The Rising Tide of Foreign Competition in Singapore and How It Affects the Future Generations

Depeche Mode's Enjoy The Silence resonated its new age melancholic melody as I was taking a shower. As its lyrics ...words are very unnecessary... repeatedly played under the calm of my cold bath, I couldn't help think about what my aunts and uncle were discussing just hours before and not think of the bliss of ignorance which the song were constantly attempting to persuade me into. But what has been heard cannot be unheard. As I am strongly positive that my aunts' and uncle's words will dwell and influence my important decisions in the future, I feel this need to recount those words by writing into this blog. The writing style which I will be adopting in my shortly to come unfolding of events will be in the perspective of the tellers. In my defence, I am merely a soul intrigued by the matter and still holds no strong opinion and hence do not fully agree with what my relatives have said. 

China is rising, and with its emergence comes the inevitable impact it will have on Singapore along with the rest of the world. As the global economy slows down, so does Singapore's economy as it is export-driven. As MNCs and SMEs, which Singapore has been so reliant on for its growth and employment, look into cheaper labour costs in the midst of a slowing economy and growing expenses, what better solution to come by then foreign talents that Singapore had been so ready to open her doors to. This is evident despite the so-believed efforts made by the government to reduce dependency on foreign workers to sustain its economic and population growth as more Chinese, Filipinos, Burmese etc. workers take on higher positions in the workplace of Singapore's industries. Our government readies scholarships paying hefty bonds for our foreign counterparts as we Singaporeans slave through the intense meritocratic education system of our own country. As more compatible foreigners enter into our schools, students face greater challenges and stress to keep up and compete with these foreign students, who many have an edge in Mathematics and Science, in order to compete with them the scarcely limited slots available to us in our local and, daresay, private universities. Although I do support the idea of meritocracy, I do feel the need for a reform in our education and admission system. Indeed, we need to start thinking of how we admit potential students into a course of study. I have a friend who has a strong passion for hairdressing. However, he was unable get into a hairdressing course because his Mathematics grades thwarted his professing his interest. What does Mathematics have to do with hairdressing? There are several courses which require an intermediate knowledge of sciences, where mathematics and sciences and grades should matter, whereas some do not like hairdressing. These skills require vigour and fiery passion to excel just like any other art. As I was reading a LKY Biography The Hard Truths, I recall a section of the book which recounted a conversion which our late Prime Minister had with a Japanese minister. He was discussing why the gardeners that the Japanese minister had trimming living sculptures were more skillful than those working in his Oxley Road estate, and upon realisation of the reason LKY said something along the lines, "How stupid of me to have been doing it this way, I've been employing my gardeners based on whether they have degrees". This goes to add on to my point that our education system is in a mess and we are in dire need for a reform to produce more effective and talented workers suited in our industries.

Priority should also be given to our local students (more if it already is), we should not forsake the children of Singapore in the face of growing pressures of an economic slowdown. I believe that more efforts should be directly towards our locals and their futures. If not, are we, as Singaporeans, doomed to be taking job positions under these foreigners in our very own country? 

To be continued....(if any more ranting is needed of the subject)