I REFER to the recent debate on private tuition. I believe that education is not just about grades, but more about gaining valuable knowledge and morals.

Singapore is a very competitive society, and as students, we can feel it too. With pressure coming from parents and teachers, students are often misled into thinking that getting good grades is the most important aim of education.

However, I believe grades are just the by-product of education, what you get while morals and values are instilled into students.

Co-curricular activities develop skills in another area, and also help to make sure the student does not focus on academic pursuits alone but learns things outside the school textbook as well.

What the future leaders of our nation are like will depend on the education they get today. If grades are what they think are most important, Singapore will end up a very materialistic society.

I believe that both teachers and parents have a role to play in changing this mindset of putting strong academic results above all else.

Instead of saying that 'if you do not study well, you will be a road sweeper when you grow up', parents can learn to say that 'if you do not study well, you will become a person lacking in integrity, without values and be an outcast from our society'.

Teachers must also focus on what is beyond the academic.

My teachers often stress the point that education lies in our hands and if we want to have good morals, we must be the masters of our own learning.

As teachers, they try their best to teach us what is right, but ultimately, students also have to be clear about what they need to know and want to learn.

FROM READER LOH SHENG HNG

This article was first published in The New Paper.