When the popular international TV show, “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”, was launched here several months ago, a foreign newspaper commented sarcastically that Singapore's much publicised intelligent population did not measure up to expectations, as a good number of the pioneer participants, picked by luck of the draw, failed to answer correctly the relatively simple multiple-choice questions.
This led the show promoter to lower the standard of its initial questions so that more would survive the early rounds. Since then, although the level of performance has improved visibly, none has yet come close to winning the magical one-million dollars bonanza.
The participants in both the English and Chinese programmes came from a reasonably representative cross-section of the Singaporean public, with the overwhelming majority being under 40 years old, comprising professionals,business executives, public servants and teachers, to name just a few.
It was commonly held that Singaporeans were not noted for their prowess in general knowledge and current affairs. This show has confirmed what many people had known beforehand, especially those who had watched the same show here and abroad.
Even though the Republic is now a First World country, with economic affluence and other praiseworthy achievements that others envy, the fact remains that it still has some way to go before its educational and cultural sophistication is on par with the advanced Western countries and Japan, or with that of mainland China and Taiwan.
Why did Singaporeans fail to do better in this famous show, despite that our literacy rate and education standards are respectable and compare quite well with the established countries？ There are no simple answers to it.
First, the nature and scope of the questions is diffused and aims at ferreting out one's versatility, not merely one's intellectual acumen, including especially the participant's familiarity with lighter topics like entertainment, sports, cuisine and famous landmarks. Those with higher education, and are well-read, do not necessarily have an advantage over others less endowed, except perhaps during the final rounds.
Furthermore, cultural factors do creep into it. For instance, the more versatile Singaporeans, with richer experiences of life, might have been deterred from taking part for fear of losing face within sight of friends and relatives, should they perform ignominiously.
Are there other factors responsible for the average Singaporean's weakness in general knowledge and current affairs？ It is surely not lack of intelligence, for Singapore would not be where it is today if we do not have thinking people from all walks of life contributing to the nation's well-being.
In my view, our education system, home environment and social influences are the contributory causes. Notwithstanding that our students' academic level has been vastly enhanced, their full potential, including their intellectual curiosities and creativity, has not been completely stretched.
Instead, we are too obsessed with achieving excellent examination results as the ultimate goal in education, leaving our young with hardly any time to pursue other interests that will give them a more balanced education and help make student life more fulfilling and less stressful.
At home, our children are frequently being bombarded with even greater pressure from their demanding parents to slog for top grades at all costs, regardless of their inherent abilities, and cramming them with excessive private tuition to boot. Some parents would even object to their offsprings watching television shows or reading story books to relieve tensions, on the misguided fear that this would jeopardise their school work！
The good habit of reading for pleasure or for acquiring general knowledge for its own sake is not yet deeply rooted in Singapore. Quite surprisingly, many educated Singaporeans do not even read newspapers regularly, and those who do often prefer the afternoon tabloids, which tend to present news with lighter and more entertaining touch. Serious documentaries and current affairs television programmes have much less viewers, compared with the slapdash sitcoms and gungfu drama serials.
To make our citizenry more savvy in general knowledge and current affairs will take time and sustained efforts. An important first step is to change our mindset, fine-tune our education policies and nurture a conducive home and social environment which will help make Singaporeans becoming better informed and more worldly with the passage of time.
