Intellectual Bulimia
by Ong Chin Kai
Saint Andrew’s Junior College (and every other institution in Singapore) is equipped with a conducive environment for learning.
Not only are there qualified teachers, there are qualified teachers in a wide diversity of disciplines. Science, math, music or literature, the school is fitted with the means to satisfy your insatiable hunger for knowledge. (contradiction intended)
But we do not learn in school. We memorise, swallow, and download information in school.
We are not expected to digest what we’ve been taught. We are expected and conditioned to preserve the knowledge within our stomachs, to vomit and regurgitate them as and when required.
We have thus become intellectual bulimics. Vomiting out the fruits of knowledge we hardly consumed. And this is worse than the actual bulimics, at least they get to enjoy their food.
Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating but you get the idea. Singapore’s education system not only sucks for the curious, it also sucks the curiosity out of them. Yes, I know it produces efficient workers, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is pissing me off!
My subject combination is PCMe- Physics, chemistry, mathematics, economics, general paper and project work. (chinese is insignificant) Of all subjects, the most destestable is H2 PHYSICS.
I love physics. Its my passion and interest. But I HATE H2 physics. Yes, I mean those capitals. I hate how I always have to memorise ill-defined definitions and how I always get marked down for giving ACCURATE explanations. YES! I’m penalised for accuracy!
Example-
Q: State the principle of conservation of momentum.
A: The net sum of momentum in an isolated system is always constant.
WRONG! I need to write momentum OF BODIES. WOW!
Let’s take a look at NASA’s answer
“ The conservation of momentum states that, within some problem domain, the amount of momentum remains constant; momentum is neither created nor destroyed, but only changed through the action of forces as described by Newton’s laws of motion.”
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/airplane/conmo.html
Do I see momentum of BODIES? NO! OH NO! NASA IS WRONG!!!
Anyway, using the term ‘ momentum of bodies’ further complicates things. What are bodies? Can I define bodies as objects of mass? If that’s the case, how do we consider the momentum of massless photons flying around?
The example mentioned is not fiction. I did get that question wrong for the very same reason. To sajc physics teachers who are reading this- Its ok, its not your fault that education is so screwed up.
So, the million dollar question is: Who is to blame? Not the teachers, not the school, and also not MOE, they’re just trying to produce workers to sustain our economy. I reckon we can only blame ourselves. It is our fault that we are curious, our fault that we are such demanding children. Our intellectual anarchy has no place in the society, it is best that we resign to this fate.
p.s. i’m obviously not going to ‘resign to this fate’
