Watching this makes me thankful for my life, I'm a housewife leaving my corporate job since 2015, now I'm living in beautiful city of Yogyakarta, I can enjoy nature and fresh air, affordable cost of living and free time to do my hobbies
Inilah yang membuat Singapura maju, SDM yang pekerja keras, kompetitif dan kritis tidak bisa dibandingkan dengan SDM kita kalah telak. Liat Singapura sekarang diantar negara terkaya, Teraman, pemerintah tidak korup, teknologi sangat maju, sisi negatifnya ya semakin stress karena tekanan sosial yang kompetitif
it's not competition per se but rather the rewards that come from being at the top - the 5Cs that constitute the main stimuli. This leads to students becoming exam-smart (mugging ten-year series and spotting exam questions) rather than truly learning and understanding. This explains why Singapore hasn't produced many great thinkers or scientists, if any.
@@DySun If I understood correctly many of them learn by remembering math and not but math thinking. So they can do from head like super hard number from head but the important there should be logic and creativity for math you have calculator or AI
Stress can kill. But what else can one do in Singapore without working like ant? Same with big cities. Everyone wants more money and yet when life ended, it means nothing. Thankfully i am from Sabah. I have always dream of having a house in the kampung, rearing pig, chicken, planting vegetables, and sweating a lot, have a recreational house for entertainment, singing, a place for praying and all that. I am 63 this year, i am happy to have all despite the little money i saved from working for people. I semi retired at 46. Life is too short. Enjoy life but not with stress
I have similar experience growing up in Thailand. When I'm young up to early 20s, my self-worth was tied to my intelligence and nothing else. If I can't do very complex task, I feel worthless. I think I'm better now but still recovering, I still have to constantly tell myself that I'm a good, kind person with able body and healthy mind and that's already enough. I also tried to tied my self-worth in something else too such as being in good shape.
I live in Australia and have Singaporean friends and work colleagues, most of them have no intention of returning to Singapore and this is one of the reasons why.
I taught English in Japan Taiwan and Thailand for a total of ten years and I kept battling with the notion of cramming as much as possible into the kids' brains all the while keeping it 'fun'. 11 year olds still want to play in spite of what these money making machines think!
Curious, why did you choose a English teaching career in East Asia? Maybe in the future when chances come up, you can come back States (is that where you were growing up?). Check out how competitive here in high tech in finance. Many employees in corporation world were educated in Asia cramming and cramming. Majority of them are functional like running parts in a big machine, no critical thinking, no imagination.
@@waysfunot exactly in japanese corporation. freshmen are encouraged to abandon their thinking skill in order not to be seen as menace to existing members. promotion depends on how they please immediate boss. this is waste of talent and academic accomplishment.😅
@@waysfu agreed. Actually I've been based in Spain where I started teaching since the 90s and ventured out to Asia from 00 to 2012 returning to Madrid periodically during those years. Spain has it's challenges particularly socially and dating or lack of because they are often very closed. However, teaching exclusively online nowadays to Spaniards is a God send from my time in Asia. The pay isn't great but my life is essentially stress free.
In Germany many kinds only start school at 7 and free afternoons with plenty of play and time spent outside are the norm. My nieces even went to a forest kindergarten setting them up with a love for nature for life. In Belgium they start a tad earlier and also create unnecessary learning stress, though NEVER to this extent. The saddest thing in some Asian countries is that kids lose their childhood, that all this is not doable for less pushed and academic and that all that crammung does not guarantee a well-paid interesting carrier.
Doesn’t guarantee but may hugely increase your odds. Going to south bronx at 2am and hanging around some murky types won’t necessarily kill you but odds are different compared with you hiking in Vermont. Again, a newborn and an old man in his 80s both may die within the next year, but odds are different, right?
Thanks for pointing Singapore being a high stress place to live in. My daughter is 4 and her school is asking me to find another school for her because they say it may not be the right environment for her. Truth is, because my daughter has speech delay hence they dont want to deal with it and constantly ask me to send her for therapy and enrichment. Her speech delay is mainly due to her mother not being able to speak english. My daughter has improved alot but because of the standards here, the school is still complaining and saying she may not be ready for primary school....but she is 4! Back then, we only started school at 4 years old. And now, at 4 you need to be a genius else you will be ostracized. Now im thinking whether or not i should let my child grow up in such high stressed country although this is home...but perhaps not the home i want my child to be in
So sorry to hear about this . Your daughter is only 4 years old , it’s still not too late . Don’t give up as she will need a good level of English to survive anywhere in the workforce . This is something she has to face regardless of which country she studies in , relocating is not solving the problem . Since your wife is not proficient in English , perhaps she and your daughter can learn together using educational videos , games or enrichment classes . Raising a child is a long journey , stay strong and best wishes .
@@bakkwa8705 thanks for the advise. Whether or not my daughter has speech delay, i have been thinking if i really want my children to grow up in a high stress environment. When i see many other kids constantly having to do extra classes just to keep up with the educational level here and also with their peers, i feel that they are missing out on other good parts their childhood could have. So i thought if i could afford to give them an alternative life, why not. There is no right or wrong decision because in every path taken, one can still succeed as long as they are able to bring out their full potential in the area they are passionate about. It doesnt mean you are guaranteed success with the cert in Singapore. Many dont even work in the industry they studied in. Like myself, i did not study what i wanted because my grades did not allow that and i spent years just to complete something i wasnt passionate about but luckily i had the opportunity/support from my family to pursue my passion and succeeded in it. And I wish to do the same for my children. I dont want them to be constantly judged throughout their lives.
So are you saying the child doesn’t have speech delay in her mother tongue? If not, please consider bringing your child for a diagnosis as I have seen many parents who seek treatment too late and their kids ended up going to special education schools. I have a mild autism child and since realising he has speech delays since age 3, my hubby and I proactively seek out treatment for him so that he can enjoy normal life later. Our efforts proved successful as our son improved his eye contact and socialising skills and managed to get a pass from the psychologist who evaluated him to enter a normal public primary school to receive education.
@@ditsygirl5409 sorry to hear that and glad your child has moved on with her normal school. My daughter is not in the spectrum. We confirmed that with the specialist. She has just started speech therapy although i was told that she did not have to. But the school is telling me to. Im not saying that i want to ignore her issues which i am working towards her keeping up with her school. But i can say, being here, this is not going to be the only problem she is going to face
I have been to Singapore many times as a tourist. Society is a super competitive and intelligent ecosystem, which leaves no room for those who are lazy, laggards, or incompetent. Having said that, the economic miracle of Singapore became possible due to its human capital, as it had very little to no natural or mineral resources. Singapore is a working example of Social Darwinism, where it is the survival of the fittest.
When humans are treated as automatons and not humans, their miracle human capital will dry out. Singaporean birth rates are dropping. Just as in China snd Japan. Everything has a cost. The cost for being such an ultra competitive society is a declining birth rate and societal collapse if nothing changes.
I’m glad someone made this documentary about how stressful it is living in Sg. Schools in Finland do not recommend children going to school before age 7 as their brain development is still preparing for structtured learning until that age. Other Asian countries are not as successful as Sg or Japan or even Korea but look at the people who love there, the most genuinely happy and kindest people you’d meet. Their attitudes and characters are just night andday compared to Sgporeans. Exactly bc of the lifestyle.
Yeah some studies for example shows that math concepts are ideal for age above 10 . It is crazy that people learn so many subjects from young age and when they are older they cannot remember almost anything from that.
@@iamfighterman9646 what’s the point in all of that though? Leaving and making the kids later on in life more susceptible to depression and anxiety. This is I still believe in the old adage, “let kids be kids”, because when they are ready to grow and face such things that will be tools for our adult lives then we as parents will just see it. What you resist l, persists. What you accept, transforms.. children learn through playing and emotional bond that parents SHOULD prioritize FIRST in order for our kids to expand their EQ level. it has already been proven time and time again, that people who have higher IQ are the ones who have the highest sui**dal thoughts than those who have higher EQ. If this is what so many parents want- their kids to be monetarily rich but the saddest, discontent and mentally unstable then I wish them good luck and sending my prayers. I am a mother of 3 and currently homeschooling, now idk about SG policies about homeschooling but to be honest, homeschooled kids are some of the most well rounded, polite and smart and happiest kids I’ve ever seen. It is one kf those night and day differences you will see compared to traditional “schooled” children. Too much pressure, after years of observation, no matter how much we want to defend and rationalize it to make it sound as if the best choice for everyone- will bite us at the back.
Singapore is entirely different from Malaysia. Malaysia parents are not as demanding and allow their children more freedom. While the standard of education may be lower than that of Singapore, the children here seem much happier, as there is less stress due to everyone taking things at a slower pace.
