(ppc) everything is in mandarin and converted into dialect, would it be fair for schools to just teach chinese dialect, how about malay and indian dialects, we do have all these


religion as well and even in china they do not teach dialect in school the goal of a school in my perspective is to unite educational standards not diversifying it, and if you are to talk about mother tongue language the more speaken languages in the world are actually first of all we have chinese second we have spanish and followed by english so do we have to teach all the students spanish as well


and even though, chinese is, most spoken but it's not the most written in the whole world, even by looking at your phone now even as a chinese are you using chinese fonts, you are not right


so I feel that dialect is something spoken, and if people are interested there are many ways to learn it on their own, like you have said you speak to your grandparents using dialects, so what we have always learnt through dialects is through word of mouth of others we do not learn through like internet


so it and, as my own I also have learned dialects through my grandparents and, is it something that school really needed to teach


okay so from your point we're actually talking about mandarin and not chinese dialect, as you've mentioned there have been maybe like nine hundred and eighteen billion people speaking mandarin, ya that's why we have schools teaching mandarin but we're not talking about mandarin in this case you are talking about chinese dialects so the amount of people that are actually speaking dialects is


actually less than one percent of the whole world, and even if, we're going to teach, chinese dialects to students we have to fair to be to the other religion as well just because we have more people speaking mandarin


does that give us the right to offer chinese dialects as mother tongue language, you so, so this will like raise to racial riots so like if every religion were to argue about having dialects to be taught in school


it will be a headache for all teachers and, you wouldn't want to see any racial riot happening in singapore lah


okay so you are saying like uh schools should also, maybe give, students the prior to choose like maybe malay and indian dialects lah so uh from my point of view is that


all these will the students be wanting to choose it, the school the school might offer it but, will it be something that the student will choose it, because


as a student I I would feel that they would not take all these dialects up because it's not something, they know that it's a necessities, ya it's something for a culture is good to know


but is it really necessary, because, okay even if you said like china they communicate in dialects but even in china's schools they do not even teach dialects, in classes because they know that


through communication mandarin is the is more of a way to get to communicate with others, so I feel that the goal of a school, is to unite educational standards lah not diversifying it


okay so, if, parents are able to teach dialects to their child, then I don't see why there's a need for schools to be teaching it because if the parents can take out their own time to teach their children an additional


you can call it a additional so called subject, uh the school will not have to teach it for them because, I I think that school should focus more on like the main


spoken language so that is better to prepare them for their society


okay so uh, what you are suggesting is that they're learning the, so what if I‘m one of the, non five dialect group, and also, to talk about this I feel that


it's not, uh necessary because, even though we are both speaking like both of us we know how to speak dialects but how much history do you know, we none of us know about the history of dialects and


to be very honest I don't think, even our grandparents know the history of dialects we spoke it because it's a, a spoken language and it's not written language so there's nothing for us to write and


if you are talking about like being taught in school or what we have mandarin to be taught and ya I think that's, important enough for students to know


and, for mandarin we do not even actually know about the history of mandarin, if students want to learn about all these histories, they should be in the history class instead of a mother tongue language class because in mother tongue language class they do not teach you about the history of


what the language you are learning actually, so for example if you are to take a mother tongue language we learn how to write a word and how to use the word in a sentence, we do not know how does this word come from we do not know


how does the word even form up in their own, so I think that if you are talking about history and heritage, ya students should be taking history class instead of, like chinese dialects lah


okay so uh first of all you are talking about


we are talking about mandarin and not, dialects, you are saying all those idioms are from mandarin, so if, you may correct me uh, are you able to give me some idioms on dialects some dialects idioms that maybe like the history of dialects that you've known


and I feel that uh all in all why must school teaches everything, all these type of things can be learned through parents, and to be honest, school doesn't teach you everything that you know how to do, for example


playing game or watching shows, does your parents, does school teaches you that but you still know how to do it because, there's always internet for us to look through things and I feel that the dialects should be something that


should be learnt out of their interests instead of something that school


debate topic three


okay so I felt that, learning outside of classroom is a very subjective topic, yes learning outside of classroom is fun and exploring for students, but is it beneficial for students, it's time consuming for a road trip


out, and wastage of manpower to ensure that no student wander off, or run around and they, actually even be safety issues for children that are under thirteen years old, if an injury were to happen, distance from school can mean less support if medical help is needed


as for the teacher they need to plan fully in advance, and taking everything into consideration, and less access to resources it might even actually takes up, to a week plan for a two hour journey trip, in my own perspective


I feel that, there are more benefits to learn in class compared to learning outside, as you have stated uh the you can, have like the five senses through outdoor, and why can't we do it indoor, I believe that hands on experience can still be


taught in class instead of going out, so like there are actually more benefits to be learning in class compared to learning outside, first of all it enhances the students critical thinking skills, teaching in the classroom give the students opportunity to engage in


live discussion, in which they're forced to use their critical thinking skills to formulate opinions or argument, so I feel that, a students who are outside, will actually, their mind would actually wander off and instead of focusing on what the teachers are actually teaching


and classroom teaches, student how to develop organisational skills, beginning with the basics such as arriving to school on time, in a live classroom students are held accountable, for being prepared to do the school work


which includes having done their homework the night before, being ready for pop quizzes, turning in assignment by their due dates and being prepared for in class discussion, in effect students learn how to organise their time, prioritise their assignment


and get their homework done, I believe being, getting organized and stuff, will not be, easily learnt outdoors because, they're more free, they do not care about whether they are getting their homework done or not


so classroom teaches inculcates, conflict resolving skills, presentation skills, when it comes to presenting their ideas confidently in front of their peers, developing team spirit and teaches them to get along with those from different cultures background


such experience are valuable in shaping students, communication and listening skills as well as growing and maturing emotionally , so for students uh, I feel that, a classroom environment is very important because


if, they were to do a debate, they won't do it outdoors because, it's not a, suitable environment for them because there are a lot of distraction outdoor, so all this can only be done indoors, and


to do a presentation, I don't think anybody would want to do a presentation outdoor as well, because they are, audience will not be focusing on them, and rather focus on the backgrounds


okay uh so I don't see there's why not to be bringing animal to classes, uh I've seen my teacher bring rats bring frog into class, for science, and I've actually brought


a hamster for show and tell during classes as well so, all this type of experience, I feel that it can still be done, in school but also, I also agree to your point that


uh for example art you need to be outdoor, to see a legit texture of a leaf, but at the same time you can actually bring it into class, it's not something that, it's have to be done outdoor being able to do outdoor is a benefit because


it gives us, it gives the user, a more, freedom of thinking, and it's a very subjective matter, uh, because uh for example if you are talking about, maths science I don't think that


all these subjects are able to be brought outdoor, is a teacher able to teach maths outdoor I don't think so I think the students would be more focused, on the surroundings compared to the subject that the teacher is teaching, but for art


yes I can agree that, uh the students, have to be outdoor because, it enhances their sense, and, schools actually do provide learning outside of classroom


environment but, it cannot be on a, weekly or a monthly basis but more of a, once in a while type of thing so that the students will be able to, relax themselves and not be so tense up in class


okay so, back to this topic of going outdoor, it's a wastage of resources that the schools can actually be, better put in uh, for example if let's say you have to go to a farm and


the admission fee of going into a farm might cost twenty to thirty pax per pax so, all this type of money can actually be placed into better equipments in classes, and also like


if you are talking about the touching sense of maybe a rabbit, or a horse all this type of, touching sense can actually be put into mannequins, there are actually like, fake animals' mannequins that the


students can be able to touch and if you were to really compare, a two hours in class, and a two hours on a trip, a two hours on a trip can maybe probably, at most a one hour


useful knowledge, for them, and another hour is probably wasted on trying to gather all the students trying to bring them, together to get their lunch and all those unnecessities wastage of time so I feel that a two hours in classroom is actually more


beneficial for the students because, they get more knowledge of the animals, and if you are talking about animals are, for example if you are talking about dinosaurs, does, students able to touch dinosaurs


even if they go to a museum, they are only able to see how big, or how, the fossil of it looks like, but, if you are talking about how the looks of, a thing everything can be taught through classes we don't have to see the


physical thing but, all this type of things can be seen through, online


okay so it's not just a wastage of resources but also a wastage of manpower so if you are talking about children that we have to bring them outside of classroom, environment uh, especially for children that are under thirteen years old you know you should know that childrens are actually quite


