Netizens have blasted the Ministry of Education (MOE) and school authorities for asking Secondary 1 students questions based on a “provocative” article entitled “Mahathir picks a water fight with Singapore” for their year-end Geography examinations.
Sharing that the contentious article was featured in a year-end final examination for Sec 1 students, Facebook user Tony Keng Hong Tan shared a photo of the test page and asked:
“Do we need such a provocative article for a Secondary 1 Geography examination? end of the year examination for this year. To teach the younger generations hatred against our neighbour!”
Citing an article adapted from the Asia Times, the test asks students to explain what imported water is, to describe the issues Singapore faces with imported water, to provide one advantage of imported water and to explain a method with which Singapore ensures it has sufficient water:
While some netizens have defended the test, claiming that there is nothing wrong with teaching students about “factual current affairs,” others have blasted the authorities for blatant “propaganda” and for “brainwashing” young minds so early on:
