Wednesday 12 November 2014

Essay Post (The credibility of science and religion)

'Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind.' Discuss. 

Science and religion are two separate subjects that has the ability to co-exist. Despite their individual conflicting definitions, science and religion gives meaning to life, the practices that people do and the way of the natural world works. ‘Science’ (2014) is defined as the pragmatic activity concerning the systematic study of the way the physical and natural world works through observation and experiment. Religion (2014), on the other hand, is “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods”. Science, in other words, is a clinical approach to life and religion is a theoretical approach that is unproven in the world of science. Despite their conflicting definitions, these two independent subjects are interdependent as portrayed in the famous quote, “Science without religion is lame, religion without science in blind.”
I agree that science and religion are interdependent, as both subjects needs the existence of the other to make sense. Science without religion is incomplete because science needs religion to soften its harsh logic with morals and values. Religion without science is impaired because religion needs science to give it reality checks. Therefore, I agree with Albert Einstein that neither science nor religion is complete without the other. This is evident in many religious traditions and this essay will be focusing on world religions such as Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity.
Firstly, I agree with the Albert Einstein’s statement, in the context of traditional religious teachings of ethics, as many religious traditions shows the need for religion to guide human nature to the positive light and the need for science to form the basis of understanding for such traditions. As derived from the famous philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, human nature is materialistic. Human beings are self-centred. Humans pursue their own self-interest relentlessly by avoiding pain and pursuing pleasure. (Leviathan, 2014) This materialistic view of human nature is biological. It is instilled in humans and it is the basis for the conduct of misdeeds and sins. This scientific interpretation of human nature provides the factual explanation of the behaviour of human. Science shows ‘what human nature is’ but it does not explain ‘what humans should be ’. Thus, science without religion is incomplete. There is a need for religion to guide human nature after understanding it through science. Religion is needed to guide humans in the way they should behave, how they should treat their community and what is right and wrong. Many religious traditions include teachings and rituals to guide humans to abandon the self-centredness in them and follow what God expect them to be.
For example, in the religious teachings of ethics in Judaism, humans are believed to be created in the image of God. This means that humans are responsible for the way they behave, the things they do and choices they make. In the Torah history, Noah and his family, who are deemed to be righteous people, are chosen to repopulate the earth and survive a worldwide flood. They, the most righteous people, ended up conducting misdeeds and sins due to the human nature (Matthews, 2013). Thus, the story of Noah and his family is the illustration of human nature, as explained in the paragraph above, which reflects what human is and would be without religion. Religion, is hence the solution to human nature. Judaism promotes the commitment to universal values, such as care to animals, people and the environment. Judaism teaches people the right way to treat others by setting a standard for relationship through the ethical laws of the Torah. One example of the ethical laws is to ask people to love their neighbours as much as they love themselves. Besides Torah, the Ten Commandments should be followed to promote compassion towards less fortunate in a habitual basis. Therefore, in Judaism’s traditions in the practice of ethics, it clearly reflects the interdependency of science and religion. Without the Ten Commandments and ethical laws in Torah, humans would continue to sin the way human nature allows them to and there would be no compassion and love for others in the world of self-interest. In other words, science is ‘lame’ because the absence of a religion to inculcate values and morals in humanity only makes human a body without a soul. Without the understanding of human nature through the story of Noah and his family in the Torah history, people would not possible understand the need to follow the Ten Commandments and ethical laws in the Torah. This means that such religious traditions would be ‘blind’ without understanding human nature.
Another example would be traditional religious teachings of ethics in Buddhism. It is believed that the problem all humans are facing is suffering. Even by gaining more properties and improving standard of living would not solve the problem of suffering because the underlying cause of inevitable suffering is ignorance. Thus, the only way to end suffering is to acquire knowledge about suffering. The Middle Path is about the teaching of a balanced life, modulate one’s impulses and behaviour which ends inevitable suffering. The Middle path taught by the Buddha is only a guide to follow but individual efforts of salvation is more important. Besides the Middle Path, the Eightfold Path is another important guide to end suffering in life (Matthews, 2013). Thus, science, knowledge in this case, is important as it aids in the understanding of the need to learn about suffering. Without knowledge, religion is ‘blind’ because the Middle Path and the Eightfold Path would make no sense. There is a need to understand the problem of suffering before believing in the need to follow the Buddha’s teachings. Without these religious traditions, knowledge is ‘lame’ because it shows what the problem is but it does not continue to explain what should be done.
             Besides showing the validity of Albert Einstein’s statement in the context of traditional religious teachings of ethics, the statement is applicable to traditional rituals and festivals celebrated by religions too. For science could explain nothing beyond real-life observation and things that happened, religion explains the gap that is left open to imagination. Religion is as important as science. Many devotees’ involvement in religious rituals and festivals are due to the commemoration of their God, the need to repay their sins and protect their family spiritually. Many of these are unattainable in the world of science.  Hence, both science and religion have to coexist to provide a complete explanation that make sense to humans.
            For example, in the Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country, extreme acts of penitence are carried out voluntarily by Catholic devotees on Good Friday annually. The extreme acts of penitence include re-enacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, flogging oneself by carrying the most prominent symbol, the cross, and continuously whipping their backs till it bleed. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is a very important event for both Christians and Catholics. It shows how much love Jesus had for his people and how he was willing to sacrifice to cleanse the sins for his people. The devotees have to complete the ritual by marching under the sun for several hours with injured back and their limbs tied up. Devotees believes that by carrying out these extreme acts of penitence, it would cleanse their sins, save their families from illness and perhaps be rewarded (Thakur, 2012). In this case, religion without science is ‘blind’ because such rituals are seen as self-tormenting as it has no link between nailing oneself on the cross and good health. In the world of science, medicine and knowledge are the only cure to illness. However, medicine and knowledge are limited. Without the understanding the limited capacity of science, religion is ‘blind’. For science is unable to explain the situations beyond the physical world, religion has the ability to. Thus, science is incomplete without religion as it does not provided a complete explanation to life. Hence, religion is needed to complete the incomplete scientific explanation for the problems these devotees are facing. Religion provides a second chance to devotees who sin. Religion provides faith when science fails. Hence, neither religion nor science could make sense independently in this context.
            In conclusion, I strongly agree with the interdependency of science and religion and Albert Einstein’s statement. Science is a realist whom states what could be seen in the physical world in the present and past, while religion completes science by explaining things beyond the physical and natural world even in the future. Some may argue that religion is only needed when science fails. In my opinion, I disagree. I believe that in today’s world religion is regarded just as important as science. One could be as knowledgeable, powerful and rich but that does not define him as a successful person. A successful person should embody morals and values that religion inculcates. Religion guides human beings out of the biologically vicious human nature and provides a solution to it. Science without religion is incomplete because it would be a world too rigid and factual. Religion softens the rigidity and give meaning to life. Therefore, in my opinion, it is true that “Science without religion is lame, religion without science in blind.”
                                                                                                            1524 Words   


















