Why do i go to school?

I was asked this question months back, and until today i can remember my answer to that question. Now i realise how much i have learnt over the past few months, and how much more there is to learn, about society and everything that has to do with it.

Ok, enough on my reflection. The question was- "Why do you go to school' 

Hold on now. Think carefully before you read on, and i reveal the correct answer. Yes, there is a correct answer. Why did i attend school that morning? Why did i forcefully drag myself out of bed at 5.30 in the morning, brushed(i hope) and went to school where for the next 8 hours. The answer i gave, was "to learn something new" That was what i felt. Most of my friends gave "chim" answers, like something that was read of a textbook.

What i want to discuss today is what is the desired outcome of our education system. After researching on the Ministry Of Education (MOE) website, under the subheading "Desired outcome of education" I studied what was written. 

The Key Stage Outcomes of Education

At the end ofPrimary school, pupils should:	At the end ofSecondary school, students should:	At the end of Post-Secondary education, students should:
be able to distinguish right from wrong	have moral integrity	have moral courage to stand up for what is right
know their strengths and areas for growth	believe in their abilities and be able to adapt to change	be resilient in the face of adversity
be able to cooperate, share and care for others	be able to work in teams and show empathy for others	be able to collaborate across cultures and be socially responsible
have a lively curiosity about things	be creative and have an inquiring mind	be innovative and enterprising
be able to think for and express themselves confidently	be able to appreciate diverse views and communicate effectively	be able to think critically and communicate persuasively
take pride in their work	take responsibility for their own learning	be purposeful in pursuit of excellence
have healthy habits and an awareness of the arts	enjoy physical activities and appreciate the arts	pursue a healthy lifestyle and have an appreciation for aesthetics
know and love Singapore	believe in Singapore and understand what matters to Singapore	be proud to be Singaporeans and understand Singapore in relation to the world

What really surprises me is that the the main aim of MOE, under the first three columns of primary, secondary and post secondary is to be morally upright and have good values. But isn't that quite ironic? 

In one week, out of 27 hours in a week, only one hour is "allocated" for character leader education in my timetable. If the whole idea of education in mainly to be morally upright, than how can only 1/27 of the time we spend in school be for character learning. To be honest, i dont think enough time is spent on teaching values but rather on subjects like math and science. Isn't the aims of education and the outcome seen on timetables is contradictory. A problem-solution mismatch maybe? Im not too sure.

So why did i go to school today? The answer is simple. To pass my board exams, (with flying colors of course), getting a job, and eventually just helping to grow this countries economy. I went to school today, so that i can get a job, get married, children, and work for the rest of my life, until i retire peacefully.

Dont get me wrong, thats what i want as well. But its kind of sad to think that eventually everything will just play out like how everyone wanted it. And i think, if that is the outcome eventually, why do i take subjects now such as biology, chemistry, literature, when in the end i wont need them in the future. So that i have a "holistic learning?" 

What do you think? Why did you go to school today, or in the past? Is there something more to our education system than just helping this countries economy? Comment below.

Signing off,

Just another Singaporean.