Tuesday, July 17, 2012 / 12:00 AM 0credits inserted.

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It'll be a wordy post, but I'm sure many of you will find my thoughts relevant.

I have this bad habit of not making sense/jumping from point to point, so please pardon me for anything I repeat or have little relevance.

Note: This isn't a post on whether Polys or JCs are better. Please don't assume that it has anything to do with that.

One fine day, I saw quite a few angry tweets on my timeline over what one minister said.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1211706/1/.html

Go check it out if you haven't, for those who don't, here's a summary.

The Minister of State (Education and Defence), Mr. Lawrence Wong,  said that "Polytechnics 'will not become pre-universities'." He also said that "there is still a significant number of poly students who will go directly to work", and that that "remains the primary mission of our polytechnics".

Well here's my question.

Why are most polytechnic students deemed as unworthy of a university education, or that our main purpose after a Diploma is to work?

(Funny little thing. If our main purpose after a Diploma is to work, why are so many job sectors only looking for Degree holders?)

As many of you know, Singapore's education is one hell of a tough cookie. 

It's an unspoken thing, but haven't you realised that in our education system, there is some sort of a hierarchy system?

The book smart go to JCs and have a path to Uni more or less paved out for them.

The slightly more hands-on, and even those who score well enough for JC who choose to go to Polytechnics. More time spent, more in depth, much harder to get into Uni.

The JC students, those that are smarter or more hardworking when it comes to textbook related materials, have a slightly more pressured environment. (Well I can't compare for myself, so I'm just speaking from what I know.)

These students have to go through two years to get an 'A' level cert, just like how we all spend 4/5 years for our 'O' level cert.

Stressful? Most probably.

However, universities save more spots for students who do not score as well in their A's than well scoring students from polytechnics. One thing I do not understand is: if you are taking in a student based on their merits, how can you compare an 'A' level cert, to a Diploma and that person's GPA?

They are of completely two different things, but you'd rather take in an average scoring JC student with maybe close to zero knowledge of the course, than a student who has spent 3 years studying that?

I understand that that is how this system works. JC to Uni, much lower chances for Poly to Uni.

Let me ask you this:

Will 2 years in JC and 4 years of Business in Uni(let's take that as an example) be better than 3 years of Business in Poly and another 3 years of Business in Uni?

Yes, JC students are probably better at handling very dry subjects. Does that mean that all Polytechnic students aren't?

All polytechnics and JCs will have their fair share of black sheep who gets removed. What about the poly students who score well enough to get into the director's list? By working that hard and getting noticed, you'll probably have a path paved for you, but through your hard work.

What about the above average students who aren't scoring a 3.8GPA?

One thing I find really ridiculous sometimes.

People are saying about how Singaporean youths are not putting in enough effort, that we are not doing our best to get into university.

Majority of the seats go to JC students, and a fixed percentage of seats go to foreign students. 

So how do we, the Polytechnic students, try to get into a local university, when there are so many obstacles set up for us?

(I'm only a year 1 student, and I already feel like I have a very slim chance for Uni. -_-)

So many of us put in the effort to maintain a good GPA, but if it's not good enough for a local university, we'll end up in a private university along with those lower scoring ones who didn't put in as much effort compared.

What about those who are unable to fork out the money for the hefty price tag that comes along with studying in a private uni?

As what Mr. Wong said, they "do not want polytechnics to become pre-universities".

Am I supposed to assume, that the government does not want me, a polytechnic student, to go to university?

(And then hear how they want more students to go to university, but give more seats to foreign students than Singaporeans from Polytechnics. Oh the irony.)

But as what Albert Einstien once said. 

If you judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree, it will live it's whole life believing that it is stupid.

(No offense meant. I am merely expressing my thoughts and questions. 

My apologies if I have stated something wrongly, or if I have offended you in any way. )

Posted by: @kiewc