Is Singapore still based on equality? | Regardless Of Class | Full Episode 

As a Singaporean living in UK, I am proud of the achievements of my home country but am ashamed that people in Singapore looked down upon fellow citizens who are in low paid jobs as shown in this video. In UK, people say thank you to cleaners, bus drivers, lollipop men and ladies, etc. To verbally abuse these people who work hard to provide a service to us is unacceptable.

If the low paid cleaners, smelly rubbish collectors, the old uncle who cleans your table is not here - Singapore would drown in dirt and pests. If the ambulance driver, the Philippina nurse, or the elderly caretaker was not there - many of us would die alone at home on minor illnesses, because it was impossible for doctors to do their job. If the gardener, the security guard, or the Indian road worker was not there - we all would live in a big slum. Some people are totally overpaid. Some other people have jobs that are paid far lesser than their actual importance. And what is probably worse: We look down on them over our noses.

thing is that, even the teachers encourage us to study hard so "we don't become like them". they will be like no offence and ofc u agree u won't want to be a cleaner etc, but the fact that schools make it a driving factor for students to study hard, those students are bound to grow up looking down on these cleaners, even despite the cleaner appreciation days and stuff like that, proving these class divides are really not going to change.

We live in a world where only rich people are respected & treated properly. Sad but true.

It's depressing how our education is crushing the self esteem of our children and as a result the lower end, usually the poorer side often feels less motivated.

I think it boils down to Singaporeans were taught of meritocracy. "If you are still in lower class, could mean that you did not worked hard enough." To break that, we should ask the next question, "how come? This way, we may be able to understand the complex reasons such as unfortunate family circumstances. -from a lower income family living in 3-room flat.

I strongly believe that one of the reasons children have the conception of social class division is because of their teachers in school. When I was in primary school especially, my teachers continually reiterated that we must study hard so we don't "end up in a neighbourhood secondary school" where you'll be with other unruly students. My teachers attached negative connotations to neighbourhood schools and that vastly influenced my classmate and I's perception on neighbourhood and "branded" secondary schools. It made me have the perception that people from neighbourhood schools are usually academically untalented and have bad character (very ashamed to admit this). And apparently usually teachers who don't do well in branded schools will be transferred to a neighbourhood school. (I was also from a lower tier class in a branded primary school and I remember students from the upper tier class laughing at our PSLE score goals.) It was only until I went to poly and met many other people from neighbourhood schools then I realised my perception wasn't true. I have met many hardworking, kind and academically talented friends in poly who were from neighbourhood schools. A place to start solving the social class division is by educating teachers to not make derogatory comments about neighbourhood schools. Insinuating and making such comments creates huge divisions.

Most Singaporeans are reserved, they don't even greet each other in the lifts and tend to keep to themselves. They prefer privacy then the old kampong spirits of helping each others and sharing a story of a family dilemma so that whole kampung know. However, there are good samaritians who will stop in to help irregardless of races or religions.

Wow..Thank you Janil for highlighting and creating awareness to the public and the rest of the world. Many ask why I left Singapore to moved to Colombia. It is the sense of belonging and perceived value that my country and family did not provide me. It took me 26 years to figure out that im the designer of my fate.The segregation in education is completely biase and does not encourage 'slow' students to succeed. It just puts a label and it takes years for a child to remove it him/herself. I could never be an teacher in Singapore because entry to JC/Polys did not favour students who dont do well in Math and Science. Im an NA student and went through ITE,POLY and UNI to finally 'socially succeed' in life.Today im teaching Global Perspectives and English in a private school in Colombia.I am valued as a professional(not by race or class) and I have a sense of belonging which I longed for. I may not have the equivalent salary as compared to exchange rates but I am a teacher today.

Im really touched at how down to earth the host of this series is. He’s literally a senior minister which might be news to some ,dresses like an everyday singaporean and he’s hosting an entire series of this documentary instead of just sitting in his office and delegating it to someone else. As a person, i really feel inspired by him of walking the talk :)

Oh hey, isn’t this the same documentary that somehow won an award despite manipulating an IP students response to make her seem elitist?