References
Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes ‘Of the Natural Condition of Mankind as Concerning Their Felicity and Misery’, Adelaide (ed. last updated 1 March 2014), viewed 19 September 2014
Monami Thakur, 2012, “Barefoot Filipinos Perform Extreme Penitence During Holy Week” International Business Times, 6 April (p. 1)
‘Religion’ 2014, Oxford English dictionary online, viewed 19 September 2014,
‘Science’ 2014, Oxford English dictionary online, viewed 19 September 2014,
Warren Matthews, 2013, World Religions: Judaism (p. 278), 7th edn, e-book,
Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Canada ,viewed 19 September 2014
Warren Matthews, 2013, World Religions: Buddhism (p. 140), 7th edn, e-book,
Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Canada ,viewed 19 September 2014






Critical Reflection

Critical Reflection: The Role of Peer and Tutor Feedback

Throughout the whole course of ES1102, we are required to provide feedbacks to our peers and at the same time receive feedbacks from our peers and tutor. The role of peer and tutor feedback in the course is extremely important as constructive comments not only help us identify mistakes that we are oblivious to, it also improves our writing.

This feedback system encourages us to read our peer's blog posts regularly and critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their responses and essays. The need to evaluate my peer's essays gave me a clearer idea of what a good essays should possess which in turn helped to improve my way of writing. This is because I learn to craft and judge my own essay according to the guidelines of writing a good essay, such as the rubrics. Furthermore, by reading my peer's blog posts, it exposed me to different perspectives such as how a common topic like digital divide is prevalent in different communities which many of us were ignorant of.