mischievous, and they are more prone to wandering off and running around, and this might actually be a safety issue, so if let's say we were to go to, okay being to going to a farm, might be somewhere off the grid and is actually not


as safe as maybe being to a museum, because a distance from the school can means less support if medical help is needed, if a kid were to fall down, and they were to get a cut and have to be sent to hospital


it might actually have, more needed more time for them compared to being in the school, and also uh you stated about the positive experience, of a children, being outside


so what are actually the positive experience that the children are actually gaining, are they gaining more fun, on just been outside having fun with their friends or actually they will feel that, it's a more, positive experience to be outside


gaining more knowledge, as a child I have been outdoor and learnt but I know that, is more of not learning is more of just going out there to enjoy all the time with my friends and just running around and not doing anything else


debate topic one, in this day and age uh admission to secondary school junior college and other post secondary school institutes are primarily based on academic grades, so in my opinion I believe that this system has to change


and student should be considered based on both academic uh factors and non academic factors uh for example uh based on their CCA achievements and points they accumulate during their school years


so I believe that you should not solely be based on their academic grades


okay uh thank you for your thank you for sharing that singapore has the world's best education system and stated that institutes normally prioritize grades more than looking at non academic aspects, so I would like to just disagree with those points as uh singapore has definitely shifted its importance at looking at just grades


to considering students from various aspects for example like sports and uh talents so singapore education system has evolved and new changes have been made, so for example the grading system recently was changed because uh for PSLE students and more academic aspects


were introduced in their curriculum to help with the development of their character and life skills, so this could only mean that said students who are graduating from primary schools are considered admission based on both academic grades and non academic achievements


so in addition going back to what you have mentioned earlier on regarding how uh considering non academic factors would not uh benefit the students especially when, academic has a much higher importance for their lives and their future so my point here proves that our education system will not be affected rather it will embrace a wider definition of meritocracy


that includes more subjective err factors


well thank you for your points you have mentioned coming back to what you have mentioned that adding non academic aspects will increase the stress of students who are currently juggling with their academic subjects I would like to just ask a question to the opposition


do you think it is important to have an equalised system for all students I believe that considering both academic and non academic factors will increase the equality of opportunities within the education system


so not all err students will have the privilege to do well in their academics due to their backgrounds like for example, yes singapore has the world's best education system however due to competitive admission criterias focusing on just err grades has led to students to already have more stress


a study showed that seven out of ten students are preoccupied with having tuition or any type of uh extra lesson to aid with their academic after school so in this article it stated at singapore household spends about one point four billion on tuition


this shows that not every student , can afford tuition and these students, who are a part of the lower income family might not have the privilege to afford the tuition, so this might affect their academic performance and they might excel in other areas like non academic aspects compared to academic aspects so in my defence equalizing the system to render opportunity across


all schools will reduce pressure on the admission process


okay thank you for your point basically my point here my argument here is that schools should consider both academic and non academic aspects when they are looking at admission for students well if you


look at the admission requirements set by the school and the cut off score it simply reflects the lowest ranked students accepted in the institution, doesn't this contradicts your point of having an equalised system standardised across for both students who excels academically and non academically well I feel that this really contradicts your point because some students do have to be seen


using their CCA records and some students can be seen using their academic their academic grades and stuff like those I feel that both aspects should be considered and not only one aspect should be considered


like you mentioned earlier on like you read in the US some students are denied admission even though they actually they should be they are actually they should be in the admission committee and stuff like those like it it is not


right for just being the just having an admission just for students who , err excels academically only I believe that it's both academically and non academically


okay thank you for your points I would like to just mention that, likewise you said that they should take up these activities outside school hours and this should not be considered, into admission when because it's should be solely looked at their grades so this will create an equalised system I would like to disagree with this point because


do you feel there is a a meaning if someone is doing voluntary work or someone is excelling in uh sports and other events they are not recognised, and if they are not recognised when they're getting admission into an institute where else will they be recognized


like their effort and everything it should be put into meaning and I believe that uh for example like you said there are many national examinations in singapore like the o levels n levels PSLE okay so in those admissions, there are certain different admissions they don't only have an admission just for academics


the academic as admission comes on the later part after they received their, results while the earlier admission exercises for example for o levels we have the early uh admission exercise the EAE which is known for students to apply using the grades that they currently have


after their tests they might not have done well but they also look into their CCA records and all their achievement their voluntary works so this exercise looks at students who are maybe not doing, that well in grades but they would like to give the students an opportunity to progress in life because just because they do not have the grades doesn't mean they are meaningless they do have uh a point and they do have a purpose so if their purpose is to excel in other aspects


they should be looked into those other aspects and I believe that , students should be given the opportunity to look into both academically and non academically aspects because no one is just studying all day long we do need to grow holistically in different areas


and when students show an interest in sports they might, not do well in academics but in the future the might represent singapore they might represent our our uh nation in other competition and that is also a pride for singapore so singapore has to give importance to both academically and non academically aspects when


we are looking into admission


err , so thank you for your points,


so what so what do I click sorry


debate topic two , so singapore is a multi racial society we are made up of many races and religions so bilingualism is very important as it brings people closer to their culture


it is also an essential part of what makes us unique as a nation, children who learn another language are better able to connect with people and relate with their ethnic customs and traditions , so this aspect is reflected in our education system because mother tongue is called is a compulsory subject at the primary school leaving examination PSLE we all know as and singapore cambridge GCE ordinary level which is O levels


and singapore cambridge GCE advanced level which is a levels so the chinese language consists of many dialects and in singapore only a few or none are thought two chinese students, this has to be rectified and schools should offer the options for students to undertake chinese dialects as a mother tongue language


okay thank you for your points err opposition I would like to just uh address what you just uh questioned me even though you questioned a lot of things I would like to just address the main thing first so no I would not like our students to experience high levels of stress


firstly you mentioned that it will be difficult for every school to include all the different dialects and you also added that there might be insufficient staff in singapore, so the singapore ministry of education mandates new policies each year regarding chinese language teaching and testing so err predominantly chinese language teachers in singapore


err primary schools and in secondary schools are usually from uh china and because of the insufficient staff in singapore we have to source out to chinese teachers from china and this and this helps with our


education system so most of these teachers are equipped with knowledge of the various dialects however in singapore the education system gives importance to only mandarin, err so the teachers are compelled to teach that instead of the various dialects because in singapore we only test


err mandarin for the students so if the singapore education system offers the students to learn various chinese dialects, these teachers are actually capable of teaching these dialects because they do have the knowledge they have experience this in their country because in china


many chinese people speak many different type of dialects and they're from different different parts of china and there's many dialects they don't only speak mandarin and in singapore since we are a blended community there are many different types of chinese people who speaks various different kind of dialects


so three quarter of singapore's population consists of ethnic chinese and yet learning chinese has been stressful for many singaporean students like you just mentioned so , you said that they might face high levels of stress or in addition uh by adding this as a subject it's like too much for them to handle


but I am proposing that this option of choosing what dialect to study should be made available for students rather than making everyone learn mandarin so for example in primary school there used to be err a lesson a session saying that


you can learn another language after school so this type of programs can help these chinese speaking students to know more about the different kind of dialects so it should be given as an option not be forced towards the the students to just learn mandarin so these are my points


okay thank you for your points I would like to just add on saying that you mentioned that it is err a waste of funds to add it as a subject and you mentioned that those funds can be useful for the students to go on field trips


and learn more about the chinese culture and you know all those things let me just ask a question so those funds can not be, used to just go on field trips but it can be used to teach the students about the dialects itself so


when you teach the students about the dialects itself is actually bringing them closer to the culture the history and like you said how they go on field trips they can learn it in school itself and when those teachers they are actually not


we are not I'm not proposing to bring in more teachers from china I'm proposing to actually use the knowledge that these teachers from china and are in singapore have, about these dialects well not only teaches from china know these chinese dialects even some chinese teachers in singapore who are singaporeans knew knows err various chinese dialects these dialects were not taught in school by them but these dialects were learnt from home


from their parents from their grandparents from their relatives, it's not what they usually use when they go out or in school, so this this situation has to be brought to light, where they are given the opportunity to actually choose which dialect to learn and to speak because even though there is various languages in singapore all the languages have different different types of dialects and since our community is growing and singapore is becoming a big community


there are many people err who are from different cultures and dialects and ethnicity they would like to learn their their they would like to see them represented so it's important for them to


actually learn these dialects and there has been a decline in chinese language err proficiency in singapore, so if such changes are made to help students have a chance to learn the chinese language it is it it will be a progressive and effective way


and this can actually save the chinese language proficiency in singapore it's like they would get to learn mandarin aside and they will get to learn the dialect they are from they represent and everything their culture and everything so this is my points


okay thank you for your points I would agree that singapore needs to focus on preparing students for the future and like you mentioned you said that students should learn their dialects from their grandparents from their parents who have years of experience this


so this actually contradicts your point of saying that it causes more stress because, they actually still show importance to their dialects and they're learning something new also so why can this be made this difference be made at school then at home why must it be used err by the must be taught by their grandparents and teachers they can actually


provide this as a subject and the the students can actually learn more about it because for example the english language everybody speaks english but be our parents know english our grandparents might know english so


we learn we choose to learn the english language in school no it was given to us so when we learned the english language in school it's very different from how we talk at home we learn about writing we learned about listening we learn about so many other things there's various components to the english language


so when it comes to the chinese dialects there are various components and not all grandparents and parents can actually teach those things so I would actually like to suggest that singapore should actually include the main five chinese dialects such as Hokkien taiwanese


