Singapore Expats

Quite surprising to see so many schools even balloting at earlier phases like Phase 2A1 onwards...
I think parents should have the mentality that all schools are the same, then any schools will do. Takes the mental stress off the parents.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ ... XJuGhwQGXA

But the fact is, the schools are not the same… if they were, then there wouldn’t be any difference in popularity. I know in recent years they have tried rotating principals from popular schools into less popular schools to try and even things out, but you’ve got to rotate the teachers as well - I doubt that is going to fly.

Personally, I think the merging of schools to reduce the number of seats together with jacking up the price for non-SC children has made local schools unnecessarily difficult for newly immigrated families, including the much needed future SC families. It makes it more challenging for immigrant families to integrate and risks making existing SC children more xenophobic as they become less and less exposed to outsiders.

There is already a lot of sensitivity around the growing foreign population here, and with the low birth rate the foreign population is not able to shrink anytime soon. The next generation needs to be even more open than the current, unless by some miracle the birth rate turns around. That greater openness needs to start in schools - but everything seems to be driving things in the opposite direction. This really should be a major concern for everyone here, for the future of Singapore.

Precisely..with the growing population I am not sure why schools are merging...?? I thought they should be expanding more schools.

abbby wrote: ↑

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 11:41 am

Precisely..with the growing population I am not sure why schools are merging...?? I thought they should be expanding more schools.

It's because Singaporeans are not procreating. They are buying toy dogs instead of getting it on. Singapore's TFR is only 1.09~1.11. You need 2.3 children per couple just to stay at zero population growth. While the population is growing, it's primarily through immigration and we don't know how many children per family we are looking at from that source. Added to that, the government is bringing them in based on existing demographic percentages so that also doesn't give us a clue as to the number's of children is being added in that fashion.

As vastly threatening as climate change is to modern civilization in this world, I'm not sure that I would procreate, either... practice, maybe. Is it because Singaporeans don't want to be inconvenienced by children, instead focusing on careers and upward mobility?

It would be interesting to see how those fertility rates break out in various strata of Singapore society.

Myasis Dragon wrote: ↑

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 11:04 pm

It would be interesting to see how those fertility rates break out in various strata of Singapore society.

It is broken down by ethnicity but not by economic strata. But if it follows most countries, the poorer the families, the more children they seem to have. I put that down to child labour to help support the families, but then I'm not a demographic analysist either.

Myasis Dragon wrote: ↑

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 11:04 pm

Is it because Singaporeans don't want to be inconvenienced by children, instead focusing on careers and upward mobility?

I would say focus on career and upward mobility can make some couples postpone, but not forgo. I know several local couples in my office who have chosen to be childless. While economic and lifestyle burdens do loom large, they genuinely don’t feel up to the task and have also convinced themselves that they won’t get any more satisfaction from it than owning a pet.

What they fail to realize is that nobody is ever ready or truly up for it… but the sacrifice really is worth it. It’s a transformative experience that can help you grow as a person, it can even help you in your career as you move into management. Kids teach you more than you can ever realize… they can even make you a better person, on many different levels!

sundaymorningstaple wrote: ↑

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 12:12 am

Myasis Dragon wrote: ↑

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 11:04 pm

It would be interesting to see how those fertility rates break out in various strata of Singapore society.

It is broken down by ethnicity but not by economic strata. But if it follows most countries, the poorer the families, the more children they seem to have. I put that down to child labour to help support the families, but then I'm not a demographic analysist either.

I have to agree.
And perhaps the more educated they are the less children they have.