I work as a management consultant now and I came across this video and spoke with my manager about this social class "situation" just to have a perspective on this. The outcome of the conversation was that there is a structural societal issue that just doesn't come across as a topic of discussion even as working professionals. My background hasn't been fantastic, low-income family, barely made it into express stream, did well in polytechnic and got into university (average scores). The thing is, companies and even tertiary education institutions should really rethink what it means by getting a "certification" or what an education should really encompass. Is it really just for a piece of paper that does not fully justify your future work performance or should tertiary education be a little more holistic in the topics that are taught, how the classes are taught and how students are really assessed. Stop looking at education as a MOE problem where MOE should solve this. You need to get MOM and the larger community to be involved in this. Its just cause and effect. PS: Its just dumb to have universities grade on a bell-curve and give students 'B's even though they can score 90 marks just because they are not the top 15%.

I born and raised in a HDB rental flat with my mum ( sometimes with her boyfriend) in a 1 room flat we were staying. Now my own hardship and people around me ( opportunity) and right belief bring me where I am now. I can't denied that I or my mum still had the poor class people mindset / bad poor people habit within us. Everyday is a challenge to become a better me than yesterday.

No ,most people in the express stream DO NOT look down on you , maybe just a handful of them. In reality, the reason why you feel that you're looked down upon is because you feel ashamed that you're in that stream and if you were to be in the express stream , you would look down on others(not in the express stream), therefore you feel that you're looked down upon as you would do the same if you were in the express stream ( I was from NA if you were wondering)

Don’t let others affect you or look down on you. Be the best version of yourself. Work on your craft if you feel lacking. Find streams that you can improve on. Regardless, treat everyone with respect and kindness.

This is crazy to me as an outsider looking in. In the USA yes we have class discrimination, in many parts of society however that doesn't stop many of us from making deep friendships with people. I have friends from all walks of life. I'm a "white collar worker" I work in healthcare but I have "blue collar worker" friends that work in what many would think is a lower end career. Just because of my job doesn't mean that I'm better than they are. I just don't understand why people are placed in separate "class" systems in school based on background. That's setting people up to fail. The best way is to integrate the schools. And revamp the way the school system is done. I felt bad for the 2 teen kids that felt just because of the way they talked means that they feel the "other side" thinks they are less than them. And what that girl said that integration wouldn't work shows she's already dividing herself and doesn't want to interact with "lower class" students. It shows that the way the government runs the schools in Singapore they are inadvertently creating class separation. This is just crazy to me. But again I'm from the US so we do things differently here. I was in Singapore several years ago and I saw many people treat the lower paid workers like they were less than human. I honestly didn't have a good time in Singapore because my Singaporean friends who happen to be upper middle class made many situations uncomfortable for me. I can't tell you how many times I told them not to treat security guards, maids and others with respect. I told them that it is unacceptable behavior no matter where you grew up. It took them a long time to break that nasty habit but they are doing better. However personally based on my experience in Singapore I won't go back because the class discrimination and to an extent the racism in certain areas where to much to bare. And that's coming from a New Yorker now living in the southern US. Even my friends who grew up in southern US states that were with us didn't like the way richer people in Singapore treated others of lower skills or class. That to me says a lot. I guess for me here in the USA were are always taught that no matter what "class" you were born into you can be whatever you want to be. Your social class means nothing. But seeing this shows me that in Singapore "class" really matters. Even though it shouldn't matter at all. That's setting up people for failure no matter what "class" you were born into. I grew up poor personally and I had a hard time in school but I worked hard and now I am a division manager for a healthcare company. If I would have grown up in Singapore I feel I wouldn't have been able to achieve everything I have now.

I like this documentary we need more like this to really understand that income gap and the effects on our young generations is detrimental to social cohesion and our social fabric and is the probable cause of what we are seeing now in HK! We cant be doing the same things when Singapore was poor and developing, now when we are already a developed nation. We need new policies and our education system needs to review how to bring up the self esteem and confidence of those in the left behind category eg. those Malay boys who feel inferior due to being in the normal stream and wanted attention and to create a bad boy image to boost their self confidence. Everyone wants to be respected and feel relevant and we should start with out your generation so we dont get into a class and social divide base on our intellectual capabilities which is connected to our social status and economic status.