Hainanese cantonese err Hakka should be offered in singapore, schools as subjects


debate topic three, so the world is moving at such a fast pace and conventional ways of teaching and learning has been modified and changed for the better so conventional teaching doesn't encourage students to develop


critical thinking problem solving and decision making skills, which is learning outside the classroom can help to develop those skills not only can learning outside the classroom lead to a deeper understanding of challenging concepts but it can also provide a context for learning in many areas


nearly every one of the hundred and twenty mainstream secondary school has one or more distinct distinctive programmes that teaches students outside of this classroom so for example of these programs are through the applied learning programme


the ELP or learning for life program the LLP , therefore I would like to argue that learning is best outside of the classroom


thank you for your points I would like to just address a the point that you said about the shorter attention span, well a study has proved that younger students have shorter attention span compared to older student so it doesn't matter if the


they are learning in the classroom or if they're learning outside of the classroom because their attention span the attention attention nobody can listen throughout the entire class they might have a attention span problem so, there is no reason where you can say that learning outside the classroom can affect their attention span so I would like to just say about address that external factors that you were saying about like noise levels and unwanted interruptions that might contribute to the students losing attention so


in a straits times article it states that experts from the ministry of education announced that a stronger, emphasis will be placed on outdoor education, in the coming years these lessons are not just conducted outside without any form of planning the teachers have been stressed on the importance of planning the activities to err be properly convinced by the students


so the pre planning process is very thought of, and it is and there there is also an effective follow up on in order to produce the best learning experiences for these students so hence outdoor education has been a compulsory


component in many schools uh in singapore, these these lessons will help the students to learn more outside of the classroom then learning in the classroom


thank you for your points personally I feel that safety is a minor factor that has been brought up throughout your argument and I feel that it has been mentioned a few times about safety when it is actually a minor component in my perspective


so compared to the amount of knowledge and experiences they can learn from learning outside the classroom that the students can gain, so yes safety of the students cannot be compensated for the cost of learning but my point here is that no teacher or school is going to conduct a lesson whereby they know


that their students' safety is in jeopardy like the the exposure to learning outside the classroom will equip, students with the development of character and err skills such as teamwork when a situation occurs outside the classroom how will the students react you can actually see that happening if you if lessons are conducted outside the classroom


and also the classroom is a controlled environment like you mentioned and when the students fail to learn to adjust to changes, like learning outside the classroom the world is not a controlled environment they do have to go out there they have to experience things themselves so this might be a setback for them because in the future when they're working in the working environment this is not a controlled environment by them


these nobody's going to look out for them you if it's safe for them if it's not safe for them they have to learn how to adapt to changes and how to, work in the future in a working environment in a non controlled environment


so through learning outside the classroom students actually get a glimpse of the real world and process information differently rather than spending hours cooped up in the classroom looking at a projector or listening to what the teacher says


like when they are going out of the classroom they actually can see various thing it be it bringing them on a field trip to a farm teaching them about the plants or stuff like those they get to see how the plant grows to get to feel they get to touch


you get to experience all these rather than just looking at the video in class so I feel that they will have a better knowledge and understanding rather than learning in the classroom


okay thank you for your points to answer your question no I am not claiming that the safety of the students should be jeopardized when learning is taking place outside the classroom, but I would like to uh just highlight the word that you used previously saying that the school environment is a safety and comfortable bubble so


in this bubble it's everything is controlled in your aspect including the safety option and I would like to say that, these these safety option is also controlled in the outside outside err learning outside the classroom because


there are some protocols teachers follow, when they are bringing the students outside of the classroom to learn they are not just bringing the students out, like for example if they're going on a morning run they can just run in school but why are they going outside of the school to actually look at the neighbourhood learn the things they go pass and all those things they're not just going to bring the students outside of the school and run the definitely will have a


someone to petrol to look around to look at the safety hazards to they would definitely have a meeting before that they they actually conduct this run or whatever activities that they going to happen so for example another example is err bringing students on a field trip


there is a protocol of having two teachers in this err if you are bringing students outside the school and , so the students will not be left alone with one teacher so twenty to thirty students it will be left alone to about two teachers or even more because sometimes when schools go on field trips they actually call up for parent volunteers


and some parents who are actually free they actually choose to come down and to err monitor and help the teachers as well so , there's always someone overlooking to ensure that all the students are following, err what the main teacher is saying and also overlooking the safety of the students outside so teachers are also expected


to bring a first aid kit when they are on a field trip to ensure that if there's an any emergency or for example like if a student falls down during the run uh a teacher will be prepared to help the student because, teachers most teachers are usually err know basic first aid skills


and such protocols have been implemented to ensure the safety of students so the safety of students are not being jeopardized in my opinion when they are learning outside of the classroom


okay thank you for your points yes after you are doing all of this I do think that learning outside of the classroom is best, and I would like to highlight that there are actually various methods teachers can used to measure their children's learning


there is no such method that is not available for them to use because for example teachers can use the method of asking students to reflect on what they have learned through that lesson this is actually a method because they will be able to write an essay of the reflection of what they have learned


and teachers will be able to measure the students' learning outcome and understanding and moreover teachers can use this to measure how much the students know and stuff like those, so I would like to say that there if there is no other ways to measure how the the understanding of the students are teachers can actually create different type of


a measuring options for them because everything is made and create and discussed in our day and age and teaching styles have been changed teaching uh ways have been modified conventional method has been changed, so all these can be can be made by the teachers also so they can find other options to measure


the students' knowledge and their understanding but one of the options can be asking them to reflect on what they have learnt that day


debate topic one


okay, so firstly I would like to sum up the points that, you have mentioned so you mentioned that you know currently admissions to schools and institutions are based mainly on like their, academic grades and that other non academic factors like CCA achievements and points should be included also but


I would like to disagree with this point because I'm sure we all know that singapore is a very highly competitive nation and in order to survive grades are actually considered the first priority especially for admissions to schools and even some jobs as well


so our education system is considered, one of the best in the world and this was actually derived, through , tests that were conducted every three years on fifteen year olds from many different countries and they were tested in the three categories or subjects known as maths


science and reading as well so this study is actually a very good example to show you that when we are you know looking to measure something we always take the students , subject and their academic grades so because it's a standardized way to measure and it's also considered grades are also considered the first priority


uh rather than non academic factors like sports so if singapore were to shift their attention from grades to other non academic aspects it might actually affect our overall outlook on our education system that the world and and how the worldview us view view our education system as


well, so going back to what you mentioned about factoring in CCA achievements and , , there are non academic factors other non academic factors I feel that it what what good would that do for students especially when academics you know has a much more higher importance


for their lives and for their future and it could even potentially determine what job they may even hold in the future


okay thank you for your very informative points, so now you mentioned that singapore has changed it's uh grading system for PSLE right and furthermore that you also mentioned that they introduced uh many non academic aspects into the curriculum as well


however, I strongly believe that what they have just done is to, include more stress for our students here because look around us we are all currently living in a in a extremely fast paced world you know everything goes, by around us so quickly and we are just scrambling around while the world goes by so quickly around


so there is no time to lose and I feel that including non academic aspects is just a waste of precious time that students can actually put into their, academics and potentially even excel, and go higher in their academics as well and it will also be unfair because students are they already have not much time in their hands you know for example secondary school students have to juggle


