I think this show is rather a tremendous success the way the director and composer wanted. It succeeded not only because of it’s characters, the storyline, the very believable and realistic problems that each of the characters faced. The musical showed that fear was behind a lot of decision making in the education system – fear of parents, fear of being outside of the education system by kids and parents, fear of the executors in the system.

There was a funny thing though.

I can’t understand why the main character – a literature teacher Zhao Li Lin – believe in this entire educational system so much. I can understand she wants to do a great job by the kids. In any case, by end of the year, the kids scored highest of the entire cohort for Literature. They figured out the system for literature and perhaps even actually love it. She more than did her job. She excelled in that KPI. Cutting a mark, the story says, is terrible. She was fearful because the kids might be retained in Sec 3 because of a single mark. That was key fear for kids, parents and maybe the teachers – this arbitrary mark is a make or a break.

I can see that but I am unconvinced those are high stakes. They were still in the system. They were still given the chance to earn marks if they figured out how to navigate the system. Kids who are the elite 3A class understand the system and what it needs from them. They deliver and excel. 3F kids because of many reasons have no time or energy to understand this system. They struggle. A system can have multiple goals but ultimately it processes a service or a good to achieve some national priorities and not individual ideals or priorities. It’s not even about who has or does not have the money for tuition. Exclusivity is a marketing concept. The less of this service that is available, the more coveted they are. Gifted streams, elite secondary schools, they need this point system to remain in elite banding. If they rely on this cut off point system, is that even the school’s achievement that most of their students win prizes or go on to good JCs? Asshole parents exist because they swallowed the whole exclusivity marketing. They want the Hermes branding for their kids. If Huxley is just an ordinary secondary school, is being in 3A such a difference? Is it even a visible branding? This perceived position changes with each test or exam. Are these really such high enough stakes to create twists in parents collective panties?

This narrow mindedness over one point – this is a piece in the show – and how it builds to the tension in the story becomes less believable. The real stakes are the exit points in educational levels. The kids at at Sec 3 level where the stakes are not so high as O levels because the kids are still in the system. It is still processing them onward to O levels which is the next goalpost. The pass or fail is not severe enough to mine juicy angst. Now, if the borderline child had been processed onwards to O levels when they are not ready, that would prematurely pin the child to certain educational pathways. At Sec 3 and the child is retained, the child needs more help. I’m not saying the scene is poorly executed but I don’t agree with what the main character wants for her kids is actually good or useful.

The underlying reason is a mainly a me problem: I lack intense level of belief and deep trust that an education system provides real learning. At primary and secondary levels, everything is more or less rote learning. We need that foundation to understand harder staff at university levels. The marks are an indication of whether the child figured out what the teachers want and need them to regurgitate to indicate they have learnt. The best teacher in my mind is really explicitly teaching the kids, this is in the exam and this is how I need you to answer to get to the next door. Now this pattern is the same as this other pattern you have learnt elsewhere. Those other marketing stuff – making a difference, creating joy in learning – that’s nice but not the norm.