Leave comfort zone to gain cultural versatility

Leave comfort zone to gain cultural versatility I REFER to the report, 'More secondary students to go on overseas stints' (ST, Sept 13). While I am heartened by the move to have more school children go abroad, I believe it requires more than a short stint of overseas experience to instil that 'global thinking' and 'cultural versatility' espoused by Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

For students to be truly able to absorb this global mindset, it will take at least three to four years of study abroad. This is because part of this mindset encompasses the need to network and forge deep and meaningful relationships with foreign counterparts, by having common life experiences and growing and developing together. This is not easily achieved by venturing abroad for a few weeks or months.

Sometimes, even pursuing an entire three to four years of tertiary education is no guarantee of this global outlook and mentality.

As pointed out in another article, 'Singaporeans stick together overseas' (ST Life!, Sept 13), there is not much global networking if students stick to their own cliques and associate only with other Singaporeans.

By all means, students should plan for overseas stints or even seriously consider pursuing their higher education abroad. But to think that doing so will naturally instil a global mindset is a misconception.

It requires each individual student to move out of his comfort zone and make a conscientious effort to appreciate each other's cultures and values.

Only then, in the words of Mr Tharman, can students truly 'understand differences around the world and turn them into opportunities'.

Tony Tan Song Huat