seven or even up to eight subjects so how can we expect, , students to have enough time for non academic aspects that are not even that essential for example external projects or even sports et cetera, so


you know because they're already busy with their homework their tuition they have to pay attention to their exams they have to do well for their exams so I feel that, including non academic aspects is just going to burden them even further, and uh they would also tend to face even higher levels of pressure and stress than they already do uh because now parents would actually expect them uh to do well in both their academic and non academic aspects also and this will lead to even more stress and it may affect their progression as a whole and we should remember that


handling handling academic subjects itself is already quite stressful for students so do we really want to, , include more stress for them


well you questioned me just now and equalizing the system is definitely important this is just to answer your question and you also mentioned about students coming from lower income families and that they might not have, the ability and the means to access tuition et cetera but thankfully in singapore there are many schemes and organizations that are willing to help and render extra aid for students from lower income families


into getting the extra assistance that they need regarding their studies and one such organization would be SINDA, they even offer tuition and other beneficial programmes for all students regardless of their background and additionally you also mentioned that uh such students might uh there's a chance that they might actually do well in non academic aspects


but, don't you think it is unfair to compare non academic aspects because , if you want to compare non academic aspects like sports or even uh projects like volunteer projects and events these are not a standardized category


and , not every student would actually have the exposure or the ability to, participate in such events as well so including non academic factors for admission into schools would be unfair


for example we would actually be risking opportunities and we'd be giving away admission seats into students, who, simply have done better in their non academic subject or like what you mentioned before just because they have good CCA achievements and points but they do not have that good academic results they might actually get into the school


but this is in comparison with student a for example who actually did maybe did not really do well uh not in the non academic aspect wise but they have excellent academic results, so if you really think about it in the long run what we are doing it might actually result in unequal opportunities for students to receive err quality education


and according to this article that I read currently in the US many students are actually being turned down by colleges, as top colleges are now looking at students as a whole instead of focusing on their academics alone when they're making, admission decisions so this further proves that actually including non academic factors for school admissions will actually just result in


unequal opportunities for students to receive err quality education


look , looking at academic factors solely would actually ensure that the entire system is standardized, and especially among all students in singapore, no matter, the school definitely their academic content would remain the same


or across all school it just differs in the way they teach et cetera, so, okay looking at the US again you know students are, , take always take the SAT which is also known as the scholastic assessment test which is a test that is standardized for all students and this test actually aids in their college admissions because it helps colleges to calibrate


their uh the students' academic performance when they're making admission decisions so while singapore does not have, the SAT, but we do have PSLE we have other national examinations like N levels and O levels and all of these collectively they help to determine admissions equally into schools based on for example for O level the final points that they obtain across all their subjects


so in my opinion this is a much more equal and a much more standardized manner of providing students the same opportunities for education, I mean, essentially what we are looking at we we I'm sure we are all thinking of the students,


uh future and we only want the students to excel and benefit so what, other way to do then to make sure that the system is all standardized and make sure that the system has a means of providing equal opportunities to for students to secure their future that they are working towards rather than involving them in unstandardised and inessential factors like the non academic aspects


I mean, while you are mentioning that non academic aspects is equally important there, I am sure that instead of including it into the school curriculum there would be other ways to, , for them to excel in non academic err aspects maybe they can actually take up those sports and other events outside of school


so instead of considering it into the admission process for school it could be like a hobby or or their extracurricular events or activities that they pick up, after, school hours so that it will not, infiltrate into the admission community as well


so this is how I feel


uh okay so thank you for your a very informative points so you mentioned that, you know if they excel in sports they can actually, go on to represent singapore as a nation et cetera, however how often does that actually


happen, and personally I feel that, , if they were to excel academic wise, you know some may even go on to become doctors, engineers lawyers and I feel that these people play a more stronger and a more uh


influential purpose in singapore doctors they can save lives they can bring in new lives as well lawyers they can help the right people you know face justice and receive the accurate justice that they need so, I feel that when we


when we look at academics only, we are giving them more opportunities to, become, uh and reach higher and more influential uh levels in their life, whichever the career path that they choose yes you also mentioned that


, we have early admission exercises where they look at err CCA achievements and CCA points as well I feel that this, that is actually a secondary way that should actually be a secondary way to


uh admit students and give students seats into the schools that should not be the primary way where students are, , would be getting admission into schools cause then that would just mean that academic is not that important anymore, and if your academic is not that important then why are students paying so much for their tuition why are students going for tuition classes


you know so, I I personally feel that, , yet while while you're mentioning that non academic aspects may not be, err, you know uh it should be more important than academic aspects personally I feel that academic aspects will always


has have a higher value than non academic aspects, and we should still continue looking at academic aspects, , to allow students and to give them the opportunities for a good and a quality education so that they can go on to reach higher


and , uh become more successful in their life and then use that their position and their job to contribute back to singapore to contribute back to the economy as well


can, debate topic two


okay so thank you for your points now you mentioned that only a few or or or close to none of the dialects that exist are being, taught, to chinese students in singapore, however, personally I feel that one main reason why chinese dialects


, has not or cannot be offered as a mother tongue language is because there are many dialects like what you mentioned, , and as of two thousand and twelve the five main chinese dialects in singapore, are Hokkien, taiwanese which makes up a percentage of forty one point one per cent


as well as, #Teochew# twenty one per cent and #Hainanese# six point seven per cent, cantonese fifteen point four per cent as well as, #Hakka#, seven point nine percent while other dialects, do have, a smaller speaking err speaker bases but they still account for it as well


so it would be very difficult for every school in singapore to include all of the different dialects, uh and , uh offer it as a mother tongue language so contrary considering how that there are many dialects in singapore one main reason why we have not offered or cannot offer


it as her mother tongue language is because, there may be insufficient staff to teach the various dialects in every single school in our country, additionally it might also be unfair for these students to suddenly take on another subject on top of the high amount of subjects they already need to manage


and an article from from strait time, actually mentioned that an international study revealed that students in singapore face high levels of stress and anxiety, even though we are known worldwide for best education system, so in this study over five hundred and forty thousand students from seventy two countries were involved and when five thousand eight hundred and twenty five students in singapore were questioned about their life satisfaction they actually said that


they were most anxious stressed and worried about their tests and grades, that, to the extent where it actually, affects their life satisfaction, and about seventy six per cent of uh the students in singapore actually reported that


, they feel very anxious for a test even when they, are actually well prepared for it, compared to the average of other countries which was fifty five per cent so this is a massive difference fifty five per cent to seventy six per cent we are it we are it's a massive difference between other countries and us so it shows that our the students in our country actually face higher levels of stress so by including more dialects


uh my point is that it would be considered as individual subjects which might actually increase the stress levels and pressure that, students are already facing, and our stress levels and worrying levels are I would sorry our stress levels are already at high and worrying levels in my opinion so do we really want our students to face more stress than what they're already facing


okay so now you mentioned that, chinese teachers are mainly from china, so and that this actually helps to tackle the issue of insufficient teachers, in singapore, and additionally you also mentioned about your proposal of allowing students to


choose which particular dialect, to study instead of mandarin, or to offer it as a after school kind of subject that they basically to give them the option whether they actually want to take up that dialect or not


