Conclusion to the HI Question

Did the Japanese Occupation bring changes to the lives of the locals in Singapore?

Yes. The locals in Singapore had to switch into a Japanese school. The students were also forced to give up on learning English and mother tongue language and were forced to learn the Japanese language instead. People of different races had to learn Japanese too. Different people of different races would study in the same school but during the Japanese Occupation, everyone would go to the same school and learn Japanese. The Japanese Teachers would give the students comic books which depicts how kind the Japanese were to win over the locals and at a chance of decreasing the anti-Japanese in Singapore.

However, there were some things that remained the same before and during the Japanese Occupation; before and during the Japanese Occupation, students still had to take on their education, they still had to go to school to gain new knowledge. When they were at school, they still had to sing a National anthem and say the pledge everyday even though it is in a different language.Also, in school, it was compulsory for students to wear school uniforms.

Indeed, there were a lot of changes that took place such as the languages the students learnt. But, there are also a lot of things that remained the same like how students gain new knowledge in everyday education and wearing school uniforms to school.

Changed or Remained the same?

Education - attendance and studies

Before the Japanese education, students were taught in English, and learnt other subjects such as science and the history of Britain. During the Japanese Occupation, many students stopped coming to school as many schools shut down during the Japanese Occupation, and had activities such as cleaning, to implement Asian values into English students. In place of English, students were taught in Japanese. The continuity was that some students still were taught about different subjects in school and the difference was the subjects and the activities students had to take part in.

Education - subjects learning in school, what was happening in school

There was indeed a change in the subjects learnt as they were forced to learn Japanese instead of English and their Mother Tongue. 

But, what was happening in school was still the same as they were still learning new things in both their original school and the Japanese school.

Education - Languages learnt in school

There was a change in the languages learnt as before the Japanese Occupation, students were taught in mostly English and Malay through various mediums as the British authorities is only "providing free primary education" in the Malay language and only approves a limited number of "privately run English-medium schools" to be taught in English. But during the Japanese occupation, students had to learn the Japanese language and not any other language. The schools "focused on teaching of the Japanese language" in order to learn more about the Japanese.Thus, the change in languages learnt will bring changes to the lives of the locals due to the change of subjects before and during the Japanese Occupation.

Education - the education system at that time before and during the Japanese Occupation

There was a huge change in the subject learnt before the Japanese Occupation and during the Japanese Occupation. Before the Japanese Occupation, students were not forced and pressured to study a particular subject that they do not like and even never ever learn before. The language taught to them was what they know and understand, it is taught to the students by their different races. For example, Malays will learn Malay and etc. The students will be very relax in school. Whereas during the Japanese Occupation, students are forced to take up only Japanese subject that they do not even know anything about it. It made the lives of the students very difficult. Everyone were seemed to be very stress and pressurised. For example, students learn Japanese language from the teacher and parents will send them to tuition for them to be able to catch up in class. Thus, the change can be clearly seen with all the information above.

Select relevant evidence from individuals' contributions to construct a group's conclusion to the HI question

Change:
-Before the Japanese Occupation, most of the British people went to English school. The language people learnt mostly depend on their race i.e. Malay people studies in Malay school and etc.

-During the Japanese Occupation, the students in Singapore learnt Japanese language in school regardless of race, religion or language. As shown from the pictorial source below, a Malay and a Indian student was writing Japanese language on the whiteboard.

-At the beginning of the Japanese Occupation, teachers in Japanese schools often gave comic books on how kind the Japanese were through a series of cartoons to students in order to influence their view that Japanese were kind-hearted and caring.

Thus, the change could be clearly seen before and during the Japanese Occupation.
 

         
Continuity: 
-Before and during the Japanese Occupation, students who were studying still had to take on education. Also, students had to go to school and learn new things, gain new knowledge. They were asked to sing the National Anthem and recite the pledge every day without fail, but the language sung or said by the students were different before and during the Japanese Occupation.

Before the Japanese Occupation
http://www.rememberingleekuanyew.sg/failover/uploads/2015/03/matriculationphoto.jpg

-During the British colony and Japanese Occupation, students wore uniforms to school as it is part of the education system during that period of time.

During the Japanese Occupation
http://members.shaw.ca/leksu/school-e.gif

-Wearing school uniforms serves as a form of  respect to the school and a traditional routine for  every school even when there is a change in the colony of Singapore so that it will be easily    recognisable on which school the students were studying at.

Thus, the continuity could be clearly seen before and during the Japanese Occupation.

(Sources were all taken from either the Internet or a History Textbook)

Oral History Interview video

Here is a video on one of the survivors during the Japanese Occupation named Yap Joo Geok whom we interviewed her on our aspect that we are focusing on which is education and the HI Question.

Understanding the HI Question:

Did the Japanese Occupation bring changes to the lives of people in Singapore?

The key words in the question are: -bring changes
                                                        -lives of the people (locals)
                                                        -in Singapore

The time frame for this investigation is: 1940-1945.

The historical concept for this project is: Change and Continuity i.e. Change before Japanese Occupation, change during Japanese Occupation and Continuity on how life was like before Japanese (during the British and during the Japanese Occupation)

For our aspect, education is the process of students' facilitation learning, or acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and habitats.

Introduction to our Blog

Hi Readers!

This blog will be coming up with answers, ideas and responses to our HI question: Did the Japanese Occupation bring changes to the lives of the people in Singapore. Also, our group will be focusing on the aspect that we are taking charge of which is education. 

We will be looking at the education system before and during the Japanese Occupation.