Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Botakgate, how one principal can live on

"School principal Marion Tan has said that if the girls were allowed to go bald, others might take advantage. 'Can you imagine if I were to say 'yes', I'd have everybody come to school with a bald head,' she told The Straits Times" ['Why make bald stand a hairy issue?'(TNP, 06Aug2013)]

Honestly, if all the Students of St Margaret's (the future leaders and CEOs of tomorrow) were to become cancer society supporters and themselves adopt healthy lifestyles so as to reduce their own risk of cancer (and their consumption of public healthcare dollars), I think that Singapore society would much benefit from their moral contributions. The principal could of course give the girls a lecture before the hair shearing event if she found too many volunteering (?herd instinct), reminding them about the philosophy behind the act,and warning them of the serious repercussions if they made a blasphemed the sanctity of shorn heads (e.g., making jokes about cancer patients, behave obscenely(head banging), adding adornments (patterns)/ other discolorations to bare scalp etc) whether in school or in public- under the penalty of detention class and having to wear a wig with school uniform subsequently.

Anyhow, since the qualifications of Ms Tan seems to be founded upon the monolithic discipline culture, may I kindly suggest the following job options to which she might ideally outperform:
- NEA mosquito and health inspector: they are still hiring, dengue is a perennial problem with increasingly hot weather. Larvae is larvae, none are allowed to grow.
- Traffic police mobile squad/ driving test examiner: the number of traffic offenders she can spot/ fail the better (hand phone use/ drunk while driving, speeding, reckless/ careless driving, driving through reds) will quickly reform drivers of their dirty act with no excuses entertained. Not to mention drastically reduce road fatality rates.
- HDB parking warden: 15 min fine $6, up to 1hr fine $20, no coupon fine $30. Any complains will be like water off a duck's back. The leisurely pace at which wardens can work is a good retirement occupation, free exercise too. Perhaps the financial losses that HDB declares annually will about turn.
- Singapore Police Force: Secret Society, Anti-Loan Shark task force/ CNB Singapore's loan shark scourge needs a strong hand to handle the current discipline methods of SMSS (wearing of wigs, counseling) might so shock offenders that they turn over a new leaf. Continuous counseling 24hrs a day could be applied to the most recalcitrant loan sharks and those over 50yrs age (cannot be caned) and Mrs Tan's voice will be all that they hear in solitary confinement that upon release, these gangsters will probably not hurt a fly.
- Security OIC, Prime Minister's personal security detail: all bases will be covered, no stone left unturned. Singapore's GDP might increase with investor confidence rise.
- SAF Regimental Sergeant Major: she can put the whole unit on parade and inspect the hairdos of every member. Any hairdo looking remotely familiar to her past experience shall be taboo, this shouldn't be too difficult a job to outperform.
- ICA officer: Drugs, weapons, protected plants and animals, persons without travel documents- these must not be allowed to be smuggled across Singapore boarders. I understand that ICA officers are overworked every-time a public holiday happens. The vigilant disciplinarian can perform well in this job.
- Auditor General's Office (AGO): Ensuring the wise spending of money by the government, since "Government continues to suffer procurement lapses: auditor-general" (YahooNews, 17July2013)- any dollar wasted is a dollar less for the poor- perhaps new blood in the AGO can put more pressure on civil service officers to improve their local procurement procedures.
- Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB)- Recently: "Senior CPIB officer charged with stealing S$1.76 million from anti-graft agency" (YahooNews24July2013)- seems like they have a discipline and supervisory problem there. Maybe some expertise from a different perspective can help, just don't concentrate too much on the hairdos, the pulse must be on the figures...


The again, Minister Heng says that "Mrs Tan, on her part, has also reflected on her decision, and understood that the girls wanted to show empathy and solidarity with cancer patients... ...she has supported all 5 in their wish not to conceal their shaved heads." ['No wigs for St Margaret’s five: Education Minister' (TDY, 7Aug2013)]

So if Minister is happy, whom am I to say otherwise but move on; but dear Mrs Tan, sometimes for the grater good of society, its good to move on to a higher plane, the choices aforementioned are vast and suite diverse taste and qualifications.

Then again, as for education, schools in Singapore are the learning grounds for the the leaders of the next generation. As for jobs as educators, the narrow minded need not apply.

[pict source]

[pict source]


Tags:
Discipline, St Margaret's, principal, cancer, charity, education, youth, school, Singapore, morality, law, rules, love, Christian, students,  
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At/ related:
SBY:
08Aug2013: Diary of an Educator: life after the botakgate.
A1
08Aug2013: Diary of an Educator: life after the botakgate.
HWZ:
08Aug2013: Diary of an Educator: life after the botakgate.
08Aug2013: Diary of an Educator: life after the botakgate.

08Aug2013: Diary of an Educator: life after the botakgate.
08Aug2013: Diary of an Educator: life after the botakgate.
  

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