Educate, not certifcate

I was browsing through the Sunday Times when I saw this interesting article articulating the commonly discussed topic - education.

To what extent should one pursue education and balancing that with the pragmatism of getting a certificate for monetary reasons is often a much discussed subject. Yet no one can really give an answer to this problem since a lot of other factors come into play, for example, his intellect, his aspirations, his environment, his upbringing, his priority. And these factors can led an individual one way or another.

In my scenario, it is no exception. Since young, my parents are wishing that I get a degree so that I could command a higher salary when I start work. Yet, they don't really give me much stress in how I am going to do it. Rather, they let me explore my ways about, allowing me to make my choice of how I would want to pursue my future education - hence, I went to NgeeAnn Polytechnic to study Electronic and Computer Eng. instead of JC, since I'm more hands-on person. And I did enjoy my learning more there than I think I would have had I gone to JC - also I had more fun participating in ECAs and forming long lasting bonds of friendship.

The flexibility of my parents to allow me and my brother to pursue our future education is also something I am glad about. Had they dictated what paths me and my brother should take, perhaps our life might not be what it currently turned out to be. For your info - my brother went to JC and is currently furthering studies in Chinese, a subject which might be deemed less keened by parents due to job prospect as to Engineering which parents seemed to encourage more.

I do hope that when the time comes for me to educate my children, I would also be able to inculcate in them what education should be all about - a process that one should enjoy, a life experience that are of choices that they have thought through, decided and consequences accepted, whatever they may be.

Well, just some food for thought.

Educate, not certificate

In this fortnightly column on life issues, veteran pyschotherapist Anthony Yeo points out the difference between education and qualifications

By Anthony Yeo, Life Lines

When it was time for my sons to enrol in university, I said to them: 'Go get an education. I care less about qualification.' Both were 'normal' students during their difficult secondary school days, despite their intellectual capability. Lucius, the older of the two, had to bear with completing O levels in five years in the 'normal stream', while Eugene managed to sneak into the 'not normal' stream and did it in four. At one time, it seemed both my sons were 'victims' of the education system, with high premium placed on Chinese language, which they were weak in. Eugene suffered when schools decided to drop English literature, when it was deemed too difficult to score in this subject. As I journeyed with them, I decided that I would not stifle their interest in education and began to focus on what it meant to have an education. So, I took them off tuition for Chinese. Lucius then reminded me that I had money leftover for family vacations from the money saved. And so, instead of spending time harassing them about their studies, there was bonding time through trips and things we did together. I decided education was not through books alone, so they learnt more about the world and life skills from experience. I am aware of the agony many parents experience in their preoccupation with academic performance. Somehow they seem rather consumed by anxiety that their children would not get the kind of qualification to get a career that brings in good income. I do wonder if parents are more concerned about qualifications and grades. Perhaps they have been badgered into a sense of paranoia that children will end up as social discards if they are not good in their studies. But not all children are academically inclined. Although intelligent in their own way, they may be underachieving in our education system. It may help for parents to know their children and to discover their abilities, than to force them to conform to some socially prescribed products of the education system. It would also help if parents can learn to focus less on academic achievement and qualification and more on nurturing children to be appropriately educated. I realised that qualification is not equal to experiencing quality of life, or having qualities as a person. One can have education without much of a qualification and vice versa. For me, education is about life and living. It is also about relationships, learning how to manage life with appropriate life skills to take care of self and others. Unfortunately, in the obsessive pursuit of seeking academic excellence and qualification, many families suffer broken relationships with children. My sons' difficulties in school taught me to let them discover for themselves what they can do. It is gratifying that they had lots of education outside of school and in other matters, such as religion, the arts and theatre. In 2004, when Eugene was 24 years old and still in university when many others his age would have graduated and been on course to a career, he wrote me a long e-mail message. Reflecting about life following the loss of his godmother who died after turning 60, he wrote: 'You have taught me so much in my life. You've brought me up to not clamour for materialistic enrichment... but for mental, emotional and spiritual enrichment. Thank you for bringing me up to appreciate life itself.' No blessed sentiments had ever been articulated, just a reminder to value life, relationships and education, not necessarily qualification. E-mail your questions to suntimes@sph.com.sg. Anthony Yeo, a consultant therapist at the Care And Counselling Centre, will answer selected questions.