If I were the Education Minister, this is not happy reading. Susan Long has been nailing it for a long time but her hammer missed the nail this time. This article read like Pamela Lim has found some ring on Susan Long's nose and pulled her where she wants her to go. To top it all, I think Susan Long was oblivious perhaps even welcoming the opportunity! Susan Long was selling Pamela Lim's commercial interests. Ms Long fell into a hole because I think she has a very narrow view of education. Why didn't she just confine herself to writing a family 'Nick Vujicic' type challenge story? Pamela had given up her high flying career for five challenging kids ranging from autism to mysterious school adjustment problems and even existential depression.
I think MOE should give ST a call and express its unhappiness over this article because education is far more and beyond all that Pamela Lim is offering.
Pamela Lim has done the right things for her special needs kids who would otherwise have fallen through the truck size holes in our system. But what she is offering (she is such a savvy business person) to others unless they are misfitting our system will do more harm than good. With all these delicious low hanging fruits she is offering, scores of parents will succumb. How can we have so many special needs kid out there?
I wouldn't be surprised if Pamela Lim is keener to make a success of this commercially than helping special needs kids. This is her way of leaning in, to have it all.
Update: 11:40am
Contributions to community say more than academic transcripts: Heng Swee Keat
Heng Swee Keat speech is for the normal folks but the care of special needs children go far beyond their academic performance even if they are precocious. We close as many gaps as possible with normal people but some gaps may never be closed. On the other hand special needs kids may have extraordinary gifts elsewhere. Today our system pretty much leave you alone to help yourself. If Pamela Lim really wants to help fill the gap here, her interview with Susan Long would have come across very very different.
Perhaps Susan Long didn't know she was used. If only she had gotten the chance to interview MP Denise Phua, the contrast would be like night and day.
Yeah... Denise Phua started her initiatives with public and government funds, and draws a good pay as a public servant. She has used very little of her own resources and risk very little.
ReplyDeleteOne fights on her own, another gets a host of support with a wave of her hands. Both are different women and you shouldn't compare. It is like apple and pear. Do all women have government support in cash and manpower like Denise Phua? She is obligated to serve, but not Pamela. I think you've forgotten who is drawing a salary from you, whether you like it or not. :)
Have a thought.
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