Let criteria for PSC scholars percolate down the line

I REFER to last Saturday's report, 'Want a PSC scholarship? Be yourself', and related articles.

I was delighted to hear from Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman Eddie Teo that the public service needs people who are non-conformist and a few radicals will also be acceptable.

This sounds so alien to someone who has worked in the civil service for many years.

However, my fear is that even though scholarship holders are themselves creative and innovative, those that work under them have long got used to an environment where they just follow instructions and, in the process, have lost much of their sharpness and creativity. It is often the subordinates that work contrary to what Mr Teo described. I believe that down-the-line staff also need a transformation in their beliefs and approach to work.

Our educational system also does not really allow one to voice one's opinion a lot. In class, teachers seem to run the show from the front with hardly any interaction between the teacher and students. Many students have graduated without even voicing any opinion of their own.

The same thing happens during national service, where any opinion voiced is deemed subversive and discouraged. It is no wonder that many people who start working after school and national service merely follow orders from their superiors.

Moreover, our �scholarship holders may simply want to do what they are told as that is the safest way to get promoted - without making mistakes from taking risks.

People working under such a rigid, status quo system for many years also lose their cutting edge and just do their work blindly, devoid of any work satisfaction.�

Hopefully, the criteria listed by Mr Teo for scholarship holders will bear fruit when they graduate and start work. It would be pointless if the critical thinking process of the scholar stops once he gets through the scholarship selection panel.

Gilbert Goh