A Singapore primary school textbook has been making Koreans upset for suggesting that their government does not provide sufficient housing for everyone, whereas the Singapore government takes care of all of us.
The photo appears on page 31, and says, "Some people do not have a roof over their heads. There are many reasons why people are homeless. Some of these people are too poor to rent or buy houses. In some countries, there is insufficient housing for everyone."
The photograph shows a homeless person with the word "exit" written in Korean letters, Hangeul, on the left side.
Next to the photo it says, "Even with limited land, our government is able to provide sufficient housing for the people."
So little children, you should all learn from a very young age that your government provides enough housing for everyone. There are no homeless people here. Housing is affordable and subsidised, even.
When you grow up, remember to vote for the government that is able to provide sufficient housing for the people, ok? Don't vote for any bad people who may lead this country down the path of homelessness.
And Korean reader, don't blame the textbook publishers for using a Korean photo. I am sure they could not find any homeless people to photograph in our glorious land of Singapore. For the sake of balance, I will tell the Ministry of Education to try to use photos of the poor and homeless from other countries, for future editions of this objective textbook. Singapore kids should learn that there are homeless people in many countries, not just Korea. Except Singapore, of course.
Recent Comments