50
Why do you think it is important?
Uhh! Actually, it is tougher for me to explain the importance of sports in schools within this short time. I think sport helps people to get self-esteem. It is found in several kinds of research that sports help people to have good figures in their academic activities. Usually, the students who participate in sports are good students as well. If you consider the health benefits, you will see that there are a wide range of benefits available. Sports will make the student physically stout and cut their stress. It will increase their stamina. Further, sports build a team spirit and that is so helpful in academic activities too. When they work in a team to reach their goal, a sense of deep bonding is created naturally among the players and the team spirit continues even after the sport is over. When they go to attend any academic activities or course, they help each other to overcome the academic obstacles.
Do you like team or individual sports? Why?
Thanks. I mostly like to participate in team sports. There are a wide number of reasons behind the preference. The first and most important cause is that a team owns more chance to win the game. When you are playing solo, you might not have the ability to undergo all the required responsibilities alone. But, if you are in a team, the responsibilities are shared among the team members. You have to carry out your own parts assigned by the team leader. As a result, the possibilities to win the game increase more. Another important factor behind preferring a team is that it helps to socialise. When you are in a team, you are to interact with the other team members. You have to communicate with them, share your thoughts and sometimes you may also suggest someone over any specific issue you are good at etc. and the activities help to raise your social skills. Finally, to me, it appears that losing doesn’t matter when you are in a team.
51
What is the major use of water in your country?
Ummm, water is primarily used for drinking in my country. Besides, it is also used for numerous purposes including bathing, washing clothes, irrigation, cleaning and also serves many other functions. In fact, the answer to this question cannot be given in one or two statements, you know. Water is synonymous with life. If there were no water on earth, there would have been no life. So, the use of water cannot be bracketed into some specific use. Accordingly, the use of water in my country, India, is not limited to drinking only. It is also used for diversified aspects, not into my country alone, rather globally. Different light to heavy industries need water to clean their raw materials, vehicles need water to cool their carburetors and cleaning, electricity production, and domestic uses etc.
52
Is it important to conserve water?
Well, to me, it is important to conserve water. Water is limited and collected mostly from the ground. Sometimes the groundwater dries up due to the excessive use and creates water shortage. As a result, the sometimes massive water shortage creates famine in some areas. If they have any preserving system, they would not suffer from the deficiency of water. Besides, someday it may happen that the water scarcity will be so acute that people will lock into fights to get their respective share of water. With the increased population, the pressure on groundwater has increased to a great extent and my thought may come true (though I don’t want it to be true). But people may say that they will depend on nature or rain then I will say that they have forgotten about the climatic changes around the world. Rainfall is not abundant in the current days. Thus it becomes too risky to rely on nature for water and therefore, I think it is important to conserve water for future use.
53
Why should scientists focus on space exploration rather than exploring water?
Good question for me to test my intelligence level. The scientist should focus on space exploration for several reasons instead of wasting their priceless moments after water exploration. Someday it may happen that the water bodies and all the other available sources may get dried and there will be not a single drop of water. But if they explore the space, they might discover any planet or galaxy where a habitable environment may exist similar to our solar system. If they start exploring the space, I believe they could be able to invent some sort of transportation system to reach the external livable planets. But if they explore water on earth, it would be mere wastage of their time and labour.
54
What is the importance of sunlight?
Sunlight is one of the most important things for us. It makes the day – literally. The importance of sunlight cannot be described in words. The most important factor is that the sun gives us light. The sun rays bring heat to the planet which keeps everything warm. Besides, due to sunlight, we are having a daytime and nighttime. Moreover, sunlight is also helpful for human health and provides vitamins to the human body. During the winter seasons, people and animals bask in the sun to get heated. The sunlight also helps the plant to grow using its rays by photosynthesis process which is also an essential element of the environment.
What will happen if there will be no sunlight?
Without the sunrise in the morning, we cannot see say that this is a day. It will remain dark. The sun helps us to start our daily activities and more other necessary things from the dawn. A question may emerge here – if there were no sunlight? I think it would be night everywhere. Nothing could be visible clearly as we see in day times. Besides, sunlight provides necessary heats and energies on the planet which make the Earth habitable. If there is no sunlight, the earth will turn uninhabitable. The surrounding environment will turn colder and we may enter the ice age again. Living in will turn too difficult on the earth. In few days all the trees will die and we won’t have any oxygen remaining for breathing. In few months the reserve of foods would end and that would end the human civilisation on the planet Earth.
