PArt of the reason why I haevn’t been blogging for a pretty long while is because I’m busy. But hey, my wife has discovered blogging! So instead of this blog, me and my wife will be jointly blogging at mrandmrschng.wordpress.com. I think it’d be fun, and it would certainly solve the problem of me taking a long blog vacation.
See you there!
I was just flipping through the upper sec social studies textbook and boy, was it an interesting read. See how it describes the Civil Service in section 4.2 What Makes an Efficient Civil Service (pg 138) in the section on practising Meritocracy:
Officers in the Civil Service are recruited mainly on the basis of good academic qualifications. Promotion within the Civil Service depends on one's ability and potential. Those who perform well are rewarded for their hard work and dedication through promotions and performance bonuses. The Civil Service ensures that it has a share of the country's top scholars by offering scholarships to them. After their course of studies, these scholars work in the Civil Service for a number of years.
To uphold the image that the Civil Service is efficient and effective in providing its service, poor performance is not tolerated. Those who perform poorly will be advised when their work is not up to standard and will be given a reasonable period of time to improve. If there is no improvement, the officer will have to leave the service.
Let's take a step back and try to imagine an essay question or a multiple choice question based on the above 2 paras.
MCQ: Officers in the civil service are recruited mainly on the basis of:a) Good looks; b) Good Academic Qualifications; c) Good manners; d) who their parents are. [Ans: b of course!]
Essay Question: Describe how the Civil Service practises Meritocracy. (20 marks)
You can just imagine that the poor student would have to memorise the above 2 paras, and the teacher going, ok 1/2 mark for recruiting on the basis of good academic qualifications. Another mark for talking about promotion based on ability and potential. Another mark on being rewarded through promotions and bonuses. Another 4 marks for talking about the scholarship system.
Back when I had to do social studies, life was more simple then. Less stuff to remember. Besides, the historical figures we studied about seemed very interesting (Tan Tock Seng, Whampoa, Sang Nila Utama.) The name which I remember best is Syed Omar bin Ali Aljunied, because I did a project on him and even visited the mosques he set up.
