Reported by:
Ong Chen Xi Jr2Z(2)

The news is all over social media: Yee Sue Wei, a Kuen Cheng High School student from Jr2Z(2), got First Place in Sin Chew Daily’s National Current Affairs Contest.


News article about Sue Wei’s (top left) achievement.

Nowadays, young people have started to care less about the news and current events. In this regard, such an accomplishment is especially significant. As such, we interviewed Sue Wei to learn more about her beliefs and her experiences joining this competition.

Firstly, we asked Sue Wei the reason behind her decision, as a first-time competitor, for joining the Sin Chew contest.

According to Sue Wei, she joined because of her interest in current events. She had always paid attention to the news, as it has close ties to our daily lives. By reading newspapers and books in general, she could learn more about how the world works. She also uses this knowledge to improve her overall self.

Next, we asked about the key to winning a current events competition like this, which Sue Wei said mainly came down to one’s attitude and planning.

Both of these things helped her to prepare for the competition. As this was her first time, Sue Wei didn’t set high expectations for herself. She aimed to get a medal but never wanted to win. As such, preparing for the competition was more of a hobby for her. Because of that, she never stressed herself out and could get more information memorized at the end of the day.

Of course, you can’t reach your goals without getting work done, no matter how low your expectations are. This is where planning comes in. After learning about what topics the competition would cover, Sue Wei made a schedule for herself. She also calculated how many newspapers she would need to read per day. That way, she could get enough preparations before the competition without overworking herself. 

Our third question was: While preparing for the competition, what’s the most memorable thing you’ve come across?

Sue Wei said that among the hundreds of news reports she had read on, the most unforgettable would have to be the kind about climate change. Because of climate change, temperatures have risen to an all-time high in Canada, Greenland, Greece, and Turkey. Heatwaves have become the norm on the West Coast of North America. A change in weather conditions had even caused a famine in Peru, the first time such a thing has happened in the world.


A PowerPoint presentation about climate change Sue Wei made for a school project. Evidently, reading the news has made her much more aware and concerned about climate change.

Our fourth question was on Sue Wei’s thoughts about the indifference towards current events that many young people have nowadays. 

In response to this, she stated that while most young people are busy with their studies, they should try to have a basic knowledge of what’s going on around them. This way, we can be more sensitive to our surroundings and learn to think on our own.

Lastly, we asked if Sue Wei had any advice for anyone interested in joining a current events contest, like the kind she joined.

On this, Sue Wei said that there are many ways to prepare effectively for such a competition. For example, you could read more varied types of content. Aside from reading newspapers, there are also many news websites on the internet you can check out, such as BBC and BuzzFeed News. 

In addition, it is crucial to make the most out of the time you spend preparing. Namely, you could scan through the article and extract the main points, rather than reading the article word-for-word. If you’re in a pinch, even just reading the headlines will do, especially for more unimportant topics like finance and medicine.

Note-taking is also handy when memorizing. If you’re worried about forgetting information, you can take notes, be it on a piece of paper or on a computer. In that case, writing the key points would be enough. Most importantly, though, remember to read your notes when the competition is near.

In case you don’t have enough time to prepare, however, try to read more on topics you find interesting, instead of forcing yourself to memorize everything. After all, you can remember more when learning about topics you enjoy.

Indeed, the scope for a current events contest is massive, but with these tips and tricks, you can absorb information more quickly and better prepare yourself for the competition.

Overall, this has been a very insightful interview. We would like to congratulate Sue Wei on winning this national competition. For anyone interested in joining a current events competition, we hope you can learn something from this. In that case, we might soon have a new champion on our hands.