, however how certain are you that by allowing them to just choose a different dialect, , and make giving them as a giving it to them as an option or an after school subject, how certain are you that those students would not still not face additional pressure or additional stress


so in my opinion especially for primary and secondary school students, they would still face such pressures and stress because at that age it would definitely be difficult for them to, take on a new subject I'm sure that even though


these are different dialects, they will obviously be a little bit different than mandarin as well so at that, older age it would be difficult for them to, easily, err learn and acquire the dialect easily and research has also shown that err younger children are able to absorb


barriers and learn various languages well only if they are introduced to it at a very young age which would mean preschool age so their stress and pressure would still exist if these various dialects were to be introduced in primary or secondary school, uh as a mother tongue language


and additionally I'm sure that we are all aware of the fact that, a certain amount of students must sign up, to take on a particular subject, uh in order for the school itself to open, a class


and in order for a teacher to be appointed to that class to teach the subject to the, a class, so this is actually a practice that uh usually occurs in all schools especially observer observable during the, secondary two err streaming year, where students are actually offered many different err subject options to choose from


so but they would only be granted their preferred subjects or their preferred subject combination and placed in a class only if enough students actually sign up for that class to take on the same subject combination or to take on the same subject


so now even if schools okay you might some might even say even if schools decide to appoint teachers to smaller class sizes due to lower sign ups for the particular dialect, then wouldn't it actually just be a waste of funds, err to pay for teachers who are proficient in the various dialects even if you were to bring in more teachers from china it would still be a waste of funds


the school can actually use the those funds, to err use it for other more, experiential learning for example they can bring the students out for, field trips, field trips and they may even err they can even uh arrange for few trips to bring chinese students to expose them to the history to the background uh to their different dialects as well I'm sure that other opportunities


to expose students with a different chinese dialects can be put in place instead of introducing it as a subject itself in schools because it would, result in a waste of funds


okay thank you for raising awareness on the issue that, , there's a decline in the chinese language proficiency in singapore while yes I do agree that there has been a decline in the chinese language proficiency in singapore especially surrounding the continuity of the various


err specific dialects, but I do not feel that, including those different dialects as mother tongue languages in schools would actually be the best solution, to save the continuity and the existence of those dialects, I'm sure that there would be other logical and more


money friendly solutions that can be put in place, for example we could tackle that issue right at its core and at its roots but like what you said encouraging more families especially the elderly and the grandparents to educate their children and their grandchildren on the importance of learning and conversing in their specific dialect


they can also remind them that if they do not have any interest in learning their own dialect, then, it would die off after awhile, there would it would not continue on for the next generation to to experience it or for the generation after that


so and if that happens they would actually be losing a part of their, true identity and their background so this is just one way I feel that we could tackle the issue of uh the decline in learning, by and the speaking of their respective err dialects by exposing them to the seriousness of the issue at hand and by encouraging more


elderly people like their grandparents to, teach, their their dialects to the uh children itself instead of offering it as mother tongue languages in schools, err, and what better way to learn about their background learn about their culture and their dialects from


people who have had, years and err decades of experience and knowledge , such as their err their grandparents themselves so what better way would it be to learn from their grandparents themselves right, and through this


it will not only be saving unnecessary funds on teachers we would also be encouraging more families to sit down and spend their time in a much more beneficial manner such as learning about their roots and their respective dialects, as well


okay (ppc) okay, so thank you for your points and you mentioned that , students when they learn from their grandparents they would actually face the same stress as they would err when they're learning in school however I would like to disagree with that point because when when dialects are introduced as subjects into the school they would actually be


uh graded on it so when a subject becomes when sorry when a dialect becomes graded, students would obviously have to put in more effort students would have to study, and set time aside so that they can do well in those in the in the subject as well so wouldn't that actually cost more stress


as compared to learning about the dialect from their grandparents when they're learning about the their the dialect from their grandparents there is no test involved no examinations no assignments they would I feel personally feel that they would when no examinations when and it's not graded when those are not involved students would actually


have, more interest and they would be willingly taking on the learning of their own err respective dialects, for example from their grandparents, so, I strongly believe that, err


offering it as subjects would just go back to my earlier point of it being err very stressful for students now you also mentioned that, , singapore would have to focus on preparing students for the future, and that


uh they should be offering those five main dialects so that they can prepare students for the future, however, how would offering or introducing five main dialects as, err mother tongue languages subjects would actually prepare students for their future


err especially after considering, okay, uh that the main language or main way of communication in singapore is just english


debate topic three


okay so thank you for your points uh proposition, now I would like to summarize the first few points that you have mentioned, so you mentioned that, old and traditional ways have actually changed for the, better and that learning is now best outside of the classroom


however in my opinion I strongly feel that, traditional manner of learning is still much better and that learning outside of the classroom, may not necessarily be the best option or uh the best method of learning


because when we think of learning uh in an outdoor environment, external factors have to be considered as well, and external factors such as noise level et cetera can be controlled when learning is done traditionally in the classroom


but on the contrary when learning or lessons are done outside of the classroom we would, not be able to control the external factors like noise levels so there may be unwanted high levels of noise, outside that may actually cause a disturbance to students while they are learning this might break their concentration and which may result in students actually missing out on the important points or important information that uh that the teacher is mentioning


this is especially so for students with short attention span as well so these students might actually lose out more err because when they are in a outside environment is definitely much more, exciting there are much there are so many things to see in an outdoor environment as compared to when you're learning in a classroom environment within the four walls so this might


cause them, to actually err look around them look around the err surrounding vicinity and uh instead of paying attention to what their teacher has to say so this might actually cause them to lose out more, more, in terms of their learning and I believe that


again the main intention is for students to prosper for students to actually learn something that would benefit them so this is why I feel that learning should still primarily be done within the classroom because do we really want to put, the children's learning at risk by bringing them outdoors to learn


, okay so thank you for your points, now you mentioned that such a great importance has been placed on planning the activities in order to provide students with the best learning experiences, but I believe that when we think of


learning occurring outside of the four walls of the classroom I'm sure we are all thinking about safety, is it safe for students how are teachers going to ensure that their the students will not get hurt, like I mentioned before when learning occurs in the classroom teachers are able to control the factors


uh, such as safety weather time noise levels et cetera, but when learning occurs outside of the classroom we would be unable to control, what occur what what is going to happen around us, and we would be unable to control the safety aspect and to think about it we might actually be putting the students at risk especially the younger ones like the preschoolers


now like what you mentioned, some people may argue saying that emergency uh, plans should be put in place we know we need to foresee things or we need to set a lot of time aside for planning and have various emergency plans in place


but no matter how much we plan, and no matter how much we can foresee certain things might still occur, in the outside environment because it is not in our control, unlike the classroom where teachers are able to plan teachers are able to design the entire classroom environment while to ensure that the items in the classroom err will not cause any injuries will not cause any dangers to the children for example removing sharp scissors ensuring that there are no sharp corners


when we go outside to the playground for example they might be nails or rusty surfaces unknown other unknown objects that might be on the ground that may even cause children or students to get hurt easily, so this I believe that this example that I've mentioned will strongly err and explicitly show that keeping learning experiences within the four walls of the classroom is a much more logical decision rather than taking it outside of the classroom and risking the the students' err safety as well


okay, err so thank you for your points, , now I notice that you kept mentioning that safety is a very minor aspect in your perspective, but going back to what I mentioned earlier regarding safety


I strongly feel that it should actually be taken seriously because many parents are also worried about their children's safety especially when they're going out of the safe and comfortable bubble and the safe and comfortable school environment


out into the external environment, moreover, one teacher is usually paired up to twenty or thirty students or especially err or more or even more especially in primary and secondary school, so, that teacher would definitely not be able to pay specific attention to every single student when they are outside


so as a result there would be higher chances of students getting hurt or injured as well not, especially after knowing that the outside environment is more dangerous and uncontrollable, thus teachers are unable to pay specific attention to all their students


I feel that , parents have more rights to be worried actually about their children's safety when they are outside learning, so I would like to question the proposition are you saying that we should just disrespect, , parents concerned about their


our own children safety just because, , you strongly feel that learning outside of the learning and err outside of the classroom environment is a better option for for children


okay, so thank you for some of your very strong point, err so now, I would just like to move on and err remind everyone of why are we, sending students to school because we want them to learn we want them to learn new information grow develop and of course achieve qualifications so that you know they can move on err and work to build a good future for themselves


and now I recently read an article by channel news asia where they interviewed and actually conducted focus groups including teachers and children aged nine to eleven, so according to the teachers that were interviewed by CNA they mentioned that one of the main reasons why outdoor learning is not the primary method or the best method of learning is because it is difficult to measure and assess the students' learning outcomes


so in my opinion learning outcomes is the most important because teachers must ensure that their students are learning and that their students are benefiting from what, the teachers are teaching because if not what is the point of sending students to


school, if they are not learning anything from the way the teachers are teaching them so on top of that, the article also mentioned that it is difficult to demonstrate and proof if children or students are actually , err learning through err outdoor environments using the current err assessment methods


and the current teachers current knowledge of assessment methods as well, so after hearing all of this, can you still think that learning is best outside of the classroom environment


okay so now you mentioned that teachers can ask, children to reflect on what they have learnt err through their outdoor learning experiences , but, how sure are we that using the method of reflecting is a good manner to actually gauge children's learning and to gauge if


children have actually it with children actually do have a deep understanding of the knowledge that they have attained outside through the outdoor learning environment so in my opinion it is just one way to measure their learning, but, I'm not sure if it's actually a very reliable way of gauging their learning outcome


because when children are just asked to reflect in class or even to write a essay it is easy to write because, you know reflection is not testing their knowledge it's just a reflection, to test their knowledge we obviously have to put in


worksheets examinations and go back to the traditional ways err and the traditional methods of learning which can accurately measure, and err, show us and prove to us prove to the teachers as well that the students have actually err attain a very deep knowledge and understanding


