New Economy Needs New Education System
While I share the joy with all my friends graduating this year and congratulate them for concluding another chapter of their lives successfully, I’m not looking forward to my own convocation in two years’ time. I think many of the recently graduated will share my sentiments.
The relief of knowing there’ll be no more late nights cramming for exams and worrying about results is perhaps outweighed by the uncertainties that lie ahead. Everybody is starting to understand that a degree is no longer guarantees a bright future.
The new economy is a knowledge-based economy; a well-educated and highly skilled worker will do well in the times ahead. But this doesn’t explain why graduates are having a hard time finding a job in Singapore, does it? In fact, it seems to reinforce the idea that a degree is a ticket to the good life.
A knowledge-based economy favours those with innovative ideas, new technologies and a workforce which can adapt to changes in the economy quickly. MOE needs to restructure the education system if it is to prepare the next generation with the right skills for the future.
Criticisms on the lack of creativity in our classrooms can be heard in recent years. I was educated in such an environment where the system favours conformity to creativity. My teachers were generally not enthusiastic in getting students to be interested in their subjects; the focus of the lessons was always to score good grades in the O- and A-level exams, and that translated to a strong emphasis on exam techniques and less on understanding.
But to be fair, our education system has provided us with a strong foundation in science subjects, without which new knowledge cannot be built upon. Singapore students have constantly outperformed students from other countries in international math and science competitions, a testimony to the success of our system.
I am in favour of reforming our education system. This is the only way Singapore can survive in the new economy. However, I don’t agree with the idea of implementing radical changes within a short period of time.
Radical changes made to the teaching syllabus within a short period of time will lead to an exodus of experienced teachers who might not be able to take the stress of adapting to the new syllabus. This is what’s happening in Taiwan where many older teachers are opting for early retirement.
Furthermore, Singaporeans receive 12 years of education on average. Although they might be able to adapt to the new syllabus faster, it doesn’t seem plausible that new teachers fresh out of NIE will be equipped with the right skills to teach a radically new syllabus within their 1-year training programme, having studied in the old system for more than a decade.
MOE should be given credit for introducing reforms in recent years. While many people are urging the ministry to speed up its pace, I caution those who favour a radical restructuring of our education system.