IS YOUR SOCIETY TOO RESULTS-DRIVEN?Essay Outline for JC2 General Paper Revision 2014

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STEP 1 : INTERPRET• Results-driven = focussed on outcomes that are visible, tangible, measurable

• Opposite = to be concerned with the process and what can be gained or learnt from the process, irrespective of the outcomes

• Too = excessive How can we tell when something is excessive ?

• When the benefits of the process are lost• When the pursuit of results leads to other harms

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STEP 2 : CRAFT POINTS

STEP 3 : ADD SUPPORT

STEP 4 : ORDER

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Education – it all starts here ...We want results, grades• Individuals – grades to uni• Schools, institutions –

build reputation, be accountable to the Ministry

• Ministry / Govt – want world ranking for the country’s reputation, part of the economic agenda

BUT our paper chase has gone too far...

• Sacrifice joy of learning, curiosity, exploration, creativity

• Limited options of study in tertiary institutions – potential employability, starting pay, job prospects supersede learning deeply about seemingly less relevant subjects

• Fear of failure & risk-taking• Cannot see the big picture =

Stress (Every test a Big test?)

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Economy – always in survival modeWe want prosperity

• Indiv : Higher pay, promotion

• Businesses : Profit• Govt : Econc growth

But we do so at the expense of quality of life

• Indiv : give up on passion ? Delay or forego marriage & family

• Businesses : sacrifice welfare of workers in terms of their pay, physical and emotional health

• Throw away what seems outdated & disregard its intrinsic worth if it obstructs money-making

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Family life We want a good life

• Middle class aspirations : Improvement in standard of living (material possessions), for children to have a good chance to do well (grades become a yardstick)

But what are the quality of relationships like ?

• Depends on what philosophy the family lives by• Some have sacrificed

happiness• Others choose to emphasize

important aspects that cannot be quantified or assessed, precisely to cope with the results-driven world outside home

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People’s Relationship with the GovtWe want judge each other using data

• Voters want to assess the govt by various criteria, make the govt accountable to the people

• The Govt wants to measure results for future planning purposes

But this kind of judging has created tension

• Results of surveys may not be enough & can be misleading

• Textbook solutions to real human problems >> anguish for ordinary people

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STEP 5 : Thesis Statement•There is nothing wrong with being results-driven but my society has become excessive in wanting results, as seen from what we have sacrificed.

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