Happy? Really? I lived in Japan for four years and although many people there ARE kind and considerate, I dare say that many are NOT happy. There is a lot of jealousy and envy and hiding oneself from others. The nail that stands above others must be hammered down is a paraphrase of a popular saying . Believe me, you wouldn't want to be student there who others (including some teachers) decide to 'hammer' or an adult returnee from a long-term overseas assignment who realizes that they no longer completely fits in nor really wants to!
@@jklmnoqr I said “other countries may not be as economically successful as SG Jp or even SK”…. I agree there are so many emotionally unstable Japanese.. lived in sg for few years and there really were a lot of unhappy and unkind Sgporeans too. As beautiful and well built Sg is, it says a lot that people who can afford still choose neighboring Asian countries of Sg as their ideal retirement place- other than affordable COL, those countries are still holding the gem of what purity in living is..
I’m a singaporean. My parents have never given me any pressure growing up. The pressure always came from within where I want to do better & become successful. Also, there is no room for slack in SG as i’m constantly on this moving carousel. 😂 I do wish for a slower paced life and less stress in exchange for material things not safety/ comfort. Still, I love SG very much ❤😊
I am glad I left Singapore. I found the environment to be very materialistic, class-conscious and status-conscious. Many people are always so concerned about what others think of them. Our leaders and the video keep saying that Singapore has no natural resouces. The location of the country is in a way a nature resource. Becuase of its strategic location, Singapore gets many ships using its port.
As a Singaporean, yes no doubt it can be stressful as a student, and more so if you are not privilege or book smart. But I honestly feel that other Asian countries are equally stressful or even more so. When I was in secondary school, my Chinese classmate told me a reason why he do really well for A-math and some other subjects is because he already learnt it in Primary school back in China. He just needed to learn how to apply his knowledge in English. Imagine we have to learn that in pri school here in Sg. I’m sure every parent will be complaining 😂
@@oceanblvd8 don’t be discouraged! I had friends who give up on subjects that they struggle in and they did better overall because they are able to reallocate their time and focus on subjects they can work on. I didn’t drop any subjects but my results are mediocre. When it comes to study or in life, a failure may not be a failure even if you don’t see it now! Trust that you are doing what is beneficial for you in the moment and focus your effort on things you can control. Let go of things that you can’t! Sometimes a longer path can still lead you to the place you want to go 😊 Press on!!
I'm planning to move to Singapore in a few months, but I'm worried about how the education and environment is like there. What is your opinion about Singapore?
@@Aanya8263 singspore primary school education is slow paced n stress free...environment is known to be relaxing to foreigner....education stress is only for those who dont study at all or really stupid and scream stress
nice documentary … i always teach my kids… your life goal should be how to live happy, use money to live not live for money status or prestige… always be thankful and see the positive side in live … the competition should be how to humble your self in this modern worlds….. never compare and help each other … do your best in every situation and use your heart to make decision …my children now is 21 and 19 and im so proud of them … coz they live their live as free person have a job and do the things they like and also have humanity in daily their activity 🙏
know yourself and know what you want , i am Singaporean and i am not stressed , oh and i have 2 kids a 4 rm bto. if you want to chase the brands and keep up with the joneses , good luck to you. i just want to make enough to enjoy my life with my children , but not so much that i have to sacrifice my time from them and my mind. look man , its only stressful if you want to compete with your "friends" as to who makes how much drive what car , if you live in a condo or not
In Singapore, we are just numbers generating the economy for the government. With the ever changing curriculum and education systems, it’s close to impossible not engaging tutors.
not if you are talented and whether you are motivated or not is optional . Worried about other people getting ahead of you ? Well that's your problem - no?
Try being homeless on the streets, at the mercy of the elements and criminals, not knowing if you can eat the next meal or see a doctor if ill. Stress is relative. There are more than 600,000 homeless people in America.
the stress is making the Singaporean accent less appealing. People need to chill to improve their accent. Just sound cool with less stress and fakeness.
Nonsense. You work for minimum wage in Singapore for about 10 years and get to own your own HDB flat with government subsidies (basically free and no property tax). And for about 80% of the Singaporeans, the net tax rate is 0 or negative.
I've seen an ad today about becoming a german teacher in Singapore. No, thank you! The german education system is far from perfect either but children are suffering much less and have a childhood to call their own.
The number of subjects Primary school kids have to handle is nothing compared to other countries in Asia. How stress it is depends on how badly parents want their grades to be 😢
Singaporeans are not only constantly competing, unlike the USA, there is no "escape" to a more rural area. You see your neighbors and their consumerism every day.
I am a S.African who taught English in S.Korea for several years. I encountered this stress there as well. It is said that if a senior in high school is sleeping more than 6 hours a day, he is not studying enough. They were even studying at school till 10pm on a Saturday!!
So in South Korea, due to very low birth rates, high suicide rates due to high cooker pressure stress if society. Has the government done anything to address the problems faced by the children 😢?
Meanwhile our little kids in Scandinavian countries like Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark etc goes to schools to play because the schools want our kids to learn by themselves and discover. Complete opposite of what these kids are doing.
We do have quite a lot of problem here in Norway, for example the companies doesn’t have enough engineering employees, and the citizens doesn’t take a lot of stem subject, compared to social subject. So they have to recruit from other countries like east-Europe or countries like Singapore for engineers
@@bawankhalid1209Engineers are only good in theory or paper work like drawing design of machines . They can’t do real practical work or skilled hands on work like Welding or Machining or CNC operating or Fabrication or Car Mechanic or Electrician or Plumber . For that hands skill you need to go to trade school . And European people can do skilled work with hands . Asians can only draw designs on paper 😂😂 but can’t repair cars or can’t do Welding or can’t install Wires 😂😂
@@bobfaam5215 I cant speak for the whole Europe, and i agree that society need a lot people from tradework. But the problem is that people specially middle class, or higher isnt interrested in trade work, or handy work in norway, that i have seen. However they arent interrested for stem subject either, so they are just taking easy subject like society subject, gender subject rather than high grad math or chemistry. So the biggest crises in norway isnt Russia invading or vulcano explosion, but rather that we need 40 000 engineer before 2040, cause they literally design everthing, like the phone/pc we are using right now to talk, or how the wifie works, or create houses, or upgrade stuff, etc.
@@bawankhalid1209 That is there in every country . Do the middle class or higher class people in India or Pakistan ever do physical jobs or hand work like Construction or Car Mechanic ? NO . Even they do comfortable office jobs and clerk jobs with minimum work . Even in Army in India and Pakistan , it’s mostly Village boys who join , not educated city people
@@bobfaam5215 But the lowerclass in India is taking stem subject, and enginnering degrees to try get rich, if they have the opportunity. But even though we norwegian have the opportunity to take those degrees for free they dont, because its really hard, and you dont really need to try so hard in norway anyways, because of the socialism. So rich people and top class is leaving norway because of the high tax rate, which is reasonable, and i will probably do that myself too in the future lol
Imagine you are surrounded with bright individuals, demanding parents and high cost of living. The only escape is to work harder than everyone else to stand out otherwise will fail to enter the local university
What’s not talked about enough is the work culture here. We get 9-6 instead of 9-5 as official work hours nationwide and pressure to work OT just to be a good employee. If you don’t work OT, you’re seen as not doing enough. This is prevalent everywhere, big and small companies. And also the nit picking on every minute detail of your work, catching every single mistake and pointing them out to you, or complaining about them to other colleagues. The culture here is just toxic.
We homeschool in America with Singapore math materials, and my kids can’t even believe how simple the math assignments are for their public school friends. The standards are wildly different especially for mental math and word problems. My children haven’t found it difficult at all, having started at age 3-4. I don’t envy them these social issues, thought quite obviously our country has many of its own, but their elementary math education is the gold standard. The math proficiency of most of our American elementary school teachers is shameful, a result of the cycle of substandard education.
It's very similar to Korea. In Korea, students start preparing for medical classes from the age of 5. In many cases, teenagers stop studying due to depression due to stress. Many parents consider their children's school to be their pride. But these days, many parents manage their academic stress with a stress supplement called Mind Forest. They are children who have a lot of fun, but it breaks my heart to see them face fierce competition from a young age.
lee kuan yew responsible for creating ultimate manpower resource in SG to compensate the lack of natural resources. stressful singaporean are unavoidable.
At some point you as a parent should prioritise your child’s mental and physical health over their potential for a job that is deemed oh so desirable by society.
The stress induced in one's country comes from the 'invisible' filtering system, filtering of the rich among the poor, smart among the non academically inclined ones, status difference etc.
