Long-term decisions key to Singapore's survival: Education Minister Ong Ye Kung
He lists 4 areas in which Govt is making them, including bringing about new era in education
By Seow Bei Yi, The Straits Times, 15 Sep 2018
Even as politics elsewhere becomes more short-term and populist, Singapore will have to remain committed to taking long-term decisions if it is to survive as a small state, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung said yesterday.
He set out four areas in which it is doing so: Continuing to develop the country's infrastructure, finding new economic engines such as venturing out of Singapore, supporting the ageing population, and bringing about a "new era" in education that emphasises applied learning and cultivating creativity.
Speaking at the opening of the Singapore Summit, he said the business forum is taking place in "tumultuous times". "The tone is quite clear: The world is going to be fundamentally different - we need to understand and, more importantly, need to be able to respond to these trends," he said in his address to about 400 global business and thought leaders attending the two-day meeting.
In the coming decades, competition is less likely to be between countries, but more likely between cities, and Singapore needs to step up to remain at the forefront.
He lists 4 areas in which Govt is making them, including bringing about new era in education
By Seow Bei Yi, The Straits Times, 15 Sep 2018
He set out four areas in which it is doing so: Continuing to develop the country's infrastructure, finding new economic engines such as venturing out of Singapore, supporting the ageing population, and bringing about a "new era" in education that emphasises applied learning and cultivating creativity.
Speaking at the opening of the Singapore Summit, he said the business forum is taking place in "tumultuous times". "The tone is quite clear: The world is going to be fundamentally different - we need to understand and, more importantly, need to be able to respond to these trends," he said in his address to about 400 global business and thought leaders attending the two-day meeting.
In the coming decades, competition is less likely to be between countries, but more likely between cities, and Singapore needs to step up to remain at the forefront.
Singapore is doubling its airport and seaport capacities, and developing three business districts outside the Central Business District to better spread activities across the island - Woodlands in the north, Punggol in the north-east and Jurong in the west.
The Government has committed to upgrade homes every 30 years at highly subsidised rates, he said. When flats are around 70 years old, the Government will offer residents an option to buy their units and redevelop the entire estate.
"Housing is a core compact between the people and the Government," he said. "We will not allow an entire residential town to become old and rundown."
To grow the economy, Singapore needs to go beyond foreign direct investment, which has been a major part of Singapore's growth model.
"For our next phase of economic development, we must embrace innovation, develop new products and services, and nurture Singapore-based companies to venture out to the region, bring those products and services to the world and the region, and tap into the vast markets around us," said Mr Ong.
"So, from making things to creating things... this is a major shift in economic strategy," he said.
Mr Ong also said Singapore - which has free trade pacts with ASEAN, the United States, China and others - is investing in research and development as a priority. Other aspects of its value proposition include offering a conducive living environment and a well-regulated yet enterprise-friendly environment.
To tackle the challenge of an ageing population, the Government is introducing policies such as raising the retirement age and new legislation on re-employment to help people work longer if they wish.
Still, Singapore must ensure fiscal sustainability. To fund the expected rise in healthcare costs, the goods and services tax will be hiked from 7 per cent to 9 per cent after 2020.
Finally, Singapore is making changes to its education system.
With technological advancements and industry disruptions, learning is now a lifelong process, he said. Increasingly, it is "human skills", including soft skills, that carry a premium, he added.
In a panel discussion after his speech, Mr Ong discussed the role of fourth-generation leaders, of which he is one, in helping today's youth.
With the younger generation being more entrepreneurial, he hopes Singapore can be a "living laboratory" as well to test ideas that can also be implemented in other cities.
With the younger generation being more entrepreneurial, he hopes Singapore can be a "living laboratory" as well to test ideas that can also be implemented in other cities.
Singapore in midst of far-reaching revolution in education
Ong Ye Kung cites push for lifelong as well as hands-on learning, helping next generation to find, grow strengths
The Straits Times, 15 Sep 2018
Information can be searched for easily nowadays by going online, but it is "hard to Google skills". And that, explained Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, is why Singapore is undergoing a quiet, but far-reaching, revolution in education.