（The writer is a retired lawyer）
新加坡人能贏得百萬獎金嗎？
● 藍秉湖
數(shù)個月前,非常受歡迎的國際性電視節(jié)目“百萬大贏家”在本地啟播。不久,一分外國報章帶著嘲笑的口吻,譏諷所謂的聰明新加坡人,表現(xiàn)和人們的期待相差太遠了。因為,在前幾期被抽中參加節(jié)目的人,連相當簡單的選擇題都答錯了。
節(jié)目贊助人因此降低題目難度,讓更多參賽者能通過前幾個回合,參賽者因此有了比較好的表現(xiàn)。但是,要贏得百萬大獎還言之過早。
不論是英語或華語版的“百萬大贏家”,參賽者的背景基本上大同小異,多數(shù)少過40歲,包括專業(yè)人士,商業(yè)行政人員,公務(wù)員,教師等等。
根據(jù)一般的看法,普通常識和對時事的了解,不是新加坡人的強項。“百萬大贏家”這個節(jié)目,證實了許多人的看法,尤其是看過本地和外國版“百萬大贏家”的人。
新加坡已經(jīng)晉升發(fā)達國家行列,在經(jīng)濟和其他領(lǐng)域的成就,也使我們成為他國效仿的對象。然而,在教育和文化修養(yǎng)上,要向西方國家,日本,或者中國大陸和臺灣等看齊,我們還要走一段漫漫長路。
新加坡人的教育水平不比先進國家低,為什么在“百萬大贏家”的表現(xiàn)卻如此差勁呢？
首先,主持人發(fā)出的問題包羅萬象,包括一些比較輕松的問題例如娛樂,體育,烹飪和的建筑物等。目的不止是考驗參賽者的學識,也在測試他們對一般事物的認識。受過高深教育和飽覽群書的參賽者,未必一定比教育程度較低者占優(yōu)勢,除非是在最后的幾個回合里。
文化的差異也是一個原因。一些閱歷豐富的新加坡人,可能害怕會在親人和朋友面前出丑,而不愿意參加節(jié)目。
什么原因造成一般新加坡人缺乏普通常識？是我們沒有智慧嗎？這肯定不是原因。新加坡如果缺乏有識之士的努力,絕對沒有今天的成就。
依我看,在一定的程度上,這個現(xiàn)象跟我們的教育制度,家庭環(huán)境和社會風氣有關(guān)。我們的學生的學術(shù)成績當然無可置疑,但是他們的潛能,包括好奇心和創(chuàng)造力卻沒有得到全面的發(fā)展。
我們只醉心于優(yōu)異的考試成績,把這視為教育的終極目標。莘莘學子幾乎完全沒有時間追求他們的興趣,讓自己得到更全面的教育,同時減少求學的壓力,使學習的過程更有意義。
在家里,孩子們面對來自父母的更大壓力。他們必須努力不懈,爭取的成績。一些父母更無視于孩子的資質(zhì)和能力,希望越多的補習能夠帶來越好的學業(yè)表現(xiàn)。
另一些甚至不準孩子觀看電視節(jié)目或閱讀故事書來松懈身心,他們錯誤的害怕這會影響孩子的學業(yè)。
不論是為了閱讀的樂趣或者求取知識,新加坡人還沒有養(yǎng)成普遍閱讀的好習慣。許多受過教育的新加坡人甚至沒有閱讀報章的習慣。至于那些時?？磮蟮娜?有很多選擇閱讀用比較輕松和富娛樂性的角度來報道新聞的晚間報紙。
另一方面,觀看制作認真的記錄片和時事節(jié)目的觀眾,在人數(shù)上遠不及環(huán)境劇和武打連續(xù)劇。
要培養(yǎng)新加坡人對時事和常識的認識,需要時間和長期的努力。我們必須改變我們的想法,調(diào)整我們的教育政策,并創(chuàng)造一個有利于豐富新加坡人的知識的社會和家庭環(huán)境。
。作者是一位退休律師。葉琦保譯。
This led the show promoter to lower the standard of its initial questions so that more would survive the early rounds. Since then, although the level of performance has improved visibly, none has yet come close to winning the magical one-million dollars bonanza.
The participants in both the English and Chinese programmes came from a reasonably representative cross-section of the Singaporean public, with the overwhelming majority being under 40 years old, comprising professionals,business executives, public servants and teachers, to name just a few.
It was commonly held that Singaporeans were not noted for their prowess in general knowledge and current affairs. This show has confirmed what many people had known beforehand, especially those who had watched the same show here and abroad.
Even though the Republic is now a First World country, with economic affluence and other praiseworthy achievements that others envy, the fact remains that it still has some way to go before its educational and cultural sophistication is on par with the advanced Western countries and Japan, or with that of mainland China and Taiwan.
Why did Singaporeans fail to do better in this famous show, despite that our literacy rate and education standards are respectable and compare quite well with the established countries？ There are no simple answers to it.
First, the nature and scope of the questions is diffused and aims at ferreting out one's versatility, not merely one's intellectual acumen, including especially the participant's familiarity with lighter topics like entertainment, sports, cuisine and famous landmarks. Those with higher education, and are well-read, do not necessarily have an advantage over others less endowed, except perhaps during the final rounds.
Furthermore, cultural factors do creep into it. For instance, the more versatile Singaporeans, with richer experiences of life, might have been deterred from taking part for fear of losing face within sight of friends and relatives, should they perform ignominiously.
Are there other factors responsible for the average Singaporean's weakness in general knowledge and current affairs？ It is surely not lack of intelligence, for Singapore would not be where it is today if we do not have thinking people from all walks of life contributing to the nation's well-being.
In my view, our education system, home environment and social influences are the contributory causes. Notwithstanding that our students' academic level has been vastly enhanced, their full potential, including their intellectual curiosities and creativity, has not been completely stretched.
Instead, we are too obsessed with achieving excellent examination results as the ultimate goal in education, leaving our young with hardly any time to pursue other interests that will give them a more balanced education and help make student life more fulfilling and less stressful.
