SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Education’s (MOE’s) latest advertisement is reminding many people of teachers who made a difference in their lives.
In the ad, which is based on a true story, geography teacher Madam Pua helps struggling student Shirley – staying back after school to give her extra lessons.
Shirley, with Madam Pua’s help, goes from scoring 10 out of 100 points in her test to scoring…40 in her next test.
But even though she failed, Shirley still received a “well done!” from the teacher. Disappointed and perplexed, Shirley asked Madam Pua what she meant, and was told that it was more important that she had “worked hard and made a big improvement”.
The ad ends by saying that Shirley “is doing well in her career” and still keeps in touch with Madam Pua.
The ad, released two weeks ago for Teacher’s Day, seems to have struck a chord with many people, prompting more than a few to recall memories of teachers who helped and nurtured them.
“(Teacher’s name), this reminds me of you! I failed mathematics during O levels and you came to give me a hug, and said it was okay because I did my best. I will never forget that,” wrote a woman on MOE’s Facebook page, in response to the video post.
“I was fortunate to have met Mrs Yeo, who never gave up on me. Without her, my mathematics will always be ‘F9’,” wrote another.
However, some netizens have voiced out that the ad is misleading, as some believed that grades still played a big part in Singapore’s education system.
“This ad is so misleading. I have seen teachers contacting parents if their kids don’t do well in school…the Singapore education system is crazy,” wrote one person.
“The grades don’t matter? Try convincing all Singaporean parents,” wrote a man, before adding: “A big thank you to all my teachers who have played a pivotal role in my life.”
The video has been viewed more than 300,000 times on YouTube. The Facebook post with the video has been seen over 700,000 times, shared close to 3,500 times, and has gathered over 8,000 responses (“likes”, “hearts” and “tears”) so far.
YouTube screengrabs, Facebook screengrabs
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sinsh@sph.com.sg
