Pub Date: 29/08/2005 Pub: ST Page: H8
Headline: We need work-life balance just like adults
Page Heading: Forum
Type: Letter

STRESSED-OUT STUDENTS

I REFER to the letter 'Up to the individual to find fun in a challenge' by Mr
Haresh Sivaram (ST, Aug 22).
Like Mr Haresh, my friends and I, students of National Junior College (NJC), used to joke that 'there was never a day when we left the college when the sun was still up'. That was last year.
This year, things have changed thanks to our far-sighted principal, Mrs Virginia Cheng. In an effort to make NJC more conducive to study, the school timetable has been amended: The one-hour period became 50 minutes, and most of us can go home by 3pm, rather than 5pm last year (without co-curricular activities).
While it is noble of teachers who seek to give their students additional lessons, we should realise that when students study too long, they cannot absorb well what knowledge is passed on to them.
As Daniel Goleman wrote in his book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ: 'The brain is working less efficiently because of fatigue, as happens at the end of a long, stressful day.'
Furthermore, not every student is adapted to studying efficiently in school. Some may find themselves more productive at home. Some students even argue that a long day makes their mind 'dumb'.
Students, like adults, need to strike a balance between work and life. We need time to rejuvenate as well. In fact, a junior college student's responsibility, stress and workload may be on par with those of an adult.
So it is not right to promote work-life balance among workers while neglecting students.
Just as a work-life balance makes workers more productive, a study-life balance will produce better results among students.
Junior college life is not all about study. It is also about making friends, experiencing new things like a science research attachment or taking up a new sport.
Junior college life is not the life of a workaholic.
So far, NJC's performance has shown improvement since the start of the new short-day system.
In the Singapore Youth Festival this year, NJC swept an unprecedented number of gold awards with honours. Most important, our recent JC2 common test (school exam) results were better than they were last year. All these were achieved under the new short-day system.
In a nutshell, it boils down to the efficiency of learning, not the amount of time spent in school.
Personally, I admire Mr Haresh's capability to juggle four A-level subjects plus two Special papers and General Paper and all his exciting CCAs.
Most of us, however, are not so keen to enter his workaholic league yet. We would like to return home early, with enough time to rest, to spend time with our family members, and to do our self-study.
Above all, we do not share Mr Haresh's masochistic streak - to look forward to 'never having to see the sun'.

Fang Kok Boon

WORKLOAD ON PAR

Students, like adults, need to strike a balance between work and life. We need time to rejuvenate as well. In fact, a junior college student's responsibility, stress and workload may be on par with those of an adult.