If this is a roadmap to happiness, success, joy and bliss then I wish you the very best of luck 😮 I’m quite happy to have very little, being humble, putting my heart before my brain and walking through the trees 👍 nature is the best antidote to stress..wake up and smell the coffee if suicide rates are going up in an extremely competitive society 👍..stay stuck in a treadmill or be free..its YOUR choice 😮 LIVE..don’t just exist 😊
12:00 power to her for going the service route. My mom even said the same thing - she’s all about good grades and hard work but she said that when I graduate, as long as you’re doing something that makes an impact, whether that’s a successful career, community service, or even running off to be a nun, she’ll be proud 😂🤷♀️
Based on my observations of several children who have been doing abacus since childhood, I personally think that abacus is not worth the time and effort. Learning music, reading story books every night or focusing on sports will be a lot more helpful for future studies and work.
How do u compare stress? It's a race to the bottom. S'pore is stressful enough with the constant changes n trying to keep up; there's no way to run given the small size. China/Japan/Korea are big countries. It's not comparing apple with apple.
I had math & English group tutoring when I was in elementary in South Vietnam. Then, I left to emigrate to America. Young children are being taught differently here.
I don’t think anyone is proud of being stressed and unhappy here. Just that stress is an unavoidable part of living (anywhere in the world). Some stress is actually good as an incentive to improve oneself, but too much is bad, so it’s about finding your balance and reducing unnecessary stress. As for the mental health epidemic, we are not alone. Statistics show higher depression rates in the Middle East, N Africa, South Asia and the U.S. than in other regions. OECD countries, Iceland, Portugal and the UK were the biggest consumers of anti-depressants.
Down here, kids can start wearing spectacles as young as Primary 1(sometimes even younger). Childcare is expensive and competitive. Grades matter more than everything else. Kids' dreams don't matter because at the end of the day, no matter what subjects or specialization is learnt, when he/she goes out to society it is about 1: Whether he/she can find a job, and 2: How much the job pays. This is why you won't find a S'porean spending 6 months in north pole researching penguins and whales. This is why you seldom see a born-and-bred S'porean winning 3rd-1st place in the Olympics. We are good at buying talent from other countries If your kid can't keep up in school, instead of teacher spending more time coaching the weak student, there is a chance you as a parent is encouraged to let him/her change school so that your kid "can adapt better". Real objective is so that the rest of the class won't be pulled back just because of a single student.
Eyeglasses at an early age is a sign that the student reads a lot books or a screen close to their face. In addition they don’t get much outdoor time to adjust their eyes.
@@jmatt98No dumbass, eyeglasses means that the child has had weak liver and lacked certain key vitamins while growing up. Processed foods. It's means bad nutrition and personally, I think it's a failure on the parent to provide certain key nutrients in favor of fake number for status. Just... a terrible culture to raise a child.
That's basically what many developing or developed Asian countries want, gigantic robot-like workforces for all these companies in the manufacturing industry, pumping out subpar quality products that will still be sold at a high price when they hit the market, while severely underpaying their workers.
It's weird to hear someone describe 'kiasu' in a documentary using perfectly enunciated English. It is a colloquial slang used to mock the culture and it is basically a substitute for the word 'competitive'. But now it has turned into a buzz word that basically stops people from reflecting. It is like saying 'boys will be boys' when they do stupid shit, and calling Singaporeans 'kiasu' when they experience high rates of suicide. We just shrug our shoulders and carry on because it is now normalized.
Seeing the kids of now they are more stressed than my time . N our singaporean governments mindset abt competitiveness is the reason why some of us work and work n shed tears in silence … I might also add there is no such thing as a work life balance in singapore is either u work to get more money or u starve just for the days of rest
Some degree of stress is unavoidable, so what’s important is learning how to manage it. Leaving SG may get you a less stressful education system that focuses less on academic excellence, but you may encounter stress of a different sort eg racial discrimination, glass ceilings at work, staying safe in a society with high crime rates, drug and alcohol abuse, gun violence, etc. In short, it’s a pipe dream to think you can live totally stress free. Even if you opt out of the high pressured education system and choose an occupation that needs less education, eg farming or fishing, fishermen and farmers also have stress. Dealing with bad weather that destroys your crops or prevents you going out to fish, diminishing catch from depleted fishing grounds, etc.
36 year old now. Was always a curious boy. I didn't have tuition but even in primary school I would do maths books for fun, and read science books out of interest. When I was in P4 I was comfortably doing PSLE questions. I entered an elite sec school, my foreign MOE scholar friends would translate the maths question into Chinese, do the problem, then translate the solution into English, and still be faster than me. They said what we learnt in sec 3, they learnt in sec 1, and they had to travel one way to school for 2 hours, mixture of bus and walking! Do I think our life is hard? Hardly. Try the stress level of low income for graduates in neighboring countries 🤣
The so called low income people in neighbouring countries still can buy massive land properties.. And grateful for Not living in small bird cage country... What a blessing 😊😊
True...my youngest son now have a problem with study. His grades is really bad. He attended a lot of tuitions but didn't improve much. Right now I think we just have to do our best and let see if he's can make it into good secondary school. Is hard but we have no choice...just try your best first and let's see the result.
Thank goodness this is not a normal situation for many families I know. Good grades don’t equate to success. Don’t drive your kids towards mental health issues.
I have been in Singapore twice for work. Everything is artificial there. Everyone is running there. Even you can see people running/jogging on road at 2-3 am in the morning. Being from India where people can do different things at leisure, be it artificial or natural, I can not stay there for a month even. The kid in interview talked like a 25 years young adult. Kudos those foreigners who are staying there just for earning money. There is nothing to love with except money.
I'm from brazil and lida usually start school here at age 3-4 but it's just like a fun gathering, teachers tell stories and songs, it's more about socializing. 1st through the final year of high school is 4 hours of school a day. I liked that I was able to study in the morning and play in the afternoon. I'm 24 now and a 4th year med student, hopefully I will earn enough money to live a comfortable life and give back to my parents, that's all I want.
😂At least we have choices to have good schools and good jobs. I am 63 years young...i seen more stress when there are no schools nor jobs 😢😢😢 We should pray for blessing of choices! You always can choose for less stressful environment in Singapore! Is up to you! ❤
@@iamfighterman9646 @soolinteh Yes, just ignore the fundamental fact that young children are taking their lives because they believe they are not good enough. That is a poor reflection on both of you. You are comparing your experiences to children who do not have any experience and expect them to be grateful for a concept that you only understand but cannot spare a moment of your time to see that they are not you and you are not them. That is what leads them to take their own lives. You are older, you should be wiser, but instead you ignore their cry for help, especially when this is the only life you have. Once it is over, it is over. See if that is worth it for both of you. You may have the best intentions for them, but the road to evil is paved with good intentions. May you never bury a child because you could not listen to them and scolded them for being too weak instead of being themselves.
@@iamfighterman9646 I am a gen z but well said. I feel the young ones recently are kind of getting spoiled.. I guess there is too much entertainments nowadays
After seeing this, it becomes obvious that the parents are going too far and put too much pressure on their children until the children crumble under the pressure. They forget that there is a need to let kids be kids sometimes and just let them play. A balance is needed. They should encourage kids to excel but not to the point where it becomes counterproductive.
As Asian, it is a typical Asian cultural expectation to push for education. We respect job with education than other. even if same pay, doctor would get more respect than handyman for example. China seems to also have this stressful education culture in this vid. I would not want that life for my son but I also don’t blame them. My family was in poverty when I was a child so I understand. Freedom only available after all basic are meet. Stress is better than hunger.
Asian Parents - in Hong Kong Library i watched 2 parents hover over their 3 year old daughter as she studied books. And she was wearing glasses - how do they know she needed glasses at that age?! Oh because she couldn't read properly.
So when do children play or use imagination or are they allowed to be children at all. It's all about success and the child's mental state isn't important. No wonder there's high rate of suicide in that country because the parents focus only in the children being successful than actually letting the children be children. To me it's like the parents live through their children. Very toxic in my opinion. I so happy I don't force books or reading into my children and allow them use imagination to play and learn and that's how you raise successful kids explore outdoors as much as they can and learn their environment
My sister used to say to her children " if you don't study hard and get good grades, how will you compete with the Chinese and indian immigrants in Singapore ? You will have no job " My niece had a mental breakdown a few years ago in JC ... And her family stopped pushing her
What happened to your niece is very sad. Frankly, there are far more career options for young people today than there were 40-50 years ago. There’s also wider acceptance today that academic excellence isn’t the only type of excellence and it’s up to parents to explore with their kids and help them discover what they are good at so they can encourage them to cultivate their strengths. However, parents who try to live vicariously through their kids to force them to achieve what they themselves could not, give the kids unnecessary stress. Far more important to teach them resilience and how to pick themselves up and not give up after a setback. And to remember that they should try to find something they love to do, otherwise work life will be even more stressful. I have friends who didn’t do well academically but went on to become successful businessmen making more money than their classmates who graduated with better degrees. Just remember that even if you don’t ace an exam, it isn’t the end of the world. There are opportunities ahead if you don’t give up and keep trying.