When I was kid, I don't even know what is branded things.

Keep up the good work CNA. Branded schools and their teachers should watch this. I like Mr Janil:)

I think it is important to be respectful and polite to everyone regardless of class or the kind if work that the person does.

This is an age-old dilemma... Hunter-gatherer societies have the most egalitarian worldview but even they need some hierarchy to maintain order and viability within the group. One of the biggest reasons why they are egalitarian was because each individual's value to the group was apparent for all to see as long as the group remains relatively small so every member can track themselves relatively easily. Our value as individuals in today's massive and complex societies is harder to fathom or measure. For example, how should we value two employees of similar skills and calibre? One chooses to work 15 hours a day while the other works for 5. Surely you'd think the former was a much more valuable member of the workforce... until you realise that the latter employee had to work less in order to care for his sick child at home, and without his help, his child might have to be hospitalised for prolonged periods of time which may cost much more in tax payer's money. People needed a way to value each other and themselves, but with no reliable way of doing that, we turned naturally to a simple yet misleading way of valuing ourselves against our wealth. That is, we falsely equate our worth or value to society by the amount of money we make, rather than what we actually contribute. And if education was a proxy to wealth, then our value will be tied to that. The same goes for occupation, housing, assets, etc. Garbage collectors are often cited as a good example of this fallacy because although they are not highly regarded within society, take away their jobs and society will soon start to suffer. It is the same for farmers, undertakers, police officers, social workers, etc. Yet the world will tick over just fine long after the banker has gone on strike, even though they made the most money. Singapore's 'class' problem is really a 'value' problem. If people valued themselves by the amount of wealth they could gather, then surely there will be a class divide because this is the very nature of a capitalistic economy. Thus people are bound to feel shitty about themselves when they find themselves at the bottom of the food chain. Capitalism has its own problems but that's a story for another day. Until then, it is the predominant economic system that is lifting millions out of abject poverty but at the same time perpetuating and worsening income inequality. But what if there is another way to value a person's worth in society other than our incomes? *shrugs* Would we start feeling better about ourselves? Maybe. Note: I'm not saying that wealth is not important because poverty is a very real thing and people do suffer from it. I'm just saying that there should be more than one way to measure our worth in society other than our earning power.

“justice AND equality” is something we say in our pledge every day in schl. but some of my classmates think that just coz they’re in the top class theyre the best and can look down on those in average classes. some of them even go to the lengths of racism that they think that malays in the schl are dumb cuz there are only 4 malays out of the 80 kids in the top 2 classes. but i’m not saying the top 2 classes aren’t controversial among the average classes too. some kids in the average classes think that the top2 classes are snobs and toxic. some times id hear them say “they’re sexist” or “they’re bad at making friends that’s why there so toxic all the time” then there are the teachers, yes I know all teachers have favourites but when I moved on to p5 and P6 I noticed that my teachers are REALLY biased and you’ve guessed it, the smarter kids are always given the better treatment than those who take more time to learn although I haven’t really experienced these kinds of issues, I really hate to see my “smart but not as smart as the geniuses” classmates getting scolded by the teacher over trivial matters like asking to go to the toilet or asking if they can go for their early recess activities as they’re running late and if they don’t arrive in time, they’ll be punished while the better kids always get praised over the same kind of things let’s say this: john is a genius in the class tom is also in the same class but may not be as much of a genius as john tom: “teacher, can I please go for my recess duty?” teacher: “YOU KNOW WHAT TOM?! SINCE YOU WANT TO LEAVE CLASS SO MUCH, GET OUT NOW!!” john: “teacher, i need to go for my recess duty” teacher: “look at john, so responsible and punctual, you all should learn from him, ok you can go.” y’all see the difference? exactly. in the end, they’re both students, they’re humans, they’re the same. let’s refer back to the pledge “justice and equality” is this presented? no. I honestly need this issue to be fixed, I’ve even heard my teacher say this to my classmate: “you already know, *name* I hold a grudge against you.” I will not state which school I am from but I’m sure my school isn’t the only school facing this issue. I don’t think that people should judge others by their intelligence in this world, but what can a simple student like me do? I can’t just write to the government and rant about the fact that the pledge isn’t taken seriously. but I just hope that whoever reads this can understand that you are not alone in this. if we become good citizens like how our fore fathers hoped that we would be, who knows? maybe the next generation will really bring out the equality that everyone deserves, despite race, religion, occupation, intelligence, etc remember, we’re all humans, no one should be treated differently

Honestly pretty impressive to have an open dialogue of this situation, coming from a senior politician of the ruling party.

wow I don't remember speaking like this at 12 years old....

