Singapore: a Quality Country with Quality People

Singapore is a country located just south of Malaysia. In Singapore all children go to school and there are lots of jobs. So, what else causes Singapore’s quality of life to be so great?

   In Singapore the education system is similar to the system in Canada. At the age of three children can attend a pre-school playgroup. From there they go to kindergarten and primary school for six to seven years. Afterwards they attend secondary school for five years and have the option to attend any of the following: junior college, a polytechnic or arts institution, or university. This is just like in Canada, but the years at each school change. You have eight years at primary school, four years at secondary school, and then have the option for post-secondary education. In Singapore there is no cost for school except for a possible fee of 6.50 Singapore dollars monthly.

Port in Singapore.

    The workforce in Singapore in mainly based on manual labour through exportation by cargo ships. Since Singapore is almost entirely on the coast of the Malacca Strait this makes sense. The average monthly income for a Singaporean is 8666 Singapore dollars. In Canadian dollars this equates to 8009.58 (almost CA$96108 yearly)! This is understandable, especially because the average Singaporean works forty-four hours per week and has very few vacation days. The government in Singapore is focusing greatly on trying to raise the income for low-wage workers.

   The healthcare system has won many awards, and hospitals in Singapore are some of the largest in the world. The entire system is based on the premise that no health care service should ever be free of charge. This is the rule for any type of mental or physical health, no matter what your economic status! This is just like the system in the USA which seems bad, but in Singapore the government subsidizes costs. This means that for a lower income person a treatment will cost less than if it were for a high income person. In the whole country of Singapore there is only ONE psychiatric hospital! To put this into perspective Canada has more than 15 psychiatric hospitals. The number of traditional hospitals in Singapore is 26 and in Canada is 1,461. Again this seems to be negative but, Canada has more than 11 times the population of Singapore! So, 1000+ hospitals are not necessary.

Pollution is causing residents to wear masks.

    The pollution in Singapore is a negative factor in the quality of life. Singapore is facing many environmental issues such as, air pollution, water pollution, and deforestation. These are forcing the government of Singapore to focus greatly on creating a plan to reduce the immense pollution that Singapore produces and is affected by. Most of this pollution is because of the residents burning vegetation. They cut down all the trees (deforestation) and then burn the undergrowth to create farm land. This is a real problem and Singapore has started to fine and arrest those found creating these fires.

    Singapore is located just above the equator. Thus it’s climate is very tropical with average temperatures at about 30℃ (86℉). It does not have any definite seasons, though temperatures slightly vary at different times of the year. These hot temperatures are disliked by some residents and loved by others. They also make it less comfortable to work outside.

   Singapore is a southeast Asian country with great health care, education, and quality of life. It has a very high economy even though it creates a lot of pollution. Singapore is a great place to live, if you like hot weather that is!