in studying anymore ,but some teacher always teaches them, help them on their homework, support them but the hard work seems have no effect on them, maybe they are meant to failed. Lucky I do not fall in that category. I still study and do my homework as diligently as I can, but I do these things with only one thing in mind and that is: I have to pass my examinations with flying colors.

So the students study very hard indeed. Passing means success in the world. Failure is unspeakable. The fact remains that they study not for the sake of knowledge but only so that they can pass the next examinations. I am no different from them.

Private tuition – is it necessary?

Private tuition – is it necessary?

As far as I am concerned, private tuition is not necessary for me. I shall give some reasons.

I find that if I pay attention in class when the teacher is teaching, it is adequate to see me trough my lessons and homework. If there is any doubt I can always ask the teacher concerned.

Today most of the things taught in school are not too difficult to follow, as long as I do not neglect my work. Mathematics, Science, Geography, History, and English are not that difficult to handle provided I take an interest in them and put in some genuine effort. So in all years in school I never had to have any private tuition. Yet I can get through my examinations without any problem.

I notice that my classmates who take private tuition are usually not interested in their studies. In class they have a “couldn’t-be-bothered” attitude thinking that their tuition teachers will cover the lessons for them later. What they do not realize is that it is so much easier to pay attention in class than having to spend extra time in the afternoons just to cover up for the wasted time in school. The extra time can easily be spent for other more constructive things than having to repeat a lesson.

Also private tutors do not come cheap. The parents have to fork out a considerable sum of money for the services of the tutors who are ordinary teachers anyway.

The trouble with taking private tuition is that the students can become too dependent on the tutors and cannot function on their own. Everything has to be spoon-fed.

Private tuition is only necessary if the child is really weak in certain subjects. But nowadays it is trendy to go to tutorial centers or engage private tutors.

Whether private tuition does really improve the performance of an ordinary student is debatable. Some of my classmates take private tuition. I do not see them doing exceptionally well in tests and examinations. Some of them still fail. Those who do not take private tuition perform just about the same as those who do. One who does not have private tuition, does not feel disadvantaged nor less capable than those who do.

I have to concede that not everyone has the same ability or intelligence. So some students may really need extra tuition before they can grasp what is being taught. Perhaps then these people can benefit from private tuition. But for the majority of students, like my classmates, they do not need private tuition. What they need is to do their classwork properly and they should have no troubles passing any examination.

The teachers in school are always there to help if we bother to ask them. They are already paid for their services. So there is no need to pay them extra for the same things they teach in school.

Is a little knowledge dangerous?

Is a little knowledge dangerous?

Yes, a little knowledge is always dangerous not only to that person, but also to others. There is certainly a great deal of truth in this statement. We may also refer to another proverb “empty vessels make most noise”. Knowledge is desirable and should be attained by anyone at any cost; however, a little knowledge, which may be slightly better than no knowledge, can be dangerous.

It is normal to see people with little knowledge trying to make others believe that they are very knowledgeable. This often makes them proud and they tend to treat others with little respect as well as looking down upon others. Sometimes, some people might believe them and with this “little knowledge”, these people will try to lead others which will usually end in disappointment and disaster.

Those with little education and some of a particular age and sects of women are such examples. They will try to read on a variety of subjects and then try to impress others. In employment they will think themselves to be high and mighty. They always feel that work is below their dignity. The result is that they will be fired. These people will become dejected, disappointed and confused.

Some people may disagree that a little knowledge is not a dangerous thing. On the other hand, it can motivate them to further their efforts to gain more knowledge. This may be true in some cases. But psychological studies have revealed that this type of persons is very rare.

So it is always good to know something well. Gaining knowledge in a particular field will definitely make one a master in a subject. Let us not be jack of all trades and master of none. Let us at least be a master of some.

The ills of modern cities

The ills of modern cities

The most glaring ill of modern cities is that the people in it are always in a hurry. Businesspeople, wage-earners, laborers, pedlars, crooks and assorted characters all rush about in their activities. It is rush, rush and more rush. City folks rush to work, rush to get their work done, rush to have lunch and rush home. Then perhaps they rush to have dinner or rush to a party. Finally in the early hours of the morning it is a rush to, as they say, grab some sleep before the rush next morning.

I was in Sydney, Australia, for a visit once. As I took a leisurely stroll along the city streets, I was amazed at how everyone seemed to be walking very quickly past me. Even old ladies of seventy simply overtook me without any difficulty. Some younger ones were actually running towards God knows where. To cross the busy roads, everyone crowded near the traffic lights. The moment the lights changed to green for the pedestrians, they took off not unlike sprinters off the blocks. That was a rush indeed. I was forced to walk quickly too, otherwise I was likely to be trampled on by the crowd.

NO wonder modern city-dwellers suffer from all sorts of stress-related diseases. Some of these stressed people are probably rushing towards an early grave too.

In a city like Kuala Lumpur, after the workers have gone home, the uglier side of the city emerges. The night-sports open up attracting all sorts of people. Prostitutes, drug addicts, drug pushers, con-men, thugs and other potentially dangerous characters abound. The police are hard-pressed to handle them. The crime rate is always rising.

However, compared to other cities like New York, Kuala Lumpur is relatively tame. In New York, everyone knows that it is dangerous to even go for a walk in some areas after 5 p.m. The likelihood of getting mugged or even killed is very high. The street gangs rule and no sane person would go out to tempt them. Still robberies, murders and all manner of human perversion continue. Certainly there is great ill in this city. This trend of lawlessness s spreading in other cities as well and there is no indication that things will get better.