Very informative documentary thank you

Children are unaware of many things. That kid with the branded goods is very mature

No! Recent incident regarding an 'educated' guy who took photos of a woman bathing in the NUS hostel...He got off easy because according to the judge...he is in a different class altogether because of his education level

Everyone of us are born with his or her weaknesses or strengths. i grew up in old Singapore when social classes exist too. But, the youngsters are humble and realistic with themselves. They show respects for those who are better than them. In return, they get respects too. HUMILITY for everyone and better parentings. SINCERITY and TRUSTWORTHY. Remember, the older generations are from many poor families. Every mother will teach their children "let you be poor but HONEST!" So, it is not MALU(Shame) to be poor for this word HONESTY is richer than any gold in the world.

Class division of humanity is been goin on since ancient times!

How do we not see that we are still trying to work on the symptoms rather than the root cause of this deepening social divide? It all comes down at the end of day, to how are we treating the fellow human being just next to us, or the one who is clearing our garbage in our housing estate, or the person who is keeping our roads and train stations clean, or even the elderly person who is in our family, right there in our home. One day, we will be the ones who will be treated as such too, when we are older and weaker, "poorer" not just in wealth, because this is the society we have built, just by being the way we are and how we treat those who have less than us.

My personal observation in one of companies I used to work in: most people don't initiate conversations with people of roles whom they see as less important (i.e cleaners etc), even though the cleaners are in the pantry most of the time. I also noticed there is a stigma towards speaking malay, but I initiated conversations in Malay towards the cleaner anyway, cuz it felt more sincere and warm. He is hardworking, honest person who worked 2 jobs but struggled to stay afloat financially as his child is suffering from a chronic illness. For an extended period of time no one talked to him much, until one day a new country head from overseas took over, suddenly there is a surge of people talking to him (albeit just touch n go), I felt a bit disgusted by the lack of sincerity, as if just to put up a show

This video is really impactful. But the divide is tough to tackle. It will take generations for everyone to be on similar footing.

31:00 how can u not expect the awkward situation of embarrassment coming from both ends when your moderating plan was so ill prepared? the school environment can only influence 30% of a student's development. 70% is out of school and mostly from their own families and the neighborhood and social circle they come from.

Equality of opportunity is desirable. Equality of outcome is impossible. People are not equal in nature. Central planning always creates more harm than good.

Thank you for making this video. We got to start this long battle of re-educate our Singaporeans through the public and implement into our Educational system. Various channel we could work on with social media, school theatre, newspaper, radio, etc. Start off from our education. Correct and relearn how to be a better human being. Introduce social studies might not be enough. Enhance with Confucius studies or relevant. The school teacher playing an important role along the learning path of every single student requires to take up human resource management with psychology regularly to relearn and unwind the stress as well as to handle situation of what and how to speak, teach, listen and understand. A well check balance aside working hard towards our goal and emphasize on helping others in need. A well balance between academic as well as emphasize more humanity, empathy. Building a confident mindset and master the skill to curb with low self-esteem or when situations/ things don't sounds good, discouraging, awkward etc. The basic foundation of being as a human being is to love, care, respect, empathy and not forgetting to share among with the others. More freelancer teachers are needed to help those families who really needs help with their studies.

Thank you for sharing this topic. Indeed it aches us when we abuse our mindset & eyes by scanning others and labelling high or low class. Neither extreme are preferred.

It's still relavent today (as of writing in 2022) as I am still thinking about my future. Thanks again CNA.

Getting out of poverty is possible, but the formula used is far different and despised by the conventional wisdom. Tough mental strength, big guts and not following the crowd. This is what I learn from my father who went from being born in poverty and being *Look Down* by everyone to 10s of Millions with annual income of 7 figure base on my estimation and figures I have.

great content ...love CNA...

