This is a joint blog shared by 2 lazy pple - Ciping & Wilbur, who wishes to use each other to maintain the blog. Sadly, Ciping is the more inactive one and Wilbur does most of the work in the end. Feel free to post comments on the tag-board, it feels good to know pple are actually reading and responding to your posts. It gives motivation to write more.
I was pleasantly surpised. Just 4 days after a certain newpaper article, and the blog has as many postings as an average person might have in half a year. The petition has garnered over a thousand signatures and counting..
Victorians have reacted ever so quickly, its impressive. From hurling insults at the principal, to quickly realising our immaturity and that, we should not be lambasting the VEC/VAC/principal, but instead tackle the issue at hand - falling academic standards.
And they're coming out with a counter-proposal.
The crux now, is to instill a learning culture in VS - one where we not only play hard, but work hard. A lot of Victorians only realise that when they go on to JCs that are more competitive, and only because their peers are more hardworking - gender does not play a role.
Other important thing, is to ensure that we still attract good students into our school. Right now, the assumption is that all the good students will flock to schools which offer IP. Thus, VS must 'jump on the bandwagon'.
Surely they would realise that girls would not want to enter VS at all in the first place. All the reasons can be found on the blog. To summarize:
1) The pioneer batch would be greatly outnumbered by guys.
2) They would be discriminated by seniors.
3) There're other good co-ed schools / all girls schools around. VS would probably be their last choice of all the good schools.
Based on this point alone, introducing girls would never work out.
As I see it, I see opportunity in all this 'adversity' VS is facing.
I think, FINALLY, VS is going to have a revival.
Counter-proposal? Simple. Blow this whole matter up.
And we're on the right track. Already a lot of people know about the 'vs going coed and the students' strong reactions'. In a matter of a few days, VS has appeared on the papers 3 times. We have also amassed many vistors to the blog, and a thousand over petitioners.. and counting.
Make it bigger.
Let everyone know our reasons behind retaining our tradition. The wonderful experiences shared, how the school has nurtured us. Show what we mean by the Victorian Spirit. Show it to Singapore by acting against going co-ed, in unity and maturity.
And soon, the whole of Singapore will know the VS has produced a whole lot of Victorians who are very passionate about their school. And the only reason for this is: the school has made an impact on their lives.
Show them all our reasons. And soon they'll realize that VS is a place which nurtures 'gentlemen, sportsmen and professionals'. We don't need an IP programme. All this publicity is enough to show that VS is better than any co-ed IP school. And if the students are smart, they'll know that they should come to VS.
Also, the news has made of Victorians fired up to help the school. More old Victorians will go back and mentor the students, and help the school. More Victorians will be aware of the dire straits we're in now. As long as Victorians, past and present, unite. I'm sure the present students will know they have to study harder, (if not for the school, then for themselves), old Victorians will come back and urge them to study hard. On the whole, Victorians will work harder than before.
I think this news about going co-ed is a timely wake-up call for us. If all these did not break out, we'd probably not be thinking so much about how to help VS move up academically. The public would also know about the Victorian Spirit.
Than again, it is just so Victorian that we always respond at the 11th hour. In academics, we wait until the last minute, and then we study. Now, we respond when our school is on the verge of losing its tradition.
But its not too late. We have always been able to survive. Hopefully, our this enthusiasm will not die out, especially after (if) we have succeeded in our cause. We should still remember that we have to pull VS up the academic ladder, in the true Victorian way - Nil Sine Labore.
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