The Singapore identity created after 50 years is currently one filled with a plethora of educational
opportunities. 50 years ago, there were only 2 universities in Singapore that was recognised
internationally, namely Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and National University of
Singapore (NUS). These universities were considered word class universities and a degree from any
of these two universities were able to land you a job in almost any country in the world. Of course,
there is Singapore Management University, but they were still in their founding years. Fast forward
50 years, almost all the university degrees are recognised world-wide. The education system has
grown by leaps and bounds. There used to be grading systems in primary schools, secondary schools
and junior colleges but were soon demolished due to the stress that it placed on students. Now,
education is a requirement for anyone who is in Singapore. The government has subsidised primary,
secondary, and junior college school fees to be affordable for almost every Singaporean.
Furthermore, university fees have been sustainably decreased so that more students are able to
afford it and lead a better life for themselves. There are also many options of taking classes online
when in university as universities understand the travelling distance may be taking a toll on
students.
However, all of these did not come naturally. Most of the adults here still had to go through the
regimes of the schooling system when we were younger. We had to take exams once every 3
months, not including the bi-weekly class tests that we had to study for. Many had to burn the
midnight oil studying for major exams and even after all these efforts, many were still unsatisfied
and worried about their results. Schools were always conducted in person until the COVID-19
situation hit Singapore in 2019. Everyone was forced to stay indoors, and classes had to be
converted to online lessons. Through these few years of trying, it has been found that having classes
online were more time saving and many students found it more convenient, and even better for
their studies as they were able to record the lessons and rewatch them in their own time.
All the convenience and accessibility to education we have today are the fruits of hardship
Singaporeans had to overcome, and hopefully, many of you will be able to continue to build on this
national identity of Singapore and continue to improve the education system in Singapore now.