Addressing about 400 business and thought leaders from around the world at yesterday's opening of the Singapore Summit, Mr Ong highlighted the push for lifelong learning, helping the next generation discover and grow their strengths, and shifting to more applied learning.
But he also admitted that there is still a lot of work to do, including focusing less on academic teaching and examination scores, and more on cultivating creativity and critical thinking.
Addressing about 400 business and thought leaders from around the world at yesterday's opening of the Singapore Summit, Mr Ong highlighted the push for lifelong learning, helping the next generation discover and grow their strengths, and shifting to more applied learning.
But he also admitted that there is still a lot of work to do, including focusing less on academic teaching and examination scores, and more on cultivating creativity and critical thinking.
"Whatever changes we make in schools today, we will not see the effects until maybe 20 years later. These effects can be profound, influencing an entire generation," Mr Ong said.
With rapid advances in technology spurring increasing industry disruptions, learning is no longer a matter of 15 or 20 years in the formative period of a person's life.
And as knowledge becomes more accessible, there is also less need to front-load knowledge in the early years of education.
Instead, human skills, including essential soft skills, carry a premium, he said, adding that to encourage a lifelong pursuit of learning requires inculcating a sense of curiosity and passion.
"So, we launched a national movement, called SkillsFuture, to promote these ideas," said Mr Ong.
"We instituted a systemic process to help our young, starting from primary school, to progressively discover their strengths, grow their interests and guide them on possible career paths."
This continues at the post-secondary level by providing multiple pathways to cater to students with diverse talent and strengths. When they join the workforce, "we have a comprehensive system to meet their upgrading needs".
He highlighted how the National University of Singapore announced in March that completing a three-to four-year degree course will no longer mark the end of studying.
Instead, enrolment will be for 20 years, with alumni returning periodically to update their knowledge and skills.
He highlighted how the National University of Singapore announced in March that completing a three-to four-year degree course will no longer mark the end of studying.
Instead, enrolment will be for 20 years, with alumni returning periodically to update their knowledge and skills.
But driving this is a love for learning, a point Mr Ong returned to during the question-and-answer session after his speech.
Asked how education may have to change as jobs are transformed by technology, he stressed that certain fundamentals will remain the same, including starting with a foundation of values, literacy and numeracy skills.
"Without these three, it is difficult to learn anything else," he said, adding that he is not "a big fan of teaching students coding when they are very young" because by the time they grow up, the language will become obsolete.
Nurturing a greater joy of learning is also important, and this includes inquiry-based teaching, which helps students absorb lessons better. "And we need to somehow reduce the overemphasis on academic grades. We will figure out a way," Mr Ong said.
When it was pointed out to him that "you can't move a taxi driver into a high-tech job overnight", he brought up the example of Changi Airport's Terminal 4, which began operations last year.
Nurturing a greater joy of learning is also important, and this includes inquiry-based teaching, which helps students absorb lessons better. "And we need to somehow reduce the overemphasis on academic grades. We will figure out a way," Mr Ong said.
When it was pointed out to him that "you can't move a taxi driver into a high-tech job overnight", he brought up the example of Changi Airport's Terminal 4, which began operations last year.
It allows passengers a start-to-end automated process, from checking in to baggage tagging and aircraft boarding.
So, instead of having many customer service officers behind counters, they are out interacting and serving customers. "Therefore, you still need people," Mr Ong said.
"Someone said this... you don't teach someone to be a second-grade robot; teach them to be a first-grade human," he added.
Asked about inclusiveness to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Singapore, Mr Ong said they go about their lives just like anyone else, without discrimination. People here, however, are split when it comes to legislative changes.
He added: "Some things, we leave it to society to decide over time."
Asked about inclusiveness to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Singapore, Mr Ong said they go about their lives just like anyone else, without discrimination. People here, however, are split when it comes to legislative changes.
He added: "Some things, we leave it to society to decide over time."
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