At home, our children are frequently being bombarded with even greater pressure from their demanding parents to slog for top grades at all costs, regardless of their inherent abilities, and cramming them with excessive private tuition to boot. Some parents would even object to their offsprings watching television shows or reading story books to relieve tensions, on the misguided fear that this would jeopardise their school work！
The good habit of reading for pleasure or for acquiring general knowledge for its own sake is not yet deeply rooted in Singapore. Quite surprisingly, many educated Singaporeans do not even read newspapers regularly, and those who do often prefer the afternoon tabloids, which tend to present news with lighter and more entertaining touch. Serious documentaries and current affairs television programmes have much less viewers, compared with the slapdash sitcoms and gungfu drama serials.
To make our citizenry more savvy in general knowledge and current affairs will take time and sustained efforts. An important first step is to change our mindset, fine-tune our education policies and nurture a conducive home and social environment which will help make Singaporeans becoming better informed and more worldly with the passage of time.
（The writer is a retired lawyer）
新加坡人能贏得百萬獎金嗎？
● 藍秉湖
數(shù)個月前,非常受歡迎的國際性電視節(jié)目“百萬大贏家”在本地啟播。不久,一分外國報章帶著嘲笑的口吻,譏諷所謂的聰明新加坡人,表現(xiàn)和人們的期待相差太遠了。因為,在前幾期被抽中參加節(jié)目的人,連相當簡單的選擇題都答錯了。
節(jié)目贊助人因此降低題目難度,讓更多參賽者能通過前幾個回合,參賽者因此有了比較好的表現(xiàn)。但是,要贏得百萬大獎還言之過早。
不論是英語或華語版的“百萬大贏家”,參賽者的背景基本上大同小異,多數(shù)少過40歲,包括專業(yè)人士,商業(yè)行政人員,公務(wù)員,教師等等。
根據(jù)一般的看法,普通常識和對時事的了解,不是新加坡人的強項。“百萬大贏家”這個節(jié)目,證實了許多人的看法,尤其是看過本地和外國版“百萬大贏家”的人。
新加坡已經(jīng)晉升發(fā)達國家行列,在經(jīng)濟和其他領(lǐng)域的成就,也使我們成為他國效仿的對象。然而,在教育和文化修養(yǎng)上,要向西方國家,日本,或者中國大陸和臺灣等看齊,我們還要走一段漫漫長路。
新加坡人的教育水平不比先進國家低,為什么在“百萬大贏家”的表現(xiàn)卻如此差勁呢？
首先,主持人發(fā)出的問題包羅萬象,包括一些比較輕松的問題例如娛樂,體育,烹飪和的建筑物等。目的不止是考驗參賽者的學識,也在測試他們對一般事物的認識。受過高深教育和飽覽群書的參賽者,未必一定比教育程度較低者占優(yōu)勢,除非是在最后的幾個回合里。
文化的差異也是一個原因。一些閱歷豐富的新加坡人,可能害怕會在親人和朋友面前出丑,而不愿意參加節(jié)目。
什么原因造成一般新加坡人缺乏普通常識？是我們沒有智慧嗎？這肯定不是原因。新加坡如果缺乏有識之士的努力,絕對沒有今天的成就。
依我看,在一定的程度上,這個現(xiàn)象跟我們的教育制度,家庭環(huán)境和社會風氣有關(guān)。我們的學生的學術(shù)成績當然無可置疑,但是他們的潛能,包括好奇心和創(chuàng)造力卻沒有得到全面的發(fā)展。
我們只醉心于優(yōu)異的考試成績,把這視為教育的終極目標。莘莘學子幾乎完全沒有時間追求他們的興趣,讓自己得到更全面的教育,同時減少求學的壓力,使學習的過程更有意義。
在家里,孩子們面對來自父母的更大壓力。他們必須努力不懈,爭取的成績。一些父母更無視于孩子的資質(zhì)和能力,希望越多的補習能夠帶來越好的學業(yè)表現(xiàn)。
另一些甚至不準孩子觀看電視節(jié)目或閱讀故事書來松懈身心,他們錯誤的害怕這會影響孩子的學業(yè)。
不論是為了閱讀的樂趣或者求取知識,新加坡人還沒有養(yǎng)成普遍閱讀的好習慣。許多受過教育的新加坡人甚至沒有閱讀報章的習慣。至于那些時?？磮蟮娜?有很多選擇閱讀用比較輕松和富娛樂性的角度來報道新聞的晚間報紙。
另一方面,觀看制作認真的記錄片和時事節(jié)目的觀眾,在人數(shù)上遠不及環(huán)境劇和武打連續(xù)劇。
要培養(yǎng)新加坡人對時事和常識的認識,需要時間和長期的努力。我們必須改變我們的想法,調(diào)整我們的教育政策,并創(chuàng)造一個有利于豐富新加坡人的知識的社會和家庭環(huán)境。
。作者是一位退休律師。葉琦保譯。