Project work, Econs essay, S.Y.F, “A” Division, and lots lots more. Are these things weighing you down? If they are, let me assure you: you are not alone. In fact, JC students are constantly being subjected to tremendous amount of pressure to perform well. After all, everyone will be hoping to enter a good university of their choice at the end of their two years here. However, has the competition been so intense that some of the things being done have lost their original meaning and purpose?

Some of my fellow classmates are from the aesthetics CCA groups like Band, Chinese Orchestra, etc. As you know, the Singapore Youth Festival Central Judging Competition has just ended. Prior to the competition, these CCA groups have had very intensive training of up to 6 days a week of training! The timings are horrendous: from 3 P.M. after school all the way up to 8 or 9 P.M. at night. I asked many of them why they were willing to sacrifice their rest and revision time for a CCA. Their standard reply? “I want a good ‘School Graduation Certificate’ so that I can stand a better chance when selecting some of the top-notch courses available in university.” (A school graduation certificate is a holistic report on the academic and non-academic achievements that every student will receive upon leaving the college.) As a result, many students who are in the performing arts or sports CCA groups often find themselves struggling to keep up with the increasing workload of school work. Stress then creeps in at an alarmingly fast rate, and many students are often on the verge of breakdown after a while.

Assignments in the form of projects can also be a nerve-wracking experience for many students, especially the examinable subject, Project Work. Draft after draft of ideas that require students to use hours of planning and careful thought are often rejected by teachers who deem it unsatisfactory. A fellow student even commented, “Forget it, our ideas are going to be rejected again; we might as well not attempt it any more.” Indeed, the constant amount of criticising and scrutinising that the work submitted is often subjected to has increased the tension among students. As a result, fall-outs are becoming an increasingly common sight among classmates, and stress knocks on the door of every single student in Junior College.

The constant drive for success among Singaporeans has led to the educational system being very “grade-driven”. Things that have an objective in the first place have become yet another platform for students to outwit, outplay and outlast each other. Someone even coined the education system as a “rat race”. If you stop for only a second, you will be crushed by a stampede of people that would not care a hoot about your welfare. It may be true that everyone should receive a healthy dose of stress to keep them going, but from what I have observed, unnecessary stress is very prevalent in junior colleges, and unfortunate students who cannot handle the stress would unceremoniously be ruled out from this race. What is then the purpose of all these work and activities that we do? To get an “A”? To have a good report about ourselves? It is saddening to see that well-intentions by the ministry have been turned into grade-churning tools that students use to further themselves.

We must pause and ponder over the meaning of things that we do. Otherwise, the core essence of life in a JC will be destroyed, and life in a JC would not be an enjoyable and satisfying experience.

Written by Thomas