@@letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoYour sister wasn’t wrong . Singaporeans have to fight tooth and nail against foreign talents . The only wrong thing was not noticing her daughter’s struggles . Not every child is up to it . Should explore her strengths and interests and find an alternative career for her . Wishing you all the best 🙏
In Singapore, stress have already started at a very young age which is mostly education towards the progression to working life in my opinion, the education system in some parts not useful or apply in our lives or in future and high standard of education is already stressing out mainly Primary and Secondary school which the syllabus getting more and more tougher years by years. Also don't forget it getting more and more competitive and it is unhealthy in some extends thanks to rigit system. In conclusion, it is more to study for test or exam than learning by understanding in our daily lives
Even in south korea students are very stressful studying in schools...so that's why suicidal rate is higher. As well as divorce rate in korea is higher too...population in s.korea was dropping since 2015~ 2020 more death than birth..
Stress comes in different forms. Living in a community with a high crime rate, rampant drug abuse, alcohol addictions, racism, gun violence, etc which all threaten one’s personal safety, is also very stressful. Fortunately, we in SG don’t have to deal with this kind of stress, which, unfortunately, is fairly common in the West.
Nah, not just RUclips but diverse respected media sources in the West, plus my own personal observations from traveling extensively. The problems I mentioned may not be an issue for you personally, but I don’t think anyone can say it isn’t true of many western cities in general. Stress is also inevitable if one is homeless, living on the streets, exposed to the elements and criminals, not knowing if you can eat the next meal or afford to see a doctor if ill.
@@anchored555 westerners will always impose their own point of view. i also had a deep debate with my european friend on whether drug addiction is a lifestyle choice. in his view, even addicts have the right to roam around the streets and everyone should have the right to decide to become an addict should they wish to
Sure, you have the right to do anything you want so long as it doesn’t negatively impact others. Unfortunately this usually isn’t the case unless you live in a cave or an island by yourself.
Most of Asian kids have to put themselves under the extreme pressure in education not for their own future, but in fact for the pride of their parents. They forced their children to get the good marks for themselves competing to the other parents. That is a part of their culture.
Well there is stress everywhere. Problem with Singapore is that the speed of change is merciless and the social service system is dysfunctional and distant. Simple example is the change to the transport payment system recently without consultation. It is causing stress but the policymakers are not affected by their own decisions. They are obsessed with fast, regular changes.
It’s a good thing. Look at how Japan is so horrible in IT when they keep saying that oh we have to help those who are not able to use it bla bla and end up still using paper and fax machine. Can’t even set up a NRIC system in a country
In fact Singapore is pretty ok just Singaporeans want to drive themselves that's all. They want to have more , earn more , climb higher, live in a private condo, want car .....etc etc etc...that's why they're so pressured . If you're earning low income in SG , say 2000 USD a month , you'll get big subsidies from government buying public housing . If you're willing to accept not so mature areas like north side of the city , a flat with 2 bedrooms only costs you around 100K USD after government subsidies . With 35 yrs of mortgage term, you're only paying probably 300 USD a month. In US big cities , this amount money can't even rent you a room already . So your ""low""" salary of 2000 + 17% employer contribution , after deduct living expenses you can still save money . But if you look at US figures , only 12% of Americans have more than 2000 USD in their saving accounts. So who's pressure is higher , seriously ???? Singaporeans are pretty pampered , to tell the truth . Their basic needs are very covered . Above that if you want more , that's your own desire. Singapore's main problem is lacking diversity . All ppl are pursuing the same goals : more money , higher rank , private condo, private car ...blah blah blah . You are surrounded by ppl with homogenous view points so most ppl feel their VALUES can not be seen . The point is why don't you chase your own goals rather than those stated above since you want to demonstrate VALUE of your own life ??? So what are you waiting for ? Waiting for all ppl around you stopping chasing money ??? Will that day ever come ?
When the narrator says this is normal for Singaporeans to do mental arithmetics, I assure you it's definitely not normal😂. Don't make it sound like we actually do mental arithmetics everyday as a choice lol.
I guess its less stressful to be jobless, living in your car or on the streets, choosing between heating or food. Either way please name one major city in the world that provides stress free living.
Is this video accurate? What about some countries wiry high students suicide rate? What about countries with board exams even after their degrees etc ?
No worry, after all the long journeys of high class education, many becomes agents (financial, pty etc). Cos not many willing to slog long hours to achieve financial goals.
Watching this makes me thankful for my life, I'm a housewife leaving my corporate job since 2015, now I'm living in beautiful city of Yogyakarta, I can enjoy nature and fresh air, affordable cost of living and free time to do my hobbies
Inilah yang membuat Singapura maju, SDM yang pekerja keras, kompetitif dan kritis tidak bisa dibandingkan dengan SDM kita kalah telak. Liat Singapura sekarang diantar negara terkaya, Teraman, pemerintah tidak korup, teknologi sangat maju, sisi negatifnya ya semakin stress karena tekanan sosial yang kompetitif
Wish you a great life sister.
When competition is the main stimuli, 'critical thinking' becomes twisted.
When there’s no competition at all, there’s zero incentive to improve, and critical thinking becomes superfluous.
it's not competition per se but rather the rewards that come from being at the top - the 5Cs that constitute the main stimuli. This leads to students becoming exam-smart (mugging ten-year series and spotting exam questions) rather than truly learning and understanding. This explains why Singapore hasn't produced many great thinkers or scientists, if any.
Critical thinking banned in singapore, PAP will ruined
@@DySunwe don't need great thinkers. Karl Marx was a great thinker, as was Malthus. But how much harm their ideas brought to people.
@@DySun If I understood correctly many of them learn by remembering math and not but math thinking. So they can do from head like super hard number from head but the important there should be logic and creativity for math you have calculator or AI
Stress can kill. But what else can one do in Singapore without working like ant? Same with big cities. Everyone wants more money and yet when life ended, it means nothing. Thankfully i am from Sabah. I have always dream of having a house in the kampung, rearing pig, chicken, planting vegetables, and sweating a lot, have a recreational house for entertainment, singing, a place for praying and all that. I am 63 this year, i am happy to have all despite the little money i saved from working for people. I semi retired at 46. Life is too short. Enjoy life but not with stress
I’m really looking up to that kind of life
Semi-retired is good. Bow many hours a week do u have to work?
Semi-retired is good. How many hours a week do u have to work?
Semi-retired is good. How many hours a week do u have to work?
Semi-retired is good. How many hours a week do u have to work?
At the end most of them become good robots doing hardwork for other people relaxing
Indeed. Most of these "highly intelligent" children just end up wage slaves.
I have similar experience growing up in Thailand. When I'm young up to early 20s, my self-worth was tied to my intelligence and nothing else. If I can't do very complex task, I feel worthless. I think I'm better now but still recovering, I still have to constantly tell myself that I'm a good, kind person with able body and healthy mind and that's already enough. I also tried to tied my self-worth in something else too such as being in good shape.
I live in Australia and have Singaporean friends and work colleagues, most of them have no intention of returning to Singapore and this is one of the reasons why.
Proof that forcing kids to learn advanced mental arithmetic is not the way to build a liveable country.
wrong, its money and cost of living
Another reason is that a lot of Singaporean women like Western men.
I taught English in Japan Taiwan and Thailand for a total of ten years and I kept battling with the notion of cramming as much as possible into the kids' brains all the while keeping it 'fun'. 11 year olds still want to play in spite of what these money making machines think!
Curious, why did you choose a English teaching career in East Asia? Maybe in the future when chances come up, you can come back States (is that where you were growing up?). Check out how competitive here in high tech in finance. Many employees in corporation world were educated in Asia cramming and cramming. Majority of them are functional like running parts in a big machine, no critical thinking, no imagination.
@@waysfunot exactly in japanese corporation. freshmen are encouraged to abandon their thinking skill in order not to be seen as menace to existing members.
promotion depends on how they please immediate boss.
this is waste of talent and academic accomplishment.😅
@@waysfu agreed. Actually I've been based in Spain where I started teaching since the 90s and ventured out to Asia from 00 to 2012 returning to Madrid periodically during those years. Spain has it's challenges particularly socially and dating or lack of because they are often very closed. However, teaching exclusively online nowadays to Spaniards is a God send from my time in Asia. The pay isn't great but my life is essentially stress free.
