Elite Schools or Not, Doesn't Matter - PM Lee

“Which school are you from?”

“I’m from Raffles.”

Does it ring a bell? When you hear names like Raffles, Hwa Chong and many others, it may be verbal or a secret inside, but most will definitely give a “wow” should they be from a neighbouring school. Why is this so? In Singapore, paper qualifications and education are highly regarded. As Singapore only has human as her resource, the government spent much money on educating its citizens. From young, we are instill with the mindset that going to elite schools would have better future prospects as many thought that elite schools offer better quality education.

Most of us want our lives to have meaning. We want to add value, at least in some small way. We want to be admired. Thus, we have this mindset that going to elite schools promise us a better future as they have better reputation and have produced outstanding role models.

So does going to elite schools really matters? Whether it matters or not depends on the way you see it. Personally, I feel that it does not matter. Should one perform well in a neighborhood school, it is better than one failing in an elite school. Researchers Stacy Berg Dale and Alan Krueger found that admirable character traits -- persistence, imagination, energy -- produce success in life no matter which college a person attends. Hence, what matters most is ones’ attitude. Should one be persistent and give his best, he would definitely be successful one day.

In addition, it is proven by numerous successful people that going to elite schools or not does not matter. One very good example to cite is Bill Gates. He dropped-out from school but now, he is one of the richest man in the world, who is consistently ranked among the world's wealthiest people and was the wealthiest overall from 1995 to 2009, excluding 2008, when he was ranked third. Many would have thought that his future was bleak. Nobody would have expected his achievements today when he dropped-out of school.

It can not be deny that elite schools do not offer special programmes to their students. Elite schools do offer different education and have certain “privileges” such as exemption from Cambridge O-Levels Examination. Students in elite schools are also taught knowledge that are a level higher compared to neighborhood schools’ students. This widens the “knowledge gap” as the elite students get smarter and smarter while students in neighbourhood schools make small improvements at a time which are difficult to catch up.

In conclusion, I feel that it does not matter if one is from an elite school or not. Although the school names are stated on the certificates and paper qualifications, it does not reflects the character and ability of one. What matters most is the attitude one has. Should one have the will to learn and strong determination, one would be successful in anything one does.


Done By: Kwek Wan Ling
Admin Number: 103503L