I Outsmarted You There, Didn't I, Mr Principal?

As you all will remember, Dr Hon posted the news about Coral Secondary School's ban. Intrigued, I searched the web and saw this funny yet meaningful blog post. However, there were undesirable comments so I deleted them. This was taken from http://politicssg.blogspot.com/2009/02/will-coral-secondary-principal-be-sued.html...


Will Coral Secondary principal be sued for human rights violation? Not a chance in Singapore

Coral Secondary School is allegedly one of the strictest school in Singapore. It forbids any student in uniform from entering the nearby White Sands shopping mall in Pasir Ris. On top of that, it also forbids students in uniform from hanging out at the neighbouring housing estate. Not even dropping by the mini-mart to get a drink.

The exception - the community library in White Sands Shopping Mall. However the student is required to go through the process of seeking approval from HOD/Student Management, Operations Manager, Vice-Principal or Principal.

When asked by the press to comment on the rule, principal Veronica Ng responded: 'Coral Secondary places much emphasis on inculcating in our students good habits like using time prudently. As such, it is in their interest not to loiter in the malls after school.'

Where there are rules, there are always enforcers. To prove that they are really serious about it, the school assigns teachers to patrol the shopping mall and neighbouring areas after school. Any offenders caught will be sent for a two-hour detention.

Some may condemn the school for human rights violations. But alas, this is Singapore! Without a doubt, this is a definite law case in U.S., but here in Singapore, the principal is only learning from the government. The government seems to believe that the most efficient way to govern a country is by creating laws.

Back to the school. Is that really a perfect ban? Will this ban truly ensure that the students are using their time prudently? Could the students not log into their computers and play online games with their friends in the comfort of their homes?

On top of that, where there are rules, there are always loopholes. And where there are loopholes, there are always more rules to be broken...

• Student A brings along a light set of civilian clothing in his/her school bag. If a teacher spots him/her entering a toilet in uniform but exiting in civilian clothing, can he/her be penalised? Notice that the student is no longer in school uniform. Will the rule still stand?

• Student B gets an approval to visit the community library but he/she then gives, or worse, sells the approval to Student C. Student C gets into the community library and quickly borrows a couple of books before proceeding to the fastfood restaurant. Can the teacher then penalise Student C for grabbing a bite after going to the library?

• Student D is caught in the mall by a patroling teacher, but after the two-hour detention penalise has been given to him/her, if he/she decided to stay in the mall, will double jeopardy then forbids the teacher from further penalising him/her?

For the school to set such a ban is a double-edged sword. While some students may stay "good" because the opportunity to stray has been removed from them, the ban may also be a good training ground for some students to learn how to think outside the box to outsmart the law.

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Right. Here are my thoughts about the topic: to introduce such a notion is totally abstract. If a student wants to enter a shopping mall, he or she must not be wearing their school uniform. In the first place, the students are still going to loiter in shopping malls if they really want to, be it wearing school uniform or home clothing. So, is the rule made to "prevent students from wasting their time loitering in shopping malls" or is it just a feeble attempt to protect the school's reputation should something go wrong? This, dear people, is the thing you have to consider.

Furthermore, "anyone caught would be sent to an 2-hour detention". Isn't this such an irony in the face of the school insisting on preventing students wasting their time away? Furthermore, isn't it more time consuming to go home, change into home clothes, and then go back to the shopping mall again just for a simple lunch? This, too, is another factor to consider.

Thus, I suggest that instead of imposing bans on students(which will only make them more rebellious), the school should conduct more workshops or talks about time management so that students will be convinced not to waste their time instead of being forced to

Thus, I would love to hear your comments about my views. Feel free to comment