There’s time to play and time to study. That “edutainment” thing caused a backlash recently students saying hey we’re here to study not to play
I teach English in Taiwan now and can attest this is true.
In Germany many kinds only start school at 7 and free afternoons with plenty of play and time spent outside are the norm. My nieces even went to a forest kindergarten setting them up with a love for nature for life.
In Belgium they start a tad earlier and also create unnecessary learning stress, though NEVER to this extent.
The saddest thing in some Asian countries is that kids lose their childhood, that all this is not doable for less pushed and academic and that all that crammung does not guarantee a well-paid interesting carrier.
Doesn’t guarantee but may hugely increase your odds. Going to south bronx at 2am and hanging around some murky types won’t necessarily kill you but odds are different compared with you hiking in Vermont. Again, a newborn and an old man in his 80s both may die within the next year, but odds are different, right?
@@АлишерОрынбек-б8дif you are right why China is collapsing ?
I think you mean "interesting career"...not "interesting carrier"
But nothing is great about Germany in 2024. You only exist because the US military protects you from Russia's invasion.
I think we shouldn‘t hold the German school system as an example 👍 It‘s legitimately horrible
Thanks for pointing Singapore being a high stress place to live in. My daughter is 4 and her school is asking me to find another school for her because they say it may not be the right environment for her. Truth is, because my daughter has speech delay hence they dont want to deal with it and constantly ask me to send her for therapy and enrichment. Her speech delay is mainly due to her mother not being able to speak english. My daughter has improved alot but because of the standards here, the school is still complaining and saying she may not be ready for primary school....but she is 4! Back then, we only started school at 4 years old. And now, at 4 you need to be a genius else you will be ostracized. Now im thinking whether or not i should let my child grow up in such high stressed country although this is home...but perhaps not the home i want my child to be in
So sorry to hear about this . Your daughter is only 4 years old , it’s still not too late . Don’t give up as she will need a good level of English to survive anywhere in the workforce . This is something she has to face regardless of which country she studies in , relocating is not solving the problem . Since your wife is not proficient in English , perhaps she and your daughter can learn together using educational videos , games or enrichment classes . Raising a child is a long journey , stay strong and best wishes .
@@bakkwa8705 thanks for the advise. Whether or not my daughter has speech delay, i have been thinking if i really want my children to grow up in a high stress environment. When i see many other kids constantly having to do extra classes just to keep up with the educational level here and also with their peers, i feel that they are missing out on other good parts their childhood could have. So i thought if i could afford to give them an alternative life, why not. There is no right or wrong decision because in every path taken, one can still succeed as long as they are able to bring out their full potential in the area they are passionate about. It doesnt mean you are guaranteed success with the cert in Singapore. Many dont even work in the industry they studied in. Like myself, i did not study what i wanted because my grades did not allow that and i spent years just to complete something i wasnt passionate about but luckily i had the opportunity/support from my family to pursue my passion and succeeded in it. And I wish to do the same for my children. I dont want them to be constantly judged throughout their lives.
So are you saying the child doesn’t have speech delay in her mother tongue? If not, please consider bringing your child for a diagnosis as I have seen many parents who seek treatment too late and their kids ended up going to special education schools. I have a mild autism child and since realising he has speech delays since age 3, my hubby and I proactively seek out treatment for him so that he can enjoy normal life later. Our efforts proved successful as our son improved his eye contact and socialising skills and managed to get a pass from the psychologist who evaluated him to enter a normal public primary school to receive education.
@@ditsygirl5409 sorry to hear that and glad your child has moved on with her normal school. My daughter is not in the spectrum. We confirmed that with the specialist. She has just started speech therapy although i was told that she did not have to. But the school is telling me to. Im not saying that i want to ignore her issues which i am working towards her keeping up with her school. But i can say, being here, this is not going to be the only problem she is going to face
Singaporean govt no brain sometimes
I have been to Singapore many times as a tourist.
Society is a super competitive and intelligent ecosystem, which leaves no room for those who are lazy, laggards, or incompetent.
Having said that, the economic miracle of Singapore became possible due to its human capital, as it had very little to no natural or mineral resources.
Singapore is a working example of Social Darwinism, where it is the survival of the fittest.
When humans are treated as automatons and not humans, their miracle human capital will dry out. Singaporean birth rates are dropping. Just as in China snd Japan. Everything has a cost. The cost for being such an ultra competitive society is a declining birth rate and societal collapse if nothing changes.
I’m glad someone made this documentary about how stressful it is living in Sg. Schools in Finland do not recommend children going to school before age 7 as their brain development is still preparing for structtured learning until that age. Other Asian countries are not as successful as Sg or Japan or even Korea but look at the people who love there, the most genuinely happy and kindest people you’d meet. Their attitudes and characters are just night andday compared to Sgporeans. Exactly bc of the lifestyle.
Yeah some studies for example shows that math concepts are ideal for age above 10 . It is crazy that people learn so many subjects from young age and when they are older they cannot remember almost anything from that.
@@iamfighterman9646 what’s the point in all of that though? Leaving and making the kids later on in life more susceptible to depression and anxiety. This is I still believe in the old adage, “let kids be kids”, because when they are ready to grow and face such things that will be tools for our adult lives then we as parents will just see it. What you resist l, persists. What you accept, transforms.. children learn through playing and emotional bond that parents SHOULD prioritize FIRST in order for our kids to expand their EQ level. it has already been proven time and time again, that people who have higher IQ are the ones who have the highest sui**dal thoughts than those who have higher EQ.
If this is what so many parents want- their kids to be monetarily rich but the saddest, discontent and mentally unstable then I wish them good luck and sending my prayers.
I am a mother of 3 and currently homeschooling, now idk about SG policies about homeschooling but to be honest, homeschooled kids are some of the most well rounded, polite and smart and happiest kids I’ve ever seen. It is one kf those night and day differences you will see compared to traditional “schooled” children. Too much pressure, after years of observation, no matter how much we want to defend and rationalize it to make it sound as if the best choice for everyone- will bite us at the back.
Singapore is entirely different from Malaysia. Malaysia parents are not as demanding and allow their children more freedom. While the standard of education may be lower than that of Singapore, the children here seem much happier, as there is less stress due to everyone taking things at a slower pace.
Happy? Really? I lived in Japan for four years and although many people there ARE kind and considerate, I dare say that many are NOT happy. There is a lot of jealousy and envy and hiding oneself from others. The nail that stands above others must be hammered down is a paraphrase of a popular saying . Believe me, you wouldn't want to be student there who others (including some teachers) decide to 'hammer' or an adult returnee from a long-term overseas assignment who realizes that they no longer completely fits in nor really wants to!
@@jklmnoqr I said “other countries may not be as economically successful as SG Jp or even SK”….
I agree there are so many emotionally unstable Japanese.. lived in sg for few years and there really were a lot of unhappy and unkind Sgporeans too. As beautiful and well built Sg is, it says a lot that people who can afford still choose neighboring Asian countries of Sg as their ideal retirement place- other than affordable COL, those countries are still holding the gem of what purity in living is..
I’m a singaporean. My parents have never given me any pressure growing up. The pressure always came from within where I want to do better & become successful. Also, there is no room for slack in SG as i’m constantly on this moving carousel. 😂 I do wish for a slower paced life and less stress in exchange for material things not safety/ comfort. Still, I love SG very much ❤😊
I am glad I left Singapore. I found the environment to be very materialistic, class-conscious and status-conscious. Many people are always so concerned about what others think of them.
Our leaders and the video keep saying that Singapore has no natural resouces. The location of the country is in a way a nature resource. Becuase of its strategic location, Singapore gets many ships using its port.
It is not just Singapore, but also in Japan, South Korea and China too. Let kids be Kids.
Actually it's all over East Asia
I applaud the kids for their excellent math skills though I won't choose that to be applied to my future kids.
As a Singaporean, yes no doubt it can be stressful as a student, and more so if you are not privilege or book smart. But I honestly feel that other Asian countries are equally stressful or even more so. When I was in secondary school, my Chinese classmate told me a reason why he do really well for A-math and some other subjects is because he already learnt it in Primary school back in China. He just needed to learn how to apply his knowledge in English. Imagine we have to learn that in pri school here in Sg. I’m sure every parent will be complaining 😂
@@oceanblvd8 don’t be discouraged! I had friends who give up on subjects that they struggle in and they did better overall because they are able to reallocate their time and focus on subjects they can work on. I didn’t drop any subjects but my results are mediocre.
