When NORMAL is being perceived as NOT NORMAL!

In Singapore, students whose do not perform too well academically in Primary Six are put into what is called the Normal Stream when they progress to secondary school, while those who perform well academically are put into Express stream.

The Normal stream students are usually being stigmatised and labelled as "cannot study" type! Many students as a result of such social pressure, perception and labelling, resign to their fate and erroneously believe that they are destined not to do well in studies and hence many just give up on themselves.

Some parents of such students even feel so embarrassed and stressed to talk about their children. One mother told me if her son were to go to Normal stream in the secondary school, she would commit suicide because she could not accept it. Can you imagine how much harm such streaming has done to many students and parents?

I just hope that someone would be bold enough to stand up and abolish this streaming exercise in the secondary schools. As it is right now, I am made to understand that the Primary-Four streaming is in principle, already abolished in primary schools after so many years of feedback from the ground, but many schools are still streaming their students internally according to their academic abilities, presumably because of the school ranking exercise which in my humblest opinion is another non-useful and resource-consuming exercise to be abolished.

Until and unless the streaming is abolished in secondary schools, I just want to encourage those students who are put in the Normal stream to understand this. According to the Collins Cobuild English Dictionary, Normal has the following meaning:

1. Something that is normal is usual and ordinary in accordance with what people expect.
2. A normal person is generally healthy in body and mind, without any major defects or problems.

If you are in the Normal stream, you are perfectly normal. Those in the Express stream are not normal, by this definition of the streaming. Take heart. You are absolutely normal. Go on to study and learn normally, don't give up, don't underestimate yourself. Have strong confidence in yourself. You will continue to lead a normal life because you are perfectly normal.

Please pass this blog message to those who are in the Normal stream to encourage them and tell them that they are perfectly NORMAL!