I read this excerpt in The Straits Times today and it infuriated me greatly.
"It may not be a coincidence that all the gappers quoted in The Straits Times report are young women. Males have to go for full-time national service. The NS years, are in effect, valuable gap years."
Did the author write this paragraph in jest? I hope she did because it sounds like a joke.
By taking a gap year, pre-undergraduates are able to take part in activities which might either
1. Broaden their perspective
2. Increase their work and company related knowledge
3. Help some unfortunate village in another country
4. Improve their CV
5. Take a break from their studies and find their passion
In all honesty, the concept of a gap year is great and I would love to do it too.
--
Is grovelling to a uneducated Sergeant who probably has had less education than you for two years considered helpful in any reasonable sense?
Is following every single order without question a valued attribute in this era?
(though no doubt, following orders without question is a necessity during war. So herein lies a conundrum)
Is the sad but necessary process of learning how to "keng" of any use in the real world?
(we all know the quote act blur, live longer)
Will going to Taiwan/Thailand/India for exercises broaden our perspective in any real way as compared to a charity trip to the same places?
(you know what we do when we're overseas)
--
My point being, NS does not in any way, act as a gap year.
In fact it is the very existence of NS that guys in Singapore are unable to take gap years as we are already 2 years behind our female counterparts.
And in this calculative society the Singapore government has created, every year counts.
So get your facts right Straits Times.
--
Sorry, I just needed to rant. haha.
"It may not be a coincidence that all the gappers quoted in The Straits Times report are young women. Males have to go for full-time national service. The NS years, are in effect, valuable gap years."
Did the author write this paragraph in jest? I hope she did because it sounds like a joke.
By taking a gap year, pre-undergraduates are able to take part in activities which might either
1. Broaden their perspective
2. Increase their work and company related knowledge
3. Help some unfortunate village in another country
4. Improve their CV
5. Take a break from their studies and find their passion
In all honesty, the concept of a gap year is great and I would love to do it too.
--
Is grovelling to a uneducated Sergeant who probably has had less education than you for two years considered helpful in any reasonable sense?
Is following every single order without question a valued attribute in this era?
(though no doubt, following orders without question is a necessity during war. So herein lies a conundrum)
Is the sad but necessary process of learning how to "keng" of any use in the real world?
(we all know the quote act blur, live longer)
Will going to Taiwan/Thailand/India for exercises broaden our perspective in any real way as compared to a charity trip to the same places?
(you know what we do when we're overseas)
--
My point being, NS does not in any way, act as a gap year.
In fact it is the very existence of NS that guys in Singapore are unable to take gap years as we are already 2 years behind our female counterparts.
And in this calculative society the Singapore government has created, every year counts.
So get your facts right Straits Times.
--
Sorry, I just needed to rant. haha.
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