Case studies Edu + Politics

Describe 4 functions of education

1. Equip students with relevant hard-skills -> impart essential literacy, numeracy, and scientific understanding, indispensable prerequisites for effective participation in any modern workplace -> form the bedrock upon which all professional competencies are built

2. Cultivate virtues and values -> knowledge-absorbing machines to humans with the ability to regulate their emotions -> furnish students with moral discernment and compass -> navigate complex moral dilemmas and uphold integrity in professional settings -> vital for career longevity and success in an increasingly volatile and uncertain world

3. Equip emotional tools and resilience to shoulder stress -> The inescapable reality is, to ensure long-term growth and careers, good mental health is essential to regular one’s emotion and mind -> Especially in today’s highly complex world, plagued with tensions, identity crisis and pressures, ensuring mental health is even more critical for a person to progress and live a good quality of life, contributing to a happier society as a whole. 

4. Cultivate teamwork from a young age -> social cohesion

Describe Angi Play

• An illustration of this is ‘Angi play’, an early childhood education philosophy developed in Anji County, China and is now adopted across the world in Africa, Europe and more. 

• In standard classrooms, children often segregate themselves by language, background, or social status. 

• Anji Play replaces structured lesson plans with 2 hours of daily, self-directed outdoor play using large, open-ended materials like wooden ladders, heavy blocks, barrels, and ropes. 

• The materials are too heavy for a single student to move, hence creating a play environment that forces organic collaboration.  

• Research has found that when children share "Shared Joy" – the profound internal reward of overcoming a physical risk or building something together – they stop viewing their peers as "outsiders", hence strengthening classroom community and accelerating the development of social-emotional intelligence across diverse student bodies.

Describe suicide SG

• In May 2016, an 11-year-old Primary 5 student from Sengkeng primary school died by suicide by falling 17 floors from his bedroom window, triggered by acute distress over failing his mid-year examinations for the first time. 

• In this case, the stress did not just affect long-term learning, it cost a child his life, something clearly not more valuable than dignity.

Describe finland education

• Known for its pedagogical approach that prioritizes project-based learning and collaborative problem-solving, intentionally cultivates teamwork and critical thinking skills.

• 45/15 Rule: 15 minutes of outdoor free play for every 45 minutes of instruction

• Integrated home economics: Seven-year-olds learn basic knitting to build fine motor skills. By age 13, students spend class time in a fully equipped kitchen learning how to budget for groceries, bake bread, cook balanced meals, operate a washing machine, and clean up afterwards. 

• These are precisely the attributes sought by leading technology companies like Google, whose 'Project Oxygen' findings identified soft skills as more crucial for managerial success than technical expertise

Describe Ready4Repeal

• Ready4Repeal: Supporters of the social media movement believed that the law relegated homosexual individuals to second-class citizenship -> online movement existed for more than a decade without any signs of legislative change

  • Independent art spaces like The Projector hosted screenings of queer cinema and panel discussions

  • The short film Building Bridges by filmmaker Quen Wong highlighted deeply personal narratives, the film lowered the barrier for the general public to support the movement and normalized the message that Singapore was ready for social change. 

  • Glen Goei helped Wong transition from short-form advocacy to creating Some Women, Singapore's first feature-length documentary by an openly transgender director. 

• It was not until 2023 that the Parliament held a 10-hour debate; politicians were also asked to vote to signal their preference for repealing the law and bill was gazetted

Describe WearWhite

• Wear White, launched in 2014 by religious groups, encouraged Singaporeans to wear white as a symbol of support for the traditional family, asserting that marriage should remain the union of one man and one woman

• When Section 377A was repealed in 2022 to decriminalise sex between men, the government simultaneously amended the Constitution to protect the traditional heterosexual definition of marriage from legal challenges.

Describe section 377A gov strategies

• Government adopted "political accommodation": decriminalising homosexual relations while simultaneously reinforcing the legal definition of traditional marriage

• Case of political tightroping: government carefully balance two opposing forces without making a mistake

Describe Australia, Turnbull & Gay Marriage

• In 2017, Australia legalised same-sex marriage after a voluntary nationwide postal survey found that 61.6% of participating Australians supported the reform.

• Responding to this clear public mandate, the House of Representatives passed a cross-party Marriage Amendment Bill by an overwhelming margin. 

• Then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull declared that Australians had spoken and that Parliament had acted accordingly, describing the outcome as a victory for "equality" and "fairness"