Ora et labora

'Ora et labora' means 'pray and work' in latin. It has nothing to do with my article , maybe except for the 'work' part...

Read some articles in the Straits Times; 'I was a Bad girl' by Clara Chow and 5 letters to the Forum page in response to "Pray, let the children play" by Mr. Patrick Tan on 8th July. In both the article as well as the letters, the writers expounded on how children nowadays have little else besides their schoolwork and related activities.

Being an advocate for the need to strike a healthy balance in the 'education' of our children, I do feel that too much emphasis is placed on academic pursuits at the expense of our kids having a balanced outlook on life. Singapore is indeed a competitive place in which to grow up. Parents look for the best schools, the best tutors and provide the best studying environment for our kids in the hope that one day they become doctors, lawyers or engineers. It is all very noble and just on the surface, but the outcome of such a system are kids that are exam smart and little else. Maybe in the Singapore context it may not seem that bad that our kids excel in their studies. Our cohorts are regularly among the best in the world.

But one only has to go and have a chat with a kid of similiar age in Europe or the US to realise that our kids have less social skills and creativity compared to their friends across the Atlantic and the Pacific. General knowledge and social consciousness is also found lacking. This comparision can also be made a little closer to our neighbours in India or China.

Our kids grow up too fast and too soon. I recently read a primary one school text and found to my horror that kids nowadays are learning the same stuff we learnt, only earlier!
My fondest memories of growing up were of the stuff i did outside of school. The football matches on soggy open fields. The neighbourhood bicycle gangs. The treks into the nature reserves. The school yard fights. Hanging out at Far East Plaza after school. Ahhh...those were the days.

Acting Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan recently implored our youth 'to be rebellious. Because if you are just conforming to the social norms, then you are merely following our footpath which may not be relevant for you...'. Singapore yearns to be a more gracious society. Singapore wants to develop a more cosmopolitan outlook among our citizens. I do believe that it all begins at home.Then at school! Our education system has to make allowances for our children to expand their horizons and to let our kids taste life for better or for worse. Parents are overly protective and overly zealous over their kids, that their kids spend most of their after school hours doing revision, 10 year series and attending tuition classes.

I will never allow my own kids to have such a life. I will want them to lead balanced and full lives. There will be time to play. Time to learn. A time to love. A time to fall and a time to rise above.