Haha, I was going to log off already, but TOC’s report on the ‘black T-shirt’ protest against CPF annuities just caught my eye, and it’s too good to miss out on. I’ve been scouring the Net for updates on this planned protest, wondering if it did ever materialize. Turns out it did… wellll, just maybe.
So what was the turnout like? To quote TOC:
Aiyah, I’m getting hooked on this blogging thing a little too much. I foresee that the rate of my posting will taper off very soon, however.
Anyway, this TODAY article, “Singapore in need of a talent spread?”, caught my eye. Mr. Ngiam Tong Dow, never one to shy away from controversy, has said:
“[B]right Primary 6 school-leavers should be sent to different schools, instead of congregating at a handful of top schools. “It’s very dangerous to hot-house them … I think we should spread out our talents … to support a stronger country.”
Source: TODAY, Singapore News, 8 Sep 07
Mr. Ngiam’s opinions on the public-sector “crowding out” the market for talent are relatively well-known, I think. He has in the past repeatedly urged the Government to free up talent from within the public sector, and in particular, that some government scholars should be released into the private sector, regardless of their bond obligations.
In principle, I think this is a very sensible recommendation, although I think that a minimum bond period in the civil service should still be retained for most scholarships, since that represents the best way for the public sector to capture the brightest young talents. Whether they choose to remain after their bond period is an entirely different matter.
On the other hand, Mr. Ngiam’s recommendation as regards spreading out top students across various secondary schools is a little new to me (although the idea is not new, obviously). With the greatest respect to Mr. Ngiam, though, I think I disagree with him.
Continue reading ‘Ngiam Tong Dow: Spreading our talent across various schools?’
I’m making 2 posts in quick succession, so I can devote the rest of my weekend to something else (not necessarily more stimulating)…
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Only 3% of books borrowed under NLB’s new system are registered
By Daphne Chuah, TODAY | Posted: 07 September 2007 0709 hr
SINGAPORE: The idea was to give Singaporeans free rein to borrow books that could be returned whenever they liked, and to any participating cafe or taxi.
 Copyright © 2007, National Library Board. |
And the take-up rate, at least, has been overwhelming: Since the National Library Board (NLB) launched its islandwide BookCrossing initiative in July by releasing 3,115 books at various hotspots, 2,930 have been picked up.
The problem? Just a mere 91 books have been registered online by borrowers so far. The remaining 2,839 tomes have effectively dropped off the radar.
Under the scheme — which originated in the United States — some 2,000 SMRT cabs, 10 Café Cartel and 13 Café Galilee outlets have been roped in to allow Singaporeans to “read and release” books, free of charge.
