Practical & Intelligence

In Singapore’s meritocratic society, one can rise from poverty through academic performance and hard
work. More opportunities are reserved for people who do well in school. Intellectual skills tend to
manifest in academic performance. Therefore high qualifications are assumed to be a product of intellect
and diligence, both of which are lauded and well rewarded in the work force. Therefore there seems to
be an increased emphasis on intellectual skills, which can be seen from parents enrolling children into
multiple tuition and enrichment classes since pre-school. Intellectual skills includes the ability to
analyse information, think critically and creatively. On the other hand, practical ability is defined as life
skills such as cooking, driving and cleaning. In this essay we will take a look at how these two qualities
are applicable in our society, and ultimately how they can complement each other.
Practical abilities generally refers to hands-on tasks and technical skills. These skills allow you to live
your life more efficiently, being able to cook your own meal and fix your own tyres. Occupations that
have an emphasis on practical skills include chefs, hairdressers, technicians and nurses. These jobs often
require lower qualification but are no less important, being the ones who form the foundation of the
society. They are the ones who ensure that we have a source of food, someone who can attend us when
we are in hospitals. Without them the society will be in a mess as we will have trouble fixing our cars,
and cooking our own meal. People will have to rely on these vocational occupations for convenience
and better state of life.
Intellectual skills include creative endeavours, foresight, analytical mind and critical thinking. In this
case we are excluding qualification as it lacks in comprehensive judgement, and thus an inaccurate
representation of one’s intelligence. We are taking in information from the very first moment that we
are born. When we start to understand things, we start asking questions, and our brain begins processing
the information and turning it into useful knowledge that we will use later in our life. Such skills are
crucial for us as we learn, we process and we gain wisdom, learning to not touch boiling water as it is
hot; understanding that certain controversial topics should not be brought up in public to avoid conflict.
This is part of critical thinking, the ability to analyse and interpret information to assess its context and
validity. As we question things around us, we understand them better, drawing information between
information and making analysis.
There are cases when both practical and intellectual abilities are equally important, or even
complementary. For example, communication, collaboration, learning to master a specific skill. When
a professional artist creates a piece, the drawing itself is a practical skill, but the creation and innovation
of arts is an intellectual skill. When one is communicating, where talking is a practical skill but the way
you effectively convey your message to the other party requires high level of intelligence. These
examples show that practical ability and intellectual skills can complement. They are not mutually
exclusive and can be nurtured in together. In fact, the government has been encouraging students to
develop these two skills in tandem, with SkillsFuture, which allows us to attend classes to acquire all
sort of skills, ranging from gardening, to playing instruments. This encouragement on holistic
development shows how the government is acknowledging the equal importance in intellectual and
practical skills as more occupations requiring both qualities rose in status in the society. A surgeon, for
example, requires comprehensive knowledge on human anatomy as well as excellent motor skills to
carry out a successful operation. Surgeons are considered well respected in our society, and handsomely
paid as well, with some surgeons with annual salary of SGD300, 000.
In conclusion, it is true that people can achieve success through talent and hard work, with intelligence
being an important part of the equation. Theoretical knowledge and high qualifications often lead to
better career prospects since careers in academia, finance, law and medicine require such qualifications
and are deniably seen as more prestigious in most societies. However, society will not function properly
if people lack practical abilities. Imagine a society completely without chefs, or drivers, people will
have to cook at home every meal, and drive themselves everywhere. This will greatly affect the
efficiency of people, affecting the growth of the economy and the nation. Therefore it is vital that we
strike a balance between intellectual and practical abilities.