To me, though providing feedbacks to my peers benefited me, I felt that receiving feedbacks from my peers and tutor contributed most to my improvement. It was always nice to know that people are reading an essay that I have put so much effort in. The encouragement and compliments I have received from my peers and tutor motivated me to keep up with the workload. The constructive comments given after my blog post allowed me to learn instantly and interactively. Feedbacks are extremely important because it allows the writer to understand how successful he/she managed to bring his central idea across to his readers. In my case, I tend to summarize more after each draft because I have became more knowledgeable about the content of my essay and I felt that explanations were redundant and self-explanatory. I failed to realize how excessive summarizing would affect my overall cohesiveness of my essays as many details are missing and my first-time readers would not see the logical flow of points the way that I do. Hence, this feedback system allows me to improve my way of writing by making sure that my essay is detailed and yet concise.

[Edited 17/11]



Presentation Reflection

Reflection on class presentation

It was definitely a nerve-wrecking experience to present our problem-solution essay on the digital divide to the class. It showed me the importance of experience in presenting your ideas to public and hence reinforces the reason why Mr Brad would like us to present in front of our tutorial mates.

I prepared visual aids such as powerpoint slides filled with pictures and minimal words to guide my audience throughout my entire presentation. I have put in tremendous effort in my powerpoint slides, in aim to bring across my idea as clearly as possible and at the same time build my rapport by injecting some humorous elements, such as pictures of Simon Cowell's thumbs up.

One thing that I have realized from this presentation is that no matter how much you prepare, you will still be nervous when you stand in front of your audience. I could not apprehend the level of anxiety in me during my presentation so I rushed through my presentation at the second half and ended my presentation without a proper conclusion. I was actually extremely disappointed with myself. It was comforting to have my tutorial mates to point out some of my strengths in my presentation even though it was clearly a failure. The constructive feedbacks from Mr Brad and the rest of my tutorial mates guided me step by step to be a better presenter. This made me learn how to deal with anxiety. Through these 3 consecutive tutorials watching presentations presented by my tutorial mates, I learnt that I am not the only one facing the nervousness when I stand in front of them. In fact, all of them felt the same and some of them impressed me as they could hide their nervousness with confidence and deliver their presentation extemporaneously. 

The other thing that I have learnt from my presentation is that cue cards and notes might sometimes cause more harm than help to my presentation. We clearly know the details of our essay, in fact, very well as we have edited it multiple times and holding notes and cue cards, in this case is clearly only for comfort. I relied so heavily on my notes because I felt safe with it. This caused me to disengage with my audience whenever I refer to it during my presentation. I am extremely glad to have these feedbacks as I actually force myself to stop using notes and cue cards for my speech for my Public Speaking module. I am proud to say it actually went well and I am thankful for this experience as it helped me improve my presentation skills. 

Besides learning from my own mistakes, I have learnt the strengths of others which I hope I could possess in my future presentations. I am very thankful for such an opportunity where we get to experience how a proper presentation should be like with the patience of my tutorial mates and Mr Brad.

Wednesday 5 November 2014

Essay Draft 3


Singapore is often described as the high wired society, the penetration of mobile telephony, PCs and the Internet is extremely high in Singapore. It has one of the highest mobile penetration rates in the world at 76 per cent (Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, 2003). Yet, there still exist a ‘digital divide’ between the low income group and the rest of the society, specifically students, because this ‘digital divide’ has not been addressed comprehensively to fully bridge the gap between the low income group and the rest of the society. This will leave the low-income group in the vicious cycle of poverty and isolation. Therefore, this essay will pinpoint the reasons for and problems of ‘digital divide’, evaluate previous IDA’s efforts made to address this ‘digital divide’ and propose building computer hubs under HDBs which I believe would be more successful in bridging the gap between the low income groups and the rest of the society in Singapore.

