25th June 2018
Mr Ong Ye Kung
Education Minister
Dear
Mr Ong,
NUS students alleged
stripping and Ngee Ann Poly questionable lap dance
Schools and tertiary institutions must provide moral education and inculcate good vales in
students: An open proposal to Education Minister Ong Ye Kung
I
refer to the press reports on the above incidents and have analyzed and come up
with some possible solutions. NUS and
Ngee Ann Poly are reputable institutions and we should not just criticise the
wrong doings, as anyone can do that.
Rather,
we should, as active citizens, contribute useful ideas to make our home a safe,
healthy and conducive environment. We need to build a culture of thinking ‘out
of the box’ and have the mindset to engage in creative thinking and problem-solving
techniques to help the government of the day build a bright future for all of
us.
The highly improper behaviour displayed by some students from the National
University of Singapore during an unofficial orientation outing at Sentosa and
a video recording of two students from Ngee Ann filmed in a less than desirable
lap dance places these two educational institutions in the spotlight – but for
all the wrong reasons as reported in The Straits Times and The New Paper.
Such unhealthy behavior that has the tendency to promote sex outside
marriage, encourage cohobating, promote wrong values, demean women and have
adverse psychological effects on the students who were unwilling to participate
in the activities must never be condoned. Some people who are under stress find engaging
in sexual behaviour a way to release their pent-up emotions.
While we can allow some form of expression, we should not blindly ape western
lifestyles as there must be some levels of decency in the upbringing of students.
Parents invest a great deal on money on education and thus need to be
assured that their children are learning the right values.
All schools and tertiary institutions have a role to play in passing on
common morality. To do this, they must
provide moral education which should be part and parcel of the curriculum.
There must be discipline and self-regulations during school terms.
Educators, through the direction of the Ministry of Education must give moral
guidance, rewarding students for doing the right things and punishing them when
they step way out of line, as well as modelling good conduct and modelling
appropriate reactions to the conduct of others.
Both students and parents need to come together with the educators for open
and frank discussions and reflection on the nature and justification of moral
values.
Even though it’s a challenge with our youths wanting more freedom, promoting
the moral development of the young is vital as relationships handled poorly can
lead to much bigger social problems in later life – be it at the workplace, in homes and in the
community.
RAYMOND ANTHONY FERNANDO
Footnote:
MOE Ong Ye Kung
Footnote:
Minister has responded positively.
Dear Mr Fernando
Thank you for sharing your views. The IHLs draw a clear line between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors during orientation. The students can have fun, but activities must always be carried out respectfully and in good taste. For the NUS incident, the students organized the activity outside of campus and it was not part of the orientation program. Notwithstanding, NUS felt that as freshmen were invited to the event, it will take the necessary actions to send a clear message that the activity conducted was inappropriate, and in fact, illegal in Singapore.
Regards
MOE Ong Ye Kung
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