When it comes to study or in life, a failure may not be a failure even if you don’t see it now! Trust that you are doing what is beneficial for you in the moment and focus your effort on things you can control. Let go of things that you can’t! Sometimes a longer path can still lead you to the place you want to go 😊 Press on!!
Yes, china japan korea are worse
I'm planning to move to Singapore in a few months, but I'm worried about how the education and environment is like there. What is your opinion about Singapore?
@@Aanya8263 singspore primary school education is slow paced n stress free...environment is known to be relaxing to foreigner....education stress is only for those who dont study at all or really stupid and scream stress
@@norman6499 what is Singapore's housing like?
Highest predictor of success is your ability to tolerate stress so not surprised
nice documentary … i always teach my kids… your life goal should be how to live happy, use money to live not live for money status or prestige… always be thankful and see the positive side in live … the competition should be how to humble your self in this modern worlds….. never compare and help each other … do your best in every situation and use your heart to make decision …my children now is 21 and 19 and im so proud of them … coz they live their live as free person have a job and do the things they like and also have humanity in daily their activity 🙏
I studied in NUS and then NTU. Not surprised 😥
Britney you're here❤
I like how your channel is called "Study with Britney" 😂 also I studied in NUS also, it was not that bad since the classes get curved..
know yourself and know what you want , i am Singaporean and i am not stressed , oh and i have 2 kids a 4 rm bto.
if you want to chase the brands and keep up with the joneses , good luck to you.
i just want to make enough to enjoy my life with my children , but not so much that i have to sacrifice my time from them and my mind.
look man , its only stressful if you want to compete with your "friends" as to who makes how much drive what car , if you live in a condo or not
what is rm bto?
@@usenlim43794 rm bto would mean "4 room build to order". I believe built to order (BTO) is singapores form of government subsidize building.
room = room, bto= build-to-order flats, it's the more affordable form of housing to most of us in Singapore. @@usenlim4379
@@usenlim4379 sorry its local singaporean lingo i meant to say 4 room BTO (bto is a type of government housing )
@@usenlim43794 Room Built to Order flat (3 bedroom + 1 living room) in Singapore. Classified as a HDB.
In Singapore, we are just numbers generating the economy for the government. With the ever changing curriculum and education systems, it’s close to impossible not engaging tutors.
Ngl that sound very sad...
Exactly..all of us is just a tool for the "rich"...
Scary but true. Sad reality right?!!
not if you are talented and whether you are motivated or not is optional . Worried about other people getting ahead of you ? Well that's your problem - no?
this is why replacing man with machine cannot happen soon enough.
@@firstlast-pt5pp that mindset is only for geniuses and the wealthy. Keep it to yourself.
Human competition and quest for wealth will only bring anxiety and misery.
Cost of living is very high in SG. Property is small and expensive. Working culture is authoritarian. With hours are long. That's all stressful.
Same in HK.
Try being homeless on the streets, at the mercy of the elements and criminals, not knowing if you can eat the next meal or see a doctor if ill. Stress is relative. There are more than 600,000 homeless people in America.
the stress is making the Singaporean accent less appealing. People need to chill to improve their accent. Just sound cool with less stress and fakeness.
Nonsense. You work for minimum wage in Singapore for about 10 years and get to own your own HDB flat with government subsidies (basically free and no property tax). And for about 80% of the Singaporeans, the net tax rate is 0 or negative.
@@anchored555 u missed the point
I've seen an ad today about becoming a german teacher in Singapore. No, thank you! The german education system is far from perfect either but children are suffering much less and have a childhood to call their own.
The number of subjects Primary school kids have to handle is nothing compared to other countries in Asia. How stress it is depends on how badly parents want their grades to be 😢
@12:10 finding a job that earns you enough money with the least amount of stress is the best.
Singaporeans are not only constantly competing, unlike the USA, there is no "escape" to a more rural area.
You see your neighbors and their consumerism every day.
Students, parents are truly stressed. Retirees stressed too…food, accommodation, transport cost are high, higher….
I am a S.African who taught English in S.Korea for several years. I encountered this stress there as well. It is said that if a senior in high school is sleeping more than 6 hours a day, he is not studying enough. They were even studying at school till 10pm on a Saturday!!
So in South Korea, due to very low birth rates, high suicide rates due to high cooker pressure stress if society. Has the government done anything to address the problems faced by the children 😢?
Are you still teaching English as a Foreign Language?
Meanwhile our little kids in Scandinavian countries like Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark etc goes to schools to play because the schools want our kids to learn by themselves and discover. Complete opposite of what these kids are doing.
We do have quite a lot of problem here in Norway, for example the companies doesn’t have enough engineering employees, and the citizens doesn’t take a lot of stem subject, compared to social subject. So they have to recruit from other countries like east-Europe or countries like Singapore for engineers
@@bawankhalid1209Engineers are only good in theory or paper work like drawing design of machines .
They can’t do real practical work or skilled hands on work like Welding or Machining or CNC operating or Fabrication or Car Mechanic or Electrician or Plumber .
For that hands skill you need to go to trade school .
And European people can do skilled work with hands .
Asians can only draw designs on paper 😂😂 but can’t repair cars or can’t do Welding or can’t install Wires 😂😂
@@bobfaam5215 I cant speak for the whole Europe, and i agree that society need a lot people from tradework. But the problem is that people specially middle class, or higher isnt interrested in trade work, or handy work in norway, that i have seen. However they arent interrested for stem subject either, so they are just taking easy subject like society subject, gender subject rather than high grad math or chemistry. So the biggest crises in norway isnt Russia invading or vulcano explosion, but rather that we need 40 000 engineer before 2040, cause they literally design everthing, like the phone/pc we are using right now to talk, or how the wifie works, or create houses, or upgrade stuff, etc.
@@bawankhalid1209 That is there in every country .
Do the middle class or higher class people in India or Pakistan ever do physical jobs or hand work like Construction or Car Mechanic ?
NO .
Even they do comfortable office jobs and clerk jobs with minimum work .
Even in Army in India and Pakistan , it’s mostly Village boys who join , not educated city people
@@bobfaam5215 But the lowerclass in India is taking stem subject, and enginnering degrees to try get rich, if they have the opportunity. But even though we norwegian have the opportunity to take those degrees for free they dont, because its really hard, and you dont really need to try so hard in norway anyways, because of the socialism. So rich people and top class is leaving norway because of the high tax rate, which is reasonable, and i will probably do that myself too in the future lol
Imagine you are surrounded with bright individuals, demanding parents and high cost of living. The only escape is to work harder than everyone else to stand out otherwise will fail to enter the local university
What’s not talked about enough is the work culture here. We get 9-6 instead of 9-5 as official work hours nationwide and pressure to work OT just to be a good employee. If you don’t work OT, you’re seen as not doing enough. This is prevalent everywhere, big and small companies. And also the nit picking on every minute detail of your work, catching every single mistake and pointing them out to you, or complaining about them to other colleagues. The culture here is just toxic.
We homeschool in America with Singapore math materials, and my kids can’t even believe how simple the math assignments are for their public school friends. The standards are wildly different especially for mental math and word problems. My children haven’t found it difficult at all, having started at age 3-4. I don’t envy them these social issues, thought quite obviously our country has many of its own, but their elementary math education is the gold standard. The math proficiency of most of our American elementary school teachers is shameful, a result of the cycle of substandard education.
Living in a strict middle east, but i find Singapore and Japan more stressful.
I don't think it's as stressful as the Middle East
It's very similar to Korea. In Korea, students start preparing for medical classes from the age of 5. In many cases, teenagers stop studying due to depression due to stress. Many parents consider their children's school to be their pride. But these days, many parents manage their academic stress with a stress supplement called Mind Forest. They are children who have a lot of fun, but it breaks my heart to see them face fierce competition from a young age.
lee kuan yew responsible for creating ultimate manpower resource in SG to compensate the lack of natural resources. stressful singaporean are unavoidable.
Asian parents show tough love. I never hear my parents say "good job" it is always "do better"
Tough love it's irrational aggressive parenting
At some point you as a parent should prioritise your child’s mental and physical health over their potential for a job that is deemed oh so desirable by society.
The stress induced in one's country comes from the 'invisible' filtering system, filtering of the rich among the poor, smart among the non academically inclined ones, status difference etc.
If this is a roadmap to happiness, success, joy and bliss then I wish you the very best of luck 😮 I’m quite happy to have very little, being humble, putting my heart before my brain and walking through the trees 👍 nature is the best antidote to stress..wake up and smell the coffee if suicide rates are going up in an extremely competitive society 👍..stay stuck in a treadmill or be free..its YOUR choice 😮 LIVE..don’t just exist 😊
12:00 power to her for going the service route.
