ONE army to protect against external threats, and one to deal with litter ("'5 million people, 70,000 cleaners... that's ridiculous!'"; Feb 14). What a shocking but apt analogy.
Reading the article brought to mind a scene I recently observed in a school canteen - five Secondary 4 students were eating lunch when three of them stood up and took off in different directions, leaving their cups and plates on the table. The two remaining students immediately got up and left too. In walked an elderly cleaner, who proceeded to clear the mess.
With little variation, this scene is a common one in Singapore's schools, despite operations managers and teachers watching over the students.
Students' apathy towards cleanliness extends to the classrooms, too. Just ask any teacher.
Schools spend quite a sum of money on vendors to conduct enrichment programmes geared towards character development, with some even going on service-learning trips to neighbouring countries. Service learning translates loosely to learning from serving others.
Why not start from the basics, and learn about respect for the self, for the elderly and for the environment through serving the school's needs?
There is a need to tackle the root problem, rather than get distracted by the symptoms. The problem is the people's apathy towards cleanliness. It is about learning to be more self-reliant.
Lim Tze Min (Ms)
Reading the article brought to mind a scene I recently observed in a school canteen - five Secondary 4 students were eating lunch when three of them stood up and took off in different directions, leaving their cups and plates on the table. The two remaining students immediately got up and left too. In walked an elderly cleaner, who proceeded to clear the mess.
With little variation, this scene is a common one in Singapore's schools, despite operations managers and teachers watching over the students.
Students' apathy towards cleanliness extends to the classrooms, too. Just ask any teacher.
Schools spend quite a sum of money on vendors to conduct enrichment programmes geared towards character development, with some even going on service-learning trips to neighbouring countries. Service learning translates loosely to learning from serving others.
Why not start from the basics, and learn about respect for the self, for the elderly and for the environment through serving the school's needs?
There is a need to tackle the root problem, rather than get distracted by the symptoms. The problem is the people's apathy towards cleanliness. It is about learning to be more self-reliant.
Lim Tze Min (Ms)
