A choice of brain or brawn

From TODAY, Voices
Wednesday August 27, 2008

Letter from Narayana Narayana

I REFER to the letter “Why local kids fall short” (Aug 25).

Mr Jimmy Ho Kwok Hoong’s experience as set out in his letter may well have elements of truth, but it basically reveals the extent, and expense, that “kiasu” parents in Singapore are prepared to go in pushing their young children.

In this case, it is costly coaching in the game of ping pong and with what objective in mind? Surely, not to prepare them for a career as accomplished table tennis players at probably international level and eventual Olympic representation?

It is a well-known fact that the shelf life of sports athletes is limited to their youth, and is as ephemeral as the lives of butterflies.

Hence, it is arguable how many Singaporean parents would be prepared to groom their children to such an uncertain future.

Their pragmatic appraisal would be that a career in sports is not seen here as a means of a comfortable livelihood, or as rewarding in monetary terms, compared to say, a cushy job in the financial sector.

Mr Ho observes, perhaps truly, that “Singapore’s educational environment wouldn’t permit local students training as intensively as their Chinese counterparts”.

The end objective for most Singaporeans is more likely to be to attain a place in the more prestigious schools, to serve as a springboard to achieve higher marks in examinations, though this may well be not much different from ancient times in China with its Imperial examinations to pick out “scholars”.

The parameters now are so widely different that comparing local kids with those from China is little more than an exercise in futility.

Very generally, it would boil down to a choice of “brain” or “brawn”, wouldn’t it?