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Change is the only constant. And right from a young age, our young citizens are already going through a change. (Well, not that it will bother them much anyway…)
Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung said Singapore’s education system is undergoing an “overwhelming adjustment” to prepare the young for a changing world.
He used the analogy of a computer which remains unchanged in its physical outlook, but “the OS (operating system) is changing. The algorithm is changing.”
But beyond building new polytechnics and universities, Mr Ong said it’s about the way we do things, such as uncovering students’ talents and developing them to the fullest.
This will be done through the shifting of the emphasis on grades to the student’s aptitude for admissions into polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education.
Honestly, the world changing, the economy is changing, if Singapore’s education system doesn’t go along with the change, then our students will suffer by lagging behind.
Late last year, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam told global business and political leaders at the Singapore Summit that “the whole mantra of college education – of trying to make it as easy as possible for everyone to get a college education – is a big mistake.”
He added that students should be put on “paths of advancement” for skills in dealing with real-world situations.
Some time back a number of employers and some Singaporeans say that graduates do not have the skills to deal with real-life situations in spite of coming into the workplace with excellent academic grades.
Parents, if you are still too focused on academic grades then perhaps you need to broaden your horizon and look towards having your children develop relevant life skills and industry specific skills to do well in their jobs.
After all, how many workers really bring what they have learnt in school before into their jobs, apart from the vocation-type of skills which they learn either at the tertiary level or even during industrial attachments if they’ve gone for one.
The changing educational landscape going forward can only be more exciting and kids can surely look forward to more hands-on learning.