, from what the teacher has taught in class , and another issue that I would just like to quickly highlight err regarding outdoor learning environment would be the funding and the expense to actually have very frequent outdoor learning experiences so I strongly feel that after considering all of these points I mentioned here


rather than bringing the children outdoors I feel that we can actually bring the outdoor environment to them like what you mentioned earlier instead of just showing videos we can err bring in the real plants bring in the real butterfly or caterpillar and have them to do the experiments in the classroom


instead of bringing them outside so that way it would still be a save err method of learning as well


part one, debate topic one


!wow! it's me uh okay, uh ya in the age of internet TV and newspaper have become, irrelevant, uh I agree with this and the


especially with internet becoming so apparent and everyone using their phones it's, very understandable why TV and newspaper have become uh have have become more of an inconvenience as compared to others, it's a lot more of a hassle to carry uh to watch the TV and newspaper especially when you have so little time nowadays


also like when it comes to like advertising and and everything it's so much more it it's much easier to advertise via mobile phones


and that through internet itself, otherwise uh through print media itself is way more expensive to promote, and, uh promoting via, uh social media and internet and all is way cheaper cause because it has a far bigger outreach


but I understand that like uh, the print publication and on TV itself is caters much to the, a baby boomer generation where they where they do not have like the technical, I really do not have the understanding of how to use uh but are properly the internet and everything so such a


such physical media becomes much more apparent for them to be uh exploiting, so whatever targeted ads or targeted news should be aimed at, uh uh to, create awareness for these uh generation of people


on the other hand , uh when it comes to, uh, uh print publication itself though I've, I feel


the main uh consensus is that when you come when you are able to preach to a younger uh group of people the it's the word is able to spread out even more


yes


yup , well uh that's one thing that is one area of a thing to look at a marketing side but then also you just do consider whether is like, on the internet where there is like a side of creation of new jobs and versus the old previous print industry where is also if it dies down it will it will also cause a


uh in the, what is it called a deficit in jobs when it comes to that in that industry, despite the internet being able to create new ones you are also causing many more losses in that sense


maybe just carry on first lah, okay another fifteen minutes more for this topic


yeah, ya so


what other areas do you think uh this TV and newspapers, and the age of internet have uh impact have impacted, uh what, sectors do you think this internet and TV have uh newspapers have a


affected


understand


uh no I personally do not buy magazines back when uh the last time I actually even considered buying a magazine was when the age of internet wasn't as apparent yet, like you know before the use of android phones before the uh emergence of iphones


and ya uh, the pros uh the pros about the using the the internet I agree that TV and newspaper will definitely become in unapparent lah it especially magazines when it comes to that because physical media is although it is many say you can't


uh, recognise the presence of touch without the presence of touch you can't really do anything about it, , it's still it's still what matters is getting your message across regardless of whichever platform you are using


when it comes to push uh I'll consider it like, it's look at the for example from the point of view of like insurance agents not everyone would wants to


not everyone will buy it from someone who's selling it to you from like the MRT station or from the, uh, from the shopping mall when they just come up to you is like aggressively try to push you something like basically shoving something down your throat lah, and uh when it comes to


this kind of print media being uh pushed it's a huge loss for them ah, and, it doesn't seem like it is a, profitable way to go, and, yes uh


yup yup this uh in the age of internet wise ya I, that itself being uh pushing someone may uh seem aggressive and


and honestly you may cause uh, for TVs and newspapers to even have a negative impression is that it's so in your face sort of thing


as much as it has lead the age of internet has leads us brought up more solutions it has also brought up, uh many more problems on on the TV and newspapers side and since no one is watching it, and this has also and when I when I came to jobs people are going to lose their jobs but and also another thing is their pay is definitely going to take a cut


but however in in this in the only time where TV itself has taken a rise is probably during this lock down lah during the circuit breaker, families are forced to stay at home and, if they do not have any work then they're forced to actually watch the TV which is what happened to my parents especially


, I would lose the jobs as in when the, uh when the the industry becomes less profitable, there's lesser money to actually uh sustain their


employees, and if they do not have enough it will only lead to them losing their jobs lah


uh I for me, I spend plenty of time on the internet especially, uh throughout especially now because uh school hasn't even started yet, ya so that's all I do lah watch watching shows


becoming more and more uh aware of what's going on around the world, reading up on what's uh, what other companies are doing, what other societies are doing what america is doing


how do you think the golden generation is actually affected by this, as in the silver the they uh the baby boomer generation


yeah, understand


I strongly feel if the if it's solely catered for that generation, and, if they actually stepped up to have like uh openness to, the open mindedness to learn something new, and they will probably realise that paying for the


seeing thing on on the straits times at uh, uh the online, uh publication is well it's much cheaper compared to buying, it as, as compared to spending like a dollar, a day, for uh for whatever news you want to attain lah, I believe what I saw the prices were it it was not even thirty dollars for per month


in comparison to what uh the straits time if you buy for like a dollar it's definitely you are spending thirty dollars a month lah


sorry, I have no idea what the price is but I'm sure it'll be a lot cheaper


ya it's ninety nine cents per month, for six months, ya that's in compared if they were if they were actually willing to be opened up to such a


platform, which is honestly very frustrating for them considering they did not grow up with this time uh where, phones and all became so apparent, and the willingness to learn new things it's very difficult for them, but the there's also


uh sorry uh, there's also the the negative side of the internet which I think you will be discussing on


also internet, there's one corner I would like to bring up uh there is also a lot of things called like fake news on the internet


like they if even though you're opened up to even though you're opened up you have, opened up to so many things already for example like straits times the generic news factors but then there are also many other people who are on the internet as well who


do do not uh, appreciate that kind of fake news


, and they suddenly become doctors uh


yup, but then but then again if if they want to avoid this type of fake news they should really look up from where it's from lah they at least have the, effort, if you are willing to read something at least have the


initiative to know whether the source is credible or not ya otherwise you're just reading for the fun of it you can even watch Buzzfeed to kill your time already in that sense


yeah, yeah, okay sure I'll try to finish up in there even on uh the TV what many people watch is like shows and everything which in which in the age of internet is become so much more convenient and far cheaper as well


ya but definitely uh the TV was uh, stepping stone before we went onto other things such as the internet the phones and everything, it was like, when first TV came out everybody was not everyone had TV and suddenly now everybody has a TV which is the same learning procedure when it came to phones and the internet not everyone had a phone and internet but now everybody needs a phone and an internet


but not as much as they knew the TV


debate topic two, okay so it, the people have rights to remain anonymous when portrayed in the media


yes they definitely do as long, ya but uh in that sense, I'm I'm for it because people don't need, have to expose themselves to the world especially in the world where there are so many hackers there are so many ways to steal your information like bots and everything uh nobody should be able to be


steal your info just like that


I mean I'm sure you have heard of who uh who is anonymous in the US and uh in singapore as well, where the viral video was released an anonymous, , within his rights of anonymity released a lot uh many sensitive information


on social media itself, in that sense, uh he's like a so, it's like a internet vigilante, who does not uh, who does who, within his rights of the anonymity he does not want to expose himself but he also wants to bring light into the world


so with especially with there's with so many bad people like scammers and all there's also the good size uh the good side of being anonymous where people are upfront about certain things, and the, if you can if you are able to share it with one


and the thing is if you share your details with one person why aren't you why isn't like someone who you don't know able to know that fact as well


(mmhmm)


I mean the forum is, pretty a forum is pretty much harmless, honestly if it's harmless unless it's, uh there's unless it's cyberbullying but then if it's cyberbullying can't you just block it off


I mean if it's bothering you that much you can just report it, and that you still, you will not be affected by that person who's posting such , regard forums and everything ya media itself is so broad of a region where


anonymity should be maintained at, for definitely most of the aspects of it, but unless it's like a trusted uh company ah such as like you know, in on the internet itself when you are like on Singpass I mean you can't lie about that that is where your anonymity is not guaranteed ah


is I mean you're not allowed to be anonymous uh where you have to definitely give your credible uh, uh information about yourself, ya it's I mean if it's government they are I think they do have a certain right to your information


because you're born in that country you have to provide the certain credibility to your existence as a person, but otherwise on the rest of the media I don't think you are allowed you should be, needing to express who you are, and, whatever you do as a person