The root causes of this isolationism are their inability to afford computers and broadband and the lack of knowledge towards the usage and the importance of technology. The inability of the low income to stay connected has a significant impact on their studies as many schools have become more active to engage in online learning. Furthermore, students are more and more dependent on online research for study purpose and hence this would put low-income students as a disadvantage. In other words, lacking behind the rest of the society in the technological could result in not just a digital divide but social divide. Therefore, it is important to bridge the gap between the students of low income group and the rest of the society in Singapore so that they could be saved from the vicious cycle of poverty.
                                                                                                                         
Many attempts by IDA have been made to bridge this ‘digital divide’ by making technology more affordable for the low income group. For example, IDA's NEU PC Plus programme offers students from low income families the opportunity to own a new computer at a discount of up to 75 per cent. Adding on to that, IDA also has a broadband-only scheme for students who already own computers but cannot afford broadband subscriptions. They pay only $1.50 monthly for 36 months for a fixed-line or mobile broadband subscription. (Tham, 2014) However, the subsidy can be only be given to customers of specific telecommunication brand such as SingTel and M1. Furthermore, the connection rate provided in the broadband subscription is not adequate for multitasking and may even have difficulty entering a school's secure portal to download assignments (Tham, 2014). Even though this attempt did address the root cause of the lower income group’s inability to afford technology, the services provided by this subsidy was definitely not enough to bridge this ‘digital divide’. The low income group are still at a lower level than the rest of the society in the world of technology. In order to successfully bridge the gap, efforts made should efficiently help the low income groups to be on the same level as the rest of the society so that they can escape the vicious cycle of poverty.

With that, a comprehensive solution to this persistent problem could be to build a computer hub under HDB districts so as help the isolated low income groups students integrate to a well-connected society. Similar to the implementation of building a mini lounge with a shared television and benches for the elderlies under HDB flats, it is feasible for IDA to build an exclusive computer hub for the lower-income groups. The hub would consists of computers, printers and a beginner’s guide book on the basic and fundamental functions such as Microsoft Word and E-mail. Unlike other IT courses introduced in Community Centres, the access to these computer hubs should be made free. The exclusiveness could be maintained through creating an exclusive access pass for the lower-income group to enter the room, so the middle and high income group will not make use of their privilege.

In essence, the low income groups are isolated and stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty due to the inability to afford and understand technology. In order to effectively bridge this gap between the low income group and the rest pf the society in Singapore, the low income group must be at the same page of progression in the world of technology. Thus only by making exclusive privilege for the low income group, they will be included in the society.



References
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (2003). Decision Paper: Charging for Mobile Phone Services: Mobile-Party-Pays ("MPP") vs Calling-Party-Pays ("CPP"). Singapore, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore. 2003: 5.

Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (2014) 2013: Putting Singapore tech on the world stage. (2014, January 3). Infocomm News from Singapore. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.ida.gov.sg/blog/insg/featured/2013-putting-singapore-tech-on-the-world-stage/

Tham, I. (2014, March 14). Bridging the digital divide. Asia One Singapore. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/bridging-digital-divide


Monday 13 October 2014

Reader Response (The final of the final, 4th Draft)

In Ndrahutse’s (2011) article entitled “Speaking up for the mother tongue”, she asserts that 'English language skills' are beneficial only in the short-run and it carries unexpected ‘negative consequences’ in the long-run for the non-educated and survival of racial distinctiveness. The ‘negative consequences’ are the growing disparity between the educated and non-educated, social problems that will arise because of this disparity and restricting more people towards contribution to ‘larger development aims’. The difficulty faced in learning languages in schools still prevails in many countries. Many efforts have been made to promote “mother tongue-based multilingual education projects” across school systems in an attempt to preserve and develop their unique cultural distinctiveness and at the same time encourage people to learn internationally recognized languages for economic and social purposes. Ndrahutse also points out that “mother tongue-based multilingual education projects” fail because the need of preserving cultural distinctiveness is neglected. Ndrahutse lastly asserts that teachers, education and finance ministries should work together to emphasize the need to learn both Mother Tongue and English language and improve education standards.

The above summary hence reflects the threat that the exchange of culture and mobility could undeniably pose towards preserving cultural distinctiveness, in this increasingly globalized world. I personally agree with Ndrahutse that Mother Tongue should be given more attention. However, I felt that the 'English language skills' that she discussed in this article mainly focused on the 'negative consequences' that prioritizing English encompasses. It could be discussed more positively. Therefore, while Mother Tongue language should be given more priority, English should not be totally credited for threatening the survival of racial distinctiveness and I hope that a country rich in racial diversity like Singapore, would uphold its unique feature of bilingualism.

