If you’re a student in Singapore, you have to know this
The roof of the Ministry of Education (MOE) has a profound significance to it…
“Don’t you think the topmost part of the building looks like the crown worn by ancient Chinese emperors?” I’ll ask my wife this question every time I pass by the Ministry of Education (MOE) building.
“I’ve told you countless times that it’s a mortarboard, symbolic of how MOE is the cradle that nurtures Singapore’s scholars…” The wife, who once worked in the MOE, replied with some impatience.
Honestly speaking, I won’t deny that the roof of MOE looks like a mortarboard, since its mission is “moulding the future of our nation”. The Ministry of Education is one of our most important government instituitions, and several cabinet ministers and other leaders have once held the position of Minster of Education. Therefore, to claim that the building’s roof looks like a crown isn’t too far-fetched either. Whether it’s an emperor’s crown or a mortarboard, Singapore’s Ministry of Education has indeed nurtured a number of talents for the country, allowing our tiny nation to shine on the global stage.
The old proverb rings true: birds of a feather flock together. If you can recall, when the MOE was located at Kay Siang Road, it seemed that schools in that area flourished. The old Hua Yi Secondary, New Town Secondary, and Queenstown Secondary were among the best schools of that era. When MOE moved, the nearby NUS High School of Math and Science) and School of Science & Technology (SST) also began to do well. With this in mind, perhaps parents who want their children to get good grades should move to a house with good feng shui near the MOE? It’s worth a shot…
The “West Dragon” is a harbinger of technological progress and is beneficial to education. No wonder NTU, NUS, several polytechnics, and the MOE are all located along this “dragon” – and the resulting world-class rankings speak for themselves. I often ask myself: were these schools somehow fatefully located here or did our ancestors believe in feng shui and geomancy, building the schools here after obtaining advice from feng shui masters?
Furthermore, the “West Dragon” belongs to the Gold element, which represents technology, finance, and productivity. Students undertaking further studies in such an environment can shine in the field of innovation and economic development, contributing to Singapore’s development. However, with the influx of new immigrants, the government could consider more emphasis on teaching humanities subjects, in order to have a culture-oriented scientific advancement that strengthens our national identity.
The MOE faces Southeast-Northwest, with a square design that connotes steady development. If you use some imagination and look at the MOE building, you might find that it also looks like a stack of books piled high.
If you’ve been here, you might have been drawn to a sculpture that stands near the main entrance of the building – a child with left leg standing on a palm, right leg raised in mid-air. This sculpture certainly spurs the imagination – some say it means that education empowers you to walk your own path and achieve whatever you dream of; another more sarcastic interpretation is that over-parenting has caused today’s students to be too reliant and unrealistic in their expectations, and they step out into the real world unprepared. What do you think?