(mmhmm) (mmhmm)


let me see , even the person if they are reliable, they're I mean if it's regardless it when it's not a government initiative if it's like a, social media platform or like uh


forum or, any other which is not a regulated the content is not regulated, that's when people, uh have the right to remain anonymous however when it comes to being scammed, that's when uh people


like for example even emails have high rate of being uh, people being scammed text messages also people can be scammed but it's your decision for whether you want to fall for it or not


it seemed legitimate lah


uh okay ya this just at your credit card, so in that sense that's when you wish uh, you wish you knew who was the one who was scamming you uh


information uh, I understand I understand but that's that's only email ah that's that's one aspect where they are able to copy another uh company's what's that called another company's image and perceive it as their own and able to uh they're able to


take your credit card information and all lah, and I'm sure you use things like apple pay and everything right, ya so it's best to stay off especially uh those sites where like there are, much, bad things like fishing and all is much more prominent ya where they will fish for your information your card details and you should even uh refrain from using ya like computers where like in uh internet chat cafes


uh if the main the domain I'm I'm not too sure about that can you elaborate, (mmhmm)


ya so what I was wanting to mention about the the to not show on the public domain on that note right uh, basically when you connect to a wifi that is available to the public


they always state that it's unsecured, so I mean there's I mean once you know the fact the there's a fact that is is in your face that is unsecured, I don't think if you you should be even like, one should even be shopping online lah


with that uh with that network, information uh which is a sensitive information


I mean they have actually done it where they, have a certain entry criteria for your wifi where they will send you like a OTP or some sort, the one time password where only your number can access it


so in that sense I I believe they have taken certain steps of security measures ah, which lines up according to what is safe and what isn't uh, so anybody I mean let's say what if you are from another country and you don't have a


you don't know any wifi or you don't have any internet in singapore, the this there's a time where like free wifi comes in handy


other platforms uh, let me see, but in that sense uh, certain level of credibility should be put out there ah, for people to you know uh be open to what


to know who they are going to be interacting with, like a certain amount, where the names have to be legit and all, but then again it uh you have to go through the entire thing where, uh scams have been prevalent ah like you know when facebook had the situation where they were they were actually caught selling like user information to other companies for money


ya that is that is the one uh scary thing also one thing where people should be fearful about large uh multi, the this this huge corporations where they do not invest their feelings into the people or where they do not consider the feelings or how the people or consider the rights of the people


that's when uh that's when things they take a toll where the people themselves do not want to trust such media


sure


so if someone wants to, uh approach you on the internet, okay so and they and they have chosen to be anonymous, so matters on what type of interaction it is, does it take if it's like monetary or if it's like willing to access something from your phone


then, a person should know better than to not, uh take at such an interaction from that, source uh, unless the person is able to put up his credibilities or his uh his verification on their whatever page or whatever source they're coming or whatever platform they're on


ya, unless you are able to access that then you shouldn't even be entertaining such people


ya, but do you think there are more bad people on the internet then good people or


there are more people looking to exploit


okay and but that one but that one person is capable of exploiting ten people, if it's that ratio, and normally such scams go up to, , !whoa! tens thousands of dollars millions of some are even debate millions cause uh I mean you have heard of a top scammers dot SG that


platform, where they highlight certain, uh, profiles online in singapore where, these people are have known to be causing scams uh and one of them unfortunately is my friend who is in the top ten list


he's not a scammer, oh ya


to put it in upfront lah


, I mean those who promote these scams tend to I mean if it works out for those who were not scammed


then it makes them look like the scammers cause their friends or their family members got scammed, without, ya and they were looking from a point of trust, so at this with this with that said do you think you are able to trust anyone for that matter


I mean


that is a sole reason why uh people do not want to maintain their anonymity on the internet because they're not willing to give information to such uh, companies where they you don't know what they're going to do with your information, that's the sole reason why people should have the


rights as it's as it's as much more apparent when facebook the first social media platform did that to the people where people trusted their that company, at the start, I mean I'll, I get it has definitely gone out of trend and all but they're still definitely one of the biggest corporation


they have bought many other like for example, one of the most used apps in the world is like whatsapp, one of the most used apps is like whatsapp, and like uh if they were to steal your information from whatsapp let's say whatever personal messages you're send uh receiving


and whatever you're sending out it can be very very personal and like very private but they still do not have the rights to do that, and I'm just glad now that it is encrypted, whatsapp messages


yup the calls and messages


uh debate topic three, social media should not have rights to store and use our personal information


why is it uh yeah the question is uh very similar, to, why people have the rights to remain anonymous and why social media do not have the rights to store


our personal information because, these are just companies who are looking to create the sole purpose of the internet was to connect, people from one area from one point to another, and help to, to show a a a bigger interconnectedness within the world


and that is why uh, just for that purpose they should not be they should not be allowed to collect personal information


apparent ah


uh I


I think that uh when it comes to phone numbers and all, and, the thing is what do they need the information for


that that is what my point is uh they don't need that if the sole purpose of it was to uh to connect people, so if they connect uh if they collect the information, that it sounds very dodgy because uh it goes both ways that you as much as you want to trust the people people also would like to trust your company so that they will even use it to use your platform or whatsoever


and if you want to store that information and then what what did you is you're expected to do for who for anyone who might know, and honestly nine out of ten people I I believe uh, nine out of ten people, they do not read the user agreement our terms and conditions of it


our social media itself, and, ya ya and, uh these people are what what they can exploit the fact that like ninety percent don't read it they can exploit the fact and they might even sell your information to other companies and for profit and it's to those companies where you don't know what they might do with your information


well that's social media is one thing, and there are when they're users who like who are able to extract information from the social media companies and I'm talking about like hackers, and like those really professional ones who are able to take down the walls of the uh to uh able take down things like the firewalls of the internet and everything these companies are able to steal


such information and then use it for their, only or like to expose or like to even, bring out the bad side of people, and


ya, poor management of information ah, ya so, I mean who who can you then I honestly if, uh if you can't even trust the legitimate company from singapore which is I don't I'm not too sure is funded by the government and I believe is part of the singaporean community ah and it's a huge part of it ah especially in healthcare if such a reputable company is not able to


uh, sustain your retain your information properly why should social media be able to, uh keep your information and expect you to be at peace of why they're keeping it


they can't expect you to be at peace with them sorry information lah, but uh, did regardless if it's like for their improvement for their benefit if they want to if it fits into the algorithm to create like targeted ads for you maybe they know I mean you can even search on google uh there's this website called uh


ah forgot what's the word name of the website but it kind of shows like your demographic whether you're married or not, and and this uh whether you're married what you're doing right now you're studying or you're working or how many like how big is your family or whether you are single or attached and they have many many such sort of information and these are


just solely from you no it's from google this just whatever you have done over your time on google or your lifetime on the internet they have already been collecting information about you which I don't feel is right lah I mean I did not want you to know that I have a girlfriend right


I did not tell you that I have a girlfriend,


(mmhmm), yeah


ya that is that's a one thing that they're always listening factor


well I think that's when I uh actually disagree where they like trying to understand a person but it's just more to the fact like, they always have to be listening


it's like when for example you want to actually use the google home server you have to say things like okay google, you can't expect them to be like turned off at the point in time and suddenly only when you say okay google, and you expect it to turn it back on the fact the


the sole reason why they're always listening is for their own uh convenience to be able to activate and close not even close the system for always to be ready at your service, I mean to be ready at your service


ya, , personal information lah at least have the they should not have the right to to even privacy ya


ya , invasion of a personal space uh, so if they can listen to your voice there are definitely able to uh store it for their own use uh


ya that was the first one, I mean you don't even have to go to google I mean it's from your phone itself


like on youtube there's been an experiment where they just left the phone their newly bought phone, and they were just, just living around like they were just left the phone in the middle of the dining room and they were just uh listening to it uh they were just talking around just going around among their like our daily lives and when they first open up the phone which was I think after a month


also and they had targeted ads of for like what they had talked about without even previously having use their phone that phone itself, so I don't think it's only google home it's also like your own personal uh devices that does it as well


and uh scary


ya ya, they were consciously overhearing what we said lah,


ya I understand, ya I mean I don't think they should even store it ah, like, what is the proper use of information for the customised ability for your to customise what you're going to be looking for


