Why Singapore hasn't produced an Einstein

The young Albert Einstein once had his application to study at a college in Switzerland rejected after he failed the entrance examination.

While this affected his ability to advance his studies, it did not deter him from continuing his passion for theoretical physics.

From this, we can see that the willingness to try new things and fail is an important part of the journey to becoming a huge success.

Singapore's education system is among the best in the world.

However, it has been criticised as being too competitive, such that it has become all about excellence in marks and grades, and students are afraid to fail.

The question that is often asked is whether students are sacrificing their passion for knowledge in the desperate desire to be at the top of the game.

Students are rushed from class to class and have work piled on them, leaving them with little personal time to recharge, thus dissipating all interest in learning.

This is a problem if Singapore wants to see an "Einstein" emerge from our education system.

Danish Danial Mohamed Anuar, 17, first-year university student


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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 30, 2016, with the headline Why Singapore hasn't produced an Einstein. Subscribe