S'pore education is no child's play

IT takes a village to raise a child. But when that village is Singapore's education system, should you be worried?

Faith Ng's poignant new play replies with a "yes". Ng, one of Singapore's best playwrights, has never been one to hold back or sugarcoat the truth. Her first play wo(men) (2010) has three women taking out their loneliness and anger on each other. Her second play For Better Or For Worse (2013) paints such a harrowing portrait of marriage, you want to say "I don't" for good.

Her new play Normal is unflinching in showing the impact the Normal stream has on the self-esteem of the young. (The Normal stream is reserved for academically weak students). Directed by Claire Wong, the play centres on troubled teens Ashley (Claire Chung) and Daphne (Audrey Teong) who display all the giddy energies and sprawling confusion of kids unable to cope with the school system. Even with the earnest intervention of their new teacher Ms Hew (Oon Shu An), the two find themselves on a downward spiral.