How long for are you exposed to sunlight daily?
Ummm, I actually do not get a close contact with the sunlight. During my morning walk, I see the sun is rising from the east side and some mild rays fall on the earth from where I get a minor share. Usually, I return home after the dusk. I have to remain engaged in different activities in the daytime inside the office building. Thereby, I do not get exposed to sunlight daily. But when I’m on my morning walk, I get exposed for around 10 to 15 minutes. I think that is enough for me. The mild rays contain Vitamin D which is helpful for human health but a blazing sun should be avoided for ultraviolet rays which may even lead to cancers as well.
54
Tourism and Tourists:
• What are the tourist attractions in your country?
Thank you. Well, Singapore is a land of beauty and numerous tourist attractions have made the country lucrative to all, especially the rich people. The cities are filled with both natural and artificial beauties to entertain the travellers and the number of amenities prepared for the tourists is countless. The country has a vibrant history of different periods and most of the tourist spots are friendly for the family. The most notable tourist attractions of Singapore are the Orchard Road, Marina Bay Sands, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Singapore Flyover, Night Safari, Singapore Botanic Gardens, China Town, Gardens by the Bay, Clarke Quay, Resorts World Sentosa etc. Orchard Road is considered as the most important tourist spot in the country as there are a large number of shopping malls are located for shopping and other purposes. But the country has many other things to offer to the tourists other than the shopping malls and restaurants. The public transportation system is a great wonder for the visitors too.
• Should they be free for everyone to visit?
Some of the tourist locations are free of cost while you may have to pay for entrance in some places. I think you are informed that the reserved places need to be maintained. The night safari in Singapore is such a reserved place. A large number of wild animals are found here and they need foods, shelters and other necessary amenities for maintenance. If the safari is made free for the visit, it would be too difficult and in some cases impossible to maintain the park. The overall activities are maintained from the entrance fee it collects from the visitors. So, I personally feel that some places should be made free and a minimal cost should be imposed on the private or reserved places so that everyone could enjoy. Sometimes the tourists do not expensive places fearing that they will be cheated against the amount they are paying – in a word the places are not worth the money.
55
Do foreigners visit these attractions?
Yes, the foreigners frequently visit the places and sometimes it becomes difficult to collect the entrance tickets too for excessive crowds. The crowds become dense, especially on the weekends and occasions. Foreigners from across the world gather at the places and pass their leisure hours in various ways after their tastes. Since the places are costlier, usually the rich people bear the abilities to visit. Sometimes I think that the number of rich on the planet is not few as I myself had to stand in a queue for long hours to enter into an amusement park, recently in Singapore, which also proves that the tourist attractions are popular among the global visitors.
• What are the benefits of foreigners visiting tourist attractions in your country?
Yes, there is a wide range of benefits as the foreigners visit the tourist attractions of Singapore. The most important matter is that my country’s economy grows bigger when the foreigners come to my country. When they pay for their accommodation, food and shopping, they are contributing to my nation’s economy. Besides, many of the temporary sellers set their stall beside the tourist spots and make a good deal of business with the tourists, especially the foreigners. It helps to raise their living standard, in economic perspective. Besides, the culture and customs of my country gets spread around the world through the visitors and being attracted to the customs, they come again which finally improves the economy of Singapore. Further, a large tourist industry has been built in the country which has created employment for many unemployed youths – another positive impact of the tourists visiting the attractive places.
• What are the disadvantages of it?
Hmm, I agree with you. There are some disadvantages too of the tourists. Sometimes there are misunderstandings among the tourists and the sellers over the pricing issues of any specific product. When they cannot reach any agreement, they lock into minor altercations. Sometimes the tourists are unaware of the cleanliness of the tourist spots and throw away water bottles or snack packets here and there. As a result, the environment is spoilt to some extent.
• Do you know about any environmental issues associated with it?
Actually, there are no such major environmental issues associated with the tourists. There are few minor issues as I mentioned in the earlier answer that they spoil the surrounding environment with empty packets, water bottles or throwing papers but I think these are not a major threat for environmental degradation. It would be taken as a serious environmental threat if the tourists used to pollute water, air or the other ecological elements of the environment. Please be noted that my government is highly careful about the environmental issues and if such incidents happen in future, proper protective measures will be adopted to prevent the issues.
