Learning makes the wise wiser and the fool more foolish - John Ray (1627-1705) English naturalist.

A brief conversation with a younger cousin of mine today evoked certain thoughts in me. What started out as an innocent conversation had ended with me thinking about how education had marred the kids of today. I was just casually asking Cousin Tim about his plans after receiving his PSLE results later next month. I ignorantly assumed that he was going to the same secondary school as Cousin Josh (who had always been the smarter of the two). However, he aptly replied that he was never going to make it into the same school as that school is exclusively for express students. He simply could not try for that school as he was from the EM3 stream. Now, that was what I always felt was unfair. Why differentiate the kids into various streams at such a young age? Much as I have to agree that not all kids have the same capacity for learning, I have to say that all kids should be given a fair chance at learning the same stuff together at least until they are of an older age. Streaming the kids at a tender age of 10 is destroying that very sanctity of education and causing the kids to lose a unique quality, that is - their innocence.

Some children are perhaps smart, brilliant even, but could be late bloomers, thus, at the age of 10, they may not be able to display their full potential. Dumping them into the EM3 stream is not a solution in helping them progress. This is single-handedly destroying their chance of improving themselves, and god forbid, bruising their confidence down to a low point. It's like the case of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer - except that in this case, the smart getting smarter and the stupid getting stupider. As someone who had survived this era of streaming, I could only say that this is the most unfair. EM1 kids get all the extra attention and tutorials, EM2 kids get more or less the same treatment. What leaves for the EM3 kids? Some teachers automatically assume that these kids are a waste of space, and that these kids are never going to be the elites in society. Whatever gave them this idea? It is our very own education system - thank you very much. Even as these kids proceed to higher education, they are continually subjected to differentiation and distinction. Special, express and normal streams. Junior colleges, institudes, polytechnics, ITEs and VTCs. Not that I totally think that such a system is disadvantageous. It could be beneficial to a certain extent, as long as a child in a school is learning new things everyday and is happy with what he or she has learnt. I believe that learning should be without boundaries. Every child should be given equal chances at excelling until at least of a mature age. Subjecting children to a harsh system at a young age could make them modern day robots - manipulated and without freedom of choosing what they want to do.

Destiny is in one's own hands. Whatever becomes of a child should be largely according to his or her will. It is time to work hard and play hard rather than work hard and work even harder. Modern kids should be given more space and confidence to grow, excel, aspire and achieve. Only then can we be assured that a population of ignorant techno-nerds is not being generated.