Student Issues

Commentary, Op-Eds, School Life, Student Issues

CCA and Covid-19: How the New Normal Has Impacted Our Holistic Journey
Reading Time: 10 minutes

This was written in collaboration with EJC Press as part of Issue 3 of Cross Island Impressions, an inter-JC Press collaboration. You can read Issue 3 here.

By Mirella Ang (22A01C; RI), Shermaine Lim (22S03N; RI), Joshua Tan (21-12; EJC), and Zexel Lim (21-E2; EJC)

Cover image by Shermaine Lim.

COVID-19 has impacted us in many ways. It has affected the way we live, the way we feel and think, and the way we communicate. Schools have been shut down across the world, and the education system had to be reformed in order to suit the ‘new normal’. The reopening of schools in Singapore has prompted many of us to wonder: how has COVID-19 impacted our school lives? In this article, we seek to understand and answer the questions of why different facets of our extracurriculars system have been affected by COVID-19, and what students are doing to cope with such drastic changes. We also want to examine CCA activities through the lens of the most popular CCA categories, namely Sports, the Visual Performing Arts, Clubs and Societies and Uniform Groups (UGs). 

Continue reading “CCA and Covid-19: How the New Normal Has Impacted Our Holistic Journey” →
Commentary, Op-Eds, Student Issues

COVID-19: Boon or Bane for Students’ Brains?
Reading Time: 9 minutes

This was written in collaboration with EJC Press as part of Issue 3 of Cross Island Impressions, an inter-JC Press collaboration. You can read Issue 3 here.

By Hong Wan Jing (22S06F; RI), Lara Tan (22A01B; RI), Harel Tan (21-12; EJC), He Jizhao (21-U5; EJC), and Jachin Khoo (21-U5; EJC)

We can all recall the pre-COVID days: the days without the inconvenience of wearing masks, the days where we can put our arm around our best friend’s shoulder, the days where spraying alcohol on tables wasn’t done without being frowned upon. Reminiscing on the times where we had the option to travel to Jozankei Hot Spring to taste natural springwater instead of resorting to the Sembawang Hot Spring, and beachside picnics with classes, I’m sure we can agree that those pre-COVID days were better.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a great disruption to everybody’s lives. With Singapore being one of the worst hit countries at the outset of the pandemic, the lives of many people grounded to a screeching halt, and students weren’t spared either. Students, given their young age, are affected to an even greater extent, especially with regards to their mental health.

What would be of overseas school trips with friends? Would the quality of teaching be affected by zoom lessons? What about SYF, ‘A’ Divs and competitions? These were some concerns students had about COVID-19 affecting their student life.

Continue reading “COVID-19: Boon or Bane for Students’ Brains?” →
Arts, Commentary, Op-Eds, Student Issues

Where Thou Art, Art: The EJ-RI Perspective
Reading Time: 11 minutes

This was written in collaboration with EJC Press as part of Issue 3 of Cross Island Impressions, an inter-JC Press collaboration. You can read Issue 3 here.

By Jason Sutio (22S06U; RI), Murugan Rakshita (21-E1; EJC), S Sanjana Rajan (21-01; EJC), and Tricia Loh (21-U1; EJC)

Because it is foolish to criticise pre-existing civil systems, no sane citizen is ready to sink their hands into the dirty work of criticising the education system, and the vocational world after it, and preaching alternatives. Here’s some delightful news: we are here to lighten your burden and take it upon ourselves (spurred by our sense of obligation to do so, as students who genuinely care for the welfare of the student population in Singapore) to educate the importance of an arts education. We feel compelled to scrunch up our sleeves and correct a misconception: STEM > ARTS. 

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Commentary, Op-Eds, School Life, Student Issues

Let’s Talk (About Perfectionism): Is The Best Yet To Be?
Reading Time: 7 minutes

This was written in collaboration with EJC Press as part of Issue 3 of Cross Island Impressions, an inter-JC Press collaboration. You can read Issue 3 here.

By Mei Feifei (22A13A; RI), Nigel Ng (21-A3; EJC), and Zuo Yuning (21-A1; EJC)

“I strived for perfection but what has that left me with? Crippling depression!” 

Such was an anonymous Rafflesian’s damning indictment of perfectionism. A quick survey of 106 students from RI and EJC told us that the different manifestations of perfectionism (as listed in the figure below) are not unfamiliar to students; if anything, most of us, at some point in our lives, have been a perfectionist in one way or another. 

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Commentary, Op-Eds, School Life, Student Issues

To Students’ Council, With Love
Reading Time: 7 minutes

By Faith Ho (22A01A), Mei Feifei (22A13A), and Sophie Goh (22S07B)

Dear RI Students’ Council, 

To be honest, your elections are a little strange.

Every April, Rafflesians’ Instagram feeds are suddenly flooded with red/green/blue/yellow/purple-themed accounts masquerading under tags—some combination of letters and numbers indecipherable to any non-Rafflesian. We start getting bombarded with buzzwords like “servant leadership”, “voice” and “change”, colourful canteen boards (which really deserve more attention), and the unspoken cry of VOTE ME. Online challenges and speeches blow past like a whirlwind, and before we know it, we’re about to witness the investiture of RI’s 41st Students’ Council.

So we come to the question: how effective exactly is Council campaigning? 

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