I mean if I'm if I know what I'm looking for I'll search for it myself, you don't have to store that kind of information it's I do have the freedom or the capacity to even look for it myself, and all of this is what I feel uh what I think it's just a a gimmick to earn your money ah just to take earn more earn more money from other people


and uh, just exploit them at their innocent means uh


ya, ya, I mean it's ya ya ya there's just polling lah


the that is why if social media was, I don't know uh, I don't want it to be taken by the government, because especially when I enjoy the content of it I don't think they should be taken by the government but uh when it comes to, uh expressing yourself


you know since they do not uh since social media does not even have the right to store and use our personal information then, people should not uh even ben like how would do you say it , be punished for what they post on social media


like for example the amos Yee situation where he posted his, when he commented uh very harshly about singapore and their rules and their opinions he just expressed it very aggressively, and , ya he is there no uh were there were and they decided to take him in for making those comments


and, they did singapore feels like they have a right to, but uh, did he came out on bail, he posted another video, and they took him back took him back into jail again like into custody, but then that's when uh work


the UN and the US they came into effect that you can't, imprison this person, for commenting it's like a freedom of speech kind of thing, and they should not ya if if you


are able to express yourself, and honestly uh the if they're in cahoots they should not even be like uh the social media and the government itself if they're in cahoots, uh then you will be fine, then you really can't post anything then I don't think it's a social platform anymore


it's not something you do for your own leisure


, well to a certain extent it is out there, because uh, I'm sure you heard of the recent uh candidate for PAP ivan Lim


ya ya and , because his information was I mean it's everywhere ah I mean uh for for him to be such a high ranking official, and , the fact the people were able to, share their opinions without have uh


they expressed him to be a very negative person and for a for such a negative person to be withdrawn from candidacy, from social media without, already people are not storing and their personal information


despite that a a candidate like that is being forced to withdrawn through the power of social media, which means like social media has enough information already, and do and do not, and they do not need any more


uh to store and use our personal information for any other negative means, especially the government they do not have any uh rights to purchase or they have control of social media, in fact you've used uh instead of like controlling it they should be


using it like us and you are treating it like a source of information for them, source of like research


I see, and , yeah uh considering that they have enough, uh of their all enough information and the power they hold within the world


it's enough already and the fact that like, they are able to already sell off whatever information they currently hold, uh to other companies I don't believe that they should have the rights to store the to store and use our personal information strictly for our


uh personal preference


debate topic one


yeah I I kind of agree with Chatra because uh smartphones uh technically have everything now like from online paper to like your, TV series and like whatever you want to watch everything is there on the phone on the internet too


so like uh, people hardly like sit down and watch TV or like you know in the morning go and grab a newspaper because everything is on the internet, ya


ya that's true so, more points can be like a, the, even even nowadays like people who are uh like aging like around fifty they also are using smartphones they also using internet so


like, not not much people would would go and watch television or like get a newspaper, ya, because the world is, uh, advancing technologically so uh the use of internet on like various medias are like uh


uh these days


yes, ya true


ya true true on like how to say like, let's say if, what you're talking about is like marketing right, ya so nowadays a lot of social media marketing all done on internet and like uh very few even even job applications let's say you don't really go to the newspaper and see there is like


websites on internet where you can, go and go and find a job, so ya


ya, alright, yup


okay can can


we have we have another fifteen minutes to the topic right, okay


sorry again, other factors


okay for maybe, uh, I feel like, magazines they are quite uh, they're quite losing out on this because, I'm not sure if people buy magazines these days


so, it's kind of like a traditional marketing they're doing, ya so, or what do you think do you read magazines


okay but the thing of it I'd uh, I didn't really think it has became that irrelevant, yet because they're also few groups of people who really like you know


utilize this this the so like let's say family time we always have to use television correct when you're at home with your family you have to you know to spend some family time


and the newspaper you still see people giving out newspapers like the old aunty and uncles at the MRT station, so like, the push is there, it has not became irrelevant yet nobody thinks like !whoa! you shouldn't have this you shouldn't have that


ya they reach they reach a lesser audience, as compared to if they do it on the internet itself


ya, alright, so


okay


well, uh what what you mean by, like lose a jobs or something, previously


oh ya ya ya, ya


so, do you do you spend much time on the internet, yes


ya, as a twenty three year old I I, I don't even remember, when was the last I ever touch the newspaper, maybe ya like online news you know like straits times, but, never a newspaper like physically


TV ya of course because it's circuit breaker you know then you, you, family is always on the TV, so you know, there there's always time for that, yup


other points why


hello, gold golden generation again, how are they affected by this, uh


I wouldn't say they are, largely affected because like, now I'm pretty sure everybody has television at home, so, when when like parents or like grandparents grow older they will be exposed to television more


as compared to when they're young because like, I feel like everybody has a TV now, at home, and newspaper I would see like, it would like it would like affect them a lot


so like let's say, if, that there is not much information for them to adapt, from like the newspaper as compared to when there's there's, in the in on the internet


so like, that's what I feel lah it might not be true because like you know, sometimes, like strait times you know let's say you want to read the news, then, but then you cannot cannot read the full news because it's like some sort of a premium one so ya but then on the newspaper you can like you can buy it for like a dollar or something and then we have the full


we have the full uh content what what do you think


true true I I'm not sure what's the price though I I think last time it was ninety cent right something like that, per month for the straits times on internet


, that's true,


ya ya that that that saves a lot lah


ya so you see, (uh huh) complete, ya true right internet really has brought like, like different uh


in different ways you know you can use the internet like, things are now cheaper, now let's say there's three times compared to like you're buying it everyday for a dollar, and then uh, so many other factors that can like you know


they reached out to on the internet


oh ya ya ya true true


ya like social like like social media like let's say, facebook, there will be like uh news they'll be like videos where people say this say that and then you know, it's it's somehow like news and then it gets spreaded out


like that that happens in my family a lot my parents like to read the news on facebook, and then they will they will say something, ya , (mmhmm)


we're comparing my parents and me they would rather watch the news than the TV


ya, like for, yup we have a minute you wanna wrap anything uh, like


(mmhmm), I I wouldn't know what I would do without the internet lah but then like let's say if there was not no internet, like we will still carry on but then like


like if looking back from what I've experienced targeting I might be able to survive


debate topic two,


I also feel they definitely do


ya true so like, nowadays, like what you say people are stealing information from can be from wherever ah but then like let's say from the media you nowadays you can get scammed very easily


so the, you have to see whether it's trusted or not and if it's trusted I don't mind like you know not being anonymous, so it will be fine ya


so for, for like being anonymous on media, so


you you want to break down the break down the media part like


(mmhmm)


ya, so, like being anonymous, be honest


like if, like, how to say like if I if I were given a chance to be anonymous like let's say uh why do people be why why actually why do people be anonymous why would they want to be anonymous like for what kind of reason


because if let's say you you talk about like hacking or whatever, so that's like that's like before you know you have to share your details your your personal details but then like if it's like a forum or anything like that like what do you think


yes so the source is either verified or not verified lah


ya especially if like you know you, you want to show a difference or like you want, to post content so, all all this kind of media, medias I'm I'm pretty sure like you know, being anonymous is not the way


ya, so where do people actually want to be anonymous at what activity maybe uh, I don't know sometime I search for like uh


stuff on google and then, people will post their views about it but they're all anonymous, or like sometimes I want like knowledge like a like information about a certain thing and then they happen to be anonymous so from there I would like question myself whether like


I should refer to read or not or like, because if let's say, you are reading, you are reading from someone who is actually like so called verified, on the internet, so like there's that will be more of a credible source because then you can link back to the guy's profile you can see his post and everything


but then if it's from an anonymous person I would, I wouldn't, like I wouldn't use that piece of information, what about you


I was, ya I was scammed once, from the email , ya so like you know sometimes you use your, use your mobile phones but then you don't you don't see the whole picture yet


so like there was once where, uh I was sent an apple invoice, so like I, the email wasn't shown because the email was like very weird one so only showed like apple


INC dot something like that so when I clicked on it then you know they asked you to straight away login into apple ID so like and the page was like legitimate, so ya I did that and then you know, ya and then like few months later like some part of money like went off


bank it was fine like you can get it back if you're scammed from the banks, ya so ya moving on to


ya I wish I'll had the full piece of, email


like the domain the domain right, ya so like let's say like public wifi so it's it's quite it's quite dangerous ah to be honest like let's say if you are doing a like a shopping on the public wifi your