Ok , first things first , I shall admit that I am doing this at an ungodly hour so be a little lenient please ???  =)

The topic I am going to touch on is meritocracy in Singapore, the advantages and disadvantages of such a system in Singapore.Basically meritocracy is a system in which the talented are chosen and moved ahead on the basis of their achievement. In other words, meritocracy follows the principle of "equal pay for equal work".

One example, which is a favourite among school principals : PSLE T-SCORE. Well, the system of meritocracy can be seen when the primary school students go to various secondary schools based on their PSLE T score. Inevitably, students who get to go to more prestigious schools are of so called ' higher class ' compared to students who go to less prestigious schools. See ? This whole meritocratic idea is being drilled into the minds of Singaporeans at such a young age.

Students in the top five junior colleges, which I do not want to mention, are of course, the cream of the crop. From hearsay, these students do get a lot of perks and many large scale events are being organised for them. Then how about the ITE or polytechnic students? I find a sense of elitism creeping into our sunny island of Singapore.

Meritocracy prevents corruption and nepotism, but in reality , meritocracy does not mean " EQUAL pay for EQUAL work " . People who have the resources can climb up the ladder faster and therefore there is little indication of genuine effort or hardwork.

Well ,I came across this on the internet : "Nobody wants to be streamed, but it is society and human nature that streams people." It is not solely up to us to get rid of elitism or meritocracy because people brand you.

However, I would like to provide a story on someone who has worked hard to achieve his success.He is Breadtalk founder George Quek. George Quek founded Breadtalk six years ago and his company is listed on the Singapore Exchange and has expanded overseas with outlets from Shanghai and Dubai. He is a self-made man with only secondary school education , which shows that you don't have to be equipped with a Bachelor's degree to succeed.

Meritocracy is here to stay, but I believe the Singaporean government should embrace talent meritocracy more instead of emphasising so much on exam meritocracy.

Here's a youtube video, made by a fellow Singaporean , titled ' The importance of being elite '. Well ... just for your entertainment ! =)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK8Wfn_7BxI

ciao !

WAN XIU HUI

4B