national day rally

prime minister lee hsien loong first mentioned that singapore aims to equip each child with a top-rate education. on the surface, this is possible as singapore is known for her high standard of education in the world. furthermore, in newsweek's finding, national university of singapore is ranked sixteenth in the world as being a global institution, both academically and in terms of diversity.

singapore does have the infrastructure and ability to give such a top rate education. we have good institutions and such. hence, it is a feasible suggestion. furthermore, with the creation of a forth university in the future, that doesnt seem so hard to achieve. however, the only concern is that, will the citizens be positive about such a target?

of course, we all understand the value of a top education. however, the very quality of such a nature of education demands that we fork out a lot of cash. well, for the higher-end families with BM 7 series might not find this much of a concern. but we do have families struggling to make ends meet, though they have bright and outstanding children. also, we have the average families who might face further financial burden when their children get into top end institutions.

perhaps the government should look into this concern, and see whether financial burden will be a big barrier to achieving and realising those dreams. as far as i'm concerned, i feel that singapore should perhaps emulate something similar to what malaysia has recently implemented, that is, free education for everyone. though singapore might not want to go full-force on such an approach that might cause a backlash on other developments, they could perhaps create more opportunities for bond-free loans and scholarships. a good and top quality education will help individuals propel the economy and provide more to society.

he also mentioned in the later part of his speech that singapore is a city of possibilities. this is perhaps meant in the sense that we can undertake what we want to and it will be a fruitful venture, provided effort and determination are exercised all the time. however, looking deeper, is singapore really a city of possibilities? or only certain possibilities are being given a chance to develop and realise its true potential?

i'd say the latter. only some possibilities are being looked at and tapped on. the government is forever placing an emphasis on science and technology and this means that everyone goes into this sector. simply because it's a venture that is supported by the authorities, hence possibilities here are limitless. i've heard of endless tales of new discoveries and explorations in the science sector.

what about the arts? what about the social sector? those minor breakthroughs that have been bluntly ignored simply because they aren't congruent to what the government deems fit. we have to change this mindset. it's not fair and neither is it feasible for our future. if we're to concentrate on science alone, that doesnt make singapore vibrant as a whole collective.

possibilities in every sector is important if we want to achieve more and develop singapore to reach new dimensions once unattainable. hence, there are certain limitations and considerations to what the prime minister mentioned in the national day rally.