Chinese homeschool students embrace freer youth in cut-throat market

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Her parents withdrew her from her Shanghai school three years ago, worried she was struggling to keep up with a demanding curriculum they believe will soon be outdated in the era of artificial intelligence (AI).

increasingly questioning the value of traditionally prized degrees from elite universities in an oversaturated market. In 2023, fewer than one in five undergraduates from Shanghai’s prestigious Fudan University found jobs immediately after graduation. The country’s unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds reached a two-year high of 18.9 per cent in August....“(China) has out-produced. Too many PhDs, too many masters, too many undergraduates. The jobs they are trying to get are disappearing

There’s no way to meet his social needs at home....Time with children her age was one of the biggest losses

Qns:

1. Modern technology will mean the end of education.’ Is this a fair statement of your society? (CJC Prelim 2025)

2. Do schools still have a future in a technologically advanced world? (VJC Prelim 2025)

Vape sellers targeting the young with devices that can play music, games

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new devices are harder to spot because they do not resemble traditional vapes. Some “smart” models are designed to look like and can be mistaken for everyday items, such as mobile phones.

manufacturers are enticing the young with the “integration of smartphone-like designs and functionalities into vaping devices”.

When a vape looks like a toy and rewards you for using it, it is not just a product – it is a behavioural trap.

A conventional vape just delivers nicotine. These newer devices add in gaming elements – sometimes with full-on video games – that reward the user with points or prizes every time they take a puff.

vapes that looked like highlighters

Singapore 'gravely concerned' about US intervention in Venezuela, urges restraint

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Consider the uncanny parallel btw Russia invading Ukraine vs US implementing a regime change in Venezuela......

'The strong do what they can, while the weak suffer what they must.' -- Thucydides

More firms hushing up their ESG efforts, but Uniqlo is taking the lead in walking the talk

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Uniqlo sees these upcycling initiatives as the foundation of its move towards “circular fashion” – a sustainability push within the fashion industry to operate a closed-loop cycle, reducing wastage and therefore environmental damage.

With consumer awareness about the fashion industry’s role in environmental damage growing, leading to boycotts in some cases, brands are driving initiatives aimed at reducing their environmental impact.

Qn: Examine the view that environmental efforts are futile as long as a materialistic society exists. (JPJC Prelim 2025)

From Amazon to Microsoft, AI is driving thousands of job cuts worldwide

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Qn: To what extent is artificial intelligence replacing the role of humans? (Cam. 2019)

Should Singapore follow Australia and ban social media for under-16s?

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‘Like a common language’: Batik’s role in Singapore’s diplomacy

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their choice of dress also represented regional solidarity and cultural connection between the two countries

Wearing batik is not just about fashion and trends,...It communicates familiarity and understanding, and represents an alignment with the cultural aesthetics of the wider Nusantara, he said. Nusantara is an old Javanese term used to refer to both the Indonesian archipelago and the wider Malay archipelago.....It is a gesture of cultural camaraderie and a point where we can come together, despite differences

For issues on fashion and clothes....

Qn: Fashion is as much a good thing as a bad thing. To what extent do you agree? (Cam. 2009)

Intense PSLE preparation can cause significant, long-lasting psychological harm to children

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Declassified Albatross File may reshape school history lessons, spark debate on national identity

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confirm that the end of Singapore’s time in the federation was negotiated

They show that leaders from both nations pushed for a clean break after two years of merger – a story that runs counter to the idea which remains in the public imagination that Singapore was kicked out unilaterally by then Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman.

For issues on history.....

Fight over fossil fuels torpedoes key text of UN environment report

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Major oil producers Saudi Arabia and the US opposed references to phasing out fossil fuels, which are used to make plastic and when burned are the primary driver of climate change

investing in a cleaner planet could deliver trillions of dollars each year in additional economic growth

negotiations for a world-first plastic treaty collapsed in August under opposition from oil-producing nations

the cost of action is less than the cost of inaction. But I have to say at this moment in time, multilateralism does seem to be in trouble

For issues on climate change.....

S’pore’s consumer watchdog takes action against Courts and Prism+ over misleading website features

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Courts was found to have automatically added unsolicited items into consumers’ shopping carts, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS) said in a statement on Dec 8. Prism+ used fake countdown timers and misleading stock indicators to pressure consumers into purchases.

Qn: 'Online advertisements use increasingly sophisticated methods to target consumers.’ To what extent does this bring more harm than good? (Cam. 2024)

2025’s words of the year reflect a year of digital disillusionment

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The editors of the Cambridge Dictionary chose “parasocial”. They define this as “involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know, a character in a book, film, TV series… or an artificial intelligence”.......As an example, Cambridge’s announcement cited the engagement of singer Taylor Swift and American football player Travis Kelce, which led to a spike in online searches for the meaning of the term. Many Swifties reacted with unbridled joy, as if their best friend or sibling had just decided to tie the knot.