My mom even said the same thing - she’s all about good grades and hard work but she said that when I graduate, as long as you’re doing something that makes an impact, whether that’s a successful career, community service, or even running off to be a nun, she’ll be proud 😂🤷♀️
Yes, take a break if you can. A person mental health is more important.👌
Watching this itself was stressful.
50 years of social development will go down the drain with stress
Based on my observations of several children who have been doing abacus since childhood, I personally think that abacus is not worth the time and effort. Learning music, reading story books every night or focusing on sports will be a lot more helpful for future studies and work.
When you are just a cog in the country's economic machinery, life is a competition from the get-go.
no wonder Singaporean can be so feisty among their peers, they are so used to in competition
compared to south korea/china/japan, singapore is quite stress-free
I have a feeling that you are basing this on the news and social media - unless you have lived and/or worked in ALL THREE of those countries.
I don't have to but people who have worked in these countries and singapore told me that.@@hc1897
you may have a point. In China, the kids go home at 8 pm, they just stay in the classroom to do homework.
How do u compare stress? It's a race to the bottom. S'pore is stressful enough with the constant changes n trying to keep up; there's no way to run given the small size. China/Japan/Korea are big countries. It's not comparing apple with apple.
Why is there a need for comparison? Is there a competition going on?
Honestly...I'm happy coz i MIGRATED Out of S'pore...(Life is SHORT....Don't waste it...)..X-Sporean...
of course - same for those who moved to Singapore
A person with high IQ is a successful one hopefully, but, a person with high EQ is even a blessed one. If you have both, you are a God.
based on TIMSS/PISA rankings and low crime rates - Singapore has both 🤓
I had math & English group tutoring when I was in elementary in South Vietnam. Then, I left to emigrate to America. Young children are being taught differently here.
Being proud to be stressful and unhappy people shows how toxic under all those success. Wonder why we have a mental health issue epidemic.
I don’t think anyone is proud of being stressed and unhappy here. Just that stress is an unavoidable part of living (anywhere in the world). Some stress is actually good as an incentive to improve oneself, but too much is bad, so it’s about finding your balance and reducing unnecessary stress. As for the mental health epidemic, we are not alone. Statistics show higher depression rates in the Middle East, N Africa, South Asia and the U.S. than in other regions. OECD countries, Iceland, Portugal and the UK were the biggest consumers of anti-depressants.
Bagi anak anak brilliant hal itu bkn stress
Right?? I was thinking to myself that this is not a flex 😂
Down here, kids can start wearing spectacles as young as Primary 1(sometimes even younger). Childcare is expensive and competitive. Grades matter more than everything else. Kids' dreams don't matter because at the end of the day, no matter what subjects or specialization is learnt, when he/she goes out to society it is about 1: Whether he/she can find a job, and 2: How much the job pays. This is why you won't find a S'porean spending 6 months in north pole researching penguins and whales. This is why you seldom see a born-and-bred S'porean winning 3rd-1st place in the Olympics. We are good at buying talent from other countries
If your kid can't keep up in school, instead of teacher spending more time coaching the weak student, there is a chance you as a parent is encouraged to let him/her change school so that your kid "can adapt better". Real objective is so that the rest of the class won't be pulled back just because of a single student.
Eyeglasses at an early age is a sign that the student reads a lot books or a screen close to their face. In addition they don’t get much outdoor time to adjust their eyes.
@@jmatt98No dumbass, eyeglasses means that the child has had weak liver and lacked certain key vitamins while growing up. Processed foods. It's means bad nutrition and personally, I think it's a failure on the parent to provide certain key nutrients in favor of fake number for status. Just... a terrible culture to raise a child.
Instead of getting the workforce of the future you are getting robots of the future
That's basically what many developing or developed Asian countries want, gigantic robot-like workforces for all these companies in the manufacturing industry, pumping out subpar quality products that will still be sold at a high price when they hit the market, while severely underpaying their workers.
we forget we are humans 😢 let just be human not robots
Singaporean here 👋
It's weird to hear someone describe 'kiasu' in a documentary using perfectly enunciated English. It is a colloquial slang used to mock the culture and it is basically a substitute for the word 'competitive'. But now it has turned into a buzz word that basically stops people from reflecting. It is like saying 'boys will be boys' when they do stupid shit, and calling Singaporeans 'kiasu' when they experience high rates of suicide. We just shrug our shoulders and carry on because it is now normalized.
Filipinos are so lucky we don't have a stressful life that's why were the most happy person even if we are poor
Even in Africa I was thinking it was only South Korea Japan and china that have lots of stress not expecting Singaporean too
I’m happy where I am , where kids are allowed to be kids . Thinking about schooling in Singapore is scary to me .
clarify that the tree girl gets her expenses paid by daddy
it's so easy to live stress free life like that....
Seeing the kids of now they are more stressed than my time . N our singaporean governments mindset abt competitiveness is the reason why some of us work and work n shed tears in silence … I might also add there is no such thing as a work life balance in singapore is either u work to get more money or u starve just for the days of rest
The stress is not worth it. Leave Singapore while you can. 🙄
Which countries have no stress?
@@Appleorange.1234Thailand
Some degree of stress is unavoidable, so what’s important is learning how to manage it. Leaving SG may get you a less stressful education system that focuses less on academic excellence, but you may encounter stress of a different sort eg racial discrimination, glass ceilings at work, staying safe in a society with high crime rates, drug and alcohol abuse, gun violence, etc. In short, it’s a pipe dream to think you can live totally stress free. Even if you opt out of the high pressured education system and choose an occupation that needs less education, eg farming or fishing, fishermen and farmers also have stress. Dealing with bad weather that destroys your crops or prevents you going out to fish, diminishing catch from depleted fishing grounds, etc.
The middle class are heading to Australia.
36 year old now. Was always a curious boy. I didn't have tuition but even in primary school I would do maths books for fun, and read science books out of interest. When I was in P4 I was comfortably doing PSLE questions. I entered an elite sec school, my foreign MOE scholar friends would translate the maths question into Chinese, do the problem, then translate the solution into English, and still be faster than me. They said what we learnt in sec 3, they learnt in sec 1, and they had to travel one way to school for 2 hours, mixture of bus and walking!
Do I think our life is hard? Hardly. Try the stress level of low income for graduates in neighboring countries 🤣
well said. Isn’t perspective a wonderful thing?
The so called low graduates fr neighbouring countries can have a more comfortable life and live stress free in their country.
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The so called low income people in neighbouring countries still can buy massive land properties.. And grateful for Not living in small bird cage country... What a blessing 😊😊
Lol that about u,but why bring down the neighbour people?
Singapore is not just running out of Children, but running out of working age adults. Try to solve that with mental maths…
True...my youngest son now have a problem with study. His grades is really bad. He attended a lot of tuitions but didn't improve much. Right now I think we just have to do our best and let see if he's can make it into good secondary school. Is hard but we have no choice...just try your best first and let's see the result.
Thank goodness this is not a normal situation for many families I know. Good grades don’t equate to success.
Don’t drive your kids towards mental health issues.
I have been in Singapore twice for work. Everything is artificial there. Everyone is running there. Even you can see people running/jogging on road at 2-3 am in the morning. Being from India where people can do different things at leisure, be it artificial or natural, I can not stay there for a month even. The kid in interview talked like a 25 years young adult. Kudos those foreigners who are staying there just for earning money. There is nothing to love with except money.
Moral + Sanity education first.
I thought the most stress country is South Korea
Singapore probably ranks #4 , after China , South Korea and Japan in the stress levels situation .
I'm from brazil and lida usually start school here at age 3-4 but it's just like a fun gathering, teachers tell stories and songs, it's more about socializing. 1st through the final year of high school is 4 hours of school a day. I liked that I was able to study in the morning and play in the afternoon.
I'm 24 now and a 4th year med student, hopefully I will earn enough money to live a comfortable life and give back to my parents, that's all I want.
😂At least we have choices to have good schools and good jobs. I am 63 years young...i seen more stress when there are no schools nor jobs 😢😢😢 We should pray for blessing of choices! You always can choose for less stressful environment in Singapore! Is up to you! ❤
@@iamfighterman9646 @soolinteh Yes, just ignore the fundamental fact that young children are taking their lives because they believe they are not good enough. That is a poor reflection on both of you. You are comparing your experiences to children who do not have any experience and expect them to be grateful for a concept that you only understand but cannot spare a moment of your time to see that they are not you and you are not them. That is what leads them to take their own lives. You are older, you should be wiser, but instead you ignore their cry for help, especially when this is the only life you have. Once it is over, it is over. See if that is worth it for both of you. You may have the best intentions for them, but the road to evil is paved with good intentions. May you never bury a child because you could not listen to them and scolded them for being too weak instead of being themselves.
