All schools should go co-ed

on Sunday January 15, 2006 1722h by Jonathan
in Education

In response to a letter in Inbox, Sunday Times 15th Jan 2006

Apparently, somebody is happy that ACS(I) has gone co-ed (although its technically not co-ed, just that they have IB if i’m not mistaken). OK. Fine by me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

But its gets too far when the writer, Ang Ah Lay (from Hong Kong) goes on to “urge our policymakers and school professionals to convert all OUR (emphasis mine) remaining single-sex schools into co-ed ones as soon as possible.”

Who the F does he/she think he/she is? (Sorry, I’ve never been good at recognising the gender of Chinese names)

Apparently, he/she’s one who believes that “single-sex schools unwittingly create an artificial barrier to the natural evolution of wholesome interaction between our boys and girls”.

COME ON. Its not like single-sex schools chain us to our tables and chairs and never let us leave the school right? Heck, in VS, it was a common sight to see Victorians, after school of course, take a bus down Marine Parade Road to Parkway just to hang out with their girlfriends. So much for the great “artificial barrier”.

And then there’s the whole issue that “co-ed schools offer a more conducive environment for our children to nature social skills early in life, thus helping them to develop into confident well adjusted individuals”.

Har Har Har. I’m seriously laughing my pants off. For the unacquainted, read John’s post

I think single-sex schools provide a good environment for LEARNING. That is, after all, the main reason why we have school in the first place! That said, single-sex schools allow for the brotherly / sisterly bonding and unity, which in turn provides for NO distractions (in the school environment) during the period of our lives where we may not be fully equipped and ready to deal with the onset of the opposite gender, especially since its within the age of puberty.

Now I shall not be as generalising and conclusion jumping as the author to state that (or rather “urge”) our policymakers to convert all schools to single-sex. That would be extremely one-sided of me.

There are benefits to a co-ed education just as there are benefits to single-sex education as well. But calling for ALL single-sex schools to go co-ed is pushing my buttons.

I say we leave the system as it is. If the league of parents who feel, like Ah Lay does, that receiving an education in a single-sex school is going to affect the livelihood of their children, then simply avoid single-sex schools like the plague. Its not like you don’t have a choice right?

Just don’t bloody hell make a sweeping statement and call for ALL schools to go co-ed.

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