As mentioned in the above paragraph, I agree with Ndrahutse that we should ‘speak up for the mother tongue’ and her claim that “mother tongue-based multilingual education projects” fails mainly because its importance is not well understood. Learning mother tongue language is important because it preserves the unique cultural identity and the language itself. However, in this globalized world, cultural distinctiveness had been slowly eroding because only ‘prestigious languages’ such as English are prioritized.  In the case of a bilingual nation such as Singapore, even though mother tongue remains a compulsory language in primary and secondary school, her priority is more inclined towards English. This is evident in the difference in the importance of English and mother tongue grades. It is important to pass English and less important to pass mother tongue. In fact, unlike English, passing mother tongue is not a prerequisite to enter tertiary institutions. It is hence important to ‘speak up for the mother tongue’ in Singapore because being bilingual is a distinct feature of our nation and we should work towards a more balanced bilingual education by inculcating the importance of mother tongue.

Even though it is true that ‘English language skills’ carries ‘negative consequences’ in the long-run, as Ndrahutse brought up in the article, the benefits of 'English language skills' should be looked at more positively. English is a universal language and it has both short-term and long-term benefits. As mentioned by Ndrahutse, it is true that English is beneficial for economic opportunities. Many jobs require ‘English language skills’ and it is beneficial for those who are climbing up the social ladder by acquiring a better job overseas. It is not necessarily fully harmful in the long-run. In the article, Ndrahutse mentions that ‘English language skills’ would widen the gap between the educated and non-educated which would cause social problems. However, I personally think otherwise. Learning a common language could improve social problems because many social problems arise due to misunderstanding between people with different backgrounds. Besides being able to better understand each other, learning English allows people of different backgrounds to have something in common. In the case of Singapore, I believe that English is important for social harmony in the long-run especially when it is a country filled with diverse racial and cultural identities. Without a common language, there will be a greater social gap between different racial group. Hence, I agree to a small extent that ‘English language skills’ would only bring harm in the long run.

In conclusion, this article brought up a social problem that prevails in many countries today. It definitely did its part in promoting the importance of mother tongue. I personally think that both English and mother tongue should be given equal priority as they are equally important. I hope that Singapore will continue to work hard towards a bilingual nation and inculcate the importance of our racial identity and distinctiveness to the younger generations.

Bibliography
Susy Ndrahutse, ‘Speaking for the mother tongue’, Guardian Weekly

Monday 6 October 2014

Essay (Draft 2)

Introduction
Singapore is often described as the high wired society, the penetration of mobile telephony, PCs and the Internet is extremely high in Singapore. It has one of the highest mobile penetration rates in the world at 76 per cent (Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, 2003). Yet, there still exist a ‘digital divide’ between the low income group and the rest of the society because this ‘digital divide’ has not been addressed comprehensively to fully bridge the gap between the low income group and the rest of the society. This leads to economic stagnation in both micro and macro levels. In micro level, these individuals will be stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty. In macro level, the economy have to sacrifice time and effort needed to make progress for helping the low income group integrate better in the world of technology. The problem of this ‘digital divide’ and economic stagnation in the micro level will only worsen and cause economic stagnation in the macro level if Singapore continues to propose ambitious plans without addressing this internal problem. Therefore, this essay will pinpoint the problem of economic stagnation caused by this ‘digital divide’, evaluate previous IDA’s efforts made to address this ‘digital divide’ and propose building computer hubs under HDBs which I believe would be more successful in bridging the gap between the low income groups and the rest of the society in Singapore.

Problem: Economic Stagnation
The ‘digital divide’ between low income groups and the rest of the society in Singapore results in economic stagnation at macro and micro levels. As technology has gradually become a necessity in a century so dependent on internet, the inability to access information using ICT leaves the low income group isolated from the rest of the society. The root causes of this isolationism are their inability to afford computers and broadband and the lack of knowledge towards the usage and the importance of technology. Hence, the economic stagnation of the low income groups as a result of their inability to stay connected has a significant impact on the society’s economy because the economy have to first bridge this ‘digital divide’ before further progress into the international arena. As technology is a key contributor to Singapore’s economy, registering a strong year-on-year growth of 23 per cent to reach S$102 billion in ICT revenue in 2012, this ‘digital divide hinders Singapore’s potential for further improvements (Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, 2014). For example, many efforts have been made, by the IDA such as building a media hub, in aim to bring Singapore tech on the world stage (Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, 2014). However, the rewards of these efforts will only be seen in full potential if the entire society is on the same page. Therefore, it is important to bridge the gap between the low income group and the rest of the society in Singapore before any ambitious proposal in order to reap the full capacity of its reward.

Previous IDA’s attempt
Besides putting the vision of bringing Singapore’s technology to international level into plans, IDA attempted to bridge this ‘digital divide’ by making technology more affordable for the low income group. For example, IDA's NEU PC Plus programme offers students from low income families the opportunity to own a new computer at a discount of up to 75 per cent. Adding on to that, IDA also has a broadband-only scheme for students who already own computers but cannot afford broadband subscriptions. They pay only $1.50 monthly for 36 months for a fixed-line or mobile broadband subscription. (Tham, 2014) However, the subsidy can be only be given to customers of specific telecommunication brand such as SingTel and M1. Furthermore, the connection rate provided in the broadband subscription is not fast for multitasking and may even have difficulty entering a school's secure portal to download assignments (Tham, 2014). Even though this attempt did address the root cause of the lower income group’s inability to afford technology, the services provided by this subsidy was definitely not enough to bridge this ‘digital divide’. The low income group are still at a lower level than the rest of the society in the world of technology. In order to successfully bridge the gap, efforts made should efficiently help the low income groups to be on the same level as the rest of the society so that they can escape the vicious cycle of poverty.

Proposed solution: Computer Hubs
With that, a comprehensive solution to this persistent problem could be to build a computer hub under HDB districts so as help the isolated low income groups integrate to a well-connected society. Similar to the implementation of building a mini lounge with a shared television and benches for the elderlies under HDB flats, it is feasible for IDA to build an exclusive computer hub for the lower-income groups. The hub would consists of computers, printers and a beginner’s guide book on the basic and fundamental functions such as Microsoft Word and E-mail. Unlike other IT courses introduced in Community Centres, the access to these computer hubs should be made free. The exclusiveness could be maintained through creating an exclusive access pass for the lower-income group to enter the room, so the middle and high income group will not make use of their privilege. To solve the problem of having limited knowledge especially for adults in the lower-income groups, workshops could be held once or twice a week. The workshop aims to demonstrate and teach them the basic functions of a computer such as sending emails and Microsoft word. Besides the technical skills, the workshop should also inform the low income groups of the importance of technology so as to prevent this ignorance from contributing to the vicious cycle of poverty.

Conclusion
In essence, the low income groups are isolated and stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty due to the inability to afford and understand technology. In order to effectively bridge this gap between the low income group and the rest pf the society in Singapore, the low income group must be at the same page of progression in the world of technology. Thus only by making exclusive privilege for the low income group, they will be included in the society.


___________________________________________________________________________ 

Bibliography
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (2003). Decision Paper: Charging for Mobile Phone Services: Mobile-Party-Pays ("MPP") vs Calling-Party-Pays ("CPP"). Singapore, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore. 2003: 5.

Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (2014) 2013: Putting Singapore tech on the world stage. (2014, January 3). Infocomm News from Singapore. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.ida.gov.sg/blog/insg/featured/2013-putting-singapore-tech-on-the-world-stage/

Tham, I. (2014, March 14). Bridging the digital divide. Asia One Singapore. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/bridging-digital-divide


Monday 29 September 2014

Essay (Draft 1)

Introduction
Singapore is often described as the high wired society, the penetration of mobile telephony, PCs and the Internet is extremely high in Singapore. It has one of the highest mobile penetration rates in the world at 76 per cent (Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, 2003). Yet, there still exist a ‘digital divide’ between the low income group and the rest of the society because this ‘digital divide’ has not been addressed comprehensively to fully bridge the gap between the low income group and the rest of the society. This leads to economic stagnation in both micro and macro levels. In micro level, these individuals will be stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty. In macro level, the economy have to sacrifice time and effort needed to make progress for helping the low income group integrate better in the world of technology. Therefore, this essay will pinpoint the problem of economic stagnation caused by this ‘digital divide’, evaluate previous IDA’s efforts made to address this ‘digital divide’ and introduce a comprehensive solution which I believe would be more successful in bridging the gap between the low income groups and the rest of the society in Singapore.