While skyscrapers dominate the skyline in a city, one could say squatters and shanties dominate the baseline. In some cities, it is estimated that these shanties occupy more than half the city space. On one side, the wealthy ones rush around in their posh cars, while on the other side, the less fortunate ones rush around stealing them. The imbalance of wealth is glaring and nothing is done about it. This is another ill of modern cities.

What are the remedies for these ills of modern cities? It would seem that nobody knows. Nobody seems to care too, which is another typical city illness. At the rate the cities are progressing, it certainly looks like they are headed for some sort of social disaster. Already the inner areas of some huge cities are experiencing a breakdown of law and order. The authorities simply cannot cope. There is not much an ordinary person can do to alleviate these ills. All he can do is to hope that they will go away, which seems very unlikely.

The rising cost of living

The rising cost of living

Older people like my parents are always complaining about the rising cost of living. At first I did not understand what they were talking about until they explained to me what the cost of living was.

My father says that he used to be able to get a bowl of noodles for 20 sen. That is hardly believable considering that a bowl today costs more than a ringgit. Then my grandmother says that a bowl of noodles cost half a sen before World War II. That is even more unbelievable! Now I understand what the cost of living means. It simply means how much it costs to buy things we need.

The cost of living seems to be always rising. The first car my father bought cost less than six thousand ringgit brand new. Nowadays a second hand car costs more than that. Apples used to cost 20 sen each, as my mother says. Now they cost almost a ringgit each.

My grandfather used to earn 5 ringgit a month and that was enough to feed his family of five comfortably. I marvel at that because 5 ringgit today is hardly enough for a meal at a fast food center. Things have certainly become more and more expensive and there is no indication that they will cost less in the future. Compared to my grandfather, my father earned a princely sum of a thousand ringgit a month. That is two hundred times what my grandfather earned. However I know it is hardly sufficient for my father to meet the family expenses. Fortunately my mother earns a bit as a part-time seamstress to help ease the burden. Otherwise he can hardly cope.

Things a few decades ago were much cheaper than today. Besides that there were fewer things to want. Today, the prices of goods shoot up partly because of increased demand and partly because of advertising expenses. There was hardly any advertisement in the days when my grandfather was young. Today advertisements govern every facet of modern living. We are bombarded by them from every angle, via newspapers, magazines, radio and television. No wonder we have to pay more for what we buy.

Also in those days of old, radios were rare and television were unheard of. The people have less to want. So they do not have to spend much. They spend only on everyday necessities. Today there are so many things to want. Some are unnecessary but we still buy them, thus adding to our expenses.

Anyhow bygone days cannot be recovered. The cost of living will keep rising. I hear that in Japan, most of people cannot even afford to buy a house, even though they earn much more than people here. That goes to show how the cost of living can rise to crazy levels. My father says that his Japanese friend told him that my father’s monthly salary cannot even pay for a night’s stay in one of Tokyo’s hotel. That is an example of how high the cost of living has become.

I suppose the cost of living will continue to rise. When I have children of my own in the future, I may have to tell them how cheap things were in my youth. Things will probably cost much more than today and I will have to earn much more than my father in order to cope. Anyhow, when the time comes, I will know what to do. I will have to pay whatever the cost of living requires.

The clothes we wear

The clothes we wear

It sounds strange to say that of all the animals on Earth, only human beings wear clothes. Well, we cannot deny this. Anyone who walks around without clothes on will probably be quickly apprehended and set to the nearest asylum. So we all wear clothes, basically to protect our bare bodies from the elements of nature and from unwanted attention from our fellow humans.

We also wear clothes to project an image of what we think we are or represent. Most of us would not have the guts to war anything outside our assumed social standing. As far as I can remember my grandmother has always worn the traditional Chinese samfu. It is so much a part of her image that she would wear nothing else. It would indeed be a shock to us if she suddenly wears a skirt for instance. That is very unlikely to happen.

However, my mother who is one generation younger would never be found wearing the old-fashioned samfu. She would not dare to be that brave. For her, like her friends, skirts and jeans are the acceptable norms.

My sister, a further generation down, would wear clothes that shock even my mother. Some of my sister’s latest clothes defy classification. They are a combination of skirt, jeans and pajamas all sewn together like rags. Well, that is according to me anyway. For her, it is the very latest in fashion. I really cannot argue on that. One girl’s fashion is another’s rags.

In our country where so many races live together, each day we can see various types of clothes worn by different of people. A typical Muslim woman is almost totally covered from head to toe. An Indian lady wears the body-hugging sari with her midriff exposed. An old Chinese man walks around in his striped shorts-cum-underwear and singlet. A tall Punjabi stands prominently with his huge turban covering his head.

Early in the morning before nine, young executives in business suits can be seen seated with laborers in T-shirts at various tea-stalls around town. Though the clothes they wear are very different, they would just as happily sit down together for a glass of the tarik.

Students, of course, do not have much choice about the clothes they wear in school. Once outside, however, it is a totally different story. Colorful clothes that are both cool and practical are favored by teenagers. These younger people seem to have discarded the traditional clothes of their ancestors for modern trendy ones. Well, I suppose it is an inescapable consequence of modernization.

Judging from what I have seen on films and in magazines, the clothes worn by people of other nations are far different from ours. One thing is clear though, people wear clothes to suit the conditions they live in. as for me, I normally wear T-shirts and jeans for they are the most practical clothes to wear in this hot climate. This is all right for a teenager. I can see that when I begin to work I the future, I will have to wear different clothes to suit the situation. Well, when the time comes, I will know what to wear.