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Old objects & Museum:
• Why do you think people keep old objects?
Smart question for me. Thank you. Generally, people are fond of memories. From the ancient time, they have been trying to preserve the memories in different ways. One of the most popular ways is to preserve some stuff or materials which would remind them the past or any specific past events. The stuff and materials help them recalling their past. This is one of the key reasons for keeping the old objects. Besides, they preserve the old objects sometimes as they want to exhibit their past vigour to others or want to expose their traditional beliefs or heritage which once was on the top. Further, there are some people who love to collect old things but those people are fewer in number. They collect the old and ancient stuff for their private use or sometimes make large collections to satisfy their souls. But I think the most important fact about collecting the old objects might be the love for those objects. When they come in close contact with the objects, they feel a sense of deep satisfaction and remember the memories that they have undergone at different times of their life. Those objects may remind them their past struggles for survival or any other interesting events that make them smile silently.
• Why do people go to museums?
Well, the museum is a place where the past is kept carefully; I mean the relics of the past are preserved for public exhibition. Museums are considered as the storehouse of olden days. Histories are preserved here so that the visitors could get knowledge about the past happenings that they have not seen before. Besides, the educative values are too high. When people go to museums, they can gather practical knowledge learn about a wide number of issues about their respective countries of any specific period. Besides, it is a very good way to pass leisure hours inside the well-decorated museums. When the tourists have nothing else to do in the foreign countries, they go to visit the museums as it will pass their times and they could also get some ideas about the cultures, customs and the overall histories of the country.
57
What are the benefits of going to museums?
Ummm, there are a large number of benefits of visiting a museum. Firstly, you’ll be able to know about the histories of any place. Then you’ll have some concrete ideas about that place. Again, when you are in a museum, you will gather some practical knowledge about the things and stuff you have heard about but not seen before. For instance, I had no idea about military weapons but I got a very practical idea after visiting a military museum where a wide range of weaponry was exhibited for public viewing. Additionally, when you are visiting a museum, you are becoming a witness to different interesting events that took place even before your parents’ birth. So, isn’t it very interesting?
• Is it better to actually see things in a museum rather than just learn about them?
Ahh, I think experiencing things practically or physically is better than learning about them. In this case, you can count my own experience over visiting the military museum. I heard about hand grenade, rocket launchers, missiles, firearms like pistols, revolvers, machine guns and more. But I did not have the luck to see them very closely. I have seen some of those used by the law enforcers. But when I entered, you won’t believe how thrilled I was! It was like I have got heaven in my hand. A very wide number of weapons was exhibited before me, and it appeared that those were exhibited only for me. I didn’t touch them, though; it was an unforgettable experience for me. I tried to compare the knowledge I had on the weapons but found that I was wrong in most cases as I did not see them practically before. Thereby, it is important to see the things you want to see and it will help you to get the right and perfect idea about the things you want to know. But if you hear only, the knowledge will remain incomplete.
3. Old buildings:
• Is it important to conserve old buildings?
Thank you for the chance to answer the challenging question. Well, there are no straight answers to this question and the answer may vary from place to place. To me, it appears that some of the people are interested to demolish the old buildings and replace them with a modern one for good looks and considering the commercial purposes. But there are some other people who are on the view to conserve the ancient structures and buildings as those are the relics of past construction. Those buildings resemble the style and manner of past and in some places are considered as heritage as well based on their construction style and age. Besides, they also believe that preserving the old buildings points to preserving the history. So, they are against the view to replace the old buildings with the newer ones. However, in my sense, the old buildings should be preserved unless they are decayed to the extreme level. When the buildings are in the state of collapse, then those should be repaired and if the repairing is impossible, they should be rebuilt within the same style. The initial design should be kept as long as it could go. When a completely different structure is built at the same place after razing the old ones, histories and pasts are destroyed too.
58
Do many people in your country live in old buildings?