Good job man Janil. Keep it up

I think that they should have brought in express students into the conversation... not just extreme ends like IP and NT because that really skews the results in some sense -Regards, a Sec 3 express student

Our societal issues are starting from where we have the youngest children at school and that is also where we can do something to start correcting the issue that will spread to the rest of society. To be a decent human being - includes being mutually respectful and inclusive as a society. To be "humane" - simply cuts across social status, intellect, power, wealth, language, race or class.

Amazing research.

An eye opener! Treating people decently with respect doesn't have to be dependent on their class.l am not perfect! People are good naturally. Positive action usually have correct right reaction. Very rare do people reacted negatively. Yard stick are used to measure which class they belong to in society. They have a choice.

Let's face it. The poor ones are those who owe the banks. Regardless of how big or small the car or house is.... If you owe the bank, you are in debt. Period. Many with condos and continental cars. Are they really rich. They could be struggling like any other people. So before you judge others. Look into your own wallet first.

I spoke to a estate cleaner before and he was quite happy. He said he has bought a big house back in his country and when he got married, the wife had to give him a dowry

Hi, I just finished P-S-L-E a month ago (I’m from Singapore) Gonna be honest, it’s very stressful and all but to us it’s normal and not surprising. We take our first examinations at the age of 9, I dunno if this is normal in other countries I have a friend in my school who moved to Texas (She was the type of student who ALWAYS failed in class, C’s and below only) and when she moved to Texas she passed her exams with all 90% and above. We have a pretty advanced education.

The fact so many are surprised by the situation is a reflection of Singapore as a represssive society - by govt, by family and friends, culture, even work culture and ideas. How can a kiasu and kiasi society not result in the situation? .Not seeing these people is understandably because all of us are narcissist but not being aware and not caring that being narcissist result in the situation is what makes us lesser people.

I think, being less or having more what make us difference is our conversation. Best if you mix around for both side and not just stick to....... one lane.

I was on Instagram looking at people who love to post about their lives. There is this particular young girl who has a well to do mother went shopping for their new house. She said in her video that Best Denki is the most boring place and nothing in the store ever interests her. Hinting that the place is for normal people and disgusted in normal places like this. She loves to shop in Marquis, Bently and other expensive places. This problem starts with young when money is too easily available for them and they start looking down on normal things.

I was from express stream, i never looked down on na or nt stream like how they perceived. same for the rest of my classmates

we are forgetting who we are as human beings

thing about stream divides is that as a student, unlike race or sex, u can relate better to students with the same stream as u so people naturally tend to divide themselves. just an opinion based on my observation

23:39 aw this kid shows so much maturity and empathy!

Excellent MP 💯🎯

SG has security guards who can speak excellent and fluent English. They probably can secure high-paying jobs in other countries.

Class divide, social divide is due to human nature and belonging in a group. First impressions due to how u dress, how u talk etc.. human beings are social creatures and birds of the same feather will flock together. I dont think this issue can ever be solved.

lky had said before, the national pledge is not realistic but an aspiration

The kind of teachers that were assigned to classes in my primary school are so apparent in a way that you will only see a few form teachers taking those few classes that are the 'top classes'that will attain high PSLE scores. It was a matter of fact that you don't even need to ask around or be told why. Schools sadly play a huge role into such 'division' based on results & insinuating possibly ranked by intelligence.

Thanks for the enlightening video. However, it's not only the segregation of the rich and poor, priviledged and disfranchised in our society at large the only problem! There is also segregation among rich and poor family members, siblings, next of kins etc too! I reckon it's an uphill battle to work around these complexities. However, the efforts by SG govt on such initiatives, dialogues are commendable indeed! Kudos SG!

The class divide starts in the schools. Those with money sent their kids to tuition to get better grades which leads to higher educational level. I don't fault those parents but the government needs to step up to give the disadvantages kids a better chance.

@CNA Hi CNA, is the survey results mentioned in the video available to the public?

People will always think of things in retrospect of how it is socially generally accepted by the public instead of their own true opinions in fear of criticism.