@@iamfighterman9646
I am a gen z but well said. I feel the young ones recently are kind of getting spoiled.. I guess there is too much entertainments nowadays
This is insane. They are raising robots, not children😢
But they are very intelligent people
What have they contributed to the betterment of mankind?
what is intelligent? 😂
I'd rather meet an end from stress in a safe, prosperous environment, than die of stress from poverty in a collapsing country.
After seeing this, it becomes obvious that the parents are going too far and put too much pressure on their children until the children crumble under the pressure. They forget that there is a need to let kids be kids sometimes and just let them play. A balance is needed. They should encourage kids to excel but not to the point where it becomes counterproductive.
As Asian, it is a typical Asian cultural expectation to push for education. We respect job with education than other. even if same pay, doctor would get more respect than handyman for example. China seems to also have this stressful education culture in this vid. I would not want that life for my son but I also don’t blame them. My family was in poverty when I was a child so I understand. Freedom only available after all basic are meet. Stress is better than hunger.
Brilliant approach to learning calculation. We had nothing so novel in the US in the 1970s.
Stress to one is a challenge to another.
That is how Singapore gets top in PISA - intensive and extensive tuition.
"Never Ending Pressure Life."
*(Singapore)*
Asian Parents - in Hong Kong Library i watched 2 parents hover over their 3 year old daughter as she studied books. And she was wearing glasses - how do they know she needed glasses at that age?! Oh because she couldn't read properly.
So when do children play or use imagination or are they allowed to be children at all. It's all about success and the child's mental state isn't important. No wonder there's high rate of suicide in that country because the parents focus only in the children being successful than actually letting the children be children. To me it's like the parents live through their children. Very toxic in my opinion. I so happy I don't force books or reading into my children and allow them use imagination to play and learn and that's how you raise successful kids explore outdoors as much as they can and learn their environment
My sister used to say to her children " if you don't study hard and get good grades, how will you compete with the Chinese and indian immigrants in Singapore ? You will have no job "
My niece had a mental breakdown a few years ago in JC ... And her family stopped pushing her
What happened to your niece is very sad. Frankly, there are far more career options for young people today than there were 40-50 years ago. There’s also wider acceptance today that academic excellence isn’t the only type of excellence and it’s up to parents to explore with their kids and help them discover what they are good at so they can encourage them to cultivate their strengths. However, parents who try to live vicariously through their kids to force them to achieve what they themselves could not, give the kids unnecessary stress. Far more important to teach them resilience and how to pick themselves up and not give up after a setback. And to remember that they should try to find something they love to do, otherwise work life will be even more stressful. I have friends who didn’t do well academically but went on to become successful businessmen making more money than their classmates who graduated with better degrees. Just remember that even if you don’t ace an exam, it isn’t the end of the world. There are opportunities ahead if you don’t give up and keep trying.
I think this is a generalisation.. just because some parents are like that, it doesn't mean ALL parents in Singapore are like that.
@@letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoYour sister wasn’t wrong . Singaporeans have to fight tooth and nail against foreign talents . The only wrong thing was not noticing her daughter’s struggles . Not every child is up to it . Should explore her strengths and interests and find an alternative career for her . Wishing you all the best 🙏
In Singapore, stress have already started at a very young age which is mostly education towards the progression to working life
in my opinion, the education system in some parts not useful or apply in our lives or in future and high standard of education is already stressing out mainly Primary and Secondary school which the syllabus getting more and more tougher years by years. Also don't forget it getting more and more competitive and it is unhealthy in some extends thanks to rigit system.
In conclusion, it is more to study for test or exam than learning by understanding in our daily lives
Nah the stress come from n levels not psle
Mentally prepared is the bare minimum 😂
Even in south korea students are very stressful studying in schools...so that's why suicidal rate is higher. As well as divorce rate in korea is higher too...population in s.korea was dropping since 2015~ 2020 more death than birth..
Including Japan, china Taiwan Vietnam, i don’t know about Thailand
thai school system is easier @@goodyoflife
Stress comes in different forms. Living in a community with a high crime rate, rampant drug abuse, alcohol addictions, racism, gun violence, etc which all threaten one’s personal safety, is also very stressful. Fortunately, we in SG don’t have to deal with this kind of stress, which, unfortunately, is fairly common in the West.
Hm. You just got all info from the youtube or so called news. Get out of the box & smell the coffee, would you!
Nah, not just RUclips but diverse respected media sources in the West, plus my own personal observations from traveling extensively. The problems I mentioned may not be an issue for you personally, but I don’t think anyone can say it isn’t true of many western cities in general. Stress is also inevitable if one is homeless, living on the streets, exposed to the elements and criminals, not knowing if you can eat the next meal or afford to see a doctor if ill.
@@anchored555 westerners will always impose their own point of view. i also had a deep debate with my european friend on whether drug addiction is a lifestyle choice. in his view, even addicts have the right to roam around the streets and everyone should have the right to decide to become an addict should they wish to
Sure, you have the right to do anything you want so long as it doesn’t negatively impact others. Unfortunately this usually isn’t the case unless you live in a cave or an island by yourself.
@@anchored555well said overall
Most of Asian kids have to put themselves under the extreme pressure in education not for their own future, but in fact for the pride of their parents. They forced their children to get the good marks for themselves competing to the other parents. That is a part of their culture.
I've been to Singapore and have felt very safe, also at night, as a woman! Incomparable to big cities in Western Europe.
Well there is stress everywhere. Problem with Singapore is that the speed of change is merciless and the social service system is dysfunctional and distant. Simple example is the change to the transport payment system recently without consultation. It is causing stress but the policymakers are not affected by their own decisions. They are obsessed with fast, regular changes.
a 1st + world problem 😂
It’s a good thing. Look at how Japan is so horrible in IT when they keep saying that oh we have to help those who are not able to use it bla bla and end up still using paper and fax machine. Can’t even set up a NRIC system in a country
We didn’t learn this in America! Omg education there is awesome
In fact Singapore is pretty ok just Singaporeans want to drive themselves that's all. They want to have more , earn more , climb higher, live in a private condo, want car .....etc etc etc...that's why they're so pressured .
If you're earning low income in SG , say 2000 USD a month , you'll get big subsidies from government buying public housing . If you're willing to accept not so mature areas like north side of the city , a flat with 2 bedrooms only costs you around 100K USD after government subsidies . With 35 yrs of mortgage term, you're only paying probably 300 USD a month. In US big cities , this amount money can't even rent you a room already .
So your ""low""" salary of 2000 + 17% employer contribution , after deduct living expenses you can still save money . But if you look at US figures , only 12% of Americans have more than 2000 USD in their saving accounts. So who's pressure is higher , seriously ????
Singaporeans are pretty pampered , to tell the truth . Their basic needs are very covered . Above that if you want more , that's your own desire.
Singapore's main problem is lacking diversity . All ppl are pursuing the same goals : more money , higher rank , private condo, private car ...blah blah blah . You are surrounded by ppl with homogenous view points so most ppl feel their VALUES can not be seen . The point is why don't you chase your own goals rather than those stated above since you want to demonstrate VALUE of your own life ??? So what are you waiting for ? Waiting for all ppl around you stopping chasing money ??? Will that day ever come ?
As a Malaysian, it's better to be stressed in SGD than MYR. Stressed yet poor.. so suey
In the US, a leading cause of death for sick people is stress - when they see their medical bills.
Known this long time ago since 1978.... zEvery families have to work 8 days a week. No time for family.What a country..... PAP...... Pay and Pay.
When the narrator says this is normal for Singaporeans to do mental arithmetics, I assure you it's definitely not normal😂. Don't make it sound like we actually do mental arithmetics everyday as a choice lol.
imagine canada and usa adopt this type of priority, over Hollywood and Profesional athletes. I bet we'd have a better society overall.
AS A SINGAPOREAN ALL WANT TO GO RAFFLES IVY LEAGUE OXFORD CAMBRIDGE
2:40 shopping “mao” ?! I’ve never heard anyone pronounce “mall” that way.
She can inherit prof parents fortune that's why can afford little money with no stress 'job'... lucky girl
I guess its less stressful to be jobless, living in your car or on the streets, choosing between heating or food. Either way please name one major city in the world that provides stress free living.
Stress is a choice. People just pretend to be stressed out to justify their salary.
Is this video accurate? What about some countries wiry high students suicide rate? What about countries with board exams even after their degrees etc ?
I love the narrator's voice.
It's likely AI-generated.
No worry, after all the long journeys of high class education, many becomes agents (financial, pty etc). Cos not many willing to slog long hours to achieve financial goals.