Date: Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:19:17 GMT
Local: Wed, Jul 1 2009 12:19 pm
Subject: Wanted: Strong wings, deep roots
Get ready, another round of pay rise for the talents.
Are we the talents?
Wanted: Strong wings, deep roots
By Goh Chin Lian, Senior Political Correspondent
More than one in five of the top students from the 1996-1999 A level graduating
cohorts are not working in Singapore today.
And of those from the same batches who went on to universities overseas without
a scholarship bond, more than one in three are today carving out careers outside
the country.
Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong gave these statistics yesterday to illustrate the
urgency of getting young Singaporeans to sink roots here even as they become
more entrepreneurial and break out into the global economy.
'If more and more of our bright students do not return, this begs the question
whether our success in giving them wings to fly far and high will result in our
eventual decline as a nation, especially as we are not even reproducing
ourselves.
Related link:
Students should be 'world-ready'
'No nation will be able to sustain its growth and prosperity without sufficient
talent, much less a small country like Singapore without natural resources,'
said Mr Goh.
He was speaking to more than 1,000 guests at the 70th anniversary dinner of
Chung Cheng High School last night.
He urged schools to help students retain their emotional bonds to Singapore, 'so
that they think of Singapore as the home which nurtured them, and want to
contribute in some ways to the country of their birth'.
To do this, he suggested that schools inculcate in the young certain values,
such as being appreciative of those who help them advance in life; and not
taking for granted the academic, sports and arts programmes they can enjoy here
and abroad, when many children elsewhere cannot.
Mr Goh hoped that the end result of such teaching would be students who have
strong links with their schools, close ties with their friends and a strong
sense of responsibility to their families - even if they choose to live, work
and even settle down overseas.
Switching to Mandarin, Mr Goh said: 'I hope Chung Cheng and our schools will
give two lasting bequests to our children. One is strong wings; the other, deep
roots.
'Like wild geese that migrate each fall, young Singaporeans should be equipped
with the courage, strength and adaptability to venture to distant lands in
search of opportunities. But when spring returns, they will come back, as this
is their home.'
Indeed, Mr Goh further argued in English, helping young Singaporeans stay rooted
here was the most important challenge facing the Education Ministry.
This is because the number of young Singaporeans working overseas will grow,
given that the education system is producing more and more students equipped
with the right skills to go global.
He noted: 'Our continued investments in schools have produced more bright
students with each passing year. In 1996, the number of local students with at
least 4As and a B3 in General Paper was 541. By 2008, this number has more than
doubled to 1,263.'
Even as he made it clear that he supported the push to equip the young to go
global, he said: 'But here we face a conundrum. When we prepare our students to
be entrepreneurial and world-ready, we are also growing wings on them.'
Mr Goh's remarks are a reminder of a point brought up in April last year by
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, when he also touched on the brain drain and how
it could adversely affect the country's survival.
Mr Lee noted that about one in four, or about 150 out of 600, top A-level
students yearly work overseas after their studies.
This trend presented a big challenge to find successors, particularly for
politics, PM Lee said then.
Speaking to The Sunday Times last night, the principal of Chung Cheng High
School (Main) Mr Lo Chee Lin said that one way the school keeps its students
rooted is by emphasising the need to remember one's roots.
This was a key tenet of the school's culture, he said.
It helped too that students could see the examples set by an active alumni, he
added.
These include people like top banker Wee Cho Yaw and Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang,
who were both present at the anniversary celebration last night
From: baldeagle
Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2009 17:38:38 -0700 (PDT)
Local: Thurs, Jul 2 2009 8:38 am
Subject: Re: Wanted: Strong wings, deep roots... Wanted: A caring Singapore...to retain top brains
On Jul 1, 12:19 pm, b...@b.com (Polar Bear) wrote:
> Wanted: Strong wings, deep roots
> By Goh Chin Lian, Senior Political Correspondent
> More than one in five of the top students from the 1996-1999 A level graduating
> cohorts are not working in Singapore today.
It has been happening for more than two decades....top
brains are flying away...to lands of opportunity...to realise
their dreams.
Excellent examples of those with EDB...hundreds of top
brains are posted to work in the USA, Europe and China.
After completing their bonds, they are head-hunter to
work overseas...many never to return to their birth place.
Others, top graduates are given generous grants by
US and China universities..to do post-graduate research
in the USA and Beijing/Shanghai,.... They become scientists
working for the USA and China.
Why...is it because their will earn less in Singapore ..or
because of the things they consider more important in life ?
Even if the government pay Minister 10 times more money..it will
not retain these top brains.... For these people, they will not
sell their life for money.
They will find fulfilments in other more important areas. Singapore
is a little island with no future for them...what is the use of
millions!
From: "Zai Zai"
Date: Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:14:03 GMT
Local: Wed, Jul 1 2009 1:14 pm
Subject: Re: Wanted: Strong wings, deep roots
Aiyah, all these wayang wayang one lar. I also got a degree what, from an
oversea school, when I tried applying to these so called govt boards for
work they did not reply to any of my application. You tell me, you want to
work in Singapore? Even if you want, they don't want to hire you lar. Let me
tell you this, they only hire kaki nang, then the kaki nang will hire their
friends and family members only. That is how things work in Singapore, don't
believe me try applying and see lar. They just want to lie to you suckers
again, so they can get more cheap laborers into Singapore. Singaporean don't
want to do this don't want to do that, so we get foreign talents to do it,
talented Singaporean don't want to come home, so we have to attract more
foreign talents to replace them. All wayang wayang excuses lar, this isn't
new so don't get conned easily by them, we Singaporean are suckers, too bad
they can't replace suckers cause no foreign talents want to become suckers
like us.
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