Difference in education levels, jobs and wealth might be difficult to change or arguably, will always exist. But differences in income class dont have to translate to difference in social class. Our attitudes to people from different economic standings is a personal choice.

So I'm express stream and I can 10000000% assure you that most of us look down on especially the NT.

This would help me in my exams thanks cna

wow... i’m afraid to go to secondary school now... thanks i guess. either way thanks i see how horrible all the labels and divisions are now. i’ve never really thought about it but now i see how horrible human kind is, i and many others think it’s safe to say that humanity is hopeless. those that can survive that barrier of sorts, i applaud you.

I'm in Primary 6 and in the top class. BUT my studies is actually not as good as my other classmates and now I am pretty stressed because I do not want to experience the same situation though I may go for Express. Now, after hearing all my friend's expectations and what school they are aiming for, I feel quite embarrassed as I was thinking to go for a slightly better school than normal while all my friends are going for IP. I guess I'm just going to study harder and hopefully meet my expectations.

If a young Singaporean from the fringes of society wants to upgrade, study harder than your peers. Nothing is impossible through ladder of Education.

The way they speak and the way I speak (×3)

Have we been teaching and focusing on academics and achievements, while forgetting about learning to be a decent human being to our fellow neighbours and countrymen. Were we not taught as a child to go help the elderly auntie carry all her heavy marketing plastic bags? We can offer ourselves and contribute in our small way when we have the means or are stronger or younger, and why not offer a lending hand where needed when it comes to technology or helping a fellow schoolmate / work colleague facing challenges with learning?

That Conversation with those kids in the group... made me feel sad... it's very sad

The woman in the Black jacket and Grey shirt was the realest of them all.

Education is not everything. eg. To get into medicine, you need to go through an interview. I know of many average results students getting into the course while top students didn't get in. There is some kind of politics and backend social engineering taking place in their decision.

Dont worry guys for low wage workers like me....i also encounter this situation before.....be humble in a kind of religious matter....we have GOD to assist us....patience is the most significant faith that i believe.

Singapore definitely has a class system. Look at any construction site!! Younger Singaporeans consider themselves educated & expect a job to match. Anything not acceptable is left for other non singaporean residents to do & paid less. There is also a huge wealth divide across the island. Wealthy nation yet many elderly still have to work as there is no social security system so all elderly are cared for & can retire with dignity.

Its better to be rich than wealthy in Singapore. My version of rich is happiness, peace, love and kindness etc. To attain this, One needs to know about the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. My story I am from a poor income family.Barely had enough money for myself.Sometimes went to school spent a day in sec , ITE , Poly, national service doing group projects and long lectures without food to eat.I was bullied because i had a higher conscious and was Indian often referred to as black even when i wasn't. I was always at the lowest point in my life.I was in hell every single day.i was a still a bright burning sun happy kid until one day i burnt out and became weak,scared, insecure.I became the thing everyone wanted me to be which was below them.Most of these attacks came from the rich and religious. I was posted to Home Team Academy and was motivated.I saw how weak i was and i had to make a change in my life.I never stopped training.I wasn't into gym and so i focused more on body weight workouts, no shortcuts, no autopilot, no protein shakes no steroids.Proper healthy diet and self discipline. Life started getting better not because i had a degree in something or a high paying job. Life started to get better because i understood the word spirit meant in the phrase " mind,body,spirit" and the only way to unlock the spiritual side of myself was to suffer.When i look back on my life and asked myself why did i suffer?why can't i be like that rich kid or that kid? I realized that it was an external fake world and i was destined to live in the real world unlocked through pain and suffering.I was always nice to everyone even when everyone else treated me like shiit and through suffering i learnt to be better human being.Not by sitting for a test getting straight A's but by suffering the right way. The Problem I believe that the reason why people are divided, disrespectful, racist, unkind, toxic, narcissistic etc is because they have been programmed from birth through the subconscious mind to do A B C D to Z and death.My little sister comes home age 5 and tells me she's been called black when shes white or apu nene which means hairy Indian man with nipples.That's what she tells me.Where did the kids learn this?So its no the kids fault. Its people.Its society.A purely subconscious society filled with stress anger hate, revenge envy and people try to rub their hell life onto others.Fake life ,fake people, machine minds operating at 100% subconscious mind 0% conscious mind the spiritual mind.Stay away form these people and surround yourself with highly conscious good people for a better life.That is the solution.