Ummm, actually Singapore is mostly a tourist country, there are fewer old buildings. Most of the people live in concrete made buildings. Earlier, Singapore was a small territory and with the rapid expansion of the economy, the real estate sector of the country has bloomed to a larger extent. As a result, there are several types of houses are mushrooming across the country including skyscrapers, luxurious buildings and mansions etc. Besides, there are some other shop houses are also found (located mostly in the commercial area) where the sellers live with their respective families on the first floor and continue their business on the ground floor. The mansions and skyscrapers are made in different categories and they offer numerous features and facilities to the residents. Most of the people live in concrete made taller flats while the flats belong to several categories like two rooms flat, three rooms flat; studio flat or exclusive flats etc.
• What do you prefer, an old or a modern building to live in?
Ha ha ha!! Tough question for me! Umm, since I have been born and brought up in an exclusive flat, it is naturally difficult for me to live in older buildings. But it does never point that I am ignoring the old structures rather I’m on the view to conserve them. I, in fact, am not habituated to live in the old buildings as they are devoid of modern amenities to live in the current days. Have you ever been to Singapore? Ooh! Then you are unaware that there are less walking or exercise spaces across the country and particularly in the part where I live in. On the ground floor of my flat, I have a small gymnasium and a swimming pool which help me greatly to get my necessary daily exercises. But such facilities are not available in the older buildings. It should be acknowledged that the older buildings have spacious rooms with natural lighting, but they lack the modern sanitation system which is uncomfortable for me.
59
School:
• How can a teacher make learning more interesting?
It’s a pleasure for me to answer the question. As a teacher, I think there are several ways to make the teaching or learning more interesting than any other thing. Firstly, the teacher should remember that education is a participatory process and both the teacher and the learner should communicate effectively to make the learning more interesting. When it is about to learn only, the students lose their interest in the topic. The teacher is responsible for making the class interesting and for that s/ he may also improvise the activities. For instance, when I deliver lectures at the graduate school, I try to engage the students with me. Sometimes I speak less and allow the other students to talk in the class. Besides, when I use a digital presentation using Microsoft Powerpoint, I add more images than texts to make the issues clearer and interesting to the students. Reading through the texts appears boring to me and the students also do not prefer so. Thereby, I try to bring variations in my teaching methods. At times I inspire my students to deliver lectures instead of me or to teach the other students what they have learnt in real. This is an effective technique and when the students play teachers’ role, they find interest in that. Thus, I think these are some of the interesting ways to make the class more interesting and the teacher is the key player in this case.
• What was the most popular subject in your school? Why was it popular?
There were several popular subjects in my school but unfortunately I cannot recall all the names. The most prominent names that appear in my mind are English literature, social science and geography. The school appointed several skilled and well-experienced teachers to teach the subjects. But among the three subjects, English was preferable to me because of the teaching method, and in fact, I was highly influenced by the teaching methods of Mr. Edward who used to teach English literature. It was not only me who was in love rather it was the entire class of mine. It happened because we did not have to study at home. Mr. Edward was so skilled that he completed all the lessons in the class. The classes were like we were listening to any story and sometimes we were responding spontaneously. As a result, we did not have to study the text again at home while the instant tests and examinations were superb. Besides, I also enjoyed the geography class as the teacher used a very large map to show different countries and also applied other necessary educative materials to make the lessons perfect.
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Are there any subjects that shouldn’t be taught in school? Why?
Uhh! The subjects of pure science like physics, chemistry, mathematics etc. are some of the toughest subjects and this is completely my private opinion. Most of the students cannot get the desired scores getting promoted to the next grade as they lack skills over the subjects. In fact, the brain is not matured enough to go through the complex rules and theories. As a result, a sense of irritation grows inside them and they lose interest in studying the subjects. So, I think the subjects should be kept for a higher level at least they should be initiated after the secondary level. Overall I do not think any subject has less importance and I can’t recall a single subject that was not proven important in my higher studies.
• How can the school help students overcome a problem with a certain subject? Do you think that visiting different websites has a benefit?
Well. This is an awfully concerning issue for the school when a bunch or a single student fails to comprehend any specific subject. Sometimes they cannot go through the subjects and mostly it happens when they are uninterested in studying with it. Then the schools take different preventive measures to solve the problem. Usually, the school authority arranges for extra classes or starts extra hours of schooling for the students who are lagging behind. This is highly beneficial for the students and it works great for them. Visiting various websites is also helpful for the students. They may not get the desired answers on their prescribed textbooks but the answer might be available on the websites. So, they may regularly visit the websites for their enrichment of knowledge.