Problem: Economic Stagnation
The ‘digital divide’ between low income groups and the rest of the society in Singapore results in economic stagnation at macro and micro levels. As technology has gradually become a necessity in a century so dependent on internet, the inability to access information using ICT leaves the low income group isolated from the rest of the society. The root causes of this isolationism are their inability to afford computers and broadband and the lack of knowledge towards the usage and the importance of technology. Hence, the economic stagnation of the low income groups as a result of their inability to stay connected has a significant impact on the society’s economy. As technology is a key contributor to Singapore’s economy, registering a strong year-on-year growth of 23 per cent to reach S$102 billion in ICT revenue in 2012,  this ‘digital divide hinders Singapore’s potential for further improvements. For example, many efforts have been made, by the IDA such as building a media hub, in aim to bring Singapore tech on the world stage. (Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, 2014) However, the rewards of these efforts will only be seen in full potential if the entire society is on the same page. Therefore, it is important to bridge the gap between the low income group and the rest of the society in Singapore before any ambitious proposal in order to reap the full capacity of its reward.

Previous IDA’s attempt
Besides putting the vision of bringing Singapore’s technology to international level into plans, IDA attempted to bridge this ‘digital divide’ by making technology more affordable for the low income group. For example, IDA's NEU PC Plus programme offers students from low income families the opportunity to own a new computer at a discount of up to 75 per cent. Adding on to that, IDA also has a broadband-only scheme for students who already own computers but cannot afford broadband subscriptions. They pay only $1.50 monthly for 36 months for a fixed-line or mobile broadband subscription. (Tham, 2014) However, the problem is the subsidy can be only be given to customers of specific telecommunication brand such as SingTel and M1. Furthermore, the connection rate provided in the broadband subscription is not fast for multitasking and may even have difficulty entering a school's secure portal to download assignments. Even though this attempt did address the root cause of the lower income group’s inability to afford technology, the services provided by this subsidy was definitely not enough to bridge this ‘digital divide’. The low income group are still at a lower level than the rest of the society in the world of technology. In order to successfully bridge the gap, efforts made should efficiently help the low income groups to be on the same level as the rest of the society so that they can escape the vicious cycle of poverty.

Proposed solution: Computer Hubs
With that, a comprehensive solution to this persistent problem would be to build a computer hub under HDB districts so as help the isolated low income groups integrate to a well-connected society. Similar to the implementation of building a mini lounge with a shared television and benches for the elderlies under HDB flats, it is feasible to build an exclusive computer hub for the lower-income groups. The hub would consists of computers, printers and a beginner’s guide book on the basic and fundamental functions such as Microsoft Word and E-mail. The exclusiveness could be maintained through creating an exclusive access pass for the lower-income group to enter the room, so the middle and high income group will not make use of their privilege. To solve the problem of having limited knowledge especially for adults in the lower-income groups, workshops could be held once or twice a week. The workshop aims to demonstrate and teach them the basic functions of a computer such as sending emails and Microsoft word. Besides the technical skills, the workshop should also inform the low income groups of the importance of technology so as to prevent this ignorance from contributing to the vicious cycle of poverty.

Conclusion
In essence, the low income groups are isolated and stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty due to the inability to afford and understand technology. The problem of this ‘digital divide’ and economic stagnation in the micro level will only worsen if Singapore continues to propose ambitious plans without addressing this internal problem. In order to effectively bridge this gap between the low income group and the rest pf the society in Singapore, the low income group must be at the same page of progression in the world of technology. Thus only by making exclusive privilege for the low income group, they will be included in the society.


___________________________________________________________________________ 

Bibliography
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (2003). Decision Paper: Charging for Mobile Phone Services: Mobile-Party-Pays ("MPP") vs Calling-Party-Pays ("CPP"). Singapore, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore. 2003: 5.

Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (2014) 2013: Putting Singapore tech on the world stage. (2014, January 3). Infocomm News from Singapore. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.ida.gov.sg/blog/insg/featured/2013-putting-singapore-tech-on-the-world-stage/

Tham, I. (2014, March 14). Bridging the digital divide. Asia One Singapore. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/bridging-digital-divide