Why need to compare, just love each other la

I am 29 now. I went through the streaming process. This system is really pointless and stupid and creates division amongst the young before they have the chance to explore the many possibilities of life. Really stupid. Can the government please just take away any and all streaming process. If the strong and the fast cannot help the weak and the slow, I think Singapore will be f**ked.

FWIW, I grew up in a family where we had cooks and maids and gardeners and chauffeurs and we attended prep schools. Nevertheless, I had my daily chores which included sweeping our front walk and driveway, keeping my room neat and clean, cleaning the chicken/duck house, feeding the dog, maintaining good grades, etc. IOW, I led a privileged life. OTOH, our servants were treated as family members, to be respected, appreciated, and even loved. I was treated well, but they could discipline me if I misbehaved. So I never felt like they were hired help, of lower class, etc. They were indeed family and we were lucky to have them. In my adulthood, I did rather well working in a multinational corporation. But I would tell folks that 'when you're talking to me, you're addressing the bottom of the organization chart...' IOW, I was very approachable, thoughtful, took responsibility when things went wrong and gave credit when things went well. Everything else was/is bullshit.

SCHOOL HAD A VERY BIG IMPACT TO HOW KIDS DEVELOP THEIR SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND HOW THEY LOOK UPON PEOPLE IN THE FUTURE AND MOST SCHOOL DIVIDE KIDS BASED ON THEIR GRADES AND THIS IS WRONG.

This is sad to actually see the other side of singapore.

Even if you don't acknowledge or appreciate them, dont look down or abuse them - keep humanity alive

I didn't know there are at least 4 educational programs of HS in Singapore. That's a lot.

Neoliberalism will inevitably lead to antagonism between the different stata of society. To assume the market is efficient in distributing opportunities, resources and capital is naive. To assume a person who earns 10 times the income of another to consume 10 times as much is absurb. And everytime costs increase through inflation, taxation etc, the impact is increasingly pronounced as we descend the social strata. This will create faultlines and disrupt social cohesion through a displacement of the middle-class which is suppose to act as the buffer.

To the title question of this video, I wonder would the video say No , SG not based on equality?

Class divide is unavoidable. But as long as the wealthy and privileged do not control, manipulate, suppress, alienate and brutalize the rest, most of us do not care simply because you cannot stopped anyone from their bad attitude, you can avoid them and walk away, you can decide to stay amongst the good ones, hence eventually you will see such divisions.

Did this show copy from Jubilee's "Middle Ground" at 16:17?

Look at Lee Bee Wah. Speak like an ah Lian also can become MP. Kids u all shouldn’t be afraid of how u sound.

Singapore is still a city of opportunities if one uses education to their advantage and guard their mental health each day.

I imagine there is some racial and ethnic barriers to it too usually Chinese are more privileged then Malays And Indians

personally i think they should eradicate school classes based on streaming. instead they should do a pairing/buddy system where academically stronger students help out their academically weaker partners because not only do weaker students get personal one-to-one help but the academically stronger students can also benefit from the act of teaching itself as it reinforces their fundamentals & what they learn in general. this can also apply to non academic studies like home ec or d&t or even pe... so every student will have a sense of pride that we're all good at something & holding the responsibility to help another person who is weaker in that certain subject or skill motivates them in terms of developing leadership & enhancing what they're good at. on the other hand it also provides a platform for social mixing without this 'us vs them' notion.

In half a century. not half a decade... opening statement is wrong

Now then they bring this up after this has been here for so long

Janil uses the latest Apple iPad Pro as a class indicator lol.

This is why Parasite won an oscar. We are truly living in a parasitic society.

Shouldn't we include social cultural values as part of the school curriculum to the children right from the beginning?

The Whipping Boy---Michael Fay

Come to Gan Eng Seng where everyone is friendly.

And the gap is only going to get wider. I suggest that they count their cost before they begin the construction in the future. With the introduction of any new thing, there will definitely be effects and how long it will ripple through the society is really hard to tell. In my 2 